Project Filter All Star Challenge and Military Appreciation Night at Meridian Speedway, 21 May, 2011

It was an unbelievable night at Meridian Speedway this Saturday night! This night was the annual Project Filter All Star Challenge and Military Appreciation night. This is the night that we get the entire Motocross Team and the Car Racing Team together for one absolute night of fun and excitement. We also had a visit from AMA Arenacross/Supercross/Motocross Star Cole Siebler #171. Cole is a part of the Project Filter Team and wanted to show his appreciation to his fans and support for the cause.
This event is my favorite event of the year. The crew at Meridian Speedway is outstanding, they make the races fun and exciting for everyone and anytime we get a chance to team up with them it turns out to be a great experience for everyone involved. On top of everything it is also Military Appreciation night, which is near and dear to my heart and just another way to shout out a big, “Thank You” to all military members for doing what you do. With Project Filter its’ all about the people, the fans and the opportunity to help make Idaho a smoke free state. We had the Project Filter booth set up with Tyler’s car and the dirt bikes on display. We had some really cool beverage mugs, footballs, autograph cards and posters for the fans.
The excitement was in the air all evening. Not only did the car racing have the fans on edge but we got to go out and have a little fun on the dirt bikes as well. This is our night to unwind a little; we went out on the track for a couple hot laps, burn outs and a little turn around race just for fun. Matt and Cole wowed the crowd with some awesome wheelies and Matt threw in a one handed burnout as he waved to the crowd. It’s all in good fun and it’s a chance to repay our fans for being so supportive to us and Project Filter.
It’s really cool to see the support and the interest that we get at this type of event from fans, supporters and just a wide variety of people that are interested in Project Filter and the message that we bring to the table. I see it everywhere we go, “People want something better, they want to feel better and live a healthier lifestyle”. I have heard many reasons why people want to quit using tobacco and one thing is for sure, everyone who quits says the same thing, “I sure feel a lot better”.
Thank You Project Filter and Meridian Speedway for a night to remember!
Next race for the Motocross Team is in Preston Idaho, this is a big one for us, hope to see ya there………

Western Idaho Motocross Series Rnd #1, 7 May, 2011

I shot out to Pleasant Valley this Saturday night and rode the first round of their Western Idaho Motocross Series (WIMS). It was an awesome evening all the way around. I think everyone was a little worried about the rain that was in the forecast but Mother Nature treated us right with a good rain Friday night and nothing on Saturday. The track was in excellent condition! Everyone seemed to enjoy the recent changes to the track and it was prepped perfectly.

This was my first time on the new track and I’ll have to admit I was a little intimidated in practice. I knew had had to adapt quickly if I was going to be competitive for the evening motos. I felt good coming out of practice and thought if I could get some decent starts and find a good grove that I would be okay.
There were a lot of riders so they combined a couple of classes to make it all work and get us through the evening in a reasonable time. I personally like the combined classes because it makes it fun to get out there and mix it up with a lot of different riders and riders of different skill levels. We had over twenty riders on the gate for each of my four motos.

It was definitely an event filled night, I was involved in a couple good battles and I got caught in a first turn crash in my second Over 40 Moto. It probably sounds crazy but sometimes I think a good honest crash, as long as you don’t get hurt, causes you to refocus and I know for me it gets the adrenaline pumping. It makes you ride harder because you have to. I quickly picked up my bike, restarted, readjusted, took a quick look to see where my competition was and I was off and running. These are short five lap motos so I knew I had to work quickly if I was going to redeem myself. I caught up to the pack, worked my way through traffic and was able to take the moto win. I ended up winning both the Over 30 and the Over 40 Classes on this night.

It was a perfect night up until the last two motos of the evening. As the second to the last moto took off the lightning struck, the clouds opened up and we were pounded with rain. Only the last two motos had to be cut short.

All in all it was a success. Thank You to the Pleasant Valley crew for putting on a great race and also for recognizing the presence of Project Filter at the event. I’ll see ya at the next round…

Boise Hawks “Fan Fest” 2011

Matt and I attended the Boise Hawks “Fan Fest” night at the Hawks stadium, Friday night. Wow! What a really cool event! This event is awesome because it’s geared around and in support of a “Drug Free Idaho”. Over thirty organizations came together in this family friendly and fun setting in support of substance abuse, prevention and education.

With the help of the Project Filter support crew, we had the Motocross Team trailer, canopies and the bikes on display. Our friends with the Health District also offered an educational game, where kids got to spin a wheel and answer questions pertaining to the negative effects of tobacco use. What a great way to educate our children! It’s always fun to have the bikes set up, the fans are always drawn to them, and we always let everyone know that by being in support of the cause it makes you a part of our team.

For Matt and I, this event was the kick off for many other events that we will be involved in this year and I have to say that if they all go this well it will be a great year for tobacco prevention. We had a lot of interest from, “I Just Quit”, to “I Want to Quit” and “I have been thinking about quitting for a long time”. We even had several people that picked up information for people in their lives that they would like to see quit. That’s why we were there and that is what it is all about. We were able to offer information about the resources available through 1-800-Quit-Now and on www.idaho.quitnet.com. Along with free classes which are being offered, Project Filter still has 4 weeks of nicotine replacement products available. Check It Out!

Thank You Project Filter for such an awesome resource for our great State! And Thank You to all the fans that stopped by to say Hi.