The
Greatest Gift
Any Parent can give a Child is their Time
____________ *
____________ Remains forever on the As a Parent may your
will be Committed to train your
Children And may your Example be
Clear ____________ *
____________
The In-print of the Parents
Heart of the Child
To Guide Them
My Parents In 1942
Bob & Olive Burgess
I was about 9 years old when
my father, who had been a very dedicated work-orientated person, decided he
needed to spend more time with my sister, mother & I as a family. We were
at Emerson Park in Auburn when we first saw microds racing, It was then when my
father first began to realize microding might be the family activity he was
looking for. The brightly painted race cars whizzing around that small dirt
oval track excited me. I began to dream about what it would be like to drive
one. Many things had to happen for my sister & I, before we got the
opportunity to race microds. At that time we lived in Lewiston N.Y., about two
hours away from the closest microd club {Williamson} but that club raced on Thursday
nights back in 1966. To long of a drive after a night of racing, then to have
to turn around & get up at 5 am to go to work the next morning. So my parents selected the Auburn Microd
Club because they raced on Sundays, they also raced on Tuesday nights, we would
miss those races. For the same work related reasons that made racing at
Williamson impractical. This of course meant my sister & I would finish
last & second to last in season points. This was of little concern to my
father, his main focus was on finding
an activity we all could be involved in as a family. Another advantage to
racing in Auburn, was my aunt & uncle on my mother’s side lived in Auburn
and graciously allowed us to stay at their home every week there was a race,
which was almost every week during the summer. The time finally came when our
parents made the decision to purchase a microd. Sharon & I would have to
take turns racing it, her one week, me the next, but at least I would get to
drive a real race car I thought. My father saw a microd for sale in the Auburn
pennysaver. When we went to look at it, it was not what my father considered a good buy. I was disappointed when he
would not buy it, by this time I was very excited about getting the chance to
race microds. Several weeks later my father found the microd he considered a
good buy, purchased it, & we began racing. Our car #240A was brightly
painted yellow & blue with Sunoco
decals on the sides. The #240 stood for a blend of Sunoco gas, available at the
time. The A after the number meant {the Auburn Microd Club} because that was
where it had been raced previously. It looked sharp & my father often
referred to it as the “Golden Rod”, because the yellow paint had a golden tone
to it. It should be noted that Auburn was about a 4½ hour drive {one way} from
our home in Lewiston. Our parents
faithfully made this trip every week for 4 microd seasons {1966-1969}. Until in the early summer of 1970, when the news
came, my father was laid-off from work. At this point, my parents could no longer
afford to continue having Sharon & I race. Two years and a few months
later, in Sept. of 1972 our family moved from Lewiston to Moravia about ½ hour
from the Cortland Microd Track in Homer.
I raced a final season in 1973, then Sharon raced her final season the
next year in 1974. My father continued to be involved with microding by
attending NYSMA meetings & helping out any way he could, even after Sharon
& I were no longer racing. Whenever
I wasn’t away at collage, I would attend with him. In 1976 he served as NYSMA
president, after serving as vice president in 1975. Later during the 1989 &
1990 seasons, I too served as NYSMA president, while serving on the NYSMA board
of directors from 1985-1993. After the construction of Little Wheels Speedways
in 1988, my mother began running the tracks concession stand in 1989. She has
managed & worked in our stand named “Mrs. B’s Backstretch Cafe” after her,
for 11 Seasons (1989 - 1999). She Retired following the 1999 season and went to
be with the lord in January 2007.
Father & I in 1973 Sheri & Father in 1974
What
I Remember Most.........
It’s been 25 years since my
father’s passing, yet I can still recall those lessons he taught me, through the
sport of microd racing. First and most important to him was, when you go out
there to race, always do your best. Never approach anything half-hearted,
always give it all you’ve got! He wasn’t concerned about finishing first or
winning, just that you were trying as best you could. “You’re never be a loser
if you give it your best” he used to say. He also taught us to always be
willing to help others, even a competitor, because “Success doesn’t mean much
if you can’t share it with others.”
Another strong memory I have is how he & I used to talk about, how
to adjust the car {air pressure, carb. settings, etc.} allot of the time he
would allow me to make the decision. The thing I remember most about that
experience was, he cared what I thought, he wanted me involved. I was surprised
to learn later, most of my friends dads made their changes without ever
consulting their drivers! Most of all I remember the time we spent working
together, as a team, working towards the same goal. He wanted me to understand
how things worked, the cause & effect relationship of things. He wanted me
to learn. He was always showing me things, then we’d discuss it, that way he
made sure I understood. I feel really fortunate to have gotten to know my
father as a person, not just as a authority figure or someone that paid the
bills & inforced the rules.
Reflections.......
Now some 40 years later, I
think the thing that stands out most, about
my parents was their willingness to make such a large commitment of time
to my sister & I, to be together as a family. There aren’t many parents that would drive 4 1/2 hrs.,
stay over-night, race the next day, then drive 4 1/2 hrs. home after the races.
No question Sharon & I were very lucky to have two such dedicated parents,
but also to have had an aunt & uncle that would allow us to stay with them,
after their kids were grown up & gone, also holds special memory’s for both
of us.
For my father microding was
always about spending time with his family, and teaching Sharon & I all he
could about life, getting us ready for the day we’d be on our own. Oh! and YES having some fun too! I do think
a point to often overlooked is “you don’t have to be winning all the time to
have fun”. My father seldom spoke or talked about winning. Although as a young
child, I admit I often times would dream about winning our club’s championship
& “the big one” {the State Fair Race}.
He did at times mention, that microding as a whole would be better, if
it had a “box stock class”. Where modified motors were not a factor, this would
reduce the overall cost of racing for most, In turn making the opportunity to
race microds available to more families. A class for the average “Joe” he
called it. This idea lead to the stock 3hp & stock 6hp classes in the 70’s,
and later in the 80’s “club motors” today used by 3 of the current 6 microd
clubs!
Perhaps because of my
parents example & willingness to be so committed to us, I found it so
comfortable to become committed to the sport that taught me so much & gave
me such great joy. Today so many of the goals I’ve set & achieved came from
ideas my father first discussed with me as a young boy. I have found great
comfort in his words, “To always be willing to help others” because it’s by
helping others that we bring both meaning & joy to our own lives!
Sincerely, A.J. Burgess
Founder & President of
The Finger Lake Microd Club
(1983 – Present)
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