Grandpas and allowed to brag.
 

I'm going to post a short history of my 7 year old Grandson, Julian Ricochet St.Marie. The first part of this is a chapter from my Lost Prairie Chronicles as concerns how my Son, Latigo LaGeose St.Marie came by his name.
I'll have to find the pertinent photos, but this is how it began.


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The Lost Prairie Chronicles #9


Latigo LaGeose St.Marie. My son, my pride. The straightest arrow I've ever known, and he's right here in my own family.

Lyn was pregnant. Pregnant and on the verge of giving birth. Her active labour went on for an ending total of 12 days. At first everyone was convinced that "today is the day"... but it wasn't. After the 5th trip to town I made an arrangement with a very old friend and his wife to put Lyn up at their home in town not far from the hospital. With a herd of horses, milk cows and chickens needing tending to on a daily basis I couldn't stay in town with her, so she stayed with the LaGeose's.

Antoine LaGeose... silversmith, engraver, black powder rifleman and buckskinner. Now deceased from a cranial embolism, he and his wife took good care of Lyn and called whenever she was taken back to the birthing center.... that procedure typically being another false alarm. Lyn had a bed in their home comprised of a down-filled mattress and a full blown, cured buffalo hide, much softer than you'd imagine, to cover her.

On "that" day, I had just arrived in town and upon visiting the LaGeose's was told that she had once again been taken to the birthing center. Having become used to the false alarm scenario I drove up to the hospital and went right to the birthing center. Lyn was there in another apparent bout with contractions and I told her I was going down the hall to look at the babies behind the glass in the nursery.

His name was to have been "Justin". Looking at the assorted little critters in the bassinettes I noticed one named "Justin".... then another... and another!! Of all the babies in that nursery there were no less than 5 Justins!!

I went back to the labour room and told her "We can't name him Justin! There are 5 of them down in the nursery!" I told her I was going down to the tack shop to buy a new latigo for one of the saddles and would be back soon.

By the time I returned, he was born and she had named him Latigo! Latigo LaGeose St.Marie. His middle name must be obvious by this time and Antoine was indeed honoured.

A "latigo" is the offside billet on a saddle. Its also a type of leather, and his name suits him right down to the ground. I can't imagine him with any other name.

A year after his birth I ran into a guy at the feed store who asked me why we had named him after a comic character. Huh?? What character. "Why, Latigo.......... from the Stan Lynde newspaper strip." We don't get the paper, sez I. Who is he? "He's a nationally syndicated comic columnist with a sunday comic strip. Latigo, Hipshot and Rick O'Shay are his characters and he lives right here in the Flathead!"

Sure enough......... Stan Lynde lived right here in Polson, just south of us by 45 miles. Lyn and I drove down there one sunday, and there right on highway 93 was a large white structure with signs all over the place, naming the characters in his comic strip. He wasn't there, but we were astounded about the names.

Now Latigo has his own son........... Julian Ricochet St.Marie. He changed the spelling so it wouldn't sound too Irish. He's told us that if he has another son the middle name will be Hipshot........ and that will complete the circle.

Wow, what a story! Thanks for sharing, very interesting and a unique set of circumstances as well. I have not heard such an interesting story of how someone was named. I was named after my great uncle who was a drunk and failed business man. He was charismatic enough to the family though and so I was given his namesake. My daughter's name is based solely on the fact that my wife liked it.
Again, thanks for sharing and it is nice to get to know you and your family!

Thanks Pat.
Julian began with a Honda 50 for his first race at the Fairgrounds at age 5. He did so well and was so enthusiastic that we bought him the American made Cobra 50, a two stroke water cooled dedicated racing bike.
He's now 7 and he ended the season as number 3 in the state of Montana his first year of competition.


Finally!! Getting air and ended up top of the heap in the Big Sky Motos!!

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The hotshot kids from Washington, Oregon and Idaho showed up at the Majestic Valley ArenaCross, kids with a lot more riding time than Julian Ricochet St.Marie, #44 but...........!
He still took a 4th place overall trophy even having dumped once on a birm!
Ist der Opa schtoltz auf Ihm?? Heh........ was meinst Du?

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Revved up and waiting for the gate to fall. See lat and Julian on the right?

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Blurry shot, but Julian is the one with a Mohawk thing on top of his helmet. He's second out of the gate!

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Unlike the anti-American Obama, Julian has his hand over his heart for the opening ceremony in the honor position on the truck. AMERICAN made truck, with a young female competitor singing OUR National Anthem.

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*This one was posted by my son, Latigo.*





This is last weekend at another HCMA Sanctioned race. He took 4th in each Moto even with a darned sandbagger in the race. He's still racing against older far more experienced kids, but each race he's getting better and faster.

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Julian ended the season #3 in the State of Montana in Mini MotoX.
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That earned him the right to participate in the Dodge National Amateur races in California. 6 races over an 8 day period for him, so............ we went.
From the Montana 1 mile Moto courses for his age category, that being 6, to this!! The place of the pro riders. Hangtown!
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Was he scared? Ohhhh yeah! 6 years old or not, a Moto on this course is 4 miles of pure rugged. You either ride it, or leave. He rode it.
He was racing against hot shot California kids with twice his experience, some of them having this track as their home track.
He ended this series where we expected him to be. Just about in the middle. He'll (hopefully) return to this same track at the end of next season with more experience and a more powerful, much faster King Cobra, and we gave it to him right after his last Moto.
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He came right back to Montana and the following Sunday took 2nd place in the Nirada races!
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It's really great working with a young boy who gives it his all every time.

Great pics and good for him! It looks like he is really doing well out there on the track! I use to ride dirt bikes a long time ago and I had a blast, even though I wasn't any good at it. We wish him luck this coming season and we will look for him at the X Games! Thanks for sharing!

What a fantastic story, and extremely well written, as well. I love all of the photographs, as well. He looks like he loves what he does, and he certainly rips, around that track like he knows what he is doing, as well. I love to read stories like this that lift the spirit and instill hope in people. I hope that he goes far with the bike racing. I had buddy ages ago who had a cousin who started out young. He now has local sponsors and has managed to turn it into a career, even if only at an amateur level so far.

I enjoyed reading your story, I miss my grandpa because of that! However, a small portion of the American population has no bank accounts of any kind, a group called the “unbanked” in the literature addressing them. Their ranks are increasing also, as an FDIC study found more than 800,000 people have gone bank-less since the last time they investigated it.

A good start to the 2014 season. Julian is 7 years old now.
Airway Heights racetrack in Spokane last weekend. He took two 2nd place and 1 4th place trophy on the track where he came in dead last in 2013. Julian Learned a thing or two since then. :D


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It gets lonesome out front!


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Too many to hold up at one time.


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Nice!

Pat, this is how his first season racing ended.


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So far this season he has 6 first place trophies in his own class, and 2 second place and one 4th place in the open 65 class, and that means he was racing his King Cobra 50 against the bigger KTM 65cc bikes. He was allowed to race in that class because of his placing in all the other classes.


My son, Latigo voluntarily moved him up to A class racing because he felt it was unfair the run him in the B class and not giving other kids the chance to win. Racing against the more experienced kids in the A class makes him work harder to place, but he's placing high anyway.


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First Motos of the 2014 season and two first place trophies.


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And still riding high!


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