I realize that the vast majority of the people who attend the Nationals are there to see James Stewart and his contemporaries do battle in the 450 class. Everything else that takes place over the weekend is really just a supporting act to the big boy’s. The way the AMA has it structured even the Lites class can be considered a sideline act. Let’s face it though; ever since the GOAT, Ricky Carmichael went undefeated a few years ago things have been a little boring. Hole shot, pull a big lead, and win by 40 seconds.  Now that the GOAT has retired and Stewart has taken over the reigns of the 450 class he is continuing that trend, and for all intents and purposes’ that is what he has trained his entire life for but, it’s not very appealing from a spectator’s point of view. The thrill of getting to see those guys bang bars for 30 minutes plus 2 laps is gone.

Enter the Womens Motocross Association center stage. The excitement is back. Since the previously mentioned opening round of the season there has been 6 Moto’s. In two of those Moto’s 1st and 2nd place have been within one second of each other for the entire race. With one race the winner was determined by less than ½ of a bike length. Think about that for a moment. You blister the track as hard as you can for 20 minutes plus 2 laps trying to destroy your competitors will to fight and win by less than a ¼ of a second! Here’s another example, at the first night race in AMA motocross history, held in Denver. The top three marquee riders in the WMA, Patterson, Geiger and Fiolek battled for a solid 20 minutes for 2nd, 3rd and 4th place. You could have thrown a blanket over those three at the finish line. The young lady that won that Moto was Sherri Cruse a first time winner in the series. Absolutely amazing!  Not only are the veterans getting their share of the spotlight, there have been some newcomers getting up front in the mix.  A talented young lass from California, Tatum Sik, led the opening race of the year for a couple laps and set a pretty fast pace. The fans that attend these events are there to be entertained and the women are giving them their money’s worth and more.  These girls are poised to steal the show, given enough opportunity.

I sincerely believe the WMA is an untapped resource, a diamond in the rough just begging to be cut and polished. Stepping up to the plate is WMA president Miki Keller. She is undoubtedly the hardest working woman in the sport of women’s motocross. Having honed her marketing skills in the Snowboard industry she understands what it takes to make things happen.

 In the 8 years since she founded the WMA I’m sure she has seen her share of pain and anguish, as you would with any new business but I don’t believe the word quit exists in her vocabulary. With the help of only a few individuals such as Davey Coombs and his family of Racing Royalty, she has brought the women racers to the forefront of their sport.  I observed this work ethic first hand at the opening round at Hangtown. This lady was moving wide open from the time she rolled out of bed until way after the sun went below the horizon of the Pacific Ocean. For you readers out there that run your own business you know of what I speak. I don’t foresee a change in the immediate future for MIkki, if anything it will get worse, because the WMA is gaining positive media exposure on a daily basis, which in turn is growing the organization.

Just a few of her accomplishments so far have been going from a fledgling racing group to a nationally recognized organization with an AMA charter. With Mikki at the helm the WMA over the last couple years has seen media exposure grow to the showing of racing highlights during Speed channels hourly weekly coverage of the AMA motocross nationals. Along with this they have their races broadcast live on the internet on the RacerX website Motocross.com. The WMA 2007 champion Jessica Patterson has been nominated for an ESPY award this year for Best Female Action Sport Athlete. Mainstream media has shown an ever increasing interest in the WMA by covering various riders and topics in publications such as USA today, Men’s health and Fitness, ESPN, and Rolling Stone. And I can’t forget about Ashley Fiolek being awarded Most Inspirational athlete of 2007 at the annual Impact Videos, Extremey Awards. All this would not be possible if Mikki had not decided to step up and face the challenge head on. You see if nobody knows you exist how can they reward you for your efforts...................................................................................Continued