Not long ago, Ashley Fiolek announced on Twitter that she had lost her cell phone a near catastrophe for most 19-year-olds. Indeed, for Fiolek it was like losing her lifeline. As a deaf motocross racer, Fiolek uses texting and tweeting to interact with her fans, among other vital communication functions.
And with two Women's Motocross Association championships, two X-Games gold medals, numerous action sports honors, fi erce determination, competitive spirit and a happy-go-lucky attitude, it's no wonder she has legions of supporters. In addition to the high adrenaline this extreme sport stirs, watching Fiolek race is an inspiration to those who understand what she has overcome to be on top in women's motocross.
When Fiolek was a toddler, her parents and doctors began to notice that her developmental progress wasn't keeping pace. "Mildly retarded" was the initial diagnosis. Then one day, when Fiolek was three years old, her mother noticed she failed to startle at the sound of a loud clang. Doctors suggested that Fiolek receive cochlear impacts, but after researching the matter, the Fioleks decided to wait until Ashley was older and let her decide. When that time came, Fiolek decided to forego implants.
Even so, Fiolek is open to options. She has recently acquired a new sponsor, Able Planet, a company that specializes in high-tech assistive listening products for people with profound hearing loss. She is looking forward to working with them, but right now, during racing season, she has a one-track mind.
Fiolek's love of motorcycles developed naturally from watching her father and grandfather (a.k.a. Grandpa Motorcycle) ride. Fiolek began riding through the Michigan woods well before her fourth birthday and began racing on the youth amateur circuit a few years later. In 1998, the Fiolek family moved to Florida so that Ashley could attend the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind. Of course, there was an ulterior motive: The active southern motocross scene would allow their daughter to compete in more races.
Motocross is an extreme sport that requires not only cat-like reflexes and agility, but upper and lower body strength. Up to 40 riders race on off-road circuits of hills, dirt roads and muddy tracks and turns. Wheels fl ing mud everywhere as riders make jumps and try to control the traction of the bike while manuevering the circuit.
When Fiolek was 10, she had her fi rst major motocross accident at a raceway in Kentucky. Attempting a jump she wasn't ready for, she crashed, lost consciousness, broke her nose and smashed her two front teeth. It was a trying time for Fiolek: Not being able to hear, it was hard for her to understand the explanations of the medical procedures she was going through. For the first time in her racing life, Fiolek considered quitting. But her faith, which plays a major role in her life, supplied the strength she needed to continue racing.
"I tried to fi nd other things that interested me but I feel that God gave me a talent to ride a dirt bike and he kept pulling me in
that direction," Fiolek said.
She continued to develop her talent as she competed her way up the amateur motocross ranks, winning race after race and perfecting her skill as a rider, despite having a hearing loss. Initially, there were many critics, skeptical at how a deaf rider like Fiolek would fare in such a dangerous sport. They questioned whether she would be a hazard to other riders or herself; whether she would even be competitive; and how she would cope with the physical demands of riding. Fiolek and her family ignored these concerns and the naysayers were soon silenced. Fiolek proved herself through hard work and by learning tricks that would assist her in riding without auditory perception.
Fiolek relies on vibrations to know when to shift gears on her motorbike. And, because she can't hear other riders coming up behind her, she has learned to watch for their shadows. She says that being deaf gives her both an advantage and disadvantage: "I can't hear when other riders are behind me so I don't really stress out about it. But at the same time I have to hold my lines out on the racetrack until I'm sure no one is behind me. I sometimes hit neutral because I can't hear and I have fl ipped over the handlebars."
She also says that not being able to hear "smack talk" from competitors is a defi nite advantage.
Fiolek turned pro in 2007 and continued to enjoy the success that she experienced in the amateur circuit. She won the Women's Motocross Association championship in 2008 and again in 2009 despite snapping her collarbone in half during the season fi nale. Fiolek's sheer determination and competitive spirit fully manifested themselves as she got back on her bike, despite extreme pain, and finished the race to clinch her second championship.
Fiolek is winning off the track as well. Her passion for advancing women in motocross has culminated in her becoming the first female rider to be featured on the cover of Transworld Motocross magazine and the fi rst woman rider to be invited to join a factory team. As a factory rider for Honda, sponsorship pays for Fiolek's transportation to races and provides and maintains her bike and equipment. Much remains to bring women "up to speed" in this largely male-dominated sport. For example, women don't always receive equal track time or television coverage and usually earn smaller salaries.
Fiolek is also inspiring the deaf community by touring and giving motivational speeches at schools for the deaf. Her message? "Deafness is not something to hold you back," she says. "I can do just about anything with computer technology. I can talk to people all over the world with texting and let everyone know what I am doing and [know] what they are doing with tweeting."
As long as she has a cell phone, that is. Fortunately, she found that missing phone the next day and cheerfully resumed her thousand-texts-a-day habit. In between texts, Fiolek keeps on fi ghting for what she believes in. Along the way she also manages to keep winning and inspiring others to triumph over adversity.
Want to know what Ashley Fiolek is doing right now? Follow her on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AshleyFiolek67. Also, visit http://ashleyfiolek.com and www.facebook.com/ashleyfiolek to keep "track" of her.
Ashley Fiolek, Firsthand
"Firsthand," now in its 12th season on Fuel TV, takes you into the daily lives of action sports athletes. On July 25, 2010, "Firsthand" got on track with Ashley Fiolek. The crew followed her straight off the high of her second National AMA Women's Motocross Championship title and subsequent rebound from a broken collarbone; to high-performance training with family and friends at her personal track in Florida; then en route to competing in the FIM Race in the Netherlands; and finally, flying back to New York for her book release.
