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What A Girl Wants
What do women want? What does a girl need? If I could answer that do you really think I would be writing this column for free? Even though I am a woman, and by default once was a girl, I am sometimes at a loss as to what exactly the answer is. To be honest, for me, the answer to what I want will depend on the situation. So to our poor unenlightened male counterparts, you really cannot expect to win at this game, since the rules change constantly, usually when you get close to the answer (this done mostly to keep you guessing). The best you can hope for is an occasional near success in hitting on what we want. With regard to ATV Racing and women, the need/want list is fairly precise. I realize that this makes no sense whatsoever, but if you have ever been in a relationship (and everyone has), you somehow understand that although it makes no sense, it does make sense in an odd way. With regard to what female racers need and want, we women can indeed be precise in what we want/need with regard to our sport. Surprisingly, it isn't that much different than what the average male rider wants.
I remember in the olden times (1976 - scary isn't it?), when I got my first Honda ATC 90, complete with balloon tires and a low rider pickup. Simply making the hills on our beach trails was more of a challenge than racing them. Of course we were convinced we were actually racing, and we were! Time went on and we progressed to the awesome power of a Honda 185S. It was magic! At that time I never even thought I would ever need something more powerful. By 1989 I had gone through quite an evolutionary spell with my riding. Of course the rest of our area and the world had also evolved. Nearly everyone was on a 250R, Banshee, Tecate, or Warrior in our area. I, of course, needed a 250R. Most of the girl riders in my area rode bikes with racks and reverse. Needless to say, I didn't have many girls to ride with; so I rode with the guys. By 1984 I was riding a '81 250R three wheeler and was happy to have it. I can still vividly remember the days when I could still beat Dana on the beach trails (of course he was in 4th grade). Back then there was only myself and maybe one other woman rider, in our area neither of us was national caliber level by any means of the word, who could toast most of the guys on the beach. I couldn't go faster than my husband, but then not many men could. We upgraded rides as our financial means allowed and had an entire family of ATVs including 85 & 86 250R Three wheelers, and an entire passel of little ones (in graduated sizes) for our kids. As a minority ATC rider, I felt the need to measure up and not hold anyone back on rides, and I felt the competitive bug to kick guy butt when ever possible. I also know that a lot of people looked at me with puzzled expressions (gee that still happens...) and tried to figure out what I was doing, playing with guys. Why didn't I just go on a nice 'girl' ride on the kid's track? I did earn respect as a rider, not just a female rider, but as a rider. I know how much that meant to me back then. I cannot imagine the pressure that our sisters on the National Series find themselves under, swimming in the national fishbowl, working to gain the respect they deserve as a rider; not just a female rider.
Nationally the ATV world also continues to evolve. Although it seems like the ATV world is changing slowly, it is changing. 2003 found many overdue changes to the rules that govern our competition with each other on the national scene. The Women's Class took a change for the better in 2003. Although not everyone agrees (but doesn't that happen everywhere) with the exact changes that were made, everyone I interviewed DOES agree that the change will help the Women's class to grow. Debuting in 2003 we have Women's A and Women's B/C class. The ladies are held by the same rules for class distinction as the predominantly male classes. Once a rider, female or male, chooses the class they will race in for the season, and once they complete a race in that class, they may only compete in that class for the rest of the year. If the rider races that class and then says, "Whoa! Hold the boat!" because the class is way over his or her head, they must take a minimum of one race season (year) off before they can move into a lower class. Since this was all new to everyone, there were many ladies with hard decisions on their hands. For a few of the ladies it was a no brainer: Angela Moore, Heather Rose, Paula Shank, Leslie Wells, and Hollie Shartzer are considered some of the fastest women on an ATV in the world. That any of these ladies would campaign the Women's A Class was pretty cut and dried. But that left well over 15 National Caliber ATV Female racers with decisions to make. Should they go for it and play with the fast girls, or should they make a name for themselves and learn to lead with the nearly as fast girls. Julia Neace is one of the fast girls that decided to go for it. She says that she felt she wouldn't be challenging herself if she didn't step up to the A class. Even though it is only her second year in the Nationals, I would have to agree with her. I don't think that any of these decisions came easily or without much consideration.
Women racers have a lot going for them; and they have a lot of cards stacked against them. First off they have all the same issues that Male ATV racers face: Sponsorship, access to parts, schedules, financial issues, travel, time off to get to the races, injuries, mechanicals, and the rest that any ATV racer knows all too well.
Women racers face issues that guys never even have to consider. The fact that they are female is a big one. Women come standard issue with physical differences from the male physique that seem to work against them at various times. A woman's body mass is somewhat smaller than most men. Her upper body muscle structure is not normally as well defined as a man, and well, there are all the other girl things to consider (I probably don't need to go into detail there!). Several of the Women racers have children. Although kids are great, it would be pretty hard to have mom laid up for six weeks because she was racing (if she crashed). I realize that many male racers have children also. I don't intend to start some kind of war here, only to point out that traditionally women have been the caregiver for the children. An employer, while not thrilled that an employee was injured by racing, would nevertheless have to extend the time off (or let the employee go) when the person was unable to do his or her job. A child does not give a parent time off for injury. Heather Rose took a hard hit two years ago and ended up much more respectful of the gravity of racing and of just what a full recovery takes. She says that she realized just what Joe Byrd (her husband) was made of when he took care of her and all of their household chores exclusively while she was unable to do virtually anything for three months. Heather says, "I think about it a lot more now that I have been hurt that bad while racing; I know how fast an accident can happen and am more cautious now than I was before I got hurt." Heather thinks more about the big picture while racing, not only health wise, but also long range plans for ATVing as well as the woman racer. Heather is well spoken and able to communicate clearly on what would be good options for the future of our sport. She is a smart cookie and also is considered one of the best female racers in the world.
As someone who has been involved, on a small scale, with ATV Racing at a national level, I am often reminded of the challenges for riders (mainly male riders) to obtain sponsorships. As a female rider it is even harder. First and foremost, this (ATV Racing) is not a traditionally recognized arena for the female to be in. So many of the products are not made for a woman. Like gear. The smallest sizes for adult gear is usually 28 inch waist or so. Tracy Solomon is barely 100 pounds soaking wet with rocks in her boots. A 28 inch pant will swallow her up. So she buys children's sizes. But they are too short. What is a girl to do? There are a few companies out there that make gear designed for the female body but they don't always go for the most functional. We see gear looking a little, well, not as professional as a female racer, would like to be considered. Our lady racers aren't your average mall rat who wears the clothes but can't walk the walk on track. Many times the gear aimed at the female racer simply isn't made sturdy enough to endure what the top ATV female racers put their gear through. Sunday riders and National caliber racers are two polar opposites when it comes to wear and tear on equipment. What about boots? Women's feet are smaller than men. Their legs are different (maybe some of you leg guys have noticed?). Children's boots, while fine for foot size, don't come up high enough on the shin to protect an aggressive woman racer.
Women A riders may find themselves in the driver's seat, sponsor wise, in the near future. Apparently there is a growing market for lady riders who are wicked fast and can promote product. When asked if the Ladies of ATV had a tough time with sponsors, several of the girls had had quite a bit of success. Angela Moore and Heather Rose are considered the top of the heap, for female riders, and seem to have had an easier time obtaining support than most of the top male A riders. They both have nice support packages from major companies like O'Neal, Fleshgear, Hinson, East Coast ATV, Custom Axis, and LoneStar. The times they are a changin. It's a given that most of the fast girls have good backing. But I have heard tales of what some sponsors/media/ad guys felt was necessary to promote the lady ATV riders. I know personally that my son has NEVER been asked to take his shirt off or wear a skimpy bathing suit for any ad. Obviously we all have noticed that certain aspects of an ad will catch our eye faster than others. A woman with revealing clothing on, or not on as the case may be, will catch our eye, but is this the image we really want to promote for our sisters in ATV? What about your daughter? Probably not.
These ladies that we see year after year, battling it outon the track, are doing the same job as their male counterparts with the same cards stacked against them (as an ATV Racer), turning lap times consistent with the top A Riders at the Nationals, launching the jumps like the guys (140 feet at Lincoln Trails MX - with Angela Moore), and doing it all with products that are not necessarily made for them. But they are making it work, AND they are not complaining. I was. I know, I know, it was me whining for them. About the injustice of it all. But also to let you the reader, the fan, the before just now un-informed, know how hard they are working and how hard they are trying, and just why they, simply by being there, should have your attention while they are giving it everything they have and definitely should have earned your respect as a National Caliber ATV Racer.
Respect. (Someone cue Aretha Franklin's 'RESPECT') Dang that is a hard word. It's one of those words where there are so many aspects that make up the concept of the word (RESPECT) that it is hard to define.
Angela Moore is a 22 year old from Ohio. She has made many life changes over the past year. She graduated from college, was engaged to a long time guy, and broke things off before the big walk. Her day job consists of working for a school district repairing computers and diagnosing software problems within their systems and she also works for a local newspaper doing layout. Angela stepped out into her own program this year, and is considered one of the fastest women on an ATV in the world. Through consistency and hard work she has earned respect not only as a solid competitor in the Women's Class but also in the various predominately male classes she chooses to campaign. Currently Angela in a points battle with Brett Harper in the traditionally male 16-24 Class in Motocross. In the past you could have found Angela in the 4 Stroke A Class not only in Motocross but in the more technical TT Racing. She has shown that she has what it takes to make the grade.
Angela is not really setting standards for the elite female racer, she is re-defining what a female racer is capable of. Other racers notice her style and watch her lines as well as her approach to racing in general. Other Female and Male racers notice her style. Acceptance as a racer is a given for Angela. Acceptance; not only in the women's class, but also in the men's classes. How did this happen you wonder?
I spoke with several male riders, many of whom are household names (at least in the ATV community). They had similar comments about the women's class. They like the fact that the girls are out there and showing their skills, but they don't consider most of the women riders in the same light as they would a fellow class rider. For instance the thought is that most of the women's A riders could not possibly be very competitive in the traditionally male A class races. One possible exception would be Angela Moore. This is the opinion of 9 out of 10 male riders that I spoke with the past month or so. They say that there is definite difference between how they think of Angela, professionally of course, and how they think of most of the other women riders. In fact when they (the male riders I interviewed) were pressed on how they really considered the women riders, most of the guys said that they didn't even realize that they had different categories in their own minds with regard to 'female riders' as a group. Just because the majority of the people that I interviewed for this story named Angela, she was the only female rider that EVERY person I interviewed named, but more, there were several of the women's class that have caught the eye of the male racers by showing how tough and how talented they are, not just how easy they are to look at. Paula Shank, Heather Rose, Leslie Wells, Susan Parker, and Hollie Shartzer are also among the riders that were top on the list of women who have 'it'. This is not to say that there are not more female riders who will make the grade, it is simply that these riders have separated themselves from the pack by their hard work, skill, and they have earned the respect of the masses for their effort.
Judging by the fact that there are so many new girls on track, and the fact that there are so many female youth riders that are on their way through the ranks, the Women's class will be showing an increase in numbers in the near future that has not been considered in depth. For instance next year we will see three new very fast girls moving up to play nice with the big girls. Anyone at the Lincoln Trails MX this year will tell you what those 90 Mods looked like sailing 140 feet through the air with those fast 15 year olds on them. Leslie Ragon was one of those riders and she pulled a 7th in that highly competitive class for the weekend. She will be moving up next year. Nikki Butterbaugh and Katelyn D'Antonio, also 15 year olds, have been racing only guys for their entire racing career. All of these fast girls already know how to play with boys, and will translate their style into a 'take-no-prisoners' brand of racing earned from necessity. Amber Urbas and Karlie Eckert are very young yet, but if they stick with this, the ATV race world will begin to see the next wave of women racers that have come up through the ranks and those girls who have raced nationally from the beginning classes.
Ladies like Jamie Rentz, Tracy Solomon, and Cindy Hart are also finding themselves the subject of interest. All the ladies I spoke to feel that their approach to racing is different than the men on the track. Remember this is a lot like baseball in some ways. As a rule, women are not always given baseballs, bats, gloves, Tonka Trucks and HotWheels to play with. We start with Barbies. We find out later that it was some big deception to keep us away from the really fun toys. So women DO approach racing differently than men. It isn't part of our DNA like it is for guys. Jamie Rentz said it well, "The hardest thing as a female racer is when the guys look at you and they are like, 'she's a girl, she can't race.' It's a guy sport that girls can do." We haven't been making trails in the dirt with our toy bikes for 10 years before racing. We think, and plan and worry and make backup plans for everything. Men get on the gas and go. We get on the gas and pray we don't get hurt. Says Melissa Kufel, "I think that girls approach racing different than a guy does, we have to play it smart all the time. Like at Macon, I got passed by Michelle Reiser and it bothered me at first and then I just said 'play it smart' and wait and see what happens. Michelle almost lost it in front of me and then ended up taking herself out on a jump. If I had of pushed it I might have gone out with her, but in the end I had my position back and I didn't get hurt cause I didn't let the moment get in the way. I think that women aren't really willing to take the chance of taking themselves and someone else out to gain position as a man is. Guys are more competitive as a rule I think. If you are trying your hardest already then you just have to take what you get because there's nothing else you can do." Nearly all of the girls I spoke with felt that women have different but similar challenges as men. They all felt that women think differently (and we do) than men both on and off the track. Tracy Solomon says, "I think the guys have it harder than the women on the track. They have more competitors in their classes than we do. For me personally its my size (100 lbs). I am trying to lift weights and build up my strength but its hard. Most of the women aren't out there to kill each other, while the guys are out there with the 'I just want to win' thing going through their heads and going balls to the walls to try to make it happen. Angela Moore now she's got some, well, she has the win thing going more than most women I think. It seems like that most women have priorities of coming off the track in one piece rather than position in the standings. We don't want to get hurt."
Intense scrutiny from the race community comes with a price to our female ATV racers simply because they are 'different' than 'regular' girls. These ladies not only work hard on track to make the grade rider-wise, but they find it necessary to defend their femininity in the pits as well. They have to look good while hanging out. Of course this isn't a challenge for any of the riders that I have had the opportunity to meet. They are each and every one of them beautiful women both outside and inside. It's just you don't see guys doing much more than wiping away the dirt boogers or showering and putting on a H-Bomb hat after a race (and that is for the guys that are real neat freaks). A girl rider can't get away with such minimal grooming standards. Girls feel the pressure to look good and race good, to prove that they should have respect as a rider. I know it's crazy but if a girl does real good, it seems like people try to find what is wrong with her to make her as good as most guys. They will wonder about her sexuality, or discount her femininity if she doesn't look and dress a certain way, or worse expand on her off track behavior, without any real knowledge, to justify the fact that she isn't like 'other' girls. I wonder why we can't just accept that some women, for instance our ladies of ATV, are like other girls, but they also share a love of competitive ATV racing just like the guys out here (what a combo! A girl that you can play with and she likes what you do!). These ladies deserve respect not only as a racer but also as the young ladies that I have had the chance to get to know over the past few years. I know a lot of the guys that end up racing with Angela Moore have to fess up when they get home that they were bested by a girl. They have to try to explain that it was ANGELA MOORE. It's not like you got beat by the girl that sits next to you in Science class or something. It was ANGELA MOORE for goodness sake!
When I asked these ladies what they would change if they could about any part of ATV racing, I found that their desires were similar to the men that I have interviewed and asked the same question. Given the chance they would change their physical condition to make their bodies more able to take the abuse on the track and have the stamina to compete; the factories would back teams; the weather would always be at 72 degrees on race day and all tracks would have sprinkler systems with flush toilets; pro-pits would include women pros; there would be some kind of pay back for women pros; they would have enough money to do this; and their bosses would give them unlimited time off with pay to race. Sound familiar?
The differences between men and women are vast. Isn't it wonderful! But those differences are small sometimes as well. All racers deserve respect for the work they are doing. These riders take their life in their hands every single time that gate slams and their thumb stabs gas on to see what they are made of. Women take the same chances as men. Sure they may think about it in a different way. Maybe they go into it with a bit more caution than many men, but they are doing the same job in the end. It's weird really, that women and men are so different in some ways, and so the same in others. No one can be sure of what will happen in the future, but I can tell you this for certain, women ATV racers will make a statement on the track, and my guess is that we have only just begun to see what we are made of.
Play hard, ride safe,
Mom
Front Row (L-R): Rachael Shipley, Becca Shipley, Karlie Eckert
Middle Row (L-R):Cindi Hart, Angela Moore, Michelle Reiser, Heather Rose, Jennifer Blauw, Leslie Ragon, Nikki Butterbaugh
Back Row (L-R):Mellisa Bailey, Sarah Overocker, Julia Neace, Melissa Kufel, Jamie Rentz, Paula Shank, Lara Ramsey, Kristine Gary
(photo at Lincoln Trails Motocross, photo only reflects some of the riders at that National)
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