Why does the general population think of snowmobilers as a bunch of beer drinking, mindless ********? Sure, there are minor few that act immature and have shoelaces with higher IQ's, but have they really looked at what we, the snowmobiling community consists of?
You read these forums and you can see there is a vast amount of knowledge owned by us snowmobilers. Look at the tech pages, the general discussions, the topics. The intelligence, I feel, would be quite surprising( and it amazes me everyday) to the GP that has never gotten a spit of dirt under their fingernails. You can see in the sentence structure, the online communication, that in general we are educated and kind to each other. There is always a bad apple, but where isnt there? The amount of money this sport consumes, requires a certain minimum income. You arent going to see a homeless person that dropped out of the 5th grade running a sled(unless he stole it) down a trail. Incomes of that level require jobs of some minimum skill. You dont think a factory line worker is skilled, or educated? Think again. Construction workers? Hmm. how would they build a house if they didnt understand geometry and algebra? Auto mechanic? There is more to it than getting lucky by picking the right wrench, it requires troubleshooting skills, logic, reason, experience. You get the idea.
We are thought of as boozers with a need for speed. Been on the highway lately? Much more dangerous.
The death rate for alchohol speed related deaths has begun to decline. The number of registered snowmobiles is on the increase. What does that mean? We are smarter than we look. I dont advocate drinking and riding, and I am against it, but that is your choice. And it appears that more and more are making that choice for zero tolerance. We have shown our intelligence. However, one accident, and we are all damned. What do we need to do to show the GP, that we are, in the majority, law abiding, hard working people, that just enjoy a sport that helps us relax? Every sport and occupation has alchohol/drug related issues. Not just us.
Maybe instead of registration decals, we should post our GED's, college deplomas, income level, and certifications in bright neon letters. Would they even notice?
You read these forums and you can see there is a vast amount of knowledge owned by us snowmobilers. Look at the tech pages, the general discussions, the topics. The intelligence, I feel, would be quite surprising( and it amazes me everyday) to the GP that has never gotten a spit of dirt under their fingernails. You can see in the sentence structure, the online communication, that in general we are educated and kind to each other. There is always a bad apple, but where isnt there? The amount of money this sport consumes, requires a certain minimum income. You arent going to see a homeless person that dropped out of the 5th grade running a sled(unless he stole it) down a trail. Incomes of that level require jobs of some minimum skill. You dont think a factory line worker is skilled, or educated? Think again. Construction workers? Hmm. how would they build a house if they didnt understand geometry and algebra? Auto mechanic? There is more to it than getting lucky by picking the right wrench, it requires troubleshooting skills, logic, reason, experience. You get the idea.
We are thought of as boozers with a need for speed. Been on the highway lately? Much more dangerous.
The death rate for alchohol speed related deaths has begun to decline. The number of registered snowmobiles is on the increase. What does that mean? We are smarter than we look. I dont advocate drinking and riding, and I am against it, but that is your choice. And it appears that more and more are making that choice for zero tolerance. We have shown our intelligence. However, one accident, and we are all damned. What do we need to do to show the GP, that we are, in the majority, law abiding, hard working people, that just enjoy a sport that helps us relax? Every sport and occupation has alchohol/drug related issues. Not just us.
Maybe instead of registration decals, we should post our GED's, college deplomas, income level, and certifications in bright neon letters. Would they even notice?
