Although the skies threatened at times, the day-long event kicked off with dealer rides in the morning and never stopped rockin’ until the drawing for the beautiful custom bobber, built by Beckner’s House of Rides, was held about 8pm that night. In between, a custom and classic bike show, dozens of vendors, stunters, observed trials experts, mini-gp road racers, a great kid’s zone and a breathtaking Team Extreme Motosphere exhibition all kept the audience busy. That, combined with some great music throughout the day by bands like Downplay, Contagious Til 4 and ShallowTail, as well as the Ohio State Alumni Band, the current OSU cheerleaders and even Brutus Buckeye made for a good time.

So, who won the outstanding custom bobber built by the talented designers at Beckner’s House of Rides? Andrew Gillespie of Newark, Ohio had been away from motorcycling for awhile while raising a family by serving as a Clinical Director/Social Worker in Cambridge, Ohio. But in recent months he’s bought another motorcycle, and he figured he’d attend Roll on Columbus to ”help raise money for the kids, and get my motorcycle engine revving,” he said.

Gillespie bought the winning ticket at the event, and couldn’t believe it when Erica Miller, of our “Poster Family” for ROC, drew it. “I was speechless!” Gillespie said , and despite being told about it by ROC officials that night, he waited until the next day to call back, just to make sure somebody wasn’t playing a joke on him. As for plans for the bike, it’s pretty simple. “I plan to ride the wheels off it,” he said with a big smile.

At the end of the day, the Ohio Motorcyclists for Children (OMC), who organized the event, were pleased to present a check to Nationwide Children’s Hospital for $8,300 . “This has been a great experience for all of us who worked to put this event on for the very first time this year, and I couldn’t be more proud of our many sponsors and volunteers who made it happen,” said Ed Youngblood, OMC Director. “We hope everybody will keep an eye on this website later this year when we announce plans for future events, and rest assured, we hope to do even bigger and better activities in the coming years,” he added.

The Ohio Motorcyclists for Children would like to thank the following companies and individuals for their key support of this year’s event:

● Main Sponsors
Neverman Construction
Ricart Automotive
Beckner’s House of Rides

● Additional Sponsors
Iron Pony
KK Motorcycle Supply
Lane, Alton, Horst
Cycle Search
Ohio Riders
Sullivan Company
Fast Signs
Spitfire Customs
Lou’s Body Shop
Pusater and Nichols & Co. CPA
Quaker Steak and Lube,with special thanks to our emcee, Rich, “The Lube Guy”
J&P Cycles

● Media Sponsors
92.3 WCOL FM: “Continuous country favorites”
95.5 WHOK: “Country legends”
96.3 WLVQ: “QFM 96 Rock ‘n Roll”
97.9 WNCI: “Today’s best top 40 hits”
107.1 WAZU: “Big Wazoo Rock Radio”
The Other Paper

● Special Thanks
PromoWest
Value Added Marketing
Avitae Water
Dream Seats
ABATE of Ohio
Arena District
Nationwide Realty Investors
Boston’s
Kohl’s
Lake Erie Chapter, Antique Motorcycle Club of America
Safe Communities
The Miller Family
Nathan Docken and his newly painted road racer (thanks to the kids who painted it at the event)
Domenik Hixon from the New York Giants

● Dealer Ride Locations
Ohio Motorcycles
Motohio
Ask Powersports, Grove City
A.D. Farrow Co. Shop at NorthStar
Iron Pony

And finally, thanks to all of our volunteers for a job well done.

See you next year!

Keeping with the family entertainment theme of ROC, kids will have their own special area with activities designed for them at the Kid’s Zone. There they’ll find a number of things to see and do, highlighted by the opportunity to help paint and decorate an actual road racing motorcycle, owned by local racer Nathan Docken!

Nathan DockenNathan is a senior at The Ohio State University, studying Marketing and Business Management, and he’s actively involved with Ohio State’s CAR (Center for Automotive Research) and their Formula Buckeye team. He’s also an Eagle Scout and enjoys being outdoors, whether its playing soccer, ultimate disc, camping, hiking, cycling or rock climbing. In addition to all that, Nathan is also an active road racer. He’s been riding for eight years and has been racing for about four.

“My family is a true racing family,” he says. “My dad is a Porsche enthusiast and was the one who introduced me to the engineering side of an engine and how it worked when I was real young. We attended numerous racing events at Road Atlanta when we lived in Alabama back then. My most vivid memory was when we went to Road Atlanta and there was a rain delay during practice, so most of the bikes weren’t out on track. My dad and I walked around the paddock and were able to talk to a lot of the riders, and I was even allowed to sit on a pro rider’s race bike. It was that moment where I knew I was going to be a rider. We moved to Ohio when I was in third grade and have been to every Supercycle weekend at Mid Ohio since. I absolutely love it there and I’ll always remember the first time I was able to get on the track with my bike. It was an awesome experience for me and a life goal accomplished,” he says.

With his own Yamaha R6 he races on the tracks around the country, Nathan needs a great paint scheme for it to show what a unique and talented rider he is. “The idea is to paint the entire bodywork of my bike white as a base canvas for the kids to work with and then have the kids finger paint, hand print, brush, or use whatever tool they want to use with many colors available to them,” he says.

“It’s also a chance to allow the kids to be up close and personal with a real track/race-prepped bike as well as allow them to be a part of it with their own creativity,” he says.

“The end result will be a completely unique, one-off design that not even the top creators in the world could reproduce. The bike will turn heads wherever I go and get people talking. I am extremely excited to be a part of this awesome event and look forward to seeing what the kids can do to the bike,” Nathan adds.

The Kid’s Zone is only one of many great activities on tap for ROC, joining bike shows, mini-road racing, stunt shows, trials exhibitions, performances by three great rock bands plus the Ohio State University Alumni Band (and cheerleaders), dozens of vendors, seminars and more. Best of all, kids under 12 are free when accompanied by a paying adult. Admission is $15, and doors open at noon.

See you there, rain or shine.

With Saturday, May 22’s Roll on Columbus (ROC) rapidly approaching, here’s a way to get a free breakfast that morning, discount admission tickets and a chance to check out a cool dealership with great prices on everything from bikes to accessories. Better yet, you’ll get special maps that lead you to the VIP parking area at ROC so you can ride there (by yourself or with others) and park your bike right up front!

We’ve chosen four great dealerships in all four corners surrounding Columbus, plus the staggering Iron Pony superstore, so if you’re arriving from any direction, you’ll have the welcome mat out for you to stop, drink a cup of coffee and check out the shop before heading downtown. You’ll be able to buy admission tickets at the pre-sale price of $12 (you save $3 per ticket), plus you’ll ride right to the VIP parking area we have for you at the event in the Arena District.

“We really appreciate the support and hospitality shown by the good people at A.D. Farrows Shop at NorthStar, Ask Motorsports in Grove City, Motohio out East, and Ohio Motorcycles in Hilliard, along with Iron Pony in Westerville,” said Ed Youngblood. “All are located at or near freeway exits, making them easy to find and easy to ride from them to Roll on Columbus,” he added.

The coffee and donuts start at 10 am, Saturday, May 22 at each location. Volunteers will be on hand to mark your bike’s headlight for special VIP parking, provide maps to it, and sell discounted admission to the all day event. Remember, all profits from the event go to Nationwide Children’s Hospital, so it’s all for a great cause.

The dealerships are:

North
A.D. Farrow Co. Shop at NorthStar
7754 St. Rt. 37 E., Sunbury, OH 43074
(740) 965-9900
Brands: Harley Davidson, Buell
www.adfarrow.com
Note: there are several A.D. Farrows dealerships in and around Columbus. This one is at the Rt. 36/37 exit of I-71, North of Columbus at Sunbury. A beautiful new shop built to replicate the original H-D factory in Milwaukee.

South
Ask Powersports
4075 Hoover Road
Grove City, OH 43123-3604
(614) 871-3711
Brands: Can Am Spyders, Honda, Yamaha Kawasaki Suzuki
www.askpowersports.com
Note: there are several Ask dealerships in and around Columbus. This one is West of the Stringtown Rd. exit off I-71, South of Columbus. Turn left off Stringtown on to Hoover Rd. Large dealership with a great selection of bikes, especially the new Can Am Spyders. Check ‘em out!

East
Motohio
5936 Scarborough Boulevard
Columbus, OH 43232
(614) 759-6686
Brands: BMW, Triumph, Vespa, Ducati, Husqvarna
www.motohio.com
Note: Motohio is just South of I-70 at the Brice Road exit. Take first right at the traffic light (Scarborough Blvd). A great, multi-level store with some of the best European brands on the market (new and used).

West (Northwest)
Ohio Motorcycle
3747 Park Mill Run Dr.,
Hilliard, OH 43026
(614) 771-0771
Brands: BMW, Honda, KTM, Suzuki, and Yamaha
www.ohiomotorcycle.com
Note: Ohio Motorcycle is just north of Exit 13, Cemetery Rd / Fishinger Rd. Take first right turn at light to Park Mill Run Dr. Huge selection of bikes as well as accessories. Formally known as Honda/BMW Northwest, but still the same great staff.

Northeast
Iron Pony
5436 Westerville Road
Westerville, OH 43081-8939
(614) 901-7669
www.ironpony.com
Yamaha, Aprilia Piaggio,Vespa
Note: Iron Pony is the largest accessories store in the US, plus they are home to several dealerships. How big are they? Think former K-Mart store, and more! Take exit 33 (State Route 161) off I-270 North. Proceed East, then exit Westerville Rd. North. Entrance to Iron Pony on right as you exit.