crazysue

Aww shucks, thanks guys....I reached my thanking quota (who knew there was such a thing!) for the moment so will thank the posts I haven't been able to when they allow me more. March 22nd 2005 was the starting date and to be honest, my expectation was for us to be around for about 2 weeks, maybe a couple of months at most, I would never have thought we would still be here just completing our 12th season. Yes, there have been ups and downs over the years when my patience has been sorely tested but the fact we are still here is testament to the team who continue to put up with my pleading (and sometimes downright desperate) texts, my moaning at them, my weirdness plus of course, their commitment to speedway. And it's true, I have my speedway mojo back thanks to the back straight crew in what has become the cauldron of noise and fun. It got just a little too lonely on the home straight and after one particularly eek night where the only person I spoke to was on the gate, I had pretty much decided I wasn't going to go again this season. A couple of days later, I got invited to try it out on the back straight where all the noise was coming from, I gave it a go and I have been over there ever since. Bit of a trek for me and I have to rest up all day before going and all day the next day but it is very much worth the pain to get round there.

For some reason, the sound was much clearer last night...I could hear the times and the announcements. The only time I couldn't was when we were making too much noise which is as it should be.

Well done Somerset, your team deserved that win, no complaints here, I really thought our season was over in July and that we would be done and dusted well before now, so to get to the semi was an amazing achievement.

Make that 3 routes I know now to (or from) the stadium.....

Even though I only live down the road from Ipswich, I really really don't know the Ipswich roads that well. I know two different routes to the hospital (and by consequence, the stadium too) and 2 different routes to the train station and that is it. I hate driving in Ipswich so much because of all the changes to the road system over the last couple of decades that I avoid it if I can, we don't even go up there for shopping now, preferring to get on a train and go to Norwich.

My plan is either to play beat the roadworks and get through before 7, or play beat the teenage moods, give up and go via St Augustines. On the way home, it is going to be playing beat the boredom because I have to go the very long way around.

I'll still be there, banging my cowbell....well if I can find my way around the blooming roadworks without going into meltdown!

I usually do the lowering of tone with my rather rude sense of humour...well that is when people get to know me, you're all just getting the well behaved me at the moment.

Might be interested, closed season is pretty long and it's nice to have a distraction (although I tend to get booked up December/January with Aussie Champs). Probably won't if it is in central Ipswich, I hate driving in Ipswich and try to avoid it as much as I can.

I might be interested in going..... The last one I went to was the first one that they did a buffet for rather than a sit down meal, it did not go well. However, think they may have sorted that now, especially with a different venue. Used to love the old end of season dinner dance at the hotel in Copdock, loads of fun to be had so it was a shame when it changed venue and style.

I didn't go to speedway for 10 years due to the constraints of family and finances but still followed the results every week in the paper or on teletext....missed our best year though, begger!

Is there anyone going to this meeting who would be able to text updates to the Updates site? If so, could you please send me a private message which includes your mobile number. Thanks

I will take my normal eek (or some would say pessimistic view) and be a little more cautious about the result. Things can and do go wrong and this IS Edinburgh, not always a happy hunting ground for us. Just as they went 26 points down at our place, it is not outside the realms of possibility that we could do the same there. We do have a great cushion to take up there but this is speedway and anything can happen (I was at Peterborough that fateful TR night in 2006 when it looked completely impossible and they ended up winning the blooming thing!) That said, I will be over the moon if we follow what is now predicted and make it through to the next round, even more so because I will have taken the more pessimistic/cautious view I'll be staying off Updates/Monchat apart from very occasional pop ins as I tend to jinx the Witches when I watch their away meetings online....

Oh don't worry, I didn't see any disrespect, just curiosity. It's all good (as my teenage children like to say) and yes, it has certainly rekindled my interest in the sport.

Baldyman is correct, I was at the point of walking away after a particularly lonely meeting where the only words I said all night was to the woman at the entrance. I like my alone time, don't get me wrong but speedway has always been a social thing for me and I have always been part of a fairly large group but that has dwindled over the years until finally, halfway through last season, it became just me on my own. I still managed to get through as there were regulars around me but these too have disappeared from the terraces over the last 18 months until we got to that horrible night where there was absolutely no-one to talk to. As I walked out of the stadium that night, I said to myself that that was the last meeting I was going to go to, the joy had gone, the fun had gone, the social side had gone... I was done with speedway. I even thought of wrapping up Updates at the end of the season such were my feelings in regards to the sport.

Still need an updater for this meeting, is anyone able to help please?

Still need an updater for this meeting..can anyone help please? Thanks

Is there anyone going to this meeting who would be able to text updates to the Updates site? If so, could you please send me a private message which includes your mobile number. Thanks

Is there anyone going to this meeting who would be able to text updates to the Updates site? If so, could you please send me a private message, which includes your mobile number. Many thanks

Ah it is all about perception, for you it is a way to hide, for me, I think it makes look like there is a great big arrow pointed at me loudly proclaiming "Here I am" and that is something I actively shy away from. The balloon thing? Not exactly fancy dress or a theme (it was the Thursday before too, buffet week) and it took a lot for me to actually do that after it was plonked on my head, it was well outside my comfort zone but thought why the hell not, let's give it a try and challenge my fears/anxiety. I forgot I was wearing it after a while and my niece loved it when I gave it to her (albeit a little battered by the time she got it). The themes have worked well, I just thought it might be best to let everyone know that it is unlikely I will be participating when it is a dress up week due to my own silly issues that I have with attention being directed to me in real life and away from a PC screen. I'm not a killjoy, I love seeing everyone else dressed up, I'm just not able to easily or without a lot of anxiety/panic.

My heart sinks when people suggest fancy dress or themes. I'm not good at them and will actively try to avoid them...I am more of a slide into the background type of person instead of a look at me fancy dress one. As long as I can still be accepted with the understanding that I probably won't dress up, that is ok, it's enough of a faff trying to get everything organised without worrying about a costume too!

I got caught up in the excitement around me and shouted purely for the Witches!

It's the frying pan they are scared of, I'm a cuddly bunny really......

Normal service has been resumed and the page cleaned up now. Edit - Just to be clear, I have nothing to do with the page apart from being a member of it....it's not one of my projects.

Personally I think it needs to be cleaned up and the eek comments removed as it reflects badly on all of us who are members on that page. Public pages for organisations (even those as unofficial as ours), need to retain a professional air and any infighting needs to be done away from the public eye. And before anyone suggests it, nope I don't want control of it, I've enough on my plate with my own websites.