Smith road practice

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I will keep riding Smith. It just feels like home to me, in a way no other track does or ever will. Hell I'm not fast enough to be to all that concerned with track prep..... as long as it is safe! I know Larry stepped into some big shoes and thank God he did. It could have not continued as a track after George, but lucky for us it did. I agree that some of us have these expectations that are hard to meet because the way the track has been in the past.

At this point my kid rides more than me, and we enjoy going to Smith. But after being told by a member of Smith road ownership (not larry) that it is not worth putting money or time into the kids track for water or prep, I was a bit...lets say.. pissed off. I really was dissapointed and honestly didn't know what to say to that. I should have said to take my entry fee, that I just paid 20 minutes ago, and put that towards the kids track. I know they don't need mint track conditions, but they need to be able to see where they are going and not be choking on dust. Larry and the crew has made HUGE improvements on the little track since taking ownership, I would just like to see that continue and the improvements maintained. I know it's just a kids track, and most of you guys could probably care less about it but when I spend my money on it every other ride, it matters to me and I'm sure to some other moms and dad's on here as well.
 
Not sure why A LOT of tracks that have mini tracks don't feel that they need to maintain them. At all. Every time I have asked about I am told the kids and parents want them to keep it like that. Really? Cause I am a mini parent and the other mini parents we hang with have NEVER said that.
 
captainfishpond said:
I will keep riding Smith. It just feels like home to me, in a way no other track does or ever will. Hell I'm not fast enough to be to all that concerned with track prep..... as long as it is safe! I know Larry stepped into some big shoes and thank God he did. It could have not continued as a track after George, but lucky for us it did. I agree that some of us have these expectations that are hard to meet because the way the track has been in the past.

At this point my kid rides more than me, and we enjoy going to Smith. But after being told by a member of Smith road ownership (not larry) that it is not worth putting money or time into the kids track for water or prep, I was a bit...lets say.. pissed off. I really was dissapointed and honestly didn't know what to say to that. I should have said to take my entry fee, that I just paid 20 minutes ago, and put that towards the kids track. I know they don't need mint track conditions, but they need to be able to see where they are going and not be choking on dust. Larry and the crew has made HUGE improvements on the little track since taking ownership, I would just like to see that continue and the improvements maintained. I know it's just a kids track, and most of you guys could probably care less about it but when I spend my money on it every other ride, it matters to me and I'm sure to some other moms and dad's on here as well.
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I agree it's big shoes to fill! You want the mini track prepped and watered imagine the big track with quadruple the amount of bikes. The family needs to realize EVERYONE on here is trying to help you guys!! Back in the day some s**t was said about beans.. Now one of the best prepped tracks around!!! Don't be afraid to ask for help!! Obviously you have all this equipment to run the track. I'm almost positive plenty of people would come out for a day to help you guys get things on track!
 
Again, Im not looking for pristine conditions on the kids track. Just some dust control.

I understand your concerns with the big track KJ. I would say 75% of the hours I have put on all my bikes have been at Smith. When the track is on point, it super on point! When it's not... well we all know, that's why we're posting here. I am no keyboard track prepper, just want to weigh in and stay positive.

I know it is hard for the Plas' to read this kind of stuff, and I could totally understand thier frustration. I have to see my name pop up on forums from time to time, not fun to read. I just hope you (Chrissie?) don't take this as a shot at you or your family. If we didn't love your track, we wouldn't bother voicing our opinions.
 
I live close to smith and I choose not to ride there. It's not that it's not challenging but for the same reasons everyone else is saying. It's typically not prepped up to the cost of $25 to ride there. To be completely honest, I never was a huge fan of smith, even when George ran it. Nothing against the family running the place, I know it takes a lot of balls to open up a place for people to ride. You have to expect this type of constructive criticism when you open any business. All business owners deal with customers s**t and people bashing products or services. Everyone wants to compare a different product or service to one similar. I have seen posts on here of people asking for changes and reply posts by the account of smith saying they were working on changes. It just seems like the riders (revenue) keep saying the track has not changed. Not sure how true any of this is but as a business owner, you have to stick to your word. I would like to see smith make a come back. When the family took over a few years ago and made significant changes, I went and rode and had a blast. That was actually the most fun I had at smith in the 15 years I've been riding.
Either way, it takes an army to open up a track and make it a good facility. You have to listen to the customers and make an effort to make them happy, as miserable as it may make you. Plenty of tracks try new things when riders make suggestions. They get better or worse but it is trial and error. Good luck to smith road and the crew no matter what their decisions are. People will still come, the question is, how many and will it continue to make enough to at least break even?
 
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