1The 75-foot jump at X Games '08.
So there have been a lot of big questions about the women racing X Games. Was it exciting? Of course. Was it scary as hell? Most
definitely! I know a couple of the girls had more practice on a real
supercross track than the rest of us; I personally had three days.
That's about two months and 27 days shy of what the average guy spends before
Anaheim 1. I also only practiced on a ramp that was set up at 65 feet, but when I got there they informed us it would be left at 75. Now, 10 feet might not seem like a big deal, but on a stock bike it was all I could do to get over it. And after having my "little sister" Ashley get banged up practicing
before the event and then pulling over in practice just in time to see Alisa Nix break and dislocate both her wrists, I was a nervous wreck! I felt completely out of my element, which I am sure was obvious by observing me.
I know Tarah and Jessica were riding super well, but it was just too big of a risk for me to take. I have never been good at jumping. I am not saying I wont ever improve -- I did surprise myself when I was practicing, but when it came to the race, it just wasn't worth it to me. I have trained my whole life to race motocross and I didn't want to throw it all away at a race I only got to spend a week
preparing for. I loved riding
supercross but just was not ready for a race. All along we were told that they were there to
accommodate us, yet when only three out of nine of us were comfortable with the ramp, they made us do it anyways, and
didn't even seem to care when two people got hurt. I don't know about you, but watching girls get hurt just so they can be on national television is not my idea of fun. Simply put, it is a made for TV event that cares more about ratings than the safety of
their riders. X games? I wont be back.
