October 31, 2005

Great Women of Motocross

There are a number of wonderful women involved at the deepest levels in the sport of motocross, and quite a few of these unsung heroines can be found at many of the tracks in Southern California. But there is one lovely lady that I want to give special recognition to today.

I was at Glen Helen yesterday afternoon, checking out a late season grand prix held by the SRA organization. While I was watching Gordon Ward lay waste to the other vets in the Vet GP, I saw her standing alone at a corner, yellow flag tucked under her arm while she applauded each and every rider that came through her turn.

Her name is Betty, and I first saw her when I attended some of the Saturday REM races at the Glen Helen facility. She reminds me of someone’s dear grandmother, and I wouldn’t be surprised if her grandchildren were famous racers, but that’s not what makes her special. What she does makes EVERY racer feel special. She claps for every single racer, every single lap, for every single moto. She’s a one-person cheer leading squad, and every time I raced there, I looked forward to seeing her clap for me.

So when I saw her at the SRA GP, I took it upon myself to thank her for all those laps of support. She just smiled the prettiest smile and thanked me for thanking her. And then she went on clapping for all the riders going by. If you have ever raced in an event where she was flagging, don’t forget to thank Betty for the support.

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