Check another item off my professional bucket list.

After years of attending media days but somehow missing the actual race, I attended my first RedBud National Saturday.

RedBud MX in Buchanan puts on quite a show when the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship Series comes to town for the annual national on the Fourth of July weekend.

There are tens of thousands of spectators that flock to Buchanan each year and have been doing so for more than four decades now.

To say the fans are rabid may be a bit of an understatement. Their attire is certainly something to behold.

As I sat there on Saturday taking this all in, I recalled some of the coolest things I have been able to attend as a member of the Leader Publications team.

Here is some of the items I have been able to cross off my bucket list:

• RedBud National
• Indianapolis 500
• NASCAR at Michigan International Speedway
• NCAA Women’s Final Four
• American League Championship Series
• National League Championship Series
• World Series
• National Football League games
• Minor League baseball games
• Major League baseball games
• College football regular season games
• College football bowl game
• National Basketball Association games

There are still several things I still want to do before my time comes to and end.

That list is getting shorter all the time, but I would still like to attend the Daytona 500, the Super Bowl, the All-Star Game, the Rose Bowl, a Red Wings game and Wimbledon.

I will probably not get to put a check next to most of those, but I can always dream.

While all the things listed above were great to cover and a nice perk of my job, my true love and passion remains and always will remain high school sports.

I enjoy getting to know the kids and their families. I enjoy working with the coaches.

But most of all, I enjoy watching these young people develop and grow as both athletes and human beings.

That will never get old no matter how many more years I put into this job.

It is definitely something I look forward to each and every day as I head out to work.

They say if you find a job you love you will never work a day in your life.

I was blessed to find that job while I was still in high school.

 

Scott Novak is sports editor for Leader Publications. He can be reached at scott.novak@leaderpub.com.