Membership
Director
Membership
Director
Kent Swick
Home:
(503)472-4208 [before 9pm]
Email: krswick@omraoffroad.com
Message Board Username: Flying-W
About me: Live and work in McMinnville. Dad of two girl
bikers and husband to another. Grew up a little in New Guinea and the
rest in Southern California. Attended university in the Redwoods.
My favorite riding area: Coast Range is hard to beat,
but Gifford Pinchot is mighty nice too, ya know?!
My first bike/ATV:
1974 Honda MT 250. Bummer to have to learn how to ride and have an
aluminum tank.
When I first started riding: 1976 with that first
Honda. It was the day before my dad and I were supposed to go
riding with some people from our church. I was a sophomore in HS. I had
known about this trip for a month. Finally, I told my dad I wasn't
going (I was afraid I was going to get burned by the pipe - I had a bad
time with a mini-bike at my cousin's house the summer before). He told
me otherwise, using a large fist near my noggin for scale. I sat on the
back of a 750 Triumph as Larry Freeman railed the goat trails of
Frazier Park. I remember all I could see as I was looking off the left
side (since my visor would poke into his back) was bushes in my face,
so I looked off the right side. Mistake - nothing but air as we were
riding the edge of The Abyss. Really started to appreciate the flora
on the left after that dumb move. At lunch, after I changed my shorts
(think about it), Larry let me ride his 'daughter's bike'. Oh man,
first I am scared of Kent-BBQ, and now I'm relegated to a 'girl bike'.
It was a Yama-something 175. After a little bar and lever orientation,
they cut me loose to putt around Hungry Valley while they, no doubt, made
girl-bike jokes where the punch line had me wearing a skirt. I really liked the
riding part, so much so, that I decided to make it my goal to out-ride
Cindy Freeman, if it was the last thing I did. That was just the
beginning...
My riding experience: From '76 to '80 I actually rode a
lot less than my memories account for. My dad worked Sundays (preaching
the Word), so that really left only some Monday holidays and things
like that. I remember how we'd get up at 4AM, wind our way through LA
out to Mojave and stop for breakfast at Reno's. Then on to Jawbone or
Redrock Canyon (RR was open at the time). Ride for about 5 hours and
make the 4 hour drive back home. As a kid I didn't understand why we
didn't ride more, as an adult who drives, I am amazed at what we went
through to spend so few hours on the trail.
Once I moved off to college, the motorcycles disappeared and I
didn't ride again until '87 when I moved to Santa Clarita, CA and
bought a CR500. Thought I'd get some trail time in with my dad. He
broke his finger on one of the first trips out and was done,
permanently. That was a deal killer as I didn't have friends that rode.
Sold Big Red so that Katie, I could wed. 16 years went by before I got
back on a bike. Right outside McMinnville, in the woods west of town.
That was Thanksgiving 2004. I am still thankful....
Started RUTS Oregon by Summer 2005 and even entered a race here and
there. Got the chance to complete the XC series in 2008 and 2009 - fun
stuff!
My favorite saying: Don't have one in particular but
these are slung with regularity: The big hand waits for no one. STBY.
Que las dima. One who puts on his armor should not boast like one who
takes it off.
Why I became an OMRA Officer: I answered the call for
help. I have a passion for the sport\hobby\lifestyle and so, a desire
to jump in when help is requested.
I'd also like to say: Don't sit back, not if you want to
make a difference.
