X Games going deep in heart of Texas to Austin

The X Games are going from the glitz of Los Angeles to deep in the heart of Texas.

Athletes with skateboards and motorcycles will be competing in the Texas capital after ESPN announced Wednesday that Austin will be the next North American host city for the X Games.

"Austin over the last several years has really become synonymous with supporting big events," said Scott Guglielmino, senior vice president, ESPN programming and X Games. "The music scene is fantastic. The night life is fantastic and definitely a young, active town."

The home to the University of Texas also has the new Circuit of the Americas sports and entertainment complex, which will be the primary site for X Games Austin. The 1,500-acre complex opened in November by hosting the Formula One U.S. Grand Prix and held a MotoGP motorcycle race in April.

Austin was selected over three other finalists: Chicago, Detroit and Charlotte, N.C. There were initially 13 qualified bids for the Olympic-style selection process, with Austin picked to host for four years starting next May 15-18.

"X Games is a great action sports competition and is an ideal fit for the city of Austin, which has a tremendous fitness orientation, a tremendous action sports community," said Steve Sexton, president of Circuit of the Americas.

Sexton said 16-18 X Games athletes live in Austin, and that a "couple of thousand people" showed up at the State Capitol to watch an exhibition when Austin was announced as one of the four finalists earlier this year.

X Games is nearing the end of its first year of global expansion and transformation, with events already held in Aspen, Colo., France, Brazil, Spain and Germany.

The X Games will wrap up an 11-year run in Los Angeles with this summer's event Aug. 1-4.

"L.A. clearly, Southern California, it's a special home when it comes to action sports and that whole culture, no question about it," Guglielmino said. "But we felt like it was time to move the X Games to a new venue, a new city. We leave Los Angeles with a lot of great memories, certainly. ... We leave after quite a good and prosperous stay, but definitely looking forward to getting to Austin and really growing out the event."

Aspen has been the host of the winter X Games since 2002, but its contract expires after next year's event. Bidding to host winter competition in the United States just ended, with the next site likely to be picked in early 2014.

There are about 350 fully developed acres at Circuit of the Americas, including the 3.4-mile race track with 20 turns, an expansive outdoor live music space for 14,000 spectators and a 25-story observation tower. There is a pit/paddock building with 34 garage bays and two upper levels of hospitality space, and a 44,000-square-foot event center.

Sexton expects at least 100,000 spectators for the four days of competition.

"The ability to host the X Games fits into our overall strategy, to have a multidimensional entertainment and sports destination," Sexton said. "We're more than motor sports. The X Games is kind of one of the first of many steps in the process."


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Source: The Boston Herald News (AP, 7/17)

Texas Officers Discuss The Perils of Motorcycle Escort Duty

Nearly every day, Houston-area motorists share streets and freeways with police officers on motorcycle who are escorting funerals, dignitaries, wide-cargo loads or controlling traffic outside sporting events.

The two-wheeled duty can be dangerous and even deadly: At least one officer was killed and seven others were injured as off-duty escorts in the past five years, according to a Houston Chronicle accident analysis.

Sgt. Matt Novotny, 52, is recovering from a broken pelvis and other severe injuries he received when was hit by a motorist Dec. 12. Novotny, the head of Pasadena Police Department's 10-officer motorcycle unit, was working an off-duty job escorting a funeral when he was hit at the intersection of West Fuqua and Almeda. The female driver, who police determined was not impaired, had a green light but apparently failed to see the officer.

"It is a very dangerous thing," said Vance Mitchell, spokesman for the Pasadena police. "This is probably the worse we've had, and this is the third one in the last 12 months."

The most recent death appears to be a January 2008 accident that killed Harris County Precinct 7 Deputy Constable David Joubert, 60, who was on his way to escorting a funeral in Houston when a car pulled in front of him.

Vehicle of choice

Toy Leach is one of the Houston Police Department's 46 officers assigned to the motorcycle detail, officers who have to requalify annually to ride their Harley-Davidson Road King police motorcycles. Motorcycles are the vehicle of choice for escorts because they can maneuver between cars to clear congested intersections.

"The intersections are the hardest because some of them are big, and they're three lanes coming from each direction," said Leach, a two-year veteran. "So when a motorcycle goes up there and puts their lights and sirens on, the people don't see you on a motorcycle anyway. The intersection is the most dangerous part, you have people running red lights and stuff like that."

The Harris County Sheriff's Office currently employs nine full-time motorcycle officers assigned to traffic investigations, and another 22 who work only off-duty escorts of oversize cargo loads or funerals processions. Three deputies have died over the past 30 years in motorcycle accidents, and two were escorting funerals. The latest was Deputy Keith Fricke, who died in June 1997 after a car cut through the procession and hit Fricke's motorcycle.

Lt. Darryl Coleman, head of the Harris County Sheriff's Office traffic enforcement section, said the biggest danger is motorists who don't notice the motorcycle officers, even when they are using their emergency lights and have sirens on.

"The known dangers are the unaware motorists, the inattentive motorists who not aware of the police motorcycle who is approaching them," said Lt. Darryl Coleman. "The (motorcycle officer) has to be on the lookout for the driver who is not on the lookout for them."

Coleman said it has been years since a sheriff's motorcycle officer died, and the most recent accident was last December when a deputy was injured while escorting participants in the Texas Bowl football game near the Galleria.

A Houston city ordinance requires that all funeral processions be escorted by at least one police motorcycle, and at least two for a procession of more than 10 vehicles. Off-duty motorcycle officers are hired by funeral homes to do the escorts, and they are paid from $125 to $225, depending on the number of stops and which department the officers belong to.

Call to repeal ordinance

In addition to the off-duty escorts, police departments assign motorcycle officers while on duty to escort funerals of officers and their families, as well as escorting visiting dignitaries.

Houston police, since January 2010, have assigned their motorcycle officers to escort vehicles at 188 events, including 151 funerals of police officers and their relatives, as well as other city workers. The remaining escorts were either for dignitaries or for traffic control at major sporting events.

HPD said its last serious motorcycle accident took place when Officer Scott Hamilton was escorting a funeral in January 2010. His injuries required multiple reconstructive surgeries to his face, causing him to retire for medical reasons.

One Houston funeral director wants elected officials to repeal the ordinance requiring motorcycle escorts for a funeral procession, saying it has become increasingly dangerous to officers and those in the motorcade. He'd rather have mourners meet the hearse and the family at the church or cemetery.

"I've seen over the years it's getting more dangerous. We're endangering the police officers, and the people going down the road and the people in the procession," said Greg Compean, owner of Compean Funeral Home. "It comes at a cost, and I'm not talking about economics but about someone getting seriously hurt, or even killed."

Refusal to yield

Leach, the HPD officer, says motorists have sometimes refused to yield to a police escort, forcing him to explain that city ordinance extends the authority of a police emergency vehicle to off-duty escorts.

But the motorcycle officers are mainly concerned with the drivers who are zooming along, talking on their cell phones or otherwise not paying attention.

"You're ready to move out of the way if a car's coming. You've got your head on a swivel," Leach said.

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source: officer.com (Pinkerton, 12/19)

Austin biker takes anti-cancer message to fellow firefighters

Last spring Bob Damron retired from the Austin Fire Department in Texas and took his Harley-Davidson across country talking to fellow firefighters about prostate cancer.

In 2006 he was riding in a golf cart between tees when he received the phone call that would save his life. He had recently undergone a physical and assumed he would receive a clean health check. At 44 years old, he was the oldest firefighter ever to be hired in Austin and at 55 he skied and umpired minor league baseball to stay in shape.

He was more annoyed than alarmed when a health-care worker called and told him to visit his doctor because of a slight difference in his blood work.

“I complained to her about the co-pay,” he said.

Days later he was discussing his prognosis with a urologist. He had prostate cancer.

He shared his story at the Anderson Fire Department’s downtown station Sunday night. He will stop at 343 fire stations across the country on his motorcycle ride through October, giving his testimony six times some days.

“It’s a pay-it-forward system,” he said. “It’s googleable info that these guys deserve to know.”

Damron knew little about his risk for the cancer, he said, because he never knew his father. Having a family member with prostate cancer doubles a man’s chance of getting it. He advised the men to monitor their prostate specific antigen level.

Damron, who is now 60, vowed to keep his frank talk PG rated, but he slipped up a few times, garnering laughs from a few men.

He’s as comfortable talking about a prostate as he is discussing baseball or current events.

“I’m a firefighter,” he said. “I know these guys. They’re family.”

Battalion Chief Tom Dunlap said Damron’s talk is important.

“Firefighters die of heart attacks, but cancer gets a lot of them,” Dunlap said.

In the 22 years he’s been a member of a firehouse he’s known five or six men who have died of cancer.

Cholesterol and blood pressure are common health topics, said firefighter John Olive, but the prostate?

“That’s about as personal as it gets,” he said. He called the talk “eye-opening.”

“It was very humbling in a lot of ways. Being someone we can all relate to, he made the dangers of the cancer he had to fight with very real. It was not an abstract.”

Damron’s prostate was removed and all of cancer was contained there. He’s once again healthy and back to umpiring baseball and skiing.

He rides on a fire-engine red special edition Harley-Davidson designed for firefighters. Below the odometer are the 343 names of firefighters and paramedics who died on Sept. 11.

He will end his trip at the Fire Department of New York about a month after the anniversary of Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

“The softest pillow’s a clean conscience, and I sleep fine at night,” Damron said.

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source: www.independentmail.com (Howard, 8/29)

The Cole Legal Group at 2011 R.O.T. Rally & FREE iPad 2 Giveaway!

2011 R.O.T. Biker Rally Starts This Week!

Join the Biker Lawyers at the 2011 ROT Rally

This time of year we here at The Cole Legal Group get excited because we know its time for the Republic of Texas Biker Rally in Austin, Texas.

June 9 -12, thousands of our fellow biker brothers and sisters head to Austin early to settle in, as well as attend some ROT Pre-Parties.  From concerts, celebrity appearances, attractions like the Tattoo Expo and the Vintage Bike Showcase, to the barbecue joints and official parade, the ROT Rally has something for every level of motorcycle rider and enthusiast.

Spin our prize wheel for free bottle-opener keychains, backpacks and sunglasses and more!!!!!

This year we will be in the Exhibit Hall Venders area from Thursday thru Sunday (June 9-12).  We will be giving away free sunglasses, bottle-opener keychains, and backpacks.  Of course, don't forget to get the new Texas Rider newspaper.  Take a break from the summer heat, come inside in the air conditioned Exhibit Hall and spin our Prize Wheel!  Take a look at the visitor map below to find out where we are (click to view full-size PDF).

click to view full-size

iPad 2 Giveaway Details

BikerLawyer.com Facebook Giveaway

We're giving away a FREE 16gb Wi-fi iPad 2 (a $500 value) in honor of this 2011 ROT Rally.  Can you believe it?  No obligations, just FREE!!   If you're at ROT in Austin during the rally weekend (Thur. June 9 to Sun. June 12) come by our booth in the air-conditioned Exhibit Hall Vendors area and sign-up on our email list.  Once signed up, we will send you a link to our Facebook page and all you have to do is Like Us to be entered for the FREE iPad!  Pretty cool huh?

go to bikerlawyer.com, scroll to the bottom and click Like!

If you don't make it to ROT, click the link below to Like Us on Facebook and you're entered.  To be eligible for the drawing you must "Like Us" our Facebook page between June 8 and June 19 to be entered. We will randomly select one of our Facebook users on Monday, June 20.
Stop by and visit us at the ROT rally.

As always, we make it our business to protect injured Texas Bikers!