The Wonderful Youth

Kids these days. Exactly! Kids these days are really something else. I would also have to say, in retrospect, that they always have been. I get tired of the Bill Gates stuff as I am sure you do, but as an example, he was in his 20's when he founded Microsoft. In motocross terms, Bob Hannah was 19 when Yamaha signed him in 1976. He won three straight AMA Supercross titles. In Moto GP terms, Valentino Rossi was barely legal when he signed to Aprilia in the 125cc class. He has won 9 Grand Prix World Championships! Kids, at the time. All of them kids. Wonderful achievements. Boldness and bravery beyond compare. How about President George Senior? 19 years of age when he flew his first combat mission in WW II. Amazing. When I was 19, I was struggling with making a car payment and trying to to perfect my mullet.
What is my point? Kids are good. Youth is good. It is a time to go and forge new ground and to make daring moves. On the race track, in the boardroom, on the world stage. That's only the half of it though. If youth is a physical condition, you know what I mean, no wrinkles, strong bones, livers that still work, then why cant that boldness continue into later life? Boldness is not a physical condition. Courage is not either. These are mental states. So, if your body is still in good shape, why can't people continue to win races at 30?
Ill tell you why. Because many of us let youth drive us to old age. Yes, we allow youth to be squandered on the pressure to be successful and the pressure to build a life.
Let's take racers for instance. Young riders have nothing at stake and everything to prove. So, the ride like mad men. Pin the throttle and hold on right? Then come some victories. Then some sponsorships and then some endorsements and then some money and that is ALWAYS followed by wife and kids. Now the picture looks very different indeed. Now while sitting in the paddock, our once wreck less, ass hauling, hero is concerned with just finishing the race in one piece. Forget winning. He is worried about making his child an orphan. This isn't a bad thing. Its just life. Youth drives us to a place where we are suddenly much, much older.
So we will not be seeing 40 somethings on the podium any time soon. I say this because riders don't slow down because their bodies are older. They slow down because the cost of going fast is too high for them at some point. This is a reasonable thing. Kids need their dads. I get it. But what of the boldness of Gill Gates? Is he still as bold today? I suppose so. He is so freakin' rich I suppose he does not worry about his next big idea failing. What does that mean to you and me though? Hell, I don't know. I suppose I want to still go fast in some area of my life.  Still hold on to some boldness, some courage.
Maybe there is still a race to be raced. A place in life where we can still "pin it and hold on".
If you are like me, you are hungry to find it. The wonderful youth. Is it still out there for us older boys? Lets hope so.