It has been over a month now since the Tillsonburg Mini Outlaw club got together for it's 2011 Annual Banquet. It was a good time recapping the season.
A slide show of the drivers as they were introduced revealed just how much some of our kids have grown since they started racing in Tillsonburg. During the driver introductions I vowed that I would get every drivers name and where they lived correct, without a cheat sheet. That is not that easy for two reasons. One is my mind has over 50 tough years of use and two, the kids look different all dressed up at a banquet then they do with driving gear and helmets. If I screwed up I put $5, $10 and $20 on the line for each failure of my memory. I was doing great but as I got to the senior division, I did what I have done all season. Mixed up Kate and Bea Courtnage. I actually introduced them correctly but when retelling a story about Kate, I slipped and out came "Bea". It wasn't long before Kate came running up to get her $5 with a big smile on her face. I made it through the rest of the introductions without a slip, or so I thought. Amber Meyer was jumping up and down waiving her arm in the air. It seems she was waiting to claim the third and highest amount but when no one else grabbed the $10 she decided it was time to jump in. It seems Amber moved to another town midway through the season and never told anyone. Well, not me anyway. Off went my $10 in Ambers hand. It wasn't a total loss though as I got my Birthday hug that had been due to me since 2010. I did manage to keep the $20 , having committed no further Driver Name infractions.
With the introductions out of the way, up next was the trophy presentations. 51 of them in all. Wayne Stainton and Pete Neufeld had to honour of distributing the awards to the many drivers. One way or the other, almost every racer left with at least one. Some with several. Awards were presented for the Spring Series, the Ohsweken 4-50's , the Summer Series and the Thanksgiving 100. Most sportsmanlike trophies went to #93 Amber Meyer, (despite taking my $10) in the Juniors and # 51 Matt Anderson in the Seniors. With so many of the racers improving this year by leaps and bounds choosing the most improved was a difficult choice. #93 Rayse Meyer got the nod for this award and was very happy to get the last trophy of the night.
Jaime Westman represented the parents and teams as they got together to recognize the volunteers who make to the club run successfully. Without them the weekly racing could not continue as economically as it does. Apparently their efforts do not go unnoticed. Thank you volunteers.
With the trophy presentations complete, we moved to the door prizes. Two full tables of loot for the drivers and then the drivers teams. There were several teams I saw carrying out over $200 of stuff. Certainly a suitable reward for a year well done. Amongst all the awards and door prizes was lots of story telling and visiting by competitors and their families. As the members eventually made their way home and the hall emptied a feeling of satisfaction was in the air. We had completed another successful season of racing. Friendships were made, competition fostered and once again our racers raised the level of professionalism not only in how they competed but how they matured as individuals in the racing community. There is no doubt in my mind that these drivers have gained the confidence to do well, regardless what life throws at them. And did I mention they had a lot of fun in the process?
With all that said it is time to start looking forward to the next season. Schedules need to be set and rules need to be reviewed. If any of our teams would like to forward any comments on ways to improve our club, we would be glad to consider them in the off season. Now is the time to bring any new ideas. Don't be shy, We need to know what you are thinking if you see an opportunity. We even need to know if you want NOTHING changed as well. As for the 2012 rules, there is not going to be any significant rule changes, in fact there will be very few if any minor rule changes.
As always, we love to introduce new drivers joining our club. At this time we know Joe Kelly is joining the Expert ranks for 2012. How long it will take him adjust to the power and will he be able to keep up with his son, Scott? Only time will tell.
I would also like to welcome Katherine Summers to our club, She will be making her racing debut as #26 in the Junior class in 2012, but I have hopes she will be graduating to the Seniors mid season. Katherine hails from Aylmer and has been following her siblings around who race in the Hurricane Midgets organization. You can only watch racing for so long before you want a steering wheel of your own. Katherine now has her own steering wheel (and its hooked to a kart).
Also, lets welcome Nick Sheridan to the Beginners at this time. Nick has been watching his brother Jacob race in Tillsonburg for two years and it is now his turn to climb into the kart for real. That moves the new driver count to three going into Christmas. Certainly a good start considering 2012 is not even here.
Speaking of Christmas.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all our racers, families and fans.
The Staff and officials of Tillsonburg Outlaws
Dave Chesterman
Chesterman Power Products
Tillsonburg Indoor MX
Tillsonburg Outlaw Kart Club
www.chesterman.ca519-842-5977
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