Ashley Fiolek Interview

--------------------FEATURE - ASHLEY FIOLEK -------------------

If you have ever been around these children you quickly figure out that they are definitely abnormal when compared to non moto-kids. It’s been my experience that they have a more zest, and a bigger thirst for life. When they are not racing or training, they are out to have as much fun as they can. And don’t think for one second that just because Ashley is Deaf she is any different. She can’t stand the thought of some fun going on around her and not being right in the thick of it. It makes me tired just watching. You would think that with all the training and racing and school work they do they would spend their spare time sleeping!!

Next word: competitive: Defined by the dictionary as 1. involving beating others, involving or decided by trying to do something better than others or win something 2. wanting to beat others, inclined toward wanting to do something better than others. My definition: the inner drive that gives you the will to succeed, whether it’s a game of sport, or life in general. It’s the thing that drives the effort you put in before you get to the game, so that you will be prepared to compete at the highest level.

It’s not about being just the one that shows up for the sake of being seen. Motocross is a competitive game in every sense of the word and it’s all about that inner drive. What is it exactly? A defective gene, a broken strand of DNA? Who knows? This 16 year old girl climbs on a dirt bike that outweighs her by more than 100 pounds, rides in impossible terrain in the most hostile conditions. She dresses herself with long pants and heavy boots a long sleeve jersey, helmet, goggles gloves, and a plastic chest protector that will keep any wind from her penetrating her shirt. She does this no matter what the weather is like, it could be summertime and 95 degrees with 85 percent humidity or a wintry 25 degrees, She’s out there putting laps in. For you moto-kid parents out there, you know what I am talking about.You stand by them day after day with your total support, yet can’t explain how and why they do it. Most days you have to make them stop to eat, hydrate

and even force them to stop riding when the sun finally goes to bed.

Speaking of that drive and turning everything into a competition. At an area qualifier a while back I watched Ashley and my wife Nicole, along with a couple other kids sitting around, talking and goofing off, just normal kid stuff. Well this one kid decides for he would throw a rock at a plastic cup lying on the ground. He missed. Next thing you know there are 15 kids throwing rocks, and they have turned it into a contest to see who could hit the cup first and how many times. It’s a good thing Ashley is so good at motocross, because she couldn’t make a living playing baseball. I don’t think she ever hit the cup! It wasn’t from a lack of trying though. That is the competitive spirit I have been talking about. This child wants to win at everything.

It’s that drive in her to excel that has brought this young lady to the forefront of her sport. It allows her access and exposure everyday people can only dream about. She inspires those who meet her with her charm and for those who haven’t met her, by her accomplishments. Athletes from other sports admire her. It is all due to the fact that she is driven to excel at whatever she does. On the track Ashley is a force to be reckoned with, she has to be, racing at her level is serious work. She has begun the next phase of her young career. In late august of this year, she made the move into the professional ranks of the world of the Women’s Motocross Association. It is a natural progression in her motocross career.

If you guys out there think that the women are not competitive. You need to reconsider that thought. Unlike men, the women’s competitiveness doesn’t always stop when the checkered flag waves. I have seen it carry over into the pits, women by nature can be a lot harsher when it comes to competition. This is one thing that Ashley doesn’t quite understand or accept. She believes in racing as hard as possible, but after the race is over everyone should be friends. She is always smiling and interacting with fans, friends and her fellow racers.