The word monkey by itself is somewhat funny. Tag the word butt on the end to force even the most-prudish to snicker. All right, most people won't giggle like a child at hearing the term. I understand that not every quad rider shares my fourth-grade sense of humor. But it is sad when the chieftain of an ATV club has to put a disclaimer on the club's web site so it does not offend vociferous killjoys. I mean, come on people, I am not monkeying around here: Does a club really have to add a disclaimer about its name just because its moniker is Monkey Butt ATV Club (MBAC)?
The MBAC, after receiving several complaints, decided to put this warning on its web site:
"There has been some question about the meaning of the club's name. The name of the Monkey Butt ATV Club in no way refers to anything sexual or derogatory. The club was named after a weekend of hard trail riding, when one member complained of a bad case of "monkey butt"; the rough trails took their toll and made it increasingly uncomfortable to continue to sit on the ATV. We apologize to anyone who may be offended by or uncomfortable with the club's name."
How could anyone think the name "Monkey Butt" would have a sexual connotation? I would like to do my part as a good citizen and offer this public service announcement: If you even think of sex when someone says "monkey butt," then please, for the sake of our children, check your human butt immediately into the nearest nuthouse. And whatever you do, please stay away from zoos.
Where did the term monkey butt come from? To start, it's not always called that. It depends on the region of the country and how a particular sport has tagged the condition. For quad riders who do call it "monkey butt," you're using a blue-collar term used by riders to describe the soreness, itching and redness that occur when you ride and sweat on a quad (or motorcycle or bicycle) for hours. This painful affliction is no laughing matter. Monkey butt can be serious (monkey) business. A simple internet search will result in many products that claim to help prevent the dreaded burden.
That asinine argument over the club's name aside, every year the MBAC holds its "Fudd Run" near Janesville, Wisconsin, in honor of a departed club member, "Fudd," who died of cancer. All proceeds from the Fudd Run have been given to Fudd's children to help put them through college. They have now graduated, and the club is looking for a new charity to help. Its members are a close group of friends who volunteer their time, year after year, to help put on a great one-day event that any dirt-riding family would love. MBAC events are alcohol-free, which prevents any trouble with drunken monkeys.
The day consists of four different events that take place at the same time: a Dirt Drag, a Tractor Pull, a Mud Bog and an Off-Road Challenge, with an Advanced Off-Road Challenge course for the hard-core.
This year's event had a whopping 354 entries and 214 total participants in the Dirt Drag and approximately 90 entries in the Mud Bog, including the money run. Fudd Run 2003 saw record-setting numbers in the Drag, with 456 entries and 295 participants. Many serious drag enthusiasts are blaming event organizer and club president Kirk Patterson for the loss in numbers, claiming he is putting too many family-based restrictions on their machines.
Patterson has outlawed open pipes for the '05 season because the neighbors-a bird rehabilitation center is nearby-don't like for their ears to bleed. Even with that cap, it was still loud. Patterson has also added many restrictions that the drag guys don't dig but that are in the interest of safety.