What I was initially worried about and why I fully support my Son’s passion now
Hi, I’m Julie, Conrad’s Mum
When my husband, Stu, first told me he took Conrad go karting, my maternal instincts kicked in and I’m like – what!!?? That sounds dangerous!!
I was also worried it was a lonely sport. As Aussies, we love our sport so we’d tried Aussie rules football and cricket which are obviously team sports and allowed him to easily make friends. However, Conrad wasn’t into those types of sports. We were still looking for ‘his thing’.
As it turns out, I realised karting offers a great community of like-minded kids and adults. There are multiple teams up pit lane and the kids play with each other in between sessions on the track. There’s also a WhatsApp group and mini practice races are organised every couple of months.
We now have our own team, Italcorse Asia, which currently has 4 boys and 4 girls in the team, so when they are up in our private race lounge resting or having a snack, it’s a really fun atmosphere.
I noticed the kids have similar personalities. Quite bright, sometimes quiet and gentle in nature when off the track. It’s a real thinking sport as the kids have to understand maths, physics, geometry and make quick decisions constantly as they go around the track.
And regarding safety, it’s actually very difficult to flip a kart given the kart‘s very low centre of gravity. I’ve watched Conrad scream around the track in both wet and dry conditions and sometimes he spins off into the grass when he’s testing the limits. It’s actually quite fun for him and makes me smile as it’s a sign he’s trying new things. The kids wear lots of protective gear including professional race suits, helmets, gloves and race boots, plus the karts are designed to absorb impacts, therefore the kids are effectively wrapped in cotton wool!
Do I get nervous when he’s on the track? Yes and No. Naturally as a mother I don’t want him to get hurt, but like other sports, there are risks. All the kids in our team receive great training before they hit the track, including from professional coaches, so it helps me to appreciate he knows what he’s doing and he’s enjoying his passion.
Follow Conrad’s karting journey at http://www.facebook.com/italcorseasia and request a try out for your child via messenger or https://www.italcorseasia.com/
Comments