Vicki Golden in a League of Her Own
January 28, 2011, 11:35am
AURORA, Ill. - Amidst the buzz and attention of the Arenacross class with Jeff Gibson’s perfect record three races into the 2011 AMA Arenacross Series season, the spotlight will take a break from the stars aboard 450cc machines this weekend in Denver. Instead, the attention will be focused on a young woman making history by simply following her passion for racing.
After capping off her amateur career with a Women’s Class title at the Amateur National Championships in 2008, Vicki Golden burst onto the professional motocross scene in 2009 at the age of 18. She was instantly a challenger in her first full season of women’s motocross competition but suffered an injury to bring her season to a premature end. In 2010, she was once again a front-runner, ultimately finishing fourth in the championship.
With a full nine months between competition, Golden’s motocross version of cabin fever reached its pinnacle and she made the foray into supercross competition, taking part in exhibition events in Europe just prior to the 2011 season. After discovering her love and skill in the more technical discipline, Golden decided that she wasn’t ready to stop racing and determined the next logical transition would be to compete in the ultra-competitive AMA Arenacross Series’ Western Regional Championship in the Arenacross Lites class.
While she missed the opening round of the championship in Tulsa, Golden will compete in the remaining six rounds, beginning with this weekend’s two-night showcase from Denver. By becoming a full-time member of the AMA Arenacross Series, Golden is making history by going head-to-head with the men, a first in the U.S.
In recent years, the once seemingly indestructible gender barrier within the sport has slowly deteriorated as the nation’s top female racers have become faster, more athletic, and now receive the necessary support from the sport’s manufacturers. Through this growth, the gap between men and women has narrowed and now Golden is making the breakthrough initiative to see where she stands in the more competitive division.
“This is just huge for all women in the sport of motocross,” said Miss Arenacross Lindsey Scheltema, who is a women’s motocross competitor as well and has raced head-to-head with Golden. “Vicki is going to accomplish something we’ve all dreamt of. She definitely has a lot of speed and I hope she does well. I’m excited for her and you can bet a part of me will be rooting for her.”
Ultimately for Golden, the venture into the AMA Arenacross Series isn’t about winning a championship, it’s about staying at the top of her game. While her aspirations are obviously high, at the end of the day nothing can compare to the continued development of a rider than competition. If she hopes to one day capture a championship of her own, Golden is going to have to take it to the next level and she’s doing just that.
The Denver Coliseum, sight of this weekend’s Denver Arenacross, is arguably the most historic venue in the state of Colorado. Built in 1952, it is one of the most diverse arenas in the country hosting virtually any event imaginable over its six decades of existence. It’s capable of seating 10,200 spectators and provides an intimate environment that is ideal for the AMA Arenacross Series.
The action commences for the Denver Arenacross today at 7:00 p.m. MT followed by a second night of racing on Saturday at the same time. Amateur Day concludes an exciting weekend of action on Sunday, beginning at 10 a.m. MT
Advance tickets are available for this weekend’s Denver Arenacross at the Denver Coliseum Box Office, Ticketmaster charge by phone, and ticketmaster.com. Tickets cost $2 more the day of the race.
New for 2011! Live timing and scoring from each round of the AMA Arenacross Series. To follow the intense racing action live, log onto www.Arenacross.com. For all media requests, please contact Brandon Short at brandon@nextlevelsportsinc.com or 949-365-5750.
Never miss out on the latest news! Follow the AMA Arenacross Series on Facebook and Twitter!
About Feld Motor Sports®
Feld Motor Sports®, Inc. is the world leader in specialized arena and stadium-based motor sports entertainment. Feld Motor Sports, Inc. productions include Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam®, Monster Energy Supercross, AMA Arenacross Series, Nuclear Cowboyz℠, and IHRA® Nitro Jam®. Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is a division of Feld Entertainment, the world’s largest producer of live family entertainment. For more information on Feld Entertainment, visit www.feldentertainment.com.
After capping off her amateur career with a Women’s Class title at the Amateur National Championships in 2008, Vicki Golden burst onto the professional motocross scene in 2009 at the age of 18. She was instantly a challenger in her first full season of women’s motocross competition but suffered an injury to bring her season to a premature end. In 2010, she was once again a front-runner, ultimately finishing fourth in the championship.
With a full nine months between competition, Golden’s motocross version of cabin fever reached its pinnacle and she made the foray into supercross competition, taking part in exhibition events in Europe just prior to the 2011 season. After discovering her love and skill in the more technical discipline, Golden decided that she wasn’t ready to stop racing and determined the next logical transition would be to compete in the ultra-competitive AMA Arenacross Series’ Western Regional Championship in the Arenacross Lites class.
While she missed the opening round of the championship in Tulsa, Golden will compete in the remaining six rounds, beginning with this weekend’s two-night showcase from Denver. By becoming a full-time member of the AMA Arenacross Series, Golden is making history by going head-to-head with the men, a first in the U.S.
In recent years, the once seemingly indestructible gender barrier within the sport has slowly deteriorated as the nation’s top female racers have become faster, more athletic, and now receive the necessary support from the sport’s manufacturers. Through this growth, the gap between men and women has narrowed and now Golden is making the breakthrough initiative to see where she stands in the more competitive division.
“This is just huge for all women in the sport of motocross,” said Miss Arenacross Lindsey Scheltema, who is a women’s motocross competitor as well and has raced head-to-head with Golden. “Vicki is going to accomplish something we’ve all dreamt of. She definitely has a lot of speed and I hope she does well. I’m excited for her and you can bet a part of me will be rooting for her.”
Ultimately for Golden, the venture into the AMA Arenacross Series isn’t about winning a championship, it’s about staying at the top of her game. While her aspirations are obviously high, at the end of the day nothing can compare to the continued development of a rider than competition. If she hopes to one day capture a championship of her own, Golden is going to have to take it to the next level and she’s doing just that.
The Denver Coliseum, sight of this weekend’s Denver Arenacross, is arguably the most historic venue in the state of Colorado. Built in 1952, it is one of the most diverse arenas in the country hosting virtually any event imaginable over its six decades of existence. It’s capable of seating 10,200 spectators and provides an intimate environment that is ideal for the AMA Arenacross Series.
The action commences for the Denver Arenacross today at 7:00 p.m. MT followed by a second night of racing on Saturday at the same time. Amateur Day concludes an exciting weekend of action on Sunday, beginning at 10 a.m. MT
Advance tickets are available for this weekend’s Denver Arenacross at the Denver Coliseum Box Office, Ticketmaster charge by phone, and ticketmaster.com. Tickets cost $2 more the day of the race.
New for 2011! Live timing and scoring from each round of the AMA Arenacross Series. To follow the intense racing action live, log onto www.Arenacross.com. For all media requests, please contact Brandon Short at brandon@nextlevelsportsinc.com or 949-365-5750.
Never miss out on the latest news! Follow the AMA Arenacross Series on Facebook and Twitter!
About Feld Motor Sports®
Feld Motor Sports®, Inc. is the world leader in specialized arena and stadium-based motor sports entertainment. Feld Motor Sports, Inc. productions include Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam®, Monster Energy Supercross, AMA Arenacross Series, Nuclear Cowboyz℠, and IHRA® Nitro Jam®. Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is a division of Feld Entertainment, the world’s largest producer of live family entertainment. For more information on Feld Entertainment, visit www.feldentertainment.com.
