Everybody’s Scalin’ – Yin to my Yang
Earlier this week in my Monster Truck Madness column, I wrote about the importance of mental toughness when racing r/c monster trucks. If MT racing is my Yin, then scaling is my Yang.
Where one is intense and draining (race days are long days), the latter helps me relax and is a great way to recharge my mind. Being out in nature and left to my own devices is a wonderful thing.
The JConcepts Winter Indoor Nationals were recently in St. Louis and I made a point to attend to watch a few rounds of the pros slugging it out. It’s also a nice time to rub elbows with manufacturers and “powers-that-be” in the hobby. You know what really surprised me? Lots of scaler talk and even crawlers on the premises!
It was interesting to me to see so many hardcore racers be so passionate about scaling. Despite them both being r/c, they are almost like different hobbies all together when compared to racing at that level. Still, they provide a great way to unwind for even the seasoned pro.
Aside from the obvious that more people interested in scaling is a good thing, it’s also nice to see that a lot of the RACER OR CRAWLER divide is gone nowadays.
When crawling started in the 2000’s, it was an activity looked down upon by many racers. I remember on the big St. Louis message board that I used to frequent, you were looked at as if you were a leper if you were into crawling. In recent years though, I think many of the go-fast folks discovered how much fun “going slow” can be.
Either that, or the fact that scaling is everywhere nowadays eventually softened their stance. It’s not just a niche thing anymore. Heck, in many places around the country nowadays, racing IS the niche!
Getting back into racing over the last couple years, specifically the last 8 months where I’ve been devoting a lot of time to it, has made me appreciate the art of scaling even more.
I need the competitiveness of hardcore monster truck racing in my life, and to counteract the negative effects I have scaling to enjoy 4×4’ing in a more relaxing environment. It’s the perfect balance.
