BJ Smith of EXPN penned a piece for EXPN.com exploring the future of women's motocross racing. Below is an excerpt from the story. You can read the entire feature here.

In the winter of 2010, Hannah Hodges faced a decision that would dictate her fate as a professional athlete.

She stared silently out the window of her father's truck while they drove to Bithlo, a motocross track in Orlando, Florida. Wayne Hodges had just presented her with a dilemma, and he told his daughter to take her time considering it.

This was heavy stuff for an 11-year-old Hannah. She knew she wanted to be a motocross champion, but she wasn't anticipating her first appearance at the Amateur National Motocross Championship at country music icon Loretta Lynn's ranch in Tennessee to be against boys.