2014 NATS Championship Event #4 – TTC, Sequatchie, TN – Jul. 5th

Uncharacteristic weather for July was the best surprise at this year’s TTC event. Under the cover of the trees, I think it never went above about 85 degrees and there was a nice breeze the whole time. It sure beat last year’s torrential downpour and other years’ 95+ degree sauna.

I was also very pleased with the turnout: five Beginner, six Sport, five Expert, and four Pro. This is an excellent distribution of riders and speaks well for the future health of the sport. I give a lot of the credit to the southeast riders and, especially, to the southeast regional event directors. You all are doing a stellar job of building up the sport we love so much!

Furthermore, I’m glad to see a nice distribution of scores. The average for each class is a little higher than I prefer but it is obvious that the sections provided a good challenge to all of the riders. All of the comments I heard about the sections were positive so it seems people know what they need to work on.

It definitely seems that we might need to consider adding a “Youth” class on the Beginner line. Three or four of the Beginner and Sport riders were under 14 and I feel that forcing them to compete against adults is too much to ask on top of the challenging sections. I will consider this for my event next year and recommend the other event directors consider it, too. It has worked well for others in the past.

The ole comradery is alive a strong in our sport. It was awesome to see the Sport riders coaching the Beginners, Pros helping out Experts and everyone in each class cheering on one another. Sure, Lance, Tom and Hauke had a tight battle for the Expert podium spots but it was always a friendly competition. Likewise, when Ian took a big pedal hit to the shin, everyone pitched in to make sure he was okay.

As usual, many thanks are deserved for helping put on this event. First and foremost, my family and the folks at the TTC are positively invaluable. Not to be overlooked, the riders and their friends and family make it all worthwhile. Finally, specific thanks to Lance, Hauke, Mikey, Jimmy and Dave for helping check.

Results:

Pictures

Studi

Campbell

Robinson

Ludolfs

Poor

Kleffman

Steidley

Rosenberg

Pro Winners

McNeal

View Slideshow