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TEXAS
I HAVE BEEN TRAINING KIDS FOR A LONG TIME. I WILL NEVER STOP. IT’S WHAT I LOVE TO DO. I WAS NEVER A GREAT RACER, BUT I WAS A RACER THAT PAID FOR AND WENT TO A BIG NAMED TRAINER WHO PAID ZERO ATTENTION TO ME OR ABOUT 10 OTHER KIDS
IN THAT CLASS. I VOWED TO NEVER BE THAT GUY. Pay everyone attention. Which I do, so much that most of the time I even overlook my own kid to help others. Am I a successful trainer? Yes and no.
I do great with my weekend classes which is what I really love doing. On the weekend classes I am selling safety and proper technique, that’s what everyone that comes to a weekend class is there to get.
I feel like I am one of the best if not the best at teaching safety and proper technique. Here’s the semi unsuccessful part and a totally different type of clientele. Full time training. It’s a tough biz, especially for somebody like me. I’m honest. Too honest maybe. I say it like it is. The majority of motocross parents don’t want to hear the truth, they want to hear that they are raising the next
Ricky Carmicheal. I’ve told parents that their kid is slow, lazy, out of shape, overweight. The truth. And most of the time they go on down the road to someone who will tell them little johnny is the next Ricky Carmicheal.
Ya see I believe in delivering. If I lie to the
parents, eventually I have to deliver or the
truth with come out anyway. Two of my best friends in this world were full time customers of mine. And now are really good friends. Why? Because I told them the truth. And that’s exactly what they wanted. Jeff Quick is a very successful business man. You don’t get to where he is by letting people blow smoke up your ass, he also wants his
son to be successful. I believe he stuck with me because he wanted honesty and that’s exactly what he got. And his son has come a
long way because of it. Another example is my good friend Tommy Laundry. Tommy is in offshore drilling, and very successful at that. When his kids came to me they were lazy, they quit all the time and they were way out of shape. I told him exactly that. He said you know what, that’s why they are there, fix it. Instead of looking for somebody to tell him what he wanted to hear, he put a plan in action. And those boys are 360 degrees from where they started. I’ve said this many times and I’ll say it again. Point out the truth and you can fix it, give excuses and then you are only fixing something that never was broken to begin with. Some people think I’m mean, most understand I care. I do what I do because I love motocross and I love working with the kids. But I will not lie to a customer just to get them to keep
spending money. Reality is what it is and that’s what you get here.
I do however appreciate every single parent and every rider who has ever allowed me to work with them. Teaching this great sport has taken me all over the U.S. And I have met some great families.
I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
80 MPG DIGITAL • JANUARY / 2016
BUILDING CHAMPIONS
ZAK
MASHBURN MX SCHOOL ZAK MASHBURN
I’M HONEST. TOO HONEST MAYBE. I SAY IT LIKE IT IS. THE MAJORITY OF MOTOCROSS PARENTS DON’T WANT TO HEAR THE TRUTH, THEY WANT TO HEAR THAT THEY ARE RAISING THE NEXT RICKY CARMICHEAL.”