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Skid Sprocket

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Posts posted by Skid Sprocket

  1. Posted

    what will happen to these results? We already know the attendees are aging. Are you going to ban them?

     

    you're asking the wrong question - you need to be asking young people 1) if they know what the sport is 2) do they know where their local track is and 3) why don't they attend or what would it take to attract them

     

    but please bear in mind young people have a shorter attention span than the rest of us and they won't stand around waiting for the next heat for 15 minutes listening to Tony Orlando and Dawn in a half closed off 'stadium'

     

    The results will be useful to anyone who is trying to spread the word about speedway. I try to spread the word to the uninitiated by distributing posters and I find that most people assume that speedway is a male spectator sport and males of a certain age, I hope to dispel these myths or at least get the true facts if we cant dispel them and work from there.

  5. Posted · Edited by Skid Sprocket

    Posted 24 January 2015 - 08:49 AM

    The White Knight, on 23 Jan 2015 - 9:24 PM, said:snapback.png

    I think that there is a way to set up a Poll on here - but I haven't a clue how to do it.

     

    Perhaps one of the Mods or someone with more knowledge than I could oblige. I think it could be interesting.

     

    I contacting a member of admin and had a reply asking for more details on 15th December to which I replied but since then nothing.

     

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

     

    Now 28th January and still no reply from admin. Anyone know how to get a response?

  6. Posted

    I think that there is a way to set up a Poll on here - but I haven't a clue how to do it.

     

    Perhaps one of the Mods or someone with more knowledge than I could oblige. I think it could be interesting.

     

    Thanks for that TWK I also think it could be interesting especially to see the figures for male / female split. When discussing speedway to the uninitiated they all seems to think its a male spectator sport but you just have to look round at any meeting and I roughly estimate that it could be a 60/40 male/female split.

     

    Can anyone help with info on setting up a poll?

  8. Posted

    I've been going to edinburgh for 30 years now since I was 6months lol. Over these years I've seen many of the same faces for the that time. Very loyal and passionate fans. I was just wondering what is the general age and gender profile of speedway fans? What is difference from club to club? Are we doing enough to attract younger fans or fans who have not been brought up with the sport. Just a general wondering

     

    After this thought provoking post by mc 1874 and the many amusing replies I tried to contact admin to see if a poll could be set up to get some solid percentage figures but I haven't been able to get a response.

     

    I decided to do a survey of members profiles on a forum (not this one) where 714 members stated their age. The results only show the age percentages of speedway supporters who signed up to the particular team forum and not necessarily attending meetings, but its a rough guide until better figures appear.

     

    Up to age 20 5.2%

     

    Age 21 to 40 33.7%

     

    Age 41 to 60 44.7%

     

    Age 61 plus 16.4%

  9. Posted

    Think about how big an area a speedway track covers and so just how much sheeting you need. Let go low end estimate, a 300 metre track that is 8 metres wide. I've not allowed for the fact that going around the outside of the bend it'll go further so you can probably add on a good 140ish metres. So now you need 440 metres of sheet at 8 metre wide to cover a 300m track. Thats about £5-6000 based on a quick internet search.

     

    I don't get all this fancy cut to size with velcro rubbish that Swindon used. Just have a load of 30-50m sections and over lap them on the bends! Over laps means less chance of water seeping under too.

     

    The issue is, try folding up 3500-4000m2 :D It takes up loads of room! And time! Anyone who has ever tried to fold up a 6x4 metre sheet will tell you that.

     

    Personally if I was a promoter, I might be prone to give it a try. If it all fails at least I have a load of tarpaulin to sell on ebay :D

    And try this in even a light breeze

    • Like 1

  10. Posted

    The FIM don't promote any events so really would be unconcerned about rainoffs.

    You're right about costs and that's the killer. How could a club only getting 500-600 thro' the gate afford the outlay, manpower and maintenance required + The BSPA don't have any money to fund it.

    Maybe this should have a topic of its own but gate numbers have been mentioned here.

     

    The biggest problem with speedway today is getting supporters numbers up. A lot of financial problems would disappear if every existing supporter encouraged just one new person through the gate.

     

    A suggestion I have put to my club for this season is for every poster that is given out to leave a last seasons programme and an explanatory leaflet on what speedway is and to encourage the company that own the notice board to consider advertising or sponsorship. If every existing supporter distributed one poster each to their place of work I'm sure there could be a dramatic rise in interest.

    • Like 2

  14. Posted

    The tracks of yesteryear thread got me thinking .I left UK in 1968-of the tracks then operating, that are still today operating there are only 3 I never visited-Newcastle, Wolves and Kings Lynn. On occasion I have thought I should come back and try and see them all-what puts me off is my suspicion that in 68 I imagined them full of spectators , great racing and lots of enthusiasm. I think they may now be shells of their former glory, with reduced capacity, poor facilities, small crowds etc. and that I may be better to let them live in my memory-perhaps I should just let them live in my memory(altho I understand KL may be better than when it opened)-what do forumlanders reckon-better to let them live in my imagination maybe?

    Maybe you should add a 4th track as in 1968 the track on Teeside would be Cleveland Park. Since 2006 it has been a new purpose built track at the South Tees Motor Sports Park and the team renamed the Redcar Bears.

  15. Posted · Edited by Skid Sprocket

    As it goes with the silage pit near to where I live is a farm they have over the years built house in the valley and the farm is now surrounded by over 300 houses, the last few to be built there where right by the farms back yard and next toa holding pit full of green stagnent water and also run off from the farms milking parlor. In summer it stinks to high heven and the nearest house is just 5 feet away from this.

    How could anyone even contenplate buying a house built so close to this. Not the farmers fault as it is not his land they built on.

    Just the same with anyone who buys a house close to a stadium the should expect to hear noise. If they know it is there they should go and take a look on a race day so they know what to expect when they move in.

    Not start a hue and cry after the event.

    Although looking over at a farm slurry pit cant be very entertaining the home owners living on the boundaries of a speedway track could try and turn the whole thing round and make use of a free grandstand view from their (warm) bedroom windows :lol:

     

    Could even be a selling point for some!

  19. Posted

    One thing is for sure, lower pricing doesn't seem to be an influential variable, certainly at Berwick.

     

    So I say stick the price up, hoy in a burger, a can of pop, and enjoy the racing.

     

     

    I can see another advantage, it would probably get rid of the whining "supporters".

    I'd happily subsidise the loss of them through increased entrance fees.

    Now, that would improve the product no end.

     

    B)

    You can offer all the incentives you like but if the only people that know of them are the existing fans then the incentives wont make a jot of difference.

    In this day of wall to wall social media we should all be beating at the doors of newspapers and radio stations and get the message of speedway across to "non believers", it wont cost us a penny but increasing gate numbers will allow prices to be cut.

  20. Posted · Edited by Skid Sprocket

    Another review from a satisfied buyer. Still a few copies left, skidsprocket@gmail.com

     

     

    "I received the booklet on Tuesday and it is absolutely excellent. Worth every penny and extremely funny. The cartoons may come from another era but it is remarkable that we currently have so many of the same issues. I feel many supporters of a certain age,like myself,would thoroughly enjoy this. I think with a bit of publicity you could sell a load of these to raise funds for the Bears. It would make an excellent present for Xmas."

  23. Posted

    Personally I prefer a link to a picture. That way if I want to see it I can chose to do so, as can anyone else. It's not exactly difficult to click on a link, even my cat can do it :P

    Yes it is easy to click on a link, what I am having problems with at the moment is creating that link. All these tech guy's that come on here seem to think we are all tech genius's. Many of us are just basic p.c. users. You just have to look at the icons above as I write this post e.g. "My Media" it may as well be a foreign language for all the help it is to me!

    • Like 1

  25. Posted · Edited by Skid Sprocket

    Almost everyone knows of the world famous cartoon character Andy Capp created in

    1957 by Reg Smythe and still going strong today. What I have yet to find is anyone who

    has heard of a speedway cartoon strip created by Reg at the start of his cartooning

    career many of which feature a character called Skid Sprocket.


    I came across a rare booklet of these strips and set about finding the copyright owner

    with a view to doing a reprint. To cut a long story short I managed to contact the family

    of the late Reg Smythe and they gave their full backing to my resurrecting Skid and

    friends. The booklet shows speedway in the early 1950's and is interesting from a

    historic point of view but many of the jokes are relevant to today's speedway as well as being

    very amusing in their own right.


    With the help of a graphic designer friend we have put together a 44 page A5 size

    booklet containing over 70 cartoons with the aim of selling them and all income (after

    expenses) going to SRBF..


    The price is £7 (plus 70p if posted to a U.K. address).

    Anyone interested in more information or purchasing a copy please contact,

    skidsprocket@gmail.com

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