Okay...here it is from my side, i'm still in school, would love to be out on the bike the whole day and tour around on my bike, but luckily my parents has got it into my head over the last few years that in order to survive in this country, nothing is guaranteed, especially not in sport. I mean, sure - it's great, you get some sponsors at junior level when you perform really well, maybe a few when you go to elites. But please raise your hand if you are able to make a living from cycling alone and have been able to do that for the last couple of years (say 10 years to put a spanner in your spokes) That means, not doing ANYTHING else other than sitting with your bum on the saddle. You're going to need an education some or other time. When you're past your "sell by date" on the bike (btw - what age is that nowadays in SA cycling?)...what are you going to do then? You're going to be too old then to really be able to depend on your parents to pay for your studies and all the costs involved. Also another question - by that time - what would you really have achieved on the bike? What will you have to show? I might be sounding very negative, but that's how i feel about these things. I see people who i know didn't give their best in school whose spelling and grammar is absolutely horrible!!! If they can't even get the basics of their home language correct in a normal conversation, i do not even want to know what their other subjects' marks looked like. In order to learn these things, you need to be in school, in class paying attention. Being absent for a few days is acceptable, but missing weeks and weeks of school with the current syllabus - man, that's just crazy!! Some of you think it's okay missing school up to gr.11. I've got news for you (and good luck to your kids) - grade 10 and 11 is just as hectic as Matric in the new system! Plus - you need to have a [very!] solid foundation of most of the work in these two years to be able to cope in matric. I'm by far not the least intelligent student in my year, but i had to work my arse off to get good marks in all of my subjects. Unfortunately cycling had to take a dip, but that's a sacrifice that i believe will benefit me in the long term. There are many talented young men and ladies in SA, but where are they going? For all of them i sincerely hope they reach their goals, but the sad reality is that they are not all going to succeed in our sport. So half the grown-ups tell all of them to go ahead and ride their bikes...are these same grown-ups going to be there for them when they break down because they are not part of that small group who can actually persue the dream that all of us who've competed at what ever level has dreamed about at some stage of our lives? When they do not have a matric certificate or when the marks on the said certificate can't get them into Universities? Fair enough...not all 17/18 year olds know exactly what they want to do yet, but as parents and responsible people, you can at least encourage them to do their best in school. After that they can take a gap year or two, maybe ride their bikes, get some experience... But at least then, when they have figured out what they want - they have the necessary paperwork to back them up. I can give you quite a few examples of people who have done exceptionally well on the bike, but they still have something to back them up. Massive respect to these men and woman. (especially to the pro ladies in our country who i've talked to and learned from personally!) my 2c
