The Spirit of Hoka Hey

Everything that happens to us in life leaves some trace behind; everything contributes imperceptibly to make us who or what we are.  The greatest gift in life, is the gift of life.  Jim & I have been blessed with the most amazing family and friends anyone can possibly have... Thank you all for being there!  Cheers to you and to anyone that truly understands what we are trying to accomplish with the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge; to the quiet ones that don't contribute to the rhetoric and to the ones with the calming voice of reason (Thank you Pauline).

True; the HHMC has attracted some of the best competitors in the world - BUT - let us not forget that, from its inception, the event was meant to test the will and determination of the individual.  It was never intended to be a competition or a race and, in fact, the Terms & Conditions clearly state that it is a challenge of endurance, navigation, long distance riding skills and that participants MUST NOT COMPETE IN ANY MANNER.

By and large, our participants really do get that.  It is the spectators and supporters that don’t seem to understand however and that fact truly saddens me.  I feel they have missed the point of the event entirely.

So… for them, I repeat once more that the theme of this year's ride is ‘Wolakota’.  Wolakota is a word in the Lakota language that means reconciliation, or understanding each other in a good and peaceful way.  It represents a way of living in peace and community with everything, abstaining from greed; treating one another with respect, and friendship.  To live Wolakota is to live a life of honor and integrity.  Living in accordance with this belief encourages people to step forward and take accountability; to work together to right the wrongs of this world and acknowledge the strengths and wisdom that all cultures hold in common. 

My respect and appreciation go to riders like Matt Wolf (#785), Tim Menzie (#670), Rich Griffith (#725) and any one else that took the time to stay back with other riders who were in need of assistance.  These Challengers knew they could place well in the field but chose to let go of their ego and take care of their brothers and sisters on the road.  You are what this event is truly all about.

Still, before they left New York, participants were told that the first 4 finishers would each receive an arrow as a trophy and that they could either keep the trophy or sell it back to us for a split of the entry fees collected.  After verifying that they followed the route according to the driving directions, we spoke with these top 4 contenders and it was understood that, a polygraph exam would have been required to prove or disprove that any one conducted themselves in any way contrary to the restrictions outlined in the Terms & Conditions.  Therefore, as promised in the Rider’s Briefing, the first 4 finishers (after Jeff Kohn DQ’d himself) were offered the trophy.  To a man, they chose to keep the arrow in lieu of prize money and we commend them.  In recognition of their effort we are offering these riders along with the rest of our top ten finishers $1,000 or their entry into the 2014 Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge!!!  

For crossing the finish line first we recognize:

     1.  Robert Crawford #50

     2.  Bubba Netherland #5

     3.  Rob Carlo, #341

     4.  Dan Buis, #8

The rest of our riders crossed the finish line as listed in the table below and we congratulate them for having the determination, stamina and skill required to complete this grueling ride of over 7,500 miles!!       

Rider #	First Name	Last Name	Nickname	Check-in Time	Check-in Date
5	Karl "Bubba"	NETHERLAND		12:46 PM	6/30/2013
50	Robert	Crawford		12:46 PM	6/30/2013
341	Robert	Carlo		12:04 AM	7/1/2013
8	Daniel	Buis		12:11 AM	7/1/2013
348	MARK	HODGE		5:34 AM	7/1/2013
628	Larry	Murray	DeadMan	8:42 AM	7/1/2013
750	George	Jackman		11:59 PM	7/1/2013
736	Billy	Fultz		1:15 PM	7/2/2013
332	Heinz	Spielvogel		7:18 PM	7/2/2013
190	Richard	Drake	Chris	11:29 PM	7/2/2013
650	jane	bixby		3:58 AM	7/3/2013
652	Schatzi	Brown		3:58 AM	7/3/2013
788	Edward	Frank		5:04 AM	7/3/2013
739	Frank	Zygela		9:04 AM	7/3/2013
207	Milton	Vincent	Bubba	10:44 AM	7/3/2013
116	Jim	Herold		12:46 PM	7/3/2013
67	Michael	Conner		12:49 PM	7/3/2013
618	Kenneth	Aston	KC   (Jumper)	5:31 PM	7/3/2013
670	Tim	Menzie		5:47 PM	7/3/2013
359	RIP	Alexander		8:38 PM	7/3/2013
725	Richard	Griffith		8:38 PM	7/3/2013
792	Scott	Chrispen	Critter	8:38 PM	7/3/2013
797	Chris	Parker		8:38 PM	7/3/2013
780	Randy	Black		8:52 PM	7/3/2013
793	JAMIE	WILSON		8:52 PM	7/3/2013
83	Lee	Smith	Problem Child	12:51 PM	7/4/2013
91	David	Lutes		12:52 PM	7/4/2013
342	William	Reynolds		5:58 PM	7/4/2013
685	Wendy	Battles	TA-TE	5:58 PM	7/4/2013
751	David	Elizondo		12:08 AM	7/5/2013
323	DALE	MARTIN	Daytona Dale	2:51 AM	7/5/2013
724	Arthur N.	Pond		2:51 AM	7/5/2013
646	Thomas	Schmidt		7:15 AM	7/5/2013
789	Kurt	Kvennejorde		8:15 AM	7/5/2013
794	Bob	Stegeman		8:15 AM	7/5/2013
782	Charles R.	Butler III	Eazy	7:52 PM	7/5/2013
752 & 755	Matthew Klebe	Kelly Babbin		8:31 PM	7/5/2013
664	Elvin	Angel	Al	11:20 PM	7/5/2013
709	Bradley	Mathews		11:20 PM	7/5/2013
383	Eula	Rose	Junie	11:20 PM	7/5/2013
85	Chuck	Marble		9:34 AM	7/7/2013
168	Jeff	Kohn	Rude Jeff	8:50 PM	6/30/2013
658	Bob	Vincent	PITA	3:33 PM	7/2/2013
290	Walter	Ledig		6:50 AM	7/3/2014
705	Paul	Mazza	rocky	4:00 PM	7/3/2013
186	Greg	Shafer	Morigderunner	12:00 PM	7/4/2013
779	Steve	Briscoe		4:04 PM	7/5/2013

  Finally… we all want what is best for HHMC going forward and that means that we cannot promote or condone the Challenge as a race.  As such, how the riders place is not where the focus of the event should lie and it has been decided that this year would set the precedence of awarding arrows to those who completed the Challenge in the spirit of Hoka Hey.  

For the attributes that most closely reflect the true spirit of the Wolakota, we recognize:

    1.   Mark Hodge, #348 – Black Arrow for RESPECT

    2.   Rob Carlo, #341 – Red Arrow for HONOR

    3.   Jeff Kohn, #168 – Yellow Arrow for INTEGRITY

    4.   Junie Rose, #383 – White Arrow for COMPASSION

Going in to the future, this is the format that we intend to use to recognize the true winners of the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge.