| May/June,
2007 - Valley Life West Valley Magazine
Article on Chelsy
Chelsy
Swenson is one rough rider who's Pretty In Pink - Lots of
mothers dream of watching their little girls taking center
stage, wearing pink and performing gracefully, but they
usually envision it being at a ballet recital and not in
motocross. However, when Chelsy Swenson fell in love with
motorcycles about four years ago, her parents were the first
ones to recognize her passion and began to lend her the
support she needed to be competitive.
Chelsy
knew right away that she wanted to race, and poured everything
she had into learning a sport that most competitors begin
when they are toddlers. Four years later, Chelsy Swenson,
whose trademark racing color is pink, is burning up the
track, recently placing second in the Gold Cup Series that
runs across Southern California, and setting her sights
for what's known as the Loretta Lynn's, the premiere amateur
national series in the United States.
It's
never easy for a girl to make it in a male-dominated sport,
however, what Swenson lacks in experience she more than
makes up in determination, talent and natural athletic ability.
"I've always been pretty athletic," says the El
Camino Real student, who in her freshman year was a standout
hurdler on the track team and is a member of the swim team
this season. It was her competitive nature that helped Swenson
place second in the very first race she entered, and it's
her passion for riding that takes care of the rest. Since
she first started training it's been the one activity that
she can't get enough of, which gave her reason to ignore
the many voices telling her that she would never be good
enough because she started in the sport at such a late age.
Lucky for Swenson her mom and dad took her interest seriously.
"They've helped me the entire way through. They were
the only people at the start who said I could do it."
After
performing well in her area qualifier for this year's Loretta
Lynn's, Swenson is busy prepping for the regional qualifier
in June. If she does well she will be invited to the Amateur
National Championship at Loretta Lynn's Ranch in Hurricane
Mills, TN. It's Swenson's short term goal to make it to
the championships and place on the podium in the next few
years, but it's not all that she hopes to achieve. "I
don't want to put a limit on it," says Swenson. "I
want to go as far as I possibly can." As long as she
is involved in racing and around motorcycles, Swenson says
she'll be happy, but something tells us this is one young
rider destined to be in the spotlight. If you're not sure
which one she is, just look for the girl in pink. |
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