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Hello Alma, I hope that you are enjoying you time reading these messages. I am obviously a female, who will be graduating from high school this June and have been a major fan of yours since I met you last year at world finals. My name is Tara Herman and I talked to you again with Chris Norris at Spring Break Nationals. I do not know a whole lot about car audio in itself but I want to learn and I was hoping to begin competing this year. What i wanted to know, is how did you get into car audio? How did you get all your sponsors and learn all the stuff about car audio? What gave you the desire to do this? I know that it is really weird for many people to see women in DbDrag racing and you are the one person who out of everyone is most recognized. How does this make you feel? And when do you plan on getting out of the event? Thank you so much for your time and I hope that I will be able to see you again soon. Oh, also... Chris gave me one of your team gates stickers and had everything but the words. I already have it on my truck but need the team gates part... Is there anyway I can get that from you? THanks again Sincerely, Tara Herman
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Her son, if I am not mistaken and I alot of work and some good sponsers!
------------------ My possible system 2 Shocker 15's 1 Kicker Zr 120 for mids and highs Fosgate Cd player Clifford Micro wave alarm And one big @ss box! http://lowspage.cjb.net
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I think having women in this sport of ours only proves we have the best all around. Think about it.. out of the loudest vehicles on the planet, we have both men, and women. You can't get any better than that! Alma, I too would like to say you got me interested in this sport. My brother had a little system years ago, but when I saw the Bronco in an old issue of AS&S, I wanted to be loud as well ! I am nowhere near your SPL scores, but I do ok. Just wanted to say, thanks for the inspiration, and being one of the nicest people in this sport!
BTW.. are you guys ( Team Gates) going to be selling some of those decals??
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OK, Tara, Gabriel, and Low-Rider You really want an answer? Its long. I am 42 years older than Patrick. Needed something that we could do together and have a common interest. Did the socker mom, band mom bit - neither of us were very good at those things. Then Pat discovered car audio when he was about 13. We would often talk about competitions and competitors. At 16 - he was put in the bronco and mom got a new car! First thing he did was put 2 RF 15s in the back of that thing and that was when I discovered the top came off the Bronco.
We decided in 1995 that we wanted to do a competition vehicle but really was undecided between sq and spl. So Pat and I went to the IASCA finals in Dallas in 1995. We decided to go SPL - came home and started on the bronco. In the meantime, I had purchased a 1996 ford F350 dually to pull the bronco. We decided that since the ford would be attending the shows, it could do sq. We got the F350 qualified in the 301-600 novice division. Off to Greenville we went - and made a very frustrating discovery. You cannot do novice and pro at the same time. So Pat took the sq car and I took the bronco. Both took first in its division - no one ever heard of the F350 and bronco is history. I think the fact that I am not anywhere the car audio demographics played a big part in our getting more public exposure than the average competitor. Not many 64 year old females doing db drag racing!!
Sponsorship is not easy to get. Once we got the record for dB Drag, sponsors were much easier to get because we had become a saleable commodity. You cannot blame companies for being careful about what they do with their products and budgets. They want something for their investment - we all do!
Tara, to answer part of your question - how do I feel being recognized? Its funny - within the car audio world which is very small - I am well known - but walk outside that very small dot and noone has ever heard of Alma Gates and really dont care. Its amazing and very humbling. I discovered years ago that the world will never revolve around this fat old body! Kinda of nice.
When will I retire (is that what you meant) When it stops being fun. LOL - Pat will probably push me around in a wheelchair!
I am not sure if I answered all the questions. If there are some unanswered - please let me know.
Oh yes, Gadriel - we are talking about products - have shirts now - still trying to figure out what we are really doing. Its all new to us.
Alma
------------------ Alma Gates
Posts: 3130 | From: phoenix, arizona - usa | Registered: Aug 1999
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quote:Originally posted by alma gates: Oh yes, Gadriel - we are talking about products - have shirts now - still trying to figure out what we are really doing. Its all new to us.
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One of the guys at my local shop has one of your shirts. He said you gave it to him last year at South Padre. I almost jacked him for it.. but he's a lil guy, and I KNOW that shirt wouldn't have fit me. LOL
Being female, I'd have to say that I think the hardest thing to overcome is the thought that some men don't like that competition very much, and will degrade you and get you down as much as possible... hehe it's almost like a fraternity hazing ritual!
But ladies: Don't EVER let it get you down! Alma told me once that if you can ever get through to anyone that you are going to be there for the long haul, and aren't gonna back down, then they will accept it and either decide to pursue something else, or be your friend for life. She was right.
I see Alma at all of the shows that we both attend, and I always bring my girls. I want them to know that car audio is not only important because of the competition, but because its fun and girls cando it too! And they love it, and love Alma too for helping wedge that door open for them.
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I still think that it's rather cool that Ms. Gates is on here answering posts and offering her advise and annecdotes. Cool...thanks Ms. Gates!!
I know very much what you mean about the humbling exp. In our own "little" communities we are well known, but step outside of them and we become just another person on the street. It is kind of refreshing (frustrating at first, but then again, I was a lot younger too).
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Its very cool seeing Alma on here. I hav'nt been serious into car audio for long (first started seriously when working for Dr.Hertz @ Extreme Audio) but i love it its so awsome and its cool seeing all the different people but it would kick a$$ to see more women compete around here, only ladies we see at comps here are the ones supporting thier boyfriends hehe keep pumpin the tunes Alma
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