Gram and Tyler standing in front of her door that proudly states she was a veteran of WWII. Tyler is reading a book on WWII at school so they were comparing real life to book. They both sounded relatively the same.
Tyler taking pictures of himself. This one out of 7 turned out really cute.

Great Grandma turns 83

Today Tyler and I spent the afternoon with Gram. It will be her birthday tomorrow so we decided to stretch the celebration an extra day. We arrived this afternoon in time for her to open her package of York Peppermint Patties and get in on a fun game of Hangman in the dining room with the other residents. Since the theme was "fall" Tyler thought he had it in the bag. Gram and him started off good but fizzled out in the end. Tyler missed the word... football. After the game was over I brought my version of homemade cookies (Hy-Vee helped) for everyone to share. It was a nice day to share between the 3 of us.

How the feature race finished up.
Randy Perkins handing Tyler his 2nd place trophy.
Before the Junior I gas class started their feature they lined up according to how they finished this year. Tyler got first place and is the 2006 track championship for his respective class.

A wise man, more than once, told me, "If racing was easy everyone would do it." He sure was right. We've certainly had our season of ups and downs, highs and lows, and crying and smiling. In the end I guess you could say it was worth it. We met some really great people, gained a lot of knowledge on what "not" to do and had a lot of fun along the way.

Over the past month Tyler has been debating whether or not to race next year. At the beginning of the season he set a goal for himself, gave up a lot to achieve it, and in the end met it. So with that being said this will be our last year of racing go karts. He has decided that he wants to pursue his other interests in baseball and football. Two of the sports he had to give up in order to race. We are very proud of him and will continue to support future goals he wishes to attain.

Thank you to everyone who helped with supporting his year in karting. Truthfully, without it we couldn't have done it. November 18th is the Banquet where the kids will be presented with trophies for their year of hard work. As always I will continue to post Tyler's other activities and maybe even think of a name change.

Thank you all!!!

Friday night during the Storm Lake vs. LeMars high school game NYFL 5th/6th grade team got to do a scrimmage game during halftime. Tyler is on defense in the white jersey #30. Mom and I sat in the stands to watch the future "Tornadoes" in action.

Tyler and Eric with their trophies in front of a retired Indy car.
Trophy presentation at the end of the day.

Double points day was a windy one.

Whoever said that Chicago was the "windy city" has never raced a season at Jamaica Speedway. The kart had a lot of changes done to it today. Too much for this cheer crew to understand. Both heat races Tyler finished second. During the break Tyler said he was just "drafting". Grandpa then asked Tyler, "How's that working for you?" Now for all the woman that read this yes you're right, my dad, Mr. Male "I know everything about everything and a little bit more" just quoted Dr. Phil. I think for a brief moment I went into shock. My dad quoting Dr. Phil??? But then I guess maybe sharing the same hair gene might have something to do with their infinite wisdom. Since Steve and Tyler have been good sports all year to rush back to Storm Lake after racing so I could work I treated them out to supper afterwards. We ate at TOJO's with our racing group. It was fun to sit and visit with everyone. After a 2 hour drive home in what we called tsunami-like conditions we were finally home and ready to call it day...and a good one at that.

Friday night Mom, Tyler, and myself went to the Nickelback concert in Sioux City at the Tyson Event Center. We had a great time. The opening groups were Hinder, Chevelle, and Hoobastank. We loved the music. Our favorite part of the night was when they sang "Photograph". They did a video of pictures while singing that went right along with the song. Thanks mom for the tickets and the awesome time.

Saturday afternoon while Steve and Tyler raced to Boone to attend the supernationals I drove to Lawton to spend the evening with my grandma. The assisted living she resides at was having a "Luau" to kick off National Assisted Living week. So with my Hawaiian shirt and pea salad in tow I headed out in the rain. The hog roast Char Mac put on was great tasting, along with the homemade pies those farm woman brought in were excellent. Then after supper came the entertainment, "The Dancin' Grannies". These were woman with an average age of 73 who get together 2 times a week to line dance. The have a great time and enjoy performing. At the end they ask for audience participation, that's were Grandma and me came in. Trying my step at a basic line dance I didn't do too bad. Then I saw my soon to be 83 year old Grandma cuttin' a rug next to me. Picture time. It was a great evening and we both had fun and laughed a lot. Staff came up to us afterwards and said she did real good. They were even more amazed to learn of her agileness when I told them that just last year at her great grandson's birthday she was jumping on a trampoline!!!

The second picture is of us with her traveling spelling bee trophy. Each month they have a spelling bee. The winner gets to keep the trophy for a month until the next bee.

Tyler during a practice drill.
Tyler lining up on defense.

NYFL 2006

Practice for football started 3 weeks ago. They have practice every Tuesday and Thursday evening from 6:00-7:30. That means off the bus at 4:00, homework, and supper all before we leave at 5:45. He plays with other 5th and 6th graders. Tyler's number is 7. The same number he had when he played in 3rd grade. Today was his first game against MMC (Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn). Tyler played receiver on offense and cornerback on defense. He had some hard tackles and a good deflection. Storm Lake ended up losing 7-22.

This is mom and dad's race car. They lasted for 1 event before mechanical problems occured. The cars new name is the "One Event Wonder". Old reliable "Browny" is pictured underneath with me.
Summer Festival 2006 at MAM was my turn to race. With Tyler as my crew chief and photographer I couldn't go wrong.I went in with the attitude to have fun, not DNF, and beat 2:30 min. for a run. I did all 3. We left for the track at 4:30 a.m. and got there by 7:00a.m. After the fog cleared and the track dried, we were off. I ran the track road course 6 times. By the last run I was at 1:58 min. Goal #3...met. All 6 runs were good runs. No DNF's. Goal #2...met. As far as goal #1. The entry fees were paid for, I met a lot of neat people, and had fun in the process...goal #1 met. Thanks to Mom and Dad for the good car, good food, and good times.

What a busy day Saturday was. Tyler raced and he placed 2nd. After that it was back to Storm Lake to attend Aunt Hollie and (soon to be Uncle) Jason's couple's shower where we got to meet the Smith's.

Tyler made the podium. The award is very sharp. Eric Bridger is first, Tyler second, Jack Koster third, Colin Smith fourth, and Brandon Worthington rounded out the top 5.

The Jr 1 gas feature just getting out on the track.

Here is a picture of Tyler coming out of turn 4 during qualifying. Tyler qualified on the outside of row 1.

I have no pictures to show just results to tell. Yesterday at the Grand Nationals in Jamaica Tyler got 2nd place out of 6 karts. He received a nice plaque for his efforts. Steve and Tyler are both there "camping out" watching day 2 of the weekend event. I had to work so Mom, Dad and I just spent the day there. Besides, I'm more of the Holiday Inn type anyway.

Today was Tyler's first day of school. He is now a 5th grade middle schooler. So today I was inducted into the hall of "my child knows everything and my parent knows nothing." Fortunately, it should only last for the next 10 years.

Monday Tyler and Chad went swimming at BVU. They rode there bikes there by themselves. Since they are going to be "officially" middle-schoolers on Friday they just went from 10 to 16 year olds in a week.

Saturday morning as we're getting ready to go racing we notice this deer standing in the garden across the street from us. This is really strange since we live in town and it stayed there for at least 15 minutes.

As for racing it'll be short and sweet this week.

First heat started 3rd finished 2nd.

Second heat started 2nd finished 2nd.

Feature started 2nd finished 2nd.

Tyler AKA (K-9) and Hannah AKA (Sizzle) spent the afternoon swimming at BVU. After DQ Blizzards it was time to get back on MSN. You don't want to miss out on any gossip from your peeps!!!

Hi Hannah!!!

Eric and Tyler with their 1st and 2nd place trophies.

With the forecast being 100% rain and 85 degrees we headed to Jamaica for another day of racing. Fortunately, the sun came out, the wind came up and we only had one hour to practice. Tyler started in the third spot for the first heat. He passed Colin and would finish in second spot. For the second heat Tyler started in the second spot. He would get by Eric and keep him behind him until the last lap. Eric make a run on the inside but Tyler would win by a nose. For the feature Tyler started in second and that's where he'd finish. He had one good run on Eric but after that Eric kept first place all to himself.

At the end of the 7th inning the kids in the ballpark got to stand on the dugout again. This time singing and dancing to "YMCA".

To start off the 7th inning stretch they got to lead the crowd (while standing on the dugout) in a round of "Take me out to the ball game".

Tyler got to participate in the "dizzy bat" game. Spin around the bat 10 times and then run to the girl. First one there wins a prize. Tyler was so dizzy that he ended up in the dugout where a X's player squirted him with water. He missed out on the prize but he gave the crowd a big laugh.

Standing for the Pledge of Allegiance.

Explorer's game 8-3-06

The coaches for Tyler's baseball team planned one last summer fun day. They loaded up the boysthis time heading to Sioux City to tailgate and take in a baseball game. The kids had a good time meeting the players, participating in events, and watching the X's pull off a victory. Thanks Steve, Wayne and Todd for a great season!!!

With the weekend off from racing, we decided to head up to the cabin in Minnesota for some boating, fishing and a bit of tubing. As you can see Tyler is getting settled in. Note that he is not hanging on, that would soon change....................

If you look real close, you can see the top of Tyler's head. The tube had caught some air and lifted about 6 feet off the water and turned upside down, then it flipped back over and was landing when my brother snapped this picture. Tyler was holding on the entire time............... "Im still goin fast mama."

One tube: $150

Life Jackets: $100

Skipping across the lake at 40 MPH with your best bud Cole: Priceless

In Billings, OK Tyler got a Daniel Boone coon skin cap.

The Red River that runs along the Texas Oklahoma border. Not much of a river in the summer.

Driving by Texas Motor Speedway. When I went to the race back in '99 I have an exact picture of the one Tyler took in our scrapbook. Great minds sure do think alike.

The Ford Center is where the Oklahoma City AFL team and the New Orleans Hornets play.

A water tower near NebraskaCity. Notice it's in the shape of a coffee pot? All Sapp Bros. truck stops call their restaurants The Coffeepot.

Tyler's trip in the truck started on Tuesday morning with a load of oil headed for Ft. Worth, Texas to be unloaded on Wednesday a.m. Then back to Sioux City on Thursday afternoon. Before the trip Tyler had anticipated spending a WHOLE week in the truck with grandpa. Well like any other 10 year old hyped up on adrenaline and anticipation he lasted 48 hours. He enjoyed seeing the countryside, answering grampa's trivia questions, and showering in a truck stop. Unfortunately the excitement ended when he got back to the house. In grampa's words he was like a "caged wild animal" and was so excited to play outside in the backyard that another trip seemed like a punishment more than an adventure. Maybe next year he'll make it a week.

Brandon and Tyler with their 1st and 2nd place trophies, respectively.

Sponsors, Old Skool Racing, aka Grandma and Grandpa come to Jamaica to enjoy a day at the race track.

As the sun was shining, the sunscreen being applied and the track getting hotter we headed out for the first heat race. Tyler started on the pole. After 8 laps of being tight and 2 drivers passing him on the inside he would have to settle for 3rd. Back to the pits for a few adjustments.

The second heat race they invert so he would start last (4th). After pit crews help of loosening the kart, 2 good inside passes, and good lines Tyler would come away with a 2nd place finish. That would give Tyler an outside front row start for the feature. After 3 restarts the feature was finally underway. He had his fastest time of the year with a lap time of 15.65 sec. on the 1/5 mile oval. Where he started would be where he finished, 2nd. He had a good day of learning lines, passing, and kart handling. Tyler has next weekend off from racing. He will be heading out on the open road with grampa for a trip in the truck. Have fun and we all can't wait to see the pictures.

Tyler and Jiri getting ready to do a drill.
Jiri Hubaleck 6' 10" Tyler DeVos 4' 8"
Eric Crawford is a UNI transfer that came with McDermott. Here the boys are doing free throws for a contest.
Swish!!! Tyler making his free throws.

ISU Basketball Camp

On July 14th and 15th Tyler attended the camp in Urbandale. He saved his birthday money to pay for the camp himself.He enjoyed drills, contests, and pick up games with 40 other ISU enthusiasts. His favorite part of camp was when he got to take a picture and get an autograph with Jiri. He also got a T-shirt, basketball, and practice booklet at the end of camp. He plans on already attending next year.

Tyler, Eric, Colin, and Dylan holding up their trophies and cash. Congratulation boys on a great day of racing!!!

Tyler receiving his First place Midseason Championship trophy and his $45.00 money prize from track owner, Randy Perkins.

The Mid-Season championship race at Jamaica July 8th got off to a slow start. It sprinkled on and off for half an hour after practice sessions were complete. The rain stoppped and we were set for heat races. Tyler would start on the pole for the first heat race and lead all 8 laps. The racing was very tight, nose to tail the entire race so one slip up and you could go from 1st to last in about 5 seconds. We started last in the second heat race. It was a battle to make it up to 2nd, but we ran out of laps trying to catch Kordell and we had to settle for a second place finish. Since this was a special mid season championship and money race, they would run 20 lap main events. Tyler led until a caution came out about mid way through the race. On the restart, his buddy Colin got by him on the restart and was leading by about 4 kart lengths going into turn 3. Eric #81 had a super run going into 3 and he and Tyler got together to bring out another caution. Since they did not complete a lap, Tyler restarted first on the next restart. Tyler got out to a nice lead down the front stretch, but Eric and Colin were close on his tail. Eric would get a nose under Tyler in 1, but Tyler would pull away slightly out of turn 2. Eric would again get his nose under Tyler out of turn 4, but Tyler had a good run to pull a few inches ahead. Yes I said inches, these kids were running over 50 mph, an inch off the ground, only a few inches from each other. The racing was that tight, one slight bobble in a turn and instead of leading the race, you will find yourself trying to play catch up. Tyler was able to hold Eric and Colin off to take the checkered flag, his 3rd feature win. Eric finished second with Colin in a close 3rd. Dylan, a new driver from Marshalltown finished 4th and Kordell rounded out the top 5. We have a week off and will tackle the 1/5th mile high banked aspahlt oval again July 22nd. Hope to see you there.

We have hit the big time! Before the features, they had all the drivers line up on the front stretch for driver introductions. They announced the drivers name, city they are from, their kart # and how many points they have on the season. Tyler is leading points, so he got to start on the pole for the 20 lap main event.

Colin Smith and Tyler hanging out after their practice session. This is a nice viewing platform for pit crews and drivers. The race promoter/director also stands up here for the races, so you get to hear alot of interesting conversations between him and the head flag man as they talk on their radios. This is also where pit crew mom takes all her photos.

Tyler during practice July 8th at MidSeason championship race going into turn 3.

Saturday July 1st brought a big "Kneifl crowd" to Jamaica Raceway. Hollie was home from Denver, Rich and Andrea from Ankeny, and grandma and grandpa from Sioux City. After last week we had a few "bumps and bruises" so pit crew had the body redone just in time for the next race. For the first heat race Tyler started on the pole and that's where he'd finish. For the second heat race he started 3rd. After a good battle and pass on Colin he ended up 2nd. For the feature he started outside front row. Tyler had a couple of wide turns which let Colin get ahead of him.Then Colin had a good run and passed Eric for the feature win. His first of the season. Tyler couldn't battle back enough and would have to settle for 3rd. It was good clean racing but Tyler needed some practice running his lines. So, on Wednesday we loaded up again and headed to Jamaica to practice "our lines". After 4 hours and 110 practice laps he's got his line down. Tomorrow is a midseason points and money race. Wish us luck!!!

Last Friday June 30th, Villager's coaches had a "celebrate our baseball season" picnic. The kids swam, buried each other in sand, and even tried there luck at eating clams. It was a nice end to a wonderful year. Thanks to Steve Brashears, Wayne Kies, and Todd Lange for coaching and giving the kids a memorable minor league season.

On another note: Stanton Electric, the major league team Tyler filled in for, won the championship.

Tyler's baseball team ended the season as runner ups to Aurelia in tournament play. They played phenomenal. Villager was ahead 1-0 until the bottom of the 5th. Aurelia then won the game with 2 runs. What a great season to watch from the bleachers. Thanks to mom for making it to almost all the games and treating us to Dairy Queen after each and every one. (A tradition she's been doing since Tyler played T-ball when he was 5.)