I have had a very interesting year so far, one that started in reality last year at the end of April when I took a Total Control Advanced Riding Clinic that was an intern class for a few of the newest Instructors that had been trained by Lee Parks, the originator of that very clinic. I took a lot away from that class, not only in specific skills and the ability to critique them on the fly, but a deeper understanding and appreciation of what I was getting from motorcycling itself.
For those who know me, they will recognize that when I have an opinion it is based typically upon a lot of data and observation and while I am typically confident in that opinion I do always keep an open mind to other possibilities and constantly balance what is (in my mind) with what can be possible. Now, for those who don't know me that well I may seem unyielding in my opinion, but with just a few exceptions, that is not the truth.
That being said when I first attended the TCARC it was to improve my skills on the motorcycle. What happened was that I did improve skills, (that is me above a year ago) but I also started a path of improving myself. The clinic addresses a lot of things in 8 hours and one specific area is the mental side of riding, both how it works and what it means. Delving deep into that issue re-awoke my passion for training and because of that a year later I found myself taking the MSF RiderCoach prep and became a certified and active RiderCoach.
While the RiderCoach position is enjoyable and rewarding, I wanted more. I had awoken a beast so to speak. I wanted to both learn more, better myself and be able to help others enjoy more, from both their motorcycles and life. For I honestly believe that motorcycling done right makes us better people and based upon my experiences and data I'd take a person I least like on a motorcycle over any Joe Schmo any day.
During my RiderCoach classes I was befriended by a guy that had actually been an Instructor at my TCARC class a year earlier. During our 4 weeks training together I expressed that I would love to Instruct the TCARC, but was unsure of my skill level. He chuckled and told me that he felt I was certainly at the proper level and should pursue that goal. His name is Tealdo Teal and thanks to his initial reaction I started a path that has lead to to what will be reveled at the end of this post. :)
After our MSF RiderCoach Prep had concluded I continued forward, completed intern training and then gained my State Certification. I quickly started Coaching. During this time I expressed interest in taking the training to become a TCARC Instructor. Since these Instructors are handed picked and must be sponsored I was unsure what the likelihood of me becoming a candidate was, or when it might happen. Turns out things would move a lot faster than I ever imagined...
As I prepared to leave on a cross country trip to visit my Father in Alabama I got a call that a TCARC Instructor class was to be held in Houston and that if I wanted, I should attend. The class was scheduled for two weekends after I was to arrive at my Father's. This caused me to radically change my plans visiting my Father, it also meant I would have limited time to study and then the challenge of how to get my bike back across the country one week later arose. I ran several different plans though the mental process, including riding from my Father's to Houston and leaving the bike, riding from AZ to Houston, trailering to Houston and they finally renting a bike in Houston and riding that for the class.
I tried in vain to find a ST1300 for rent and then as luck would have it the dealership where the class was to be held rented bikes. The catch? The dealership was Mancuso Harley-Davidson and the bike would be a Sportster! I had ridden a Sportster once before in my life and only on a test ride, so the entire ordeal was to be an experience.
I arrived home from Alabama, had one week to study the materials that had been sent to me for the class and I found myself on a plane headed to Houston, for what I though was 4 days of training. As it turned out I was needed for 5 days, because a student class would be held after our 4 days to allow us to come up to speed in the Instructing the Clinic.
As you can see, me and the Sportster melded rather well, my only regret was that it wasn't my bike and that there simply was no possible way for me to put a knee down on a bike where my legs were sticking out in front of me. (I did however get proficient at placing my elbow on my knee through corners.)
At the end of the Instructor Class Lee congratulated me on my ability to absorb and understand the information that I had only had for a week and remembering what I had learned from a class a year earlier. I was given the assignment of presenting the 10-steps to proper cornering the next day in the student class, and I was to present two of the riding demos, including transitions. I was extremely happy of my accomplishments, but in perspective that was to change the very next day.
After the student class the following day Lee pulled me aside and asked if I might be available for the weekend of July 11. I knew he would be training Marines in Camp Pendleton, but the reason he wanted me to come out completely surprised me, as he wanted me to come to California to take his TCARC Level 2 and the the next day to take the Level 2 Instructor Class. My answer....YES!
During the time before I headed to Houston, Tealdo had given me a little refresher on the range with the exercises and actually helped make sure my homework was on target. I called him when I returned and as luck would have it so did Lee. Tealdo was also invited to head to California and on Friday of last week we both headed to Oceanside, California for a couple days of Level 2 sweetness. This time however I would have my bike and the first set of knee sliders I had ever owned. I wanted to touch my knee during the weekend and at the end of the first day I did. I was ecstatic! My goal had honestly been achieved as I had put a knee down, so to speak. That night Tealdo and I talked about how cool it was and I stated that I really wanted a photo of me actually doing the deed so to speak and after a day of training Lee got this shot!
There are 2 things that are very important about this shot. The first is that I am not simply touching my knee down, but dragging it through the entire corner. The second is that the Feedback that lead to me dragging, from simply touching came from fellow Instructors, not Lee himself! That's the overall beauty of the Total Control Advanced Riding Clinic, its curriculum while created by Lee does not need him present to work!
Of course you'll now be hearing me talk a lot more about training and its benefits, and how using the technology given in TCARC Level 1 and 2 will make you a safer rider, a better rider and a better person overall.
At the end of the weekend I was given this piece of paper, but I have brought home a better understanding of my skills, my abilities and myself as a human being. All of this in Total Control.
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