skinnyski.com strikes again.
so, sunday at theo wirth i got the 'pleasure' of playing the role of USAC official.
i had heard the rumors/grumblings/legends of what a pain in the ass it is to be an official, and about how unabashedly stupid some of our bike racing peers can be... but i mostly blew it off.
"yeah, yeah. sure standing there with a clipboard is real tough... whatever."
"yeah, yeah. thats real tragic. but seriously, you guys must be cross eyed to have mixed up joe schmoe and larry lardass in 47th and 48th places... "
i figured i have done approximately One Million bike races since my 'career' began, and i don't have my head up my ass; officiating should be a piece of cake.
uh, wrong.
it was quite an eye-opening experience, to say the least.
first off, we took all the flack for the 'head-up-ass' promoter who ran the mens4/womens4/all juniors categories at once... 126 people in one field. wtf? some ladies/juniors managed near-front start spots, and some did not.
some may say, 'that's the breaks, get a good start spot next time', and they'd be right... but there is also the issue of 'fair'.
i bet there was a good 45 second advantage before the whistle even blew... (actually i know there was, i had a stop watch).
that shit ain't right. i agree whole-heartedly.
but it also ain't my fault, and i definitely don't want to hear about it while i am attempting to correctly score the race... jesus.
i won't even start on the crooked/crumpled/upside-down/missing race numbers... but rest assured they were in EVERY field, not just the beginners.
oh, and it is rather amazing how simple the instructions can be and still have 40% of the feild fuck it up.
amazing.
to sum up, i learned a whole lot about another side of the raceday coin, and i am glad that i did.
can't wait to relegate someone!
will it be you?
have you been an official?
do you not know the difference btw 'left' and 'right'?
what should i DQ super rookie for?
is an armani suit too much?
