Season Ends in Tradgedy!

[RapKor]

Ran our final race of the season yesterday, boys both won thier classes at our local track Nate ( 90 Mod class) won the track championship winning 7 of 8 series races! Brandon (200-300 air cooled class) won 4 races and the series championship by 9 points. It was a very successful season for us however the wins really lost thier luster tonight when I recieved a call from the track manager informing me that a 15 yr old boy was killed yesterday during the last race of the day, thank god my boys and I had left the track and did not see the wreck!

Teen killed in Moira ATV accident


By CASEY RYAN VOCK
Contributing Writer


MOIRA — A 15-year-old boy from North Lawrence was killed Sunday in an ATV accident during a race at a Moira motocross track.

Kyle J. Cootware, a 10th grade student at St. Lawrence Central School, suffered critical injuries Sunday afternoon when he attempted to make a “table-top style jump” and lost control of his four-wheeled all-terrain vehicle during a 4-stroke ATV race at Martin’s Motocross Park, located on Route 17, according to a State Police press release.

Cootware was transported by ambulance to Alice Hyde Medical Center in Malone at about 2:38 p.m. and was later airlifted to Fletcher Allen Healthcare in Burlington, Vt., where he died from his injuries.

State Police could provide no further details Monday night.

Attempts to contact the owner of the motocross park Monday were unsuccessful. According to the schedule on the park’s web site, Sunday’s race was the last of the season.

St. Lawrence Central School will be providing grief counseling for students beginning Wednesday.


I am so sorry for this boys family, thinking about selling the machines!

Would like to post this as a tribute to Kyle J Cootware. Gods speed Kyle!

[Ryko racing]

I remember when Earnhardt was killed the racers all said that they dont talk about tragedy as it is always a risk. ( WE ALL KNOW IT CAN HAPPEN BUT CHOOSE TO KEEP LIVING AND ENJOYING OUR LIVES)

Our condolences to all involved it is a sad thing when one of our fellow racers is injured or killed. Lets all band together to support the families in this time of sorrow.

God bless the family and the young man. You will be in our prayers.

[mxdad423]

This is something that none of us want to hear and we all try not to think about. I thought the same thing about selling the machine's after Brandon's bad wreck last weekend, now this has just made me think even more, we all know that it is dangerous but you really don't think about it until your kid is involved in a bad accident or you hear something tragic like this, it's so hard you want your kids to be safe but how do you take something from them that they love so much?
God Bless this young man and his family, we will keep you in our prayers.

Kevin, Andria, and Brandon Smitley

[zach R 7x]

this is very tragic . our thoughts and prayers go out to this boy and his family.

[coffing918]

this makes you rethink racing

[etondaddy]

Originally posted by coffing918
this makes you rethink racing
Wow you got that right..... I always tell Kyle good luck and be safe when we're at the line... you never really know do you. May the good Lord be with the family.


KMK Motorsports
Missy, Mike, & Kyle #5

[nastynotchback1]

Seeing this is my son's first season racing this really makes me think.I hate to hear of things like this happening.All i can say is that when it's time to go i pray you know the lord and your ready to go.

[Ryko racing]

We agree with the last post.

After talking with Ryan last night he did understand the risk and said that kids have bad things happen in all sports.

All we can do is use the best safety equipment and training and hope that everything goes as planned. I still think about this just about every day since we started racing but he loves it and as long as he stays in shape we will carry on.

God bless.

[Ride1Rob]

R.I.P and thoughts and prayers out to the family. I sometimes ask myself what have I gotten my son into when I see pics of kids hobbling around on crutches or in wheelchairs temporarily and permanently because of bad wrecks. Fortunate for us the track he races at doesn't requier big air and only have between 4 to 10 bikes on the race any given weekend. Still, the possibility is always there. Just as EtonDaddy stated I always tell him to be safe first and have fun second.

[etondaddy]

Yea this is Kyle's first year on the 300 with a stock motor and half way good suspension. We were going to just get the shocks done and do the motor for next year. But after reading this I'm going with the suspension first....... all of a sudden the 5 g's for JB and PEP's don't sound like that much.



It's going to take me a while to get over this one........R.I.P. young man.





Mike Kozura

[matt14c]

I somewhat understand why so many are concerned for there children but there are dangers in all sports. ATV racing is just in a microscope because everyone who doesnt do it, hates it. You never hear of the kid who is killed by a line drive in baseball or the kid paralyzed playing football. You dont want your children to get hurt then by them golf clubs or an instrument and dont let them ever ride in cars or get a drivers license. I raced for many years and I know the time effort and cash involved and am kinda surpirsed it could be dropped so easily. I have been hurt pretty bad and crashed many times but would never consider giving up riding. just my .02

[Ride1Rob]

Originally posted by matt14c
I somewhat understand why so many are concerned for there children but there are dangers in all sports. ATV racing is just in a microscope because everyone who doesnt do it, hates it. You never hear of the kid who is killed by a line drive in baseball or the kid paralyzed playing football. You dont want your children to get hurt then by them golf clubs or an instrument and dont let them ever ride in cars or get a drivers license. I raced for many years and I know the time effort and cash involved and am kinda surpirsed it could be dropped so easily. I have been hurt pretty bad and crashed many times but would never consider giving up riding. just my .02

There's a difference between parents making the choice between our kids and ourselves. Regardless of how much he says he loves to race I refuse to believe it's worth his life or any childs life for that matter. As a parent I'd much rather have something happen to me than my kids. If something like this were to happen to Jam I'd never forgive myself because his misfortune is based on a choice that I make to take him to race.

In no way shape or form is little league football more dangerous than ATV racing. The possibility of having a 300+ pound ATV land on top of you is far more dangerous than any baseball or hit in football you'll ever receive. With the added force of the machine from gravity I'm more than sure the weight doubles upon impact of whatever it hits.

[skyeryder]

God speed young man, our prayers are with you and your family.

Not to change what this post is about but has anyone seen or have a idea what the ratio of accidents would be mx vs xc??

[dazed&confused]

i am truely sad for this kid and his family , with that said we don't know the whole story either. i don't want to sound negitive or crude, but i have seen many kids at local tracks with out chest protectors or neck braces,old wore out helmets etc..i am not saying that this kid was like that but we don't know. i buy my son a new helmet and gear every year or at least every two years ,and i refuse to skimp on a helmet to save a couple of bucks,but there are people that do and i cring every time i see them.

i am a ferm believer that you need to give your kids the best suspension and riding gear,after that all you can do is pray ,because a wreck is inevitable.

[mxdad423]

I don't want to get this of track eiter but saying that MX is more dangerous than Football or Baseball or any other sport is wrong. After my son's bad crash a couple of weeks ago I found myself like alot of other people asking myself what did I do getting him into this 6 years ago, but after talking to him for the last couple of weeks and finding out how much he really loves this sport and knowing there is nothing I can say to him to get him to change his mind, I have laid in bed for several nights running things through my mind, the truth is no matter what, any sport is dangerous for our kids, Football, Baseball, Basketball, Hockey, MX Racing, ect, ect. It only takes one hit in the wrong spot to do major damage, yes the machines are heavy, but a baseball to the forehead moving 90 mph, or being on the bottom of a pile of 4 or 5 100 lb kids twisted up the wrong way, or diving for a basketball and slamming you head off of the floor, ect ect is just as dangerous, again it only takes one hit in the wrong place.
It's hard, what do you do as a parent, you don't want something terrible like this to happen but at the same time you can't lock them up in a closet either, or take something from them that they love so much. what happens when it's time to get their drivers license, lets face it, car accidents are the leading cause of teen fatalitys, but almost every teen gets their drivers license when they turn 16, even though us as parents know the numbers.
Like said previously this always gets alot of attention when this happens because it's not an everyday sport like football or baseball, but I guess if you think about it how many fatalitys do you hear of in a season, this one is the only one I know of this year, and think of how many differant races there are across the US in a year, ALOT.
So l guess all we can do is buy them the best safety gear we can and the best suspension we can and hope they stay safe.
Again our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of this young man.

Kevin, Andria, and Brandon Smitley

[raidernut]

Kevin you couldnt of stated that any better, and is exactly how i feel about the sport we do.

[Ride1Rob]

I'm not in any way trying to bash MX racing because it's something I love watching as well as watching my son participate in. But I played Pop Warner, highschool, and was even fortunate to earn a full scholarship at Auburn University. In my 4yrs there and other years playing organized football I have never seen an injury due to a pileon. My 4 yrs in college I had 2 injuries (shoulder and ankle). The most common injury due to football are knee injuries and the most cause of death is heat exhaustion or where a players heart stops for some unknown reason not because of a hit. I'm constanly hearing of riders in our state series being hurt because the bike or someone else on a bike landed on top of them after the initial accident. Did you see Mike Alessi's crash last year where he was run over 3-4 times as he lay unconscious on the ground? And that was at a National race where safety is surely paramount to anything. Most local tracks you go to there aren't spotters and if there are only a few. Have a dear friend that I ride with that rode over his younger cousin after his cousin took a spill. Thankfully he wasn't killed but he'll be paying medical bills for the rest of his life.

[mxdad423]

Before this gets blowed out of perportion, LOL, I wasn't meaning you was saying anything bad about MX, just wanted to make that clear.
I just really think it comes down to the right hit in the wrong place, no matter what sport you are in.

Kevin Smitley

[Ride1Rob]

Originally posted by mxdad423
Before this gets blowed out of perportion, LOL, I wasn't meaning you was saying anything bad about MX, just wanted to make that clear.
I just really think it comes down to the right hit in the wrong place, no matter what sport you are in.

Kevin Smitley

;)
Like someone said before the best thing that we can do is make sure the boys/girls have the best gear for the upcoming spills or equipment to help them to regain control. I can say I am addicted and love watching hm more than I love riding myself. Guess I'm gettin' old lol.

[redonkulousruntsracing]

My deepest sympathies go out to the friends and families that know this young man that quite possibly died doing what he loves. My little guy hasn't even turned 6 yet and has been on a quad for half his life already. Some people think I'm nuts for letting him race. But most of them don't understand what it is to be a part of something as wonderful as Miniquad racing. The people we have met over the years racing are family to me, we pray for each and every kids' safety. Yes, we race to compete, but also to have fun. We sometimes get discouraged when Seth has a bad race, but 1st place or 21st place, every race is a victory if he comes home safe. We all realize that MX is a dangeous sport, but Seth gets hurt more at home riding his bike around. Anything can happen to our kids at any time, we aren't fortune tellers, we can't lock our kids up to protect them, we weed to let them live and do what they love, and to show them 100% support. If your child is unsure or not confident enough to race, then dont push them to, you dont need them to endanger themselves of anyone else. We lost a racer in our group this year, no one died, but it was due to a horrible crash that literally happened right before my eyes, I helped pick up kids off the track and stop others from running us over. As we cleaned up the accident, my son came off the track and went back to the start gate so they could restart the race, on my way back to the line, I was thinking to myself that I have to be crazy to let him race after what I just witnessed, but I put that aside and made sure he was okay and completely sure he wanted to race. One of the kids involved in the crash doesnt want to race anymore, while I hate not to see him at the track, I wouldn't want him to be out on the track unless he was 100% sure he was ready. All I can say is that I cherish every moment with my son, and he is the most important thing in the world to me, I couldn't imagine losing him, but I am still going to let him do what he loves and be right there for him every step of the way. Like I said anything could happen to our kids at anytime, I will continue to enjoy every race with my boy and the rest is in the Good Lords hands. RIP for this young man who now is at the "Big Race" in the sky.

[mxdad423]

Originally posted by Ride1Rob
;)
Like someone said before the best thing that we can do is make sure the boys/girls have the best gear for the upcoming spills or equipment to help them to regain control. I can say I am addicted and love watching hm more than I love riding myself. Guess I'm gettin' old lol.


I know what you meen, when me and Brandon go riding behind our house, we have a nice little cross country type track set up, I don't even ride anymore, I park and watch him ride. I have been riding since I was 6 and raced for 7 years, and still love it, but now I get more enjoyment watching him ride, and leaning the transistion onto his 250 raptor then riding myself, it's really amazing to watch these kids do what they do and amzing how fast they learn.

Kevin Smitley

[sldhd700]

Sorry to hear of your loss! We lost a fantastic young boy here in Utah this summer. Logan Emmerson #81. He raced dirt bikes but, he was a friend of my sons. These type of things are very hard to accept and can be a very good reminder to our kids that they aren t invincible. Shayden was ready to quit racing and I was ready to support him. Scary thing to look into your sons eyes on the line and know you may never speak again. Ride and be safe kids!!

Paul H. Housley

[quadnana7]

Sorry to hear we have lost another youth rider our prayers and thoughts are with the family.
As for not wanting to let the kids ride motocross because it is dangerous, life is a gamble we don't know from 1 minute to the next what life has in store for us. I would be the first person to tell you that driving a car is very dangerous in March of this year my grandson and I had an accident that left me paralized Christian thankfully was not injured seriously the angels had him wrapped up tight. I have always been a firm believer when you are born you are put on this earth for a certain time and that your life is already laid out. When things happen you may not understand why they happen but there is always a reason its not always for us to understand. Only God does.
As a lot of you know Christian rides #7 in honor of his mentor Justin David Brown who was killed in August of 2005 while racing at a local county fair. He was killed while we were at Christians 1st National race at Lorettas Justin was coming on Sunday to watch Christian race and was killed on Saturday night My 1st instinct was to pull Christian from racing but I had to listen to what Christian wanted and he said Justin died doing what he loved best.
As everyone has said you can't take everthing away from your kids you just have to make sure they have the best protective gear possible and say a prayer when they go on the track

[Hanksdad]

My deepest condolences. So tragic. If a person is willing to let there child ride with them in a car, they should let them ride a dirtbike or quad off-road. I don't know about football and such but autos and cancer take young childrens lives much more often. I'm thankful for everyday and never pass up an opportunity to tell him how much I love him. One day, will be the last day I see him, guaranteed. God Bless his soul.

[etondaddy]

Kyle stayed after school for his girlfriends basketball game so I had to pick him up......it's a thirty plus minute or so ride home, I told him turn your phone off or put it in your pocket and leave it there. We talked about this poor young man, we talked about Brandon Smitley's wreck.... and racing in general. He seamed to me to be good with it all. I told him if you ever feel scared or uncomfortable with racing just tell me I won't be mad I don't want you to put yourself or any of the other riders in any danger. I told him dude we can walk away from this sport today....we don't owe anyone anything. We raced a lot of races we had a lot of fun we meet a lot of good people, and we were fortunate to win a few..... So don't be afraid of giving me the word and we'll go spend thousand's of dollars on something else......lol





Mike Kozura

[Ride1Rob]

It's funny, I had the same talk with Jam after he had a bad spill earlier this year. The rear end bucked up on him on a small jump and he lost control and went over the bars. Bike rolled over on it's right side and on top of him. I could hear him screaming way across the track. I haven't run that fast in quite awhile. I got there before any of the on track spotters did and pulled the bike off of him. He told me after that he didn't want to ride anymore and I told him it was his decision and I was happy with whatever decision he made. On the way home we talked about it and he said he thought he had changed his mind and still wanted to ride MX. I told him then that there would be more crashes and he needed to make the choice for himself, not what he thought I wanted. He then asked me if I'd take him back to the track the next day. I knew then we were in deep lol.

[COLTBNME]

Our family will have this family in our prayers... It is my hope and prayer that we will help this family with love , kindness and support. They have lost a child that was participating in a sport we all love as a motocross family. Please take the time to read the obituary and let me know what we can do as a MX Family to show our support.

Kyle Cootware, 15, North Lawrence Kyle “Cooter” Cootware, 15, of Peru Street , entered into rest Sunday (October 11, 2009)at the Fletcher Allen Medical Center , Burlington , VT , with the love and support of his family at his side.

Funeral services honoring Kyle’s life will be held Saturday 11:00 a.m. ( October 17, 2009 ) at the Victory Baptist Church , Winthrop . Interment will take place at a later date. The family will welcome relatives and friends Thursday ( October 15, 2009 ) from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. and Friday 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. at the Hammill Funeral Home, Winthrop .

Kyle was born in Malone on September 30, 1994 the son of Kevin and Sian (Miller) Cootware. Kyle was currently a sophomore at St. Lawrence Central School, were he excelled in the athletic program. When it came to sports Kyle had a natural gift and a passion for hockey, lacrosse, soccer, skateboarding, snowboarding, and motor cross racing.

He is survived by his parents, Kevin and Sian Cootware of North Lawrence; a brother, Breydon, age 3, of North Lawrence; his maternal grandparents, Jean and Willie Miller of Nicholville; paternal grandparents, Karen Arquitte of Winthrop and Gerald Cootware of Winthrop ; maternal great grandparents, Donald and Ann Crinklaw of Nicholville; and his paternal great grandfather, Jerry White of Norfolk; one aunt and three uncles, Jeff and Candy Miller of Nicholville; Gerald LaShomb; and Jerry Cootware Jr. Winthrop; along with two cousins Cody and Seth Miller both of Nicholville.

If one chooses to do so, memorial contributions in honor of Kyle may be made to the Tri-Town Minor Hockey, P.O Box 397, Winthrop, NY 13697.

Arrangements are entrusted with the Hammill Funeral Home, Winthrop. Online condolences and memories may made to Hammill Funeral Home .


Thank you,
Proud MOM or Colton Kellum #484
Hetrick TRX125

Kyle Cootware RIP

[yfzracer14]

Originally posted by dazed&confused
i am truely sad for this kid and his family , with that said we don't know the whole story either. i don't want to sound negitive or crude, but i have seen many kids at local tracks with out chest protectors or neck braces,old wore out helmets etc..i am not saying that this kid was like that but we don't know. i buy my son a new helmet and gear every year or at least every two years ,and i refuse to skimp on a helmet to save a couple of bucks,but there are people that do and i cring every time i see them.

i am a ferm believer that you need to give your kids the best suspension and riding gear,after that all you can do is pray ,because a wreck is inevitable.


Kyle was my son.
He had the best equipment on the market. He rode a fully built national ready quad. Alwayse maintained and alwayse new equipment.
He loved this sport. We had and still have a 1 1/4 mile mx track where he practiced almost every day in the somer time. He was very good at the sport.
He was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

As far as the people talking about other sports being not as dangerous.... This spring a young boy was was pitching during baseball practice. the ball was hit directly into his face. He passed away. All sports have risks!

Kyle loved quad mx, he was so happy doing it!
I LOVE YOU KYLE !!! YOU WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN!!
RIP #6

[yfzracer14]

Originally posted by dazed&confused
i am truely sad for this kid and his family , with that said we don't know the whole story either. i don't want to sound negitive or crude, but i have seen many kids at local tracks with out chest protectors or neck braces,old wore out helmets etc..i am not saying that this kid was like that but we don't know. i buy my son a new helmet and gear every year or at least every two years ,and i refuse to skimp on a helmet to save a couple of bucks,but there are people that do and i cring every time i see them.

i am a ferm believer that you need to give your kids the best suspension and riding gear,after that all you can do is pray ,because a wreck is inevitable.


Kyle was my son.
He had the best equipment on the market. He rode a fully built national ready quad. Alwayse maintained and alwayse new equipment.
He loved this sport. We had and still have a 1 1/4 mile mx track where he practiced almost every day in the somer time. He was very good at the sport.
He was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

As far as the people talking about other sports being not as dangerous.... This spring a young boy was was pitching during baseball practice. the ball was hit directly into his face. He passed away. All sports have risks!

Kyle loved quad mx, he was so happy doing it!
I LOVE YOU KYLE !!! YOU WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN!!
RIP #6

[greenmachine70]

yfzracer14,
I am very sad for your loss. I cant imagine the pain. I will say a prayer for your family and I hope that you all find strength in knowing he was doing what he loved so much.
My son would be moving up from minis this next season and with this being the second loss I have read about on this forum this season, I am really thinking whether I want to build the quad for this move now or not. I know he loves it but I love him more...

[greenmachine70]

Originally posted by mxdad423
how many fatalitys do you hear of in a season, this one is the only one I know of this year,

Again our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of this young man.

Kevin, Andria, and Brandon Smitley

Ryan Early was also taken from the racing world a few months ago and that young man had the best ofe everything to I am sure as he was one of Pitsters 1st sponsored riders a well.
This is very sad and tough to handle. I to tell my son be safe, have fun on every gate. A win is nice but a safe finish is better!

[etondaddy]

There's been at least three plus this year.......... I just bought Casey Johnson t-shirts from Tina Lugan



Mike Kozura

[T@AFP]

A close call is too many.
Every time my kids go out on the track, whether practice or race I'm scared for their safety and the other riders out there.

As parents, collectively, we need to figure a way to make this sport safer. All the safety gear, seat time the best parts there still "that chance".

I have been doing this sport since the birth of 3-4 wheelers. I am still not convinced that we cannot make it safer. From youth to pro there has to be a safer way. But most of the times we hear about these accidents, most of the time, they're not a common occurence.

yfzracer14- I am truly sorry for your loss. Your post/your loss really hit home with me. Take care

[yfzracer14]

Thanks everyone, loosing Kyle was and still is a very hard thing to accept. We had a lot of good times in this sport togrther that I will never forget. i am so glad he got to do what he wanted and full mx quads! Me being able to do that for him and see him smile brings back a piece of happieness!
thanks again to all!
Kevin
ILM Cooter 6

[mmsoup]

So sorry for your loss

I have been double and triple thinking this all season. After Glen Pritchards wreck in SC and Ryans passing I wanted to pull my child. Ryan spent more than one night at our campfire.
After Josh Stricklands accident I gave it more thought.
Last weekend my nephew over jumped a double and has been in a coma ever since.
We head to Unadilla next week and my child will be on the line. She loves the competition and the community that we share. To pull her out of fear against her will is something I will not do.

God bless your family through this time you will be in my prayers.

Mark Campbell

[Arctic Cat Dad]

Our heart and prayers go out to you and your family.

This has been 1 heck of a year for atv racers. And that is why we don't race MX. We were at a race where a rider was killed and at another race where one broke his back.We were close to the Earley family and went to Ryan's funeral as well. He was one of Michaels good friends and it really hurt him. On the 3 hr ride home we had the big talk. I said lets quit and build a dirt track car and try for NASCAR. But he said dad I know I could get killed everytime I ride. But would I be happy if I didn't race, NO. If I would die today I have lived a dream that many men have never had the chance to do. This is my life it may be short or it may be long, It's what God has control of not me.

Before every race or ride I ask him do u really want to do this. He gives me the same look. I then tell him I love him and come home to me in 1 piece and ride SMART. We do this for fun and to spend some goodtimes together, if we win then that's the bonus.

What I'm trying to say is this. This is the game of Life. It may be long or it may be short. We all could die today. We just live 1 day at a time.Yes it hurts me really bad to hear such tragic news about someone that I don't even know. But if your a racer then your a part of the racing family. We all feel bad and it really makes us think.But we all have to play this game of life and we all try to enjoy it. We just have chosen a dangerous sport. But is it as dangerous as driving our kids home from school,not knowing what the driver has had to drink or smoke that is coming towards u in a 2 ton vechicle. Maby not if u really think about it.

With this said, We all just have to pray for our kids to ride safely and ride smart. And have our kids to always keep an eye on the riders around u.

[cannondale27]

yfzracer14 I feel for you so much.The loss must be more than I can imagine.With my daughter who is just beginning I try to think of all the things racing teaches and the family time it provides.No other sport comes close.The light in there eyes when they come back proves it is both fun and they are using everything thier mind and body can give.Not many things provoke a kid to go all out like that on thier own accord and be happy doing it.I hope you can remember that feeling and the satisfaction as a parent that you did good when you saw it.