College + Nationals

[LTRracer4]

I'm graduating highschool early this year to go train in florida, I plan to run all the nationals next season, and if i do well i will want to run them again the next season, but I am expected to go to college that next year. Does anyone run every national and still attend college regularly? Racing is what's important to me, and trust me i've heard it all. School will matter more over time blah blah blah, but pushing school off is a serious idea to me, and i want to know what works. Thanks

[8my_Cash]

Depends on the type of person you are. My friend waited a year, worked, did what he wanted and then went back to school and is gonna finish next spring.


Now if your the person that will wait and then goes he i dont need college anymore....then i would advise you to not do it.



But trying to ride and goto college at the same time can be challegning. Trust me, I have driven back home for a day just to do a demo.......yea it sucks hahaha

[dehner47]

dude, i'n not going to go all "parent " on you and tell you go to school. the nationals aint going anywhere. schools more important then racing. ect ect ect.

but i will tell you school and racing can be done at the same time. example. a very well known pro rider(retired) raced the nationals(TT/MX at the time), graduated college with a doctor's degree in physical theropy, won the pro class champoiship, and got married. all in the same season. hell, he even graduated, locked up the title and got married all with in 2-3 weeks of each other. any guesses on who i'm speaking about?? :devil: he is and always will be one of the fastest men to ever ride a quad. hands down.

anyway, so please dont think you cant do school and race at the sametime. and please remember, chances of you going pro, getting a factory ride, making good $$$ and not needing a degree is a long shot. not that you cant accomplish that. you can do anything you put your mind too. but in my opinion, focus on school and the racing part will come in do time.

and trust me, i know this from experience. i was home schooled and didn't even attempt college cause i focused all my time and my families time/$$$$ on racing the nationals. dont get me wrong, i would never change anyhting in my past. makes me the man i am today. but if i had a chance to deture someone from making my mistakes, i'll always jump at the chance.

good luck with whatever decision you make. listen to everyones advice, and make sure you make the best decision for you and your future:D

[kawabunga]

I have the privilege of attending a college not that far from my home. I can pick up and go home anytime and it doesn't take long so I ride quite a bit while being in school. However, I see it quite challenging to go to all the nationals and go to school at the same time. You have to figure all the travel time, probably want to practice, all the wrench time, etc. Depending on what you're going to school for, much of your free time might have to be devoted towards school, and if you're racing, I wouldn't see that happening.
Take a year off and then go, or go to college, I wouldn't advise both. Your choice.

[motofreak2772]

I know everyone i going to say im retarded but idc. Your not going to be young forever... if you can afford to race now without going to college you should. The point of going to school is to make money and you want to make money to ride but if you already have the money to ride whats the need. Someone said that the nationals will always be there but so will school, and you will be able to go to school when your old and broken lol. I say ride while you still can unless you can do both at the same time cuz no one wants to be 40 and go to college with a bunch of kids.
You can go to school part time too right? going like 3 days a week and racing shouldnt be too hard.

[ZBlaster]

I do both, currently enrolled at YHC, I have class early on Monday-Thursday, leaves all weekend to race, practice, etc.

[derekhonda]

Possibly look into a community college for your first year or two? I've got a friend that hold down a 50 hour a week job and takes 12 credit hours, usually like tuesday, wednesday, and thursday 6-10pm. I'm not sure how he manages, but he always does. Ought to leave you enough time to make some money to keep the quad running, and 4 day weekends to make some long drives.

And then if you decide to hang up racing and focus on school, your credits should transfer. But trust me man, you may just love racing, but you are gonna miss out on a lot of fun getting away for college for a few years.

[LTRracer4]

thanks for the replies guys! I posted here because i knew i wouldnt get a bunch of Bs. A buddy and I race as a partnership, which isnt much now, but once i graduate the two of us working together should open some doorways financially and sponsorship wise. This partnership we have decided is what will carry us to be the best we can be, and hopefully pro someday. I guess i will see what happens in the next year and decide off of that. untill then ill explore my options and rack my school councelors brains a bit. Thanks, and any other input in appreciated:)

[matt14c]

It really depends on the what your major will be and how many credit hours. Im going for electrical engineering and some of the classes are pretty overwhelming. My class advisor told me a rule of thumb is 2-4 hours of homework for every credit hour every week! So full time 12 credits could be 24 hours of homework. I think that is pretty darn close. I was in a similar situation with baseball and riding and school. Ended up quiting baseball to move back home and go to a more local school and then race then had some unfortunate luck and now dont do either. Just school and I wasnt going full time so 6 years now and still have about a year left to finish. For all those that tell you that racing isnt going anywhere is true but the way you ride and the shape you are in do! School will prolly be there far after racing. I had no support of parents. My dad hated racing and wasnt very happy I quit baseball. So depending on your situation I would just keep your feet wet with school one-two classes keep things fresh. Keep racing give it a couple years you make then obviously sweet but if not I would crank that down and finish school. No matter what couple years from now depending what happens your going to be drinking one night on your deck and be thinking WTF. Why did I do this or that. I know I do!

[coryatver]

You can do it but I hope your family has lots of money to support you. College is expensive and so is racing nationals.

[300extreme#8]

I only attended a few races this season during the spring semester. Haha more then I ever have and failed two classes bc my mind was focused on other stuff haha. Good luck trying it.

[MX MaNiAc 06]

Originally posted by dehner47

but i will tell you school and racing can be done at the same time. example. a very well known pro rider(retired) raced the nationals(TT/MX at the time), graduated college with a doctor's degree in physical theropy, won the pro class champoiship, and got married. all in the same season. hell, he even graduated, locked up the title and got married all with in 2-3 weeks of each other. any guesses on who i'm speaking about?? :devil: he is and always will be one of the fastest men to ever ride a quad. hands down.



Who is that?!?!

1st priority: SCHOOL


Go to college and race during the summer. That's the route I took.

[BakerRacing40]

i go to work and then school back and forth.. 2 months of work and 2 month of school makes one semester for me and the semesters are usually 18 credit hours and this hear semester is 21 credit hours for me.. i still race but not nationals and have a 3.8 gpa.. you can do both if you want, but i tell everybody i know to take a year away from school after high school or you'll get burned out on school... i'd say go ride and take some online classes..

[platummxracer8]

Originally posted by dehner47
dude, i'n not going to go all "parent " on you and tell you go to school. the nationals aint going anywhere. schools more important then racing. ect ect ect.

but i will tell you school and racing can be done at the same time. example. a very well known pro rider(retired) raced the nationals(TT/MX at the time), graduated college with a doctor's degree in physical theropy, won the pro class champoiship, and got married. all in the same season. hell, he even graduated, locked up the title and got married all with in 2-3 weeks of each other. any guesses on who i'm speaking about?? :devil: he is and always will be one of the fastest men to ever ride a quad. hands down.

anyway, so please dont think you cant do school and race at the sametime. and please remember, chances of you going pro, getting a factory ride, making good $$$ and not needing a degree is a long shot. not that you cant accomplish that. you can do anything you put your mind too. but in my opinion, focus on school and the racing part will come in do time.

and trust me, i know this from experience. i was home schooled and didn't even attempt college cause i focused all my time and my families time/$$$$ on racing the nationals. dont get me wrong, i would never change anyhting in my past. makes me the man i am today. but if i had a chance to deture someone from making my mistakes, i'll always jump at the chance.

good luck with whatever decision you make. listen to everyones advice, and make sure you make the best decision for you and your future:D



Travis Spader!?!?

[SRH]

i kinda feel like if i have children my kid will not go to college until i feel hes mature enough to do with it whats suppose to, i mean you dont just attend college and get a diploma

i believe whatever someones focus is and there goal is they should focus all of there attention on it, if you want to race seriously and your mature enough to make it happen do it, focus all of your attention on it and hope you dont get hurt, your young, your focused do it, but know when to quit, you dont want to ride out a sinking ship because sooner or later youll be ****ed, lol the average guy has several downfalls that dont allow him to go pro, lack of skill, debt, jobless, lack of maturity, and failure to maintain equipment, give it 2 or 3 seasons, go out there put in a total effort and avoid those things as much as possible and if it looks like your going somehwere then keep pushing otherwise you need to look at your options

everyone is going to say do both...big mistake, get a job doing some sort of manual labor, get out there and race, if anything the learning expirience itself if you stay on track will show you the keys to success even if you dont find it in racing it will be useful in your next endeavor, then go to college, or open a business etc, because you go to college now your spreading yourself too thin, and if u say youll race later forget it, you take off time from racing and your done , major injury your done...bad equipment your done

[SRH]

BTW they feed you crap in school about college, i never went, i got buddies who have and there is times ill make there weekly pay in a day and now there all out of work, college wont make a bum successful, if you got it in you youll be successful in every aspect of your life

besides with the amount of qualified unemployed people out there right now good luck slipping into any job your degree will get you

guidance counselors?? whose going to take advice from someone who has only aspired to live a mediocre life talking about something he cant possibly understand in his current position in life....i mean talk to someone successful for advice not the guy who can only tell you what colleges want to see from you:p

think of it this way if your going to race and you dont end up putting in the effort you should and its a bust youve learned a lesson and luckily didnt find out with college, the grind youll put in getting that $$ to race will teach you more about life than most people learn there whole life

[dehner47]

Originally posted by platummxracer8
Travis Spader!?!?

you got it.


dude is a machine. was no stop from the morning til the night. from practicing to training to school to his fiance/wife and all in that, trying to live a normal life. dude worked his *** off for years. and in the end, it deff paid off for dr. spader. he's doin what he loves, has a wonderful family now and is getting paid. cause of school :D

so make a wise decision. like i said before, get opinions and and advice from anyone you can. but please, do what you feel is good for you. no one can make your decisions for you. good luck bro.

[Scro]

I couldn't imagine racing full-time during college. I don't see how anybody does it. There are times when all I would do was eat, sleep, and study. I guess there are those who can breeze through school and never open a book, but I wasn't one of them.

A college degree is priceless. I don't care how much money I make. I could have never have gotten the job that I love doing now without it. Sure, there are people all over the world that never went to college, or quit high school, that make a whole lot more than me. But, the fact that I've accomplished one of my goals and being happy with where my life is, is all I could ever ask for.

Racing (as long as the libs stay out of it) and college will always be an option. As long as you are commited to going to college, I say do what you want now. But I will tell you that it's going to be extremely hard to give up racing, and having fun to go back to school. That's why I didn't take a break after high school, because I knew I would never want to start school again.

[scuzz]

Sro is right.

[MX450]

I think SRH hit the nail on the head

Hell chad wienen had the opportunity to go to college on a football scholorship after high school...... and something tells me he is soooooooooooo glad he didint lol

[8my_Cash]

SRH is right, college is not the cure all. A good example is too look at all the "sucessful" people in the world that never finished or went to college.

One of them is Bill Gates.


And Spader is a machine

[dehner47]

Originally posted by MX450
I think SRH hit the nail on the head

Hell chad wienen had the opportunity to go to college on a football scholorship after high school...... and something tells me he is soooooooooooo glad he didint lol

dude. you really cant compair the 2. weinen was going pro damn near outta high school. so he was way on the way to being a pro rider. dude hasn't even run a national yet. i dont think. again, not saying you cant make it as a pro. but just look at your chances.. every dude on here wants to be a pro rider. if we all stopped what we are doing and try to make it as a pro, there will be a forum full of washed up dudes making minamum wage:devil:

[SRH]

Originally posted by dehner47
dude. you really cant compair the 2. weinen was going pro damn near outta high school. so he was way on the way to being a pro rider. dude hasn't even run a national yet. i dont think. again, not saying you cant make it as a pro. but just look at your chances.. every dude on here wants to be a pro rider. if we all stopped what we are doing and try to make it as a pro, there will be a forum full of washed up dudes making minamum wage:devil:

haha hell if every pro rider had taken the odds and said why bother they wouldnt be there today, the odds are never in your favor , probably the odds would say he has a better chance of getting into the nba, but you dont know if you dont try

[LTRracer4]

Thanks for the input guys! Maturity wise i def have what it takes to 1. get through college the right way, or 2. live my life on the road.. i spent the whole winter traveling everywhere with a few of my racing buddies.. i learned more on that time away from home then ive learned in my entire life. the way i see things, ive put every penny ive ever made into racing, and still to this day im sinking everything i got into it. Its all i think about. I subconciously eat the right things, and if i got a day with no training i feel like i missed an oppurtunity. Anyone that knows me would tell you the racing is what i do. I look at the time, money and effort i put into racing and then i look at what i put into school and it makes up my mind for me. Like the Chad Wienen deal though it is a serious gamble... I have the right grades, ACT score, etc to get into whatever college i want in Missouri, but if i wait a year or two my chances are cut in half. All i can say is i think the few months in florida begining 2010 will put my mind there fully, and i wont know for sure untill then i guess.

[fastredrider44]

I only ran a couple of nationals while in College, but I did harescramble nearly every weekend, and worked full time. I missed a lot of fridays and a lot of Mondays. I did go to a Community college, so classes were as tough, but not much homework, however attendance hurt me the most. I survived on a lot less sleep when I was in school due to getting outta school at 2, drive home, quit work around 11-12, then go home and work on the bike. Wake up at 6, drive an hour, and be back at class at 8.

Did I mention I HAD a girlfriend at the time? That didn't work. She couldn't appreciate how hard I was working, and was also jealous of the 450. :devil:

[Jake250ex]

I beleive Jimmy Elza quit riding to go to school.

[fastredrider44]

Originally posted by Jake250ex
I beleive Jimmy Elza quit riding to go to school.

Possibly, but I believe he was getting hurt pretty good too.