Off the Cuff with Jacqueline Ross | April

By Jacqueline Ross

Greetings, humans!

I started writing this from 35,000 feet altitude. Shout out to Delta for the safe flight and Biscoff cookies.  Gluten is something I usually avoid, but I’ll take the inflammation for two of those scrumptious things.  Happy that my fingers didn’t swell up, I picked up my pen, grabbed my notebook and started writing about the last 72 hours.  Currently, I’m on my way home from attending a Northeast Area Qualifier for Loretta Lynn‘s with Trent Lloyd, one of lil homies. 

The qualifier took place at Dublin Gap Motocross Park in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania.   If you’ve never been to this track, add it to your bucket list!  The Yentzer family and their crew do an amazing job with the track and facility.

Does anyone every stop to think and reflect about where motocross has brought you?  The way this sport brings people together from all walks of life is absolutely amazing.  All because we love riding/racing dirt bikes. 

In the case this weekend, one dream that each racer shared brought everyone together.  The hopes of advancing through to the Regional and then qualifying for the prestigious Loretta Lynn’s Amateur National Championship.  So here we are in Shippensburg, the second oldest town in Pennslyvania and we’re in the land of the Amish.  They’re using horse-drawn buggies and we’re racing motocross.  Such a small, big world us moto people dwell in.

Back to the weekend…

Let’s talk about adversity.  Everyone faces it on and off the track.  It’s not an ”if” it’s a “when.”  Injuries, the weather, rough track conditions, external circumstances out of your control, the list goes on.  What do you do?  In our world of moto, do you push through your pain and finish your race, pull off the track and take a DNF, or give up and go home?  We’ve all had some type of defining moment(s) that have helped shape us into the person -not just the racer – that we are today. 

That’s what so many people don’t understand or fail to see – the bigger picture.  This sport is so much bigger than just winning championships.  It’s about acquiring the attributes of what it takes to become a champion.  Not just at moto, but at life.

Here’s the thing, certain people aren’t born or destined to win, they’ve just developed their mind and themselves differently. A champion is a type of attitude and it’s within each and every one of us.  It’s not just a motocross racer that wins National titles, it’s someone who taps into their inner strength and continues to move forward past any obstacle or challenge they are faced with.  They get back up more times than they fall.  Most importantly, they always believe in themselves and they don’t quit.

I’ll ask you this: What’s more important, what you acquire or who you become? 

Inspired,

Jacqueline