A letter of mine today to Utah State House Majority Leader Mike Schultz that posed the following question in the letter's subject heading:
"Should UT House Ban 'Red Bull' Rampage Event?"
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: "John McMillan" <mcmillanj@att.net>
To: "Mike Schultz" <mikeschultz@le.utah.gov>, "Gay Lynn Bennion" <glbennion@le.utah.gov>, "mballard@le.utah.gov" <mballard@le.utah.gov>, "kharris@bountiful.gov" <kharris@bountiful.gov>, "Paul A. Cutler" <pcutler@le.utah.gov>, "Brett Garner" <bgarner@le.utah.gov>, "Marsha Judkins" <mjudkins@le.utah.gov>, "Fox News SLC 2022" <news@fox13now.com>, "newsmedia@ldschurch.org" <newsmedia@ldschurch.org>, "Deseret News 2022" <dnweb@deseretnews.com>, "Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson 2021" <beckiepage@utah.gov>, "Office of Gov. Spencer Cox" <govcomm@utah.gov>, "Joel Briscoe" <jbriscoe@le.utah.gov>, "Jplumb" <jplumb@le.utah.gov>, "Utah Hospital Association 2021" <jill@utahhospitals.org>, "Utah Restaurant Association 2022" <info@utahrestaurantassociation.org>, "Utah Safety Council" <safety@utahsafetycouncil.org>, "Joe Dougherty (DHHS)" <joedougherty@utah.gov>, "Cameron Roden" <croden@utah.gov>, "jessanderson@utah.gov" <jessanderson@utah.gov>
Sent: Wed, Apr 10, 2024 at 10:55 AM
Subject: Fw: Should UT House Ban 'Red Bull' Rampage Event?
April 10, 2024
Dear Utah State House Majority Leader Mike Schultz,
The annual Red Bull Rampage Mountain Biking Event in Virgin, Utah, is a source of considerable infamy for our entire state.
That ultra-competitive event features a repeatedly suicidal flirtation with death by each of the competing bikers from around the world and promulgates the message to the entire world that Utah is Very Proud to be the Official Host State for Numerous Near-Death or Possibly Fatal Experiences for Bikers.
"Men's Health" magazine in January 2022 featured a copyrighted story by Scarlett Wrench that bore the title: "Welcome to the World's Most Dangerous Mountain Biking Competition".
Some key statements in that report:
----"Riders are judged on a number of criteria, including airtime and tricks, as well as more virtuoso factors such as fluidity and style. To put it bluntly, they are rewarded for taking risks: riders score points for their willingness to tread the narrow line between victory and injury."
----"...Californian rider Cam McCaul explains a 'blind take-off': ....(T)he first time the rider catches sight of the landing, it's too late to adjust speed or trajectory.
'Two miles per hour too fast and the rider will land halfway down and explode upon impact,' says McCaul, matter of factly. '[Going] two miles per hour too slow will put the rider before the landing – and cause them to get catapulted off the bike.'”
----"In 2015, a rider named Paul Basagoitia from Nevada crashed on a step-down and shattered his vertebrae. He was evacuated by helicopter and required nine hours of surgery. The same year, Boston slopestyler Nicholi Rogatkin tumbled off a cliff in his qualifying run, enduring a 12m beating on the way down."
One copyrighted online "Outside Magazine" report about the same annual biking competition was most recently updated on May 12, 2022, and was entitled "Inside the Most Dangerous Bike Comp on Earth". That report, written by Peter Vigneron, began with the following statement:
"Of the dozens of crashes at last fall’s Red Bull Rampage, the one that rattled me most was Kelly McGarry’s. During practice a few days before the competition, McGarry, a 32-year-old from New Zealand, misjudged a 70-foot gap jump over a canyon and overshot his landing. At six feet four inches, McGarry is the largest guy on the Freeride Mountain Bike World Tour, and both of his wheels imploded on impact. (In the vernacular, he 'tacoed' them.) McGarry went over the handlebars and landed face first in the sandstone, eventually ragdolling to rest in a sitting position while his bike bounced down a ten-foot cliff."
State House Majority Leader Schultz, you have the legal authority to help save the lives of thousands of young men of the present and future. You can go that by asking your colleagues in the Utah House to refuse to let Utah turn into a Death Trap for young men.
Possibly the State of Utah under your kind leadership could require that each competitor at the Red Bull Rampage Mountain Biking Competition in Virgin, Utah, must be at least 21 years old, must pass a drug and alcohol test, must be certified by their physician as being mentally and physically healthy, and must wear specified State of Utah-required full safety gear while competing in that event.
One biker wrote a recent safety-minded copyrighted online report (see online link below) that was most recently updated on December 7, 2023, and offered the following advice for safety gear:
"Wearing a mountain bike helmet is a no brainer (ha!), and it may even be required by law. Protective gear won’t prevent all injuries, but in most cases it can significantly reduce the severity.
"Beyond helmets, consider knee and elbow pads, chest and back protection, and even a neck brace. Manufacturers are starting to build protective features into everyday wear items like hydration packs and even jerseys. Consider adding one or more of these pieces and you just might be surprised how little they interfere with your riding comfort."
https://www.singletracks.com/mtb-progression/4-simple-things-you-can-do-to-reduce-your-risk-of-injuries-from-mtb-crashes/
Utah State House Majority Leader Schultz, I hope this brainstorming letter proves to be helpful to you and your colleagues in the Utah House.
I hope to hear from you soon.
Sincerely and Best Wishes,
former Texas DPS full-time employee John Kevin McMillan, 535 South 200 East, Apt. 912, Ninth Floor, Salt Lake City, UT 84111.
My cell phone: (512) 993-7305.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please Leave Your Comments Here.