If we get back on topic - "Why are there not more Ohio Riders at Loretta Lynns?" I'll give the shortened version of my views on this.
1. The lack of competition and lack of tracks that provide "national" caliber riding and obstacles for the riders. I've been to Loretta Lynn's many times over the years in many classes, and when I started, I left CRA tracks and went to D5 every week to increase my skill level. Riders were better, tracks were better, and I needed to become a better rider to succeed in bigger arena of Loretta Lynn's Regional event to make it to Loretta's. Later, I moved to riding a lot more D14 tracks in Michigan to get better as well. Without ever seeing the speed and skill it takes to make it at Loretta's locally, it will be difficult for a rider to develop that skill without being a natural superstar in their own right. Riders push each other to advance and keep up, so you have to ride with good riders to get there....... that's why packs of guys from the same area or riding buddies usually breed better riding.
2. The Riders in Ohio that do have "it", rarely ride / race in Ohio. They already know where they need to go to find the racers / tracks that will get them to the big show, and they leave Ohio to do it. Bringing along a great track like Briarcliff or the now Defunct Scenic Highlands helps build up our skill level and our speed, but we don't have a real "national" track left anymore. Kenworthy's used to bring up a lot of D11 fast guys, but with the death of Kenworthy's went the death of Ohio National Local speed. I race at Red Bud more than any other place on earth, it's 4 hours from my house, but I know that I'm going to be racing against good racers and on a good track when I go. Skills developed in places like that help anywhere you go.
3. All the other reasons already mentioned - Money, Other sports taking up a full year now, race vs practice, riders moving to training facilities down south, etc etc all filter in little by little. But without a home grown talent pool racing on difficult tracks, we're on a decline in the national scene. OMA is trying, but it's a process to build tracks, racers, and followers that are willing to ride right here and now to make it.
In short, if I were racing Loretta's this year, I'd be racing at Red Bud, Baja Acres, and other "big" tracks to get ready (regionals were at Millville, Baja Acres, and Budds Creek this year and we have nothing to ride at home really to get ready for any of those tracks). I'd be practicing at Smith Rd on Wed nights (because it's close and gives great passing practice and lots of turning practice) and hitting up BC on weekends they are open to work on myself as a rider and racer, and dial in my bike.
I applaud OMA for their dedication to bring racing back to OHIO in a good way, and hope that our local little guys can band together and teach each other how to race as they grow up together on the track, but as we saw in many posts earlier this year about 50's on big tracks..... the kids already fall behind the curve by the time they are 9 and on a 65 if they don't go elsewhere to run 50's on big tracks wit big ruts, jumps, and bumps. The future is the 50 class, and if you put them on little peewee tracks all the time, they grow up to riding smaller tracks without the big stuff since they never learned it when they were young. They go to Loretta Lynn's qualifiers outside OHIO and are thrown on a big track with the big bikes and have no idea what to do...... it's a vicious circle.
