Story by Wendy Manning, Photos courtesy of Kimmy Cruz's private collection
Michael Ballard's Full Throttle Saloon has been the subject of a reality series on truTV called, appropriately, Full Throttle Saloon. Unlike other rally documentaries this one stayed with Ballard and his Full Throttle crew the whole time, giving us an insider's view of what it really takes to run the self-proclaimed "World' Largest Biker Bar" during the make-it or break-it ten day event. If you were a fan of the show, you more than likely caught a few glimpses of Kimmy Cruz.
Kimmy lives in Mabank, Texas, with her boyfriend Christian Dotson, with whom she has a hot rod shop where Christian builds hot rods, custom cars, and custom motorcycles. But she’s spent enough time tending bar at the Sturgis Rally to give us an insider’s view of what it takes to serve the thousands of bikers who attend the rally each year. “I’ve worked in Sturgis for nine years, but I’ve worked for Michael Ballard at Full Throttle off and on since 2003,” she said. “It’s a total trip, there’s nothing else like it.”
Kimmy started out selling ads for various motorcycle magazines. “In addition to that, I began writing stories and doing photography, as well as marketing and promotion,” she explained. “From there, I met so many people because I was out and about at all the major rallies, and I ended up modeling for all the top builders.” She started her bartending career at Broken Spoke Saloon during the 2002 Daytona Bike Week. When Broken Spoke owner Jay Allen asked her tend bar, she was apprehensive because she’d never tended bar before. “He told me I could just crack open the beer, I wouldn’t have to serve liquor or anything. He brought out a ’57 Chevy and set me up with a beer tub. We were so packed—I had so much fun. I served ninety-six cases of beer in four hours. I didn’t know what to think.” But it didn’t take long for Kimmy to figure out that having made $900 in tips during those four hours, tending bar at bike rallies was a great way for her to supplement her income. “What would I say, no? I said bring it on, because I knew I could work and make extra money on top of being a sales rep. I ended up fading out the sales rep job because I figured why am I doing this for other people when they’re making thousands of dollars off me? I made a better income as a bar tender at bike rallies.”
Kimmy took three months off to educate herself on the art and nuances of bartending, upgrading her photography skills, and building a website for herself, her photography, and her modeling career. That was nearly nine years ago, and she’s been going strong ever since.
Kimmy goes to rallies that draw 400,000 people and more. “I picked at least six different locations where I knew I could make money. I introduced myself to every vender and took photos of them, and I try to promote everyone across the board, whether they’re a client, a vender, a bar owner, a customer, or a friend,” she said. “I made sure I made lots of friends and I helped out wherever I could. So all these people were seeing me. That’s how I met Michael Ballard. I was a model for aftermarket retailer Dennis Kirk at the time.” Kimmy was set up at the Dennis Kirk booth on the Full Throttle property, and she says Michael asked when she planned to work for him as a bartender. “At that time I wasn’t working full time, I was trying different things, so in 2007 I went to work at Full Throttle. It’s an awesome atmosphere. Everybody loves Full Throttle.”
Being a bartender at Full Throttle isn’t all fun and games, however. Bartenders work very hard. If you watched the show on truTV, you know that surveillance cameras catch all the action at each bar, and the security team is watching every move the staff makes. You saw employees go through the rigorous hiring process, and you probably some of them being “let go” before the rally was over. As a bartender customers are allowed to photograph you, and you’re required to comply and you cannot charge money for photographs taken.
But Kimmy says despite the hard work, working as a rally bartender helps her to make contacts to other jobs. “Plus, I get to meet all the top builders,” she said. “I get to meet Ron Finch, Billy Lane, and Jesse James, all of them really. And they’ve always been super nice to me.”
So making good money, having fun and making friends, tending bar at major bike rallies is something Kimmy highly recommends. But the competition is steep. “They don’t call you or anything,” she explained. “To get back with Full Throttle I’ll have to go through the application process just like everybody else.”
To check out Kimmy Cruz, or ask her advice on how to get started as a rally bartender, visit her website at kimmycruz.com.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Death on the Ice...
It was my first shift of the game. The game was scoreless. The clock read 23:40. At that time the white ice turned blood red. It was my D partner and good friend, Quinto Vizza, who saw the bullseye on my face. As he scrambled and tried to clear the puck out of the zone his shot was stopped by my face. It felt like I had been hit by a shot from the stick of Zdeno Chara and not my Italian defense partner. I dropped to the ice and thats where my memory goes blank. I heard that TSN shut off all cameras because of the blood and gore that occurred on the ice at that moment. Other players were seen vomiting in the bench and one goalie even barfed in his own net. I couldn't help but feel responsible for my teammates becoming sick, but that is part of the game and I accept that. I was taken off the ice on a stretcher and flown to the hospital in a Stars Air Ambulance Helicopter. Once at the hospital I was rushed into surgery and 6 hours and 73 zippers later I was recovering. It was a long night, one that I can't remember but one that I won't soon forget...Im back at home recovering and I'm doing fine. I've hired a few private Doctors to watch over me and I start with a Physiotherapist on Monday morning. The road to recovery will be a long but necessary one. This near fatal accident has taught me not to take this wonderful game of hockey for granted. It almost cost me my life but I know that I will come back smarter and stronger then ever. I want to thank my family, friends, my Davis Hockey teammates and most importantly, the fans for all the love and support.
I've posted some pics of the accident below. PARENTAL ADVISORY. Be warned that they are very gruesome and graphic.
While in the ER my Doctor told me some other stories of athletes that had also gone through some painful times. While none of them can really compare to mine I thought I should share them with you:
So here I present the 10 Most Horrific Sports Injuries Ever...not including my own near decapitation...
Remember seeing Redskins QB Joe Theismann’s leg get destroyed on Monday Night Football? Watching Giants legend Lawrence Taylor giving Theismann an extra leg joint was kind of like watching a Bea Arthur sex tape–highly disturbing, strangely compelling, and thankfully, that wasn’t us in either scene.
But most sports injuries are of the garden-variety type (think ankle sprains and groin pulls), but every once-in-a-while an athlete sustains a truly grotesque, stomach churning, pants shitting injury that, unlike a Golden Girl sex-a-thon, gets replayed on Sportscenter again…and again…and again.
Here are ten of the most horrifying sports injuries of all-time, all rated with your handy Theismann-O-Meter.
10. NAPOLEON MCCALLUM
You’re going to see a lot of football injuries on this list, with Joe Theismann’s leg being the granddaddy of them all. But McCallum’s was worse…way worse. Like Theismann’s was a hangnail compared to McCallum’s injury. After being drafted by the L.A. Raiders (yes kiddies, L.A. had the Raiders before Oakland) out of Navy, McCallum shared carries with Marcus Allen before being relegated to special teams duties. Once again, Monday Night Football is the scene for a cringeworthy leg injury. In the first game of the 1994 season, McCallum was tackled and twisted to the ground by the 49ers Ken Norton.
If you quite hadn’t figured it out, the human knee is not supposed to bend like that…ever. McCallum’s cleat had stuck in the ground, making it impossible for his leg to move, while his body was twisted like a pretzel. He suffered a complete hyperextension to his left knee, tore three ligaments, tore the calf and hamstring from the bone, and ruptured an artery. Needless to say, McCallum never played football again.
Theismann-O-Meter
9. BORJE SALMING
A ton of hockey players end their careers with so many scars that their faces resemble a Picasso painting. It’s not so bad for the more handsome of players (see Yzerman, Steve), but for those guys whose face started out looking like it was stepped on by a golf cleat, the end result of too many sticks to the grill has horrifying results.
Enter one of my childhood heroes, Borje Salming.
Salming was a Swedish defenseman who played for the Toronto Maple Leafs back in the 1970’s and ’80s. And unlike Swedish women, the men are, for lack of a better term, ass-ugly.
He looks so sad because he is hideously ugly
But Salming was a great defenseman, despite having a face like a half-chewed caramel. That is until his face was carved up by a wayward skate. In a game against the Detroit Red Wings, way back in 1986, Salming was knocked down in front of his own net. While sprawled on the ice he got a face-full of Gerard Gallant’s skate blade. The injury required facial surgery and over 200 stitches to his face, leaving him looking like this…
And countless hours of reconstructive surgery left him looking like this…
Salming retired in 1993, went into the sports underwear business (Salming Underwear…real friggin’ original), then posed nude at the age of 56 for some paintings on display at The SPORT Gallery in Toronto. Go check it out if you like old scary naked Swedish dudes.
Theismann-O-Meter
8. SID VICIOUS
Wrestling is stupid, fake, and not the least bit entertaining to anyone with a high school education. But goddamn, the moves those guys pull in that squared circle sometimes impress even me. So I find it amazing that these roided-up freakshows aren’t seriously injured more often.
Enter Sid Vicious.
Vicious has that “I will eat your children” look permanently etched on his face…which compliments his chiseled physique quite nicely. Shows you what hours in the gym, and needles in the ass will do for you. But Sid was soon to get a lesson in gravity and the unforgiving nature of the ring floor.
If you’re wondering why Sid’s boot is flopping around like that, it’s because both his fibula and tibia are busted. One of the bones actually penetrated the skin, making this a compound fracture. If that boot wasn’t on…there’s a good chance your computer screen would be covered in your own vomit.
Theismann-O-Meter
7. BRYCE FLORIE
If you’re like me, then you too were probably thinking “who the fuck is Bryce Florie?” Besides being your typical middle-of-the-road pitcher who played with multiple teams, Florie also has the distinction of nearly being decapitated in the middle of a game. In 2000, when Florie was pitching for the Red Sox, he took a line-drive to the eye off the bat of the Yankees Ryan Thompson. The scary looking incident could’ve been worse…the ball could have hit him in the nuts (thereby making his injury both frightening and hilarious).
The smash broke Florie’s orbital socket and cheekbone, and caused damage to his retina. Surgery was required to relieve the pressure in the surrounding area, thereby saving Florie’s eye.
Amazingly Florie returned to the mound a year later to pitch…making an inspiring and triumphant return to pitch once again for the Red Sox.
Who then released him after 7 games.
Theismann-O-Meter
6. TYRONE PROTHRO
Tyrone Prothro will forever be known for two things in his life–his amazing catch against Southern Mississippi (for which he won an ESPY award), and fracturing both bones in his leg in a game against the University of Florida, both of which happened while he was a star wide receiver at the University of Alabama.
If that picture doesn’t make you piss yourself…here’s the video (complete with slow-motion, multi-angled, cringeworthy instant replay)…
Prothro tried valiantly to return to the gridiron, enduring countless hours of surgery, rehab and physical therapy, but to no avail. Eventually he was placed on medical hardship scholarship in 2007. On a brighter note though, he did earn his bachelor’s degree in the College of Human and Environmental Sciences.
Theismann-O-Meter
5. ALLAN RAY
Ray was one of those guys who had a great college career but never quite made it in the NBA. Playing for the Villanova Wildcats, Ray would amass 2000 points as a Wildcat, with his best year being his final year at Villanova, when he averaged 19.1 ppg and was named to the Big East first team. This was back in the 2006 season…the same year he had his eye poked out.
Wait, what?
In the Big East tournament, in a game against Pitt, Ray was poked in the eye by Pitt’s Carl Krauser. The incident left him temporarily without vision, and his eyeball had seemed to come loose from the socket.
Don’t believe me…here’s the photographic and video proof (definitely not for the squeamish)…
Fortunately this was one of those “it looks worse than it is” cases. The vision returned, and the damage was limited to the soft tissue surrounding the eye. Which was good for Ray–seeing that he signed a $2 million contract to play basketball in Italy.
Theismann-O-Meter
4. TRAVIS PASTRANA
Travis Pastrana is a motocross champion and stunt performer, who has the rather unfortunate nickname “Gimp”. Travis is also one lucky son-of-a-bitch…which, after researching his near-death accident, makes me think Pastrana is Italian for “Suck My Balls, Death.”
Back in 1998, when Travis was 14 (which means he was born in 1983–the year I bought Thriller), he attempted a jump of 120 feet on his motorbike…but came up short. The accident separated his spine from his pelvis, which is pretty well incompatible with, you know, life.
But Pastrana didn’t die…although he did spend two weeks in a coma and three weeks in a wheelchair. Oh, and according to doctors, Pastrana is one of only three people to have survived this type of injury…that’s right, one of three. Which makes him totally badass for a) being a motocross champ, and b) kicking death in the balls.
Unfortunately hours of intense research came up empty for any pics or videos of Pastrana’s accident, so here’s an artist’s rendering of Pastrana immediately after the frightening crash…
That pic will haunt your dreams forever.
Theismann-O-Meter
3. SHAUN LIVINGSTON Shaun Livingston is an oft-injured NBA guard who had the unfortunate luck of being drafted by the LA Clippers right out of high school. Then he had the unfortunate luck of blowing up his knee…and everything in it.
My knee is fucked...but at least I don't have to play for the Clippers anymore!
A couple of years ago Livingston, in a game against the Charlotte Bobcats, landed awkwardly after going in for a layup–and by awkwardly I mean his leg went sideways. He tore both the anterior and posterior cruciate ligament, as well as the lateral meniscus, sprained the medial collateral ligament, and dislocated his patella and tibia-femoral joint.
How graphic was the injury? ESPN warned viewers of the graphic nature of the video before airing it. But judge for yourself (and consider yourself warned)…
At the time of this article, Livingston, despite missing 101 of 246 regular season games, just recently signed a multi-year deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder. No word if he injured his wrist signing the contract.
Theismann-O-Meter
2. STEVE YEAGER Baseball catchers have a pretty demanding job. They gotta squat all day, while some pitcher chucks a hard, white sphere at them at 100 mph. Sure they got protection, but that only goes so far. Just ask former Dodgers catcher Steve Yeager.
Yeager played 14 of his 15 seasons with the Dodgers, winning a World Series in 1981, as well as being named the series MVP. But it was a gruesome accident in 1976 that led to the creation of one of the most important baseball protective devices in the game’s history.
While standing in the on-deck circle, a piece of teammate Bill Russell’s shattered bat hit Yeager in the throat, piercing his esophagus. It took over an hour and a half of surgery for doctors to remove the nine (yes, nine) pieces of wood lodged in Yeager’s throat.
To protect Yeager’s neck when he returned from his injury, Dodger trainer Bill Buhler invented a throat protector that hung from Yeager’s mask. Pretty soon most of the other major league catchers followed suit, adopting the Steve Yeager inspired throat protector.
Thankfully though, the other major league catchers didn’t follow Yeager’s foray into nude modelling. The Dodger catcher famously posed nude for Playgirl magazine in 1982…a sight even more stomach-turning than a guy with 9 chunks of wood lodged in his throat.
Not shown...dignity
Theismann-O-Meter
1. CLINT MALARCHUK If Chuck Norris could ever procreate (his sperm kills every woman he sleeps with), then Clint Malarchuk would be his love child. Most sports fans know who Malarchuk is…and why March 22, 1989 will forever be linked to the former Buffalo Sabres goalie.
In a game against the St. Louis Blues, Malrchuk’s carotid artery, one of the largest blood vessels in the human body, was slashed by the skate of Blues player Steve Tuttle. Blood began pooling on the ice quickly, and the scene was so disturbing that nine fans fainted, and two others had heart attacks. Meanwhile, Malarchuk was literally dying in front of thousands of spectators.
But death would have to wait, thanks to the instinctive reactions of team athletic trainer (and former army medic) Jim Pizzutelli, who reached into Malarchuk’s neck and pinched the artery until doctors came to suture the wound. Even more amazing was that a week later, after only spending one night in hospital, Malarchuk was back in goal for the Sabres.
To add to Malarchuk’s legendary badassness was the infamous gun incident from 2008…you know, the one where Malarchuk accidentally shot himself in the chin with a .22 caliber rifle. When paramedics arrived to assist the bleeding Malarchuk, the goalie refused treatment, before finally relenting and allowed the EMT’s to transport him to hospital.
Every year, Artistic Choppers of Ormond Beach, Florida builds a custom themed motorcycle to benefit the Children's Miracle Network. Chet & Gaylyn Moraniec, owners of Artistic Choppers, have been doing this bike build for more than a dozen years to raise money and awareness for the organization that helped them save their son's life. They travel to events, small and large throughout the year selling raffle tickets and then draw the lucky winner on the last Saturday of Daytona Bike Week. The beautiful custom chopper this year is a K-Moto Dragon Bike that will be raffled off to a lucky winner at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 6th on the beach at Americana Beach Resort at the 2010 Daytona Bike Week.
"We just got home from the Music City Bike Show in Nashville on January 15-16 and 17," said Chet Moraniec. "What an amazing time we had. We met Will Jones "Doctor Epiphone," the vice president of Epiphone (Gibson guitars) and we were presented with a guitar signed by the country music duo, Brooks & Dunn."
"We will be at the tattoo show at the Gaylord Palms in Orlando this weekend, (Jan. 29-31) then we will be getting ready for our first-ever Custom Bike Show and Bikini Contest with live music, vendors and food on March 4th and 5th at Americano Resort during Daytona Bike Week.
Just about everyone involved in the motorcycle industry connects over their morning coffee to add their 2-cents at the Cyril Huze Blog -- but this commentary on the newest Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight Model drew a whopping 82 comments!
You will find a link to his blog in "favorite links" on my blog because, indeed, it's a favorite. ~ MJ Lloyd-Reynolds, BikeweekNews Blogger, Motorcycle Event News.
Hoy les dejo una foto de una linda chopper con un par de chicas mas bonitas todavía. Me gustó mucho la toma y la posición de las chicas sobre la moto. Lamentablemente el sitio de Cherry Customs no está diponible debido a remodelación así que lo único que pude averiguar sobre la foto es que la moto ha ganado 5 premios: Has won 5 awards, el diseño de Forks hecho por Goldammer. La Chopper fue diseñada y construida por Roger Harris of Cherry Customs, Kelowna BC.
Sobre las linduras que están encima no tengo idea de quienes son ni la marca de las medias de malla que usa la morena recostada. ;-)
Cycle Source Magazine Indian Larry Five Long Years - Commemorative Issue. Special thanks to Tom Zimberoff, Clay Patrick McBride and Bobby Seeger for the photos. And to The Bouncing Souls for the perfect sound track. Source: Cycle Source Magazine Video Vault. The commemorative issue was released January 2010 and is available at CycleSource.com
I was gonna post this video yesterday with my RSD blog but I couldnt figure out how to embed the code of the video on my Mac. On a PC all you need to do is 'right click' and it gives you the option. However, with a Mac, there is no 'right click'. Im still learning about my Mac and it's features and if you have any tips and/or pointers then let me know 'cause I need some help on that thing still. I've had it for almost 6 months and there's a lot of things on it that I don't know how to use. Fack.
This behind the scene footage is narrated by the one and only Pepper, aka Mayor of Skid Row aka Leader of the Homeless. While he shares his thoughts Roland Sands and Andy Bell jump the L.A. River!
Roland Sands is the 1998 AMA 250GP National Champion road racer and award-winning designer for Performance Machine, and owner and founder of Roland Sands Design. RSD was a big inspiration for my bike. My Nightster has many different parts from RSD such as the exhaust, air cleaner and the gas cap. RSD has customized many different bikes from HD softails to metric sport bikes. It's funny going from a blog on Yamaha XS650 Bobbers to RSD's sleak, lean and powerful customs. It shows you that I like all types of bikes and it keeps my imagination going for different ideas on all sorts of motorcycles. RSD has a way of looking at a bike and designing it like no one else could. With the exception of a Yamaha XS650, every bike that I own until the day I die will most likely have a part from Performance Machine or Roland Sands Design. Check out the RSD Blog on the right side of the page for a better look at some of his work, it's very cool.
WANTED ; MOTORCYCLE COLLECTOR MAGAZINE 1970s 1980s, I'm looking for the edition that has an article and fotos on motorcycle "collector-hoarder" Al Shirer of Allentown Pennsylvania...theres a foto of this bike among at least another 100 bikes piled up like cordwood.
Baseball catchers have a pretty demanding job. They gotta squat all day, while some pitcher chucks a hard, white sphere at them at 100 mph. Sure they got protection, but that only goes so far. Just ask former Dodgers catcher Steve Yeager.
