THE Cub Report, Version – Jaded

So here we are, just you and me (ok, and a few thousand other people) for this week’s Cub Report. Kick back, relax, and get ready to get your scroll on.

First up… In case you haven’t seen it in the “featured” part of our website directly above, you can still get in an entry for our Pro-Line Wipeout Video Contest. Entries for the contest end this Friday, so don’t forget to submit your very best. On the line is not only a whole bunch of ridiculously trick Pro-Line products, but also one thousand dollars of cool, hard ca$h!

Next up… anybody else catch the DRL race on ESPN Uno last night? That’s right folks, drone racing was on during Sunday night prime time on ESPN’s primary channel. The racing was tight, the crashes were gnarly, and the race got a bunch of mainstream exposure. Horizon Hobby also got some great exposure with their commercials that were televised during the race. And what was the most amazing thing to me? How quadcopter FPV racing has reached a level of success that rc car racing never did, and they did it in a matter of months. I think it goes to show that dreaming big pays off. It’s like the powers that be aimed low with rc car racing, so that’s where they ended up. The folks behind drone racing are aiming at the top of Mount Everest. And after watching one of their races last night, they just might make it there. And ya know, I wonder how this makes top level rc car racers feel. Does it make them want to switch over to the ridiculous money and spotlight of drone racing, or does it make them want to have a serious sit down with the folks at ROAR to ask them why they aren’t on ESPN too? No doubt our big surface guys have paid their dues and reaped very little benefits compared to the drone racing guys. We have witnessed Conor Mcgregor take the UFC to all new heights, maybe it will take someone like him in rc car racing to take it to the next level. Like I said earlier, you can’t aim low if you want to reach the top of the mountain, and from what I’ve seen, ROAR isn’t even aiming at base camp.

And…

Over the weekend I was slammed in the face with how incredibly jaded I am in our hobby. I guess I always thought that I have not lost touch with being a normal Joe Blow rc’er. Only after a day at a rented out track, destroying cars that haven’t even been announced to the public yet, did I realize on the way home how jaded I was. Here I was complaining about the track, about the weather, and about the pit area, when Iron Mike piped up to say that most people would have considered the day we just had some sort of “Make A Wish” day reserved for those that were terminally ill. With just one sentence Iron Mike was able to return me back to true reality, a reality that I have indeed gotten too deep into the hobby and that I can never again look at things like a normal consumer. I never wanted to become jaded, I always wanted to keep in touch with the masses in our hobby, but it was inevitable at some point that I would indeed lose touch. Of course I can get my feet back down on the ground easily enough. I could start buying all my own gear, drive only with real hobbyists, and stop pinging rc company CEOs every day. That would definitely put my head back to where it needs to be… but after thinking about it, jaded isn’t so bad of a place to be after all. 🙂

So there ya have it, that’s it for this week’s Cub Report. Unfortunately, I must end this one on a sad note. The world is a worse place today because of the passing of my friend Nicki. She was barely in her thirties, with a baby daughter that wasn’t even one yet, and she passed away from cancer. I spent many hours shooting archery with her where she proved what a kind, honest, and sweet soul that she had. Nicki, this one’s for you…

YOUR Cub Reporter