March 18th 2006 James Stewart wins the Orlando Supercross
James says:
RJ: Being a past champion, I know of the pressure that comes from the manufacturer, friends, family, sponsors, ... they all want you to win all the time. On top of that, I'm guessing you have additional pressures, some of which I don't even know about. Do you feel any pressure being the first 'African American' motocross rider to set such a high standard on the track?
James: Rick, the honest truth is I feel no pressure what-so-ever. I'm no different than anyone else, and I certainly don't feel any different out on the race track - I just push as hard as I can. Hopefully I can bring more fans into the sport, and make it bigger, but I feel no pressure at all.
March 12th 2006 Ish Monroe wins the Amistad Bassmaster Elite Series
Ish says:
Monroe has had his sights set on making the Classic since childhood. It was a dream that separated him from his friends as he grew up in California.
"I was about 10 years old when I decided I wanted to fish professionally," he said. "I remember watching some tournament on television and thinking that's what I wanted to do. I already had the love for fishing.
"I pretty much decided that I wanted to fish, so I went and started talking to sponsors. They said they wanted somebody that could speak well, and somebody that could sell their products. I went to summer school every year so that my senior year I could go to business school. From there, I graduated and went to college where I took public speaking and marketing.
"Growing up in the San Francisco Bay area, my friends were into everything else. There's drugs, there's violence, cars. While my friends were going out on dates, I was going fishing. It was a little bit uncool, but personality goes a long way with my friends so it worked out well."
Monroe was asked if he feels any added pressure as only the second black angler to qualify for the Classic.
"I don't think there's any pressure at all," he replied. "More than anything it's going to be exciting. ... I'm going to become a hero to some kid now, and that's pretty impressive.
"There's definitely more responsibility. Any time you do something like this it's a major deal. And I can't go out there and be ignorant or do something wrong. I just have to do everything pretty clean cut."
More Ish in this SF Weekly article
March 17th 2006 Bill Lester makes the field in NASCAR Cup and finishes at Atlanta.
Bill says:
Asked whom he was representing on the racetrack, the smile Lester had been wearing since the end of the race disappeared.
"I represented myself," he said. "I'm doing this for myself and for my family.
"I'm glad so many people, especially from the minority community, have taken note of what it is I'm doing, but I drive for Bill Lester. At the end of the day, if it wasn't for my self-belief, I wouldn't be here."
James
Ish
Bill
Very cool.
ReplyDelete