Blog
2020 Sponsors contribute to NSORRA’s success
Our sponsors are the grassroots of dirt biking in Nova Scotia!
What a year it has been!
When the NSORRA Board of Directors held their season wrap-up meeting in November 2019, we had no idea what 2020 would hold for us. We were building towards a full slate of sponsors and were looking forward to an outstanding 2020 season.
We were happy to put a five-race hare scramble series plan in place. After a year hiatus, Canadian Kawasaki Motors was returning as Title Sponsor and Soles In Motion became our Awards Sponsor. Other sponsors began to step up, too. Things looked promising.
COVID-19 arrives in Nova Scotia
Then, in March 2020, COVID moved front and center in our lives. We weren’t sure how long it was going to last, or how it would affect our season.
- We kept on top of Nova Scotia public health guidelines and recommendations
- We developed and placed public health signage in our ride parks
- In Facebook posts we challenged our members to try new skills when they were asked to stay at home
- All the while wondering if we were going to able to have a 2020 hare scramble season.
By June, Nova Scotia COVID cases were decreasing and things began to look a little more promising. We had cancelled our first hare scramble scheduled for June and had postponed the second, scheduled for July. Luckily, NSORRA volunteers had used the pandemic downtime to prepare the ride park trails across the province.
NSORRA Ride Park Tour
Our members were ready to hit the trails but before we opened the parks, a member, who just happens to be with Beta Canada, came to us with a great idea. He wanted to do a reopening tour and mini-competition in NSORRA parks with a couple of friends. A big shout out to Stephen Howland and Beta Canada who brought fun to our membership during a trying pandemic period. In early July, Beta’s tour of NSORRA ride parks, including entertaining live Facebook updates, were a bright spot during tough times.
By early July, after discussions with our government partners and putting a pandemic opening plan in place, we decided to take the leap to start our hare scramble season in August.
The Hare Scramble season begins
We re-organized our race schedule and pushed ahead with our first event in Craigmore on August 15. We had no idea what the season would hold but our sponsors were there for us; every one of them returning to support us even though the future was up in the air for them, too.
104 entries.
That’s how many we had at Craigmore. And participation numbers remained high all season. 109 at South Alton, 104 at Thistle Hurt and a record breaking 149 participants at Miller Meadow!
This year, we added Thistle Hurt to our scramble schedule. The Harnish family and their support crew put on two amazing events over Thanksgiving weekend that have set the standard for enduro-cross riding in the province.
Hare Scramble Sponsors
Bringing it back to our sponsors who made it possible for our 2020 hare scramble season to happen, as mentioned Canadian Kawasaki Motors returned as Title Sponsor thanks to Atlantic region rep, Bill Brown.
Soles In Motion returned in a big way as Awards Sponsor. They have been supporters of NSORRA for many years and we appreciate you! We can thank Jen Estabrooks for sponsoring the beautiful medals and year end trophies.
Scramble Event Sponsors
We were very fortunate to have three sponsors step up for a second year as race sponsors:
Honda Canada sponsored the Craigmore scramble. They also generously provided the loaner bikes for our dirt bike school. This year they loaned us seven motorcycles of various sizes which, combined with the five bikes we own, allowed us to train 144 riders through the MSF Dirt Bike School and another 96 during special events like the Moto Show, Meg Griffiths clinics and Women in Moto for a total of 250 students this season!
Longtime NSORRA supporters Keith Ramsey and Rob O’Brien of Pro Cycle returned to sponsor the Miller Meadow scramble and provided some great prizes. Post-season, the training school Honda bikes headed to Pro Cycle to be sold.
Our third race sponsor was the always fun Shore Cycle crew. They returned for a second season, sponsoring the South Alton scramble. Prizes were numerous and there were many happy faces post-event as giveaways were handed out.
We also have several other Scramble sponsors who we’d like to thank.
- Perfect Powder Coating A big shout out to Denver Wearing who worked with a supplier to create our scramble medals and year-end awards and then donated his powder coating services!
- Miller Meadow MX Park provides our space for the Drive to Ride event
- Freedom Cycle
- APD Motorsports
- 509 Offroad
- Zoom Cleaning Products
- Kwik Kopy Halifax
And thanks also go out to our corporate members:
East Coast Women Offroad - NSORRA
In recent years, women have become increasingly interested in dirt biking and NSORRA wants to encourage this growing population of riders.
We created the NS Dirt Divas Facebook page and interest quickly grew as word got out there was a page just for women and those who identified as female to share their experiences, tips and to get involved in group rides. The page has already surpassed 120 members and the group has changed its name to a more inclusive East Coast Women Offroad. Liberty CC stepped up to become the NSORRA Women’s sponsor for 2020, providing prize money for the two women’s categories.
The future looks bright for female dirt bikers!
Wednesday night rec rides
The Wednesday night rec rides returned to Miller Meadow MXP for a second year and their popularity was through the roof with a high of 40 riders attending one evening. Many thanks to Barry Josey at RPM Cycle who was our recreational ride sponsor for 2020.
NSORRA members thank our sponsors
We would not have been able to put on this series without all the support from our sponsors. We ask all of our members to support these organizations that support us.
In 2020, our members did support local and the dirt bike business boomed in NS with reports that a year’s worth of bike sales were made in the months of June and July alone!
We don’t know what 2021 will hold yet but if we hold 2020 up as an example, we know there will be a great season coming up, with NSORRA sponsors playing a big part in our success.
Thank you!
This blog was written by NSORRA's general manager, Claudine Laforce
