Motocross is a family affair for local riders

If Moose Jaw's Patrick Atkinson ever wants to know where the rest of his family is, he can usually check the provincial motocross leader board.
Atkinson, a skilled competitor himself, and his family are involved in the sport. Locally, they competed well at the Moose Jaw Motocross Association's track in the first race of the season.
"It's actually a really good sport," said Atkinson, whose sons Cassidy and Payton have been involved in the sport. "You get here and set up and everybody gets along here good. It's got a social event the night before, and then you go and race. If you need something, there's always somebody there to help you out.
"It keeps your own family where you know where everybody is every weekend, and you get to spend time with your kids."
The Atkinsons join the Evans, the Marciszyns, the Chelsbergs, the Boyds, the Zinns, the Seips and the Tuckers as Moose Jaw's motocross families.
And as friendly as they are off the course, they all share a desire to win, like Atkinson.
"I was pushing for the win and I couldn't get it," lamented Atkinson, racing second in the Veteran Masters category Sunday to Moose Jaw's Jeff Seip. "There's nothing wrong with second place."
After a hearty pat on the back to the first place rider Seip, Atkinson can rest assured that the top three riders in each classification for the first five races of the season will qualify for nationals under the Amateur National Qualifying races, the first five race weeks of the season. And Atkinson took Sunday's second race of the day to win the group.
As someone who always seems to qualify but never actually goes to nationals in the ANQ qualifying races, Atkinson is hoping this is the year he'll actually go. In 2007, he finished second to Moose Jaw's Dean Evans despite missing the first race of the year.
"I'll have to try to get out and practice as much as I can," he said.
They have their own small practice track at their farm, and also use the local track often.
"It's a pretty good place, and you've got a good mix of different types of soil conditions," he said.
The weather wasn't very co-operative for the riders later in the day, as the wind picked up, kicking up dust and making it tough for the competitors.
"We were expecting rain and we didn't get it," he said. "We could have had a little more water on the track."
The last two races Sunday were run on sleet and snow-filled tracks.