As children we learned to ride with no expectations of greatness. We rode for the resonant bliss of a holeshot and the victory of the win. Through the small triumphs we learned lessons that make us who we are today. We learned dedication, perseverance, humility and strength, we also developed lifelong friendships. Essentially, we have built a motocross culture that has grown into a marketable entity. Obviously, motocross will never rival the NFL or any mainstream American sport for that matter, although what motocross has become is something all its own.

With all the buzz surrounding contracts, teams, management, and endorsement for the 2009 SX series, it's easy to forget that every rider had to start somewhere. It's in this off-season that I start to think about those humble beginnings (since nothing else is going on!) and I'm recalling a conversation I had with Chad Reed at the Rockstar Energy U.S. Open about his humble beginnings.

Can you tell us a little bit about your hometown?
I grew up in a small town by the name of Kurri Kurri Australia. We have not even one set of traffic lights. My high school that I went to, which high school for us is the 7-12 grade, had maybe 1,000 kids total, so it was a small town. I love to go back there and visit my mom and dad and walk down the street and see familiar faces. So yeah it's a neat town.

Do you work with or train other riders from your hometown?
Luke George is somebody that I've been around a lot and he's 18 so he's quite a lot younger than I am. Growing up I always just watched him and he's a really really cool kid, great attitude, great family and I just always try to give some good advice. Still to this day I talk to him regularly on the phone and he just recently won the Motocross Championship in Australia and he's really excited about that. With my involvement with Australian Supercross I'm spending more time, the month of pretty much October and November down there. He just got a track built by the same guy I did, so we'll be doing a lot of riding and spending a lot of time with him. Hopefully I can help him transition into America.

What has been your greatest accomplishment since entering AMA in 2002?
My greatest ones are probably my two Supercross titles. They just stand alone. As a kid that's all I ever wanted to do is win Supercross races like Jeremy Mcgrath and that's what he did, it was all about Supercross. I would say that's probably the greatest thing is winning those two championships, and 35 Supercross wins and I think I'm 3rd on the all time Supercross wins list. It's been an amazing ride and I feel like we are just getting warmed up here.

Looking back and recognizing where we have been, is all apart of growing up not only as an individual but as a sport. From our hometown tracks to stadiums filled with fans, that rebellious desire to race and the innate passion to ride is the unique embodiment of motocross.

My inspiration for this blog was from a picture that my mom found tucked away in the albums. Check it out (at the top). After a long race, the boys of Barona Oaks MX decided to hop in the water truck to cool down. Familiar faces? You might recognize a young Ryan Beat and Sean Hamblin, enjoying all the fun of a great day spent racing.

--Kristen Beat