Bucket list!Riding the starting gate at a harness race!
Aug 29, 2014 13:20:50 GMT
KikiPea likes this
Post by StephDRebel on Aug 29, 2014 13:20:50 GMT
I'm still so dang excited I have to share, SUCH a cool experience.
I grew up at the track when I was little, my dad trained and raced horses and when he wasn't working we were there pretty much every night in the summertime. He realized around 18 years ago that he was a compulsive gambler and started with GA and that was that. I'm super proud of him but kind of in an odd spot. Literally EVERY single memory I have of my dad before high school was at the track. I fell asleep to the announcer when I was younger, we took vacations to different race tracks, etc. It's odd to know that every one of my happiest childhood memories revolves around one of the darkest parts of my dads life.
My sister, cousins and I go to the races now and then, I just still have that happy childhood thing going on, it's like my disney I suppose. I love the horses and could watch them and just admire their strength and beauty for hours and hours. It's one of my happy places (but i'm way to cheap to bet, we fake bet, tally up our 'winnings' and the winner gets bragging rights...we're so hip! ha)
Anyway, long story short, it's fun and we love to go now and then. Last week one of my cousins girlfriends turned 40, she's been to the track a few times with us and it's always a good time so we decided to get fancy and have dinner at the real restaurant there (where the rich people went when I was young, ha!) , invite some more people (we ended up with a group of 14), and show her a good time.
Two days before we went my husband was talking with one of his clients and it turns out that he has been calling races at the track I grew up at for the last 10 years or so. DH told him how much I love that track and he told him to bring me up when we got there on Wed!!! Holy cripes! We used to watch the mystery men walk allllt he way up to the box and just imagine what it was like.
Dh, my cousin and I walked up and it was fantastic-- the views, the sounds, the sights and do you know there is NO fancy equiptment up there. He's got a laptop to control music, a TV for playbacks and he does all of his calling using the same program everyone gets and a pair of binoculars! What?!? It was crazy and so dang cool. We asked him a bazillion questions about his job, it was just a great great experience. I was on cloud 9!
We started to leave and dh looked at me and said 'Oh, wait a sec, he's got something else to tell you. "
He looked at me like it wasn't a big deal and said "I made a few calls, I can get two of you on a ride along in the gate if you want to go" I seriously squealed and half jumped (this was the first time I left the house after surgery, I shouldn't have been out- it was a rough night!) and teared up a little. He called them to tell them we were game and showed us where to go. They came right up to the winners circle and picked us up!
As we were walking down there my cousin started to go back to his seat and said "Ok, y'all have fun, take a ton of pics for us' my dh, lord I love that man told him to go ahead and go with me, this was our childhood and we should enjoy it. Man, he's such a doll. I'm pretty sure we half skipped down to the winners circle.
They picked us up and went around to wait for them to announce the horses and whatnot. I had no idea that the guy in the back facing backward controls the throttle, the gate and keeps an eye out and then after the gates are in the throttle control goes back to the driver. That car goes FAST on that dirt track. We hit right around 40mph as they were starting and then we went right into a corner...on that dirt it feels like SO much faster!
I could seriously sit back there every day forever and not get tired of looking at different things, it was just amazing to see it from that view and the guys were so nice. I told them when they're ready to retire and want to sell the car i'm their girl! I can't wait to go with my baby sister when she's here next, she's SO jealous! lol
I made a video that i'll add as soon as it uploads, youtube is being slooooooowwww but here are a few pics!
Waiting to get started....
lining up...
hellllooooo horse.
after the race, my legs were seriously jiggly
I grew up at the track when I was little, my dad trained and raced horses and when he wasn't working we were there pretty much every night in the summertime. He realized around 18 years ago that he was a compulsive gambler and started with GA and that was that. I'm super proud of him but kind of in an odd spot. Literally EVERY single memory I have of my dad before high school was at the track. I fell asleep to the announcer when I was younger, we took vacations to different race tracks, etc. It's odd to know that every one of my happiest childhood memories revolves around one of the darkest parts of my dads life.
My sister, cousins and I go to the races now and then, I just still have that happy childhood thing going on, it's like my disney I suppose. I love the horses and could watch them and just admire their strength and beauty for hours and hours. It's one of my happy places (but i'm way to cheap to bet, we fake bet, tally up our 'winnings' and the winner gets bragging rights...we're so hip! ha)
Anyway, long story short, it's fun and we love to go now and then. Last week one of my cousins girlfriends turned 40, she's been to the track a few times with us and it's always a good time so we decided to get fancy and have dinner at the real restaurant there (where the rich people went when I was young, ha!) , invite some more people (we ended up with a group of 14), and show her a good time.
Two days before we went my husband was talking with one of his clients and it turns out that he has been calling races at the track I grew up at for the last 10 years or so. DH told him how much I love that track and he told him to bring me up when we got there on Wed!!! Holy cripes! We used to watch the mystery men walk allllt he way up to the box and just imagine what it was like.
Dh, my cousin and I walked up and it was fantastic-- the views, the sounds, the sights and do you know there is NO fancy equiptment up there. He's got a laptop to control music, a TV for playbacks and he does all of his calling using the same program everyone gets and a pair of binoculars! What?!? It was crazy and so dang cool. We asked him a bazillion questions about his job, it was just a great great experience. I was on cloud 9!
We started to leave and dh looked at me and said 'Oh, wait a sec, he's got something else to tell you. "
He looked at me like it wasn't a big deal and said "I made a few calls, I can get two of you on a ride along in the gate if you want to go" I seriously squealed and half jumped (this was the first time I left the house after surgery, I shouldn't have been out- it was a rough night!) and teared up a little. He called them to tell them we were game and showed us where to go. They came right up to the winners circle and picked us up!
As we were walking down there my cousin started to go back to his seat and said "Ok, y'all have fun, take a ton of pics for us' my dh, lord I love that man told him to go ahead and go with me, this was our childhood and we should enjoy it. Man, he's such a doll. I'm pretty sure we half skipped down to the winners circle.
They picked us up and went around to wait for them to announce the horses and whatnot. I had no idea that the guy in the back facing backward controls the throttle, the gate and keeps an eye out and then after the gates are in the throttle control goes back to the driver. That car goes FAST on that dirt track. We hit right around 40mph as they were starting and then we went right into a corner...on that dirt it feels like SO much faster!
I could seriously sit back there every day forever and not get tired of looking at different things, it was just amazing to see it from that view and the guys were so nice. I told them when they're ready to retire and want to sell the car i'm their girl! I can't wait to go with my baby sister when she's here next, she's SO jealous! lol
I made a video that i'll add as soon as it uploads, youtube is being slooooooowwww but here are a few pics!
Waiting to get started....
lining up...
hellllooooo horse.
after the race, my legs were seriously jiggly