[DIRTWRKS]

Hi,

My 14 year old son is really keen on racing DH this year but at least in Quebec he is too young, needs to be 15 !



Are there any places in the Northeast US that allow 14 year olds to compete in DH ?

 

[Yeti DHer]

Originally posted by Acadian
you should see all the young kids (under 14 I'm sure) ripping it up here in Cali! Simply AMAZING!!

Even the 12 and under kids rip!!! I wish I would of started riding this young...

 

[DIRTWRKS]

That's cool............. the only thing here a14 year old can compete in is XC ! something is wrong with that !

 

[Silver]

I never knew how small a Giant DH Comp could get until last weekend at Big Bear...

 

[anarchyUK]

Ive raced sence i was 11 im 15 now

 

[OGRipper]

There's a guy named Mikey I've seen out at Sand Hill in Norcal. He's 8, I think. He can do heal clickers and other rad jumps, plus he hits big drops with lots of confidence. Makes guys way older look lame.

Props to all the supportive parents out there!!

 

[Silver]

Nope, I'm guessing the kid was 12...maybe a teenager, but if he was he was SMALL. On the lift ride up I kept trying to figure out if his wheels were 24" or not

 

[SebringMGB]

there was a 10 year old ripin up the dh at a race here..... if you are worried about your son, remember, kids heal FAST

 

[mack]

pain builds carachter,
i remember at mtn snow i was at the gate all hoped up and i look to my lef tand theres this 8 year old in full pads and a mini kona stinky, i felt like poop.

 

[S.G.D]

hey, i say if there is grass on the field play ball....

oh...wrong thread. Sh!te.

uhhhh......


on a more serious note, i say never. get those kids racing.

~SGD

 

[HippieKai]

my buddie jack is only 15 and he raced last year and did realy well...he's turned into quite the little ripper. so it's never to young to start.

 

[dhmtbj]

ya, i have a friend who is 15 now and raced at 14 in junior x and was finishing top 5 at local races last season. And that was his first season.

 

[W4S]

Originally posted by Silver
I never knew how small a Giant DH Comp could get until last weekend at Big Bear...

that bike was tiny . never saw the kid riding though.

BTW, i thought canada was progressive. no DH until 15? that's downright kookie.

 

[COmtbiker12]

I'm 15 and will be racing Junior dh this summer.

 

[RiDurbin]

My youngest is 12 and just raced in Gotta Thunder at Big Bear, raced last year at age 11 in the Fall Classic. Had bad luck at Gotta Thunder, dropped his chain on the first run (improperly adjusted chainguide, thanks Dad) and crashed on the second run. He will be back to get his satisfaction at the Nationals in less then 2 weeks. My 14 year old also races but is out for most the season with a broken arm. They have both been trail riding since 8 yrs old.

 

[Threepointtwo]

I have been riding with my 8 year old son on DH trails this year. I may have him enter a local race or two this year depending on the course. He's not ready for any big stuff yet but he's getting better by the minute.

 

[toughguymagee]

There are kids that race DH in the PNW. Sometimes the race folks will start them 1/2 way down the course and have them go down all of the out-routes. I think its awesome.

 

[Brian Peterson]

You may have seen my buddy Blake on the Giant at Big Bear... He is a little ripper. Been a BMX racer for years and pulled some strong fininshes at Sea Otter... His parents want me to take him to some of the DH runs we do... I am scared.... Don't want to be shown up by the kid!!!

Brian

 

[SuspectDevice]

Come on down the the US!
Because you don't need an annual license to ride here he can race whatever class he wants.
There are 14 year old kids out there who are nearly pro-fast, Kyle Strait was one of them, Tyler McCaul is fast too. Come to think of it there are lots of 12-15 year old rippers all over the country, and they are all seemingly experts at keeping racing fun...

Personally I started racing xc when I was 12 and entered my first slalom race at 13 and dh race at 14. I didn't race much dh until 5 or 6 years later after I'd gone through the ranks with xc and road racing.
If your son does decide he enjoys dh racing, just make sure he finds some other non-cycling related sports that he can enjoy too. Going full-bore with training and racing at a really young age often leads to burnout in the late teens/early 20's.

 

[Romic tech]

My son started when he was 6. He is 8 now and loves it. Here he is at a race here in cal.

 

[Brian Peterson]

Not to mention that mini Chumba is one of the sweetest bikes around!!

Also, look at that form... He is ready for anything on that run!

Brian

 

[Jeremy R]

Originally posted by Romic tech
My son started when he was 6. He is 8 now and loves it. Here he is at a race here in cal.

That is the sweetest picture I have ever seen.
You got a kid ripping down a DH course showing us all what life is all about, and you have a chick's azz in the left hand corner doing the same thing.
Man, what I would have done to be DHing at 8 years old.

 

[HTFR]

Originally posted by Jeremy R
Tand you have a chick's azz in the left hand corner doing the same thing.

beat me to it. that is nice.


:devil:





i dont feel like being useful