girls weekend

4th Annual Girls Ride Weekend The 4th annual girls riding weekend held at Hardwood Hills Ranch was this past weekend. Over the years this event has created many lifelong friendships. The first year four girls participated, the second year it grew to nine girls, last year it exploded, carrying momentum into the fourth year, bringing new faces! This event is designed for all ages and skill levels with hopes of improving confidence on a dirt bike. I was a tad bit bummed to not be able to ride when everyone else got to. I made the best of the situation and offered some of my knowledge from my experiences on the bike. It was a great feeling being able to help other ladies and seeing their smiles when they tried new things, they did not think they were capable of. Confidence is key but so is good, quality practice. To get better, work is required, learning better techniques and the “proper way”. I stressed the importance of balance, standing on your toes, and using your legs. I am not a big talker and a bit on the shy side so it was fun to get out of my comfort zone to help these ladies get outside of theirs. I was only able to be there Saturday but what I have seen everyone had a great time. Between night rides with Task Racing Lights, more giveaways, and all-around fun! This year, WPS/Fly Racing were huge supporters. They ensured every lady got to go home with a giveaway. They also provided a large item up for grabs, a fancy Fly Racing gear bag! To keep it fair, we had a rock – paper – scissors war. The overall winner, Kaley Lewis, got the gear bag. It worked out well because she did not own a gear bag prior! Western Power Sports is a great company to deal with plus Fly Racing is the best gear out there! If you are a lady, I strongly recommend the women’s lite gear, the pants straight up feel like yoga pants. If you are a male, my favorite “uni-sex” gear is the Lite Hydrogen, it’s soft, silky, and comfy! Thank you WPS! This event would not be possible for everyone who helps us do it! Other giveaways were provided by local shops, Bonecutter Off Road, Moto Europa, and Marionville Power Sports. When you can, shop local. It really helps the shops out. Jim at Shock Zone Suspension donated a tire. Jim is a great guy and he does a lot for my family and I. The Bonecutter’s highly recommend him for your suspension needs. Just Ride Customs designed and made our event shirts! They turned out really great. I stumbled across this cool shop by watching Supercross and the Makeup2Mud segment came on. I am all for supporting small businesses and ladies who ride. Lastly, Hardwood Hills Ranch has supported this event for the last 4 years. We are lucky and very thankful to have a fun place to ride and camp! More Posts Back To Blog Page

Girls Flock to Hardwood Hills Ranch The only girls allowed riding weekend started three years ago at Hardwood Hills Ranch and has created many lifelong friendships. The first year four girls participated, the second year it grew to nine girls, and this year exploded! The weekend was quickly arriving, with an expected attendance of nearly 30, including 9 girls under 11, a teenage group, and women. Meg and I worked hard to promote the weekend, inviting all the women we have met traveling and racing. A Facebook event page was created so we could keep track of the ladies planning to attend. With so many young girls riding with us this year, we spoiled them with candy, necklaces, cute bags, and bright pink sunglasses. We had dirt bike related giveaways for everyone who came. MTA Distributing donated pink Torc 1 Racing Grips, Bonecutter Off Road donated a set of women’s gear, Bridgestone M59 front tire, and Fly T-shirts. Marionville Power Sports donated a super cool Shot helmet. Meg got the weekend started early to decorate the lodge in pink and flamingos. Saturday was the official start day of the girls riding weekend. Day one we had 21 ladies show up. The day was laid out by splitting the ladies into three groups determined by skill level. I worked with the advanced level group. I set right out to challenge their abilities by riding a tough 15 mile portion of the yellow loop. Everyone seemed to enjoy the trail. After all groups were done with their first ride, we decided to let everyone choose who they rode with. A group of four teenagers instantly clicked and it was one of the coolest things to witness. It reminded me of the first year when my group of ladies and I became so close. Saturday night, Meg took a group of younger girls on a night ride using her Task Racing helmet lights. They absolutely loved it. A few of the girls left Saturday and a few more showed up for Sunday. Sunday was started with the giveaways. We had four big prizes; gear, helmet, front tire, and a kid goodie bag. Everyone put their name in a bucket of their choice for a chance to win one big item. There was so much excitement with the girls, teenagers, and women during the drawing. No one left empty handed smaller items were given to all who attended. Thanks again to MTA Distributing, Bonecutter Off Road, and Marionville Power Sports. The Sunday morning riding was very laid back, everyone doing their own thing and riding with who they wanted. Meg decided to do a slow race and limbo with the kids. Sunday afternoon, Meg and I had the pleasure to “break in” the teenagers by letting them ride the hard sh*t of HHR! Most riders would start with the easier obstacles and making it harder each time, we went straight into “Something Special”, an element used in the final moto of The Ozark 100 Miler. Pictures and videos of this hill does not capture how gnarly the hill is. With assistance all girls made it up without breaking anything! That alone is bragging rights! Next stop was “VW”, off cambered slope with big boulders everywhere. This obstacle is night and day easier than “Something Special” but choosing the right line can be tricky. All of the teenagers made it through without assistance. They wanted more, so we headed to “Bastard Hill”, a long steep uphill washed out and covered in loose rock. Being a really tough hill, there were only a few issues; but everyone made it to the top. After doing so, EVERYONE was ready to call it a day! Sunday night was filled with the kids playing and the adults telling stories. Over the entire weekend there was 24 girls! It is amazing to see so many ladies get into this male dominated sport, excel at it, and make friendships that will last a lifetime! More Posts Back To Blog Page