Hi everyone! This weekend in Rockford was a cold one, but it was a lot of fun, like usual! I once again took the red-eye into Chicago Thursday night to arrive Friday morning at 5:30 am. Rockford is about an hour and fifteen minutes away from good ol’ Chicago.
I had a radio interview at 7am with the X Stoneman and Double T, they were out of control. It was a lot of fun though, probably the most interesting radio I have done yet. I didn’t sleep at all on the plane ride in. It was so turbulent I actually got scared, and I am never scared on airplanes. So by the time I finished radio, I needed a nap in a real bad way! So I went to the hotel and got a little nap in before I went to my next radio interview that afternoon.
It was a cold one! BRRRRRRRR! The Metrocentre was not too cold inside though, which is a good thing for me, but I bet it isn’t the best thing for the riders. The boys were riding strong and the track was a tough one. The whoops were huge, and the rhythm section looked difficult to me. I did finally get my first kiss from one of the 65cc riders, it made my night. I was about 0 for 15!
During the mains we saw a lot of riders who I would not expect, go down. It was different, but definitely exciting and intense to watch. The Lites finished up with the local boy Cody Gilmore on top, my good buddy Travis Hodges in 2nd, and Roy Horton in 3rd. Roy had such a big smile on his face. It was good to see him up there with me!! The AMA Arenacross class was full of tire to tire action. While I was watching I got lost and had no idea who was first and who was last, it was so crazy out there. Finally the white flag came out and I caught up, Brock Sellards had a strong ride and landed on top with his second win of the season, Greg Schnell was riding strong and brought home the number 2 spot, Jimmy Neese was up there too getting 3 rd and not even looking winded. Point’s leader Chad Johnson had a tough race!
I went to bed early on Friday because I was so sleepy from my travels and the race, we also had an early morning on Saturday. Early Saturday we went over to our sponsor Hammertime Sports, and signed autographs. I must say that the people at Hammertime are the nicest people. I had a wonderful time at their shop, and enjoyed their company all weekend. I found out that Kevin Johnson is not only an amazing rider; he has some serious drawing skills. We had a good time at Hammertime.
Early entry began at 1:30 and so did the snow! Practice looked good, the track had some minor adjustments, and the boys were adjusting to it. We had a band there playing during practice called Detagoh. They were awesome. A very talented group of guys, that reminded me a little of Dave Mathews. The snow continued to fall, but the show must go on. I was a little scared that it would affect our attendance, but the stadium was still packed. During opening ceremonies we interviewed our top 3 riders: Chad Johnson, Brock Sellards and Jeff Northrop. They were excited to get the show on the road. Jeff gave me a ride off the track on the back of his bike. He went wide open in the turn and I was a little frightened. But it was fun! The races began, and so did the excitement. Everyone could not wait to see if Chad could get himself back up there on the top again, or if Brock could pull it off for the third time. The Lites class brought some new faces to the podium, which is always nice to see. The one and only Jim Chester came in on top, followed by Randy Woodring in 2nd, and Brady Peck in 3rd. Chester had an awesome ride, I was excited for him. On the starting line for the AMA class, the riders were focused. Schnell came out strong getting the holeshot, and from that moment on the race was non stop excitement. It changed every lap for the first couple laps. Chad Johnson came up from 4th or 5 th and got in front. Brock was catching up also. But once Chad got up front, he got his confidence back and held it the entire time. Finishing once again in 1st was Chad Johnson, coming in 2nd for the second day in a row was Greg Schnell, and receiving 3rd was my artist friend Kevin Johnson. The race ended well for these three, and it finally stopped snowing outside.
We have a couple of weeks off for the holidays but we will be back in the New Year. I arrived home to Tahoe with snow on the ground, making it feel a little more like Christmas time. I have an exciting month ahead of me. I will be receiving a college degree in two weeks, and cannot wait. So I am ready to relax, snowboard, and visit with my family! I wish you all safe holidays, and a Happy New Year! See you in ‘06! So remember- be safe, ride hard and smile always!
XOX,
Ashley
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