Trigger Happy
After six years of running the Young Guns SC, my 25th birthday is fast approaching, so now might be the right time to ‘bow out’ and wind down the club.
These six years have been a rollercoaster ride to say the least; the highs have been high and the lows have been low. We, a scooter club of unorganised and, at times, erratic youths, have won the BSRA Club Championship – twice! That, for sure, is something we will always be extremely proud of. We have also had the pleasure of DJing at several of the big rallies, ruffling many a feather along the way. Last year we completed our first European adventure, touring the low countries, visiting Scooter Centre Köln and attending the final, legendary Venlo Rally. Most importantly for me though, is I had the good fortune to meet my partner of four years, Lydia, through the club.
From my own point of view for the last three years I have been juggling the club, writing for the magazine and long-distance scooter riding, with full-time employment in addition to part-time study! All of this therefore leaves me lacking in the enthusiasm to deal with the politics that (unfortunately) sometimes accompanies running a club. There will be many of you reading this who have also stuck your heads above the parapet by running a club or organising events. You will understand the kind of flack you leave yourself exposed to and that it isn’t always fun and games. With all of this in mind, I think it’s time to concentrate on what is most important for me these days with regards to these old scooters: long-distance riding and scooter journalism. At the end of the day, there’s nothing like making it to Italy by Lambretta, drinking Tobermory whisky up in Mull or scaling Honister Pass two up. So, all in all, I’m going to continue to look for new challenges and support the many organisations serious about scooters and scooter riding. That said, where I can, I’ll always promote the interests of young riders in an increasingly aging scene.
Like the Old Ba****ds SC, I think the YGSC will go down in scootering history, having had an impact that is far wider reaching than our many achievements. From a simple numbers point of view, there are now hundreds and hundreds of young scooterists out there – with several smaller scooter clubs whose membership consists entirely of youngsters! Even the rallies have changed, with ‘alternative tunes’ now expected and in my opinion we, the YGSC, forced the point and showed there was a demand in the first place. These things were almost
We, a scooter club of unorganised and, at times, erratic youths, have won the BSRA Club Championship – twice!
unthinkable before this club first started six long years ago. I have made friends, I have lost friends, but even those that are no longer involved in the club would be hard pressed to say that the Young Guns hasn’t had a massive impact on them and their lives in general. Considering this, it’s fair to say the club has achieved what it set out to do and, for me at least, it’s time to draw the curtains on an important chapter of scootering history.
I also want to thank those of you who have been regular readers of this column over the last three or four years. Although only a small part of the club, it has been our link to the wider scooter scene. It has given us a voice and allowed us to reach out and connect with new members and oldies alike. It has been a pleasure to promote the interests of the club, share their stories and showcase their scooters in print – an opportunity they may otherwise not have had. Could the club continue? Never say never, however I personally have no intention of rebooting it myself. So, if you wanna try your hand at running a club and meet the age criteria, get in touch! In the meantime, I hope to see you all at rallies, and at the bar. Cheers.