Issue link: https://cp.revolio.com/i/1415483
Never Too Young To Be Old School Meet Daniel Ego; Central Oregon BSHDFC He was 21 years old when he joined the Sheep and at 22 he is currently the ministry's youngest member. Is that important? It sure is! Youth brings new energy, new ideas, contemporary thinking and, well… our future! Daniel has spent most of his life in Prineville, Oregon, where he gave his life to Christ at the age of eight. He even remembers that it was July 14, 2005. He describes himself as a "small town guy, from a place where people still care about people." He's a good son, a member of the Powell Butte Christian Church, a member of the worship team and a highly respected member of the Central Oregon Black Sheep. Chapter president Bill Ream describes Daniel as "the real deal!" Daniel enjoys camping, hunting, playing golf, riding dirt bikes, and listening to anything from heavy metal to country to A-cappella music. This young man is not afraid to work hard and is currently in school to become a diesel mechanic. He's always been around cars and motorcycles… beginning at a very young age with an obsession for "Hot Wheels" which he later tossed aside for his first Yamaha dirt bike. If you could ride it or drive it, Daniel was interested in it! One day, Danielle started admiring his dad's 2007 Harley- Davidson Roadglide. "That was pretty cool!" About that same time he met Black Sheep member Mike Taaffe, who was his school's maintenance supervisor. Daniel and Mike became great friends, constantly bantering back and forth with jokes and friendly insults. When Daniel later bought his first Harley-Davidson Sportster, Mike was the one who introduced him to the Central Oregon Black Sheep. How does such a young man get along with an older crowd? He told us, "I grew up without brothers and sisters, so hanging out with older guys was nothing unusual." He was instantly embraced, mentored and encouraged by the Sheep who quickly tagged him with the road name "Junior." Daniel writes, "The support I felt from my new chapter was amazing! Half the time I get calls from Mike Taaffe or Brian Phillips who just want to give me some friendly grief …and that's just the way they show love in this chapter. A lot of us do things together outside of Black Sheep and so we truly are like a family." When asked what he liked most about Black Sheep Daniel said, "I like the fact that we have the awesome ability and opportunity to just walk up and talk to people; about bikes, Jesus or anything. I've always had that ability but Black Sheep makes it even easier." Daniel said, "I want to send out a shout to the chapter in Arizona who spends time at Arrowhead Harley-Davidson in Peoria. I met some of them when I was down there in school and they really made me feel like the Sheep were my family! Thank you Arizona!" As senior members of the flock (who's riding days are numbered), the Black Sheep need to do everything they can to reach out to, embrace and hold onto younger riders. (Our bylaws state that a member must be 18 years of age.) These young people are not going to look like most of us, think like most of us or settle for the way we've always done things. (That's a good thing in case you were wondering) They're not likely going to ride WHAT we ride or ride LIKE we ride! When a young man or woman shows up on an eight year old Sportster 883, Black Sheep members need to welcome and embrace them without any jokes about their small or old machine. When we see a crazy millennial riding like a "dyna-holic" - doing burn-outs in the parking lot, we need to reach out to them too! They are the future of Harley- Davidson! And when a young computer geek rides up on the first Harley-Davidson Live Wire – just bight your tongue! Just bight your tongue! As for Daniel, he's done with his Sporty and has no desire for a Dyna. He rides a beautiful 2007 Harley-Davidson Heritage Classic with white walls and ape-hangers. He knows you can never be too young to be old school." Welcome to the flock Daniel! We're glad you're here!