{"id":327692,"date":"2020-08-06T06:06:02","date_gmt":"2020-08-05T20:06:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=327692"},"modified":"2020-08-06T06:06:02","modified_gmt":"2020-08-05T20:06:02","slug":"mra-welcomes-female-riders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/mra-welcomes-female-riders\/","title":{"rendered":"MRA welcomes female riders"},"content":{"rendered":"
Mari Alvarez gets ready for the weekly exhibition races Marianas Racing Association organizes in Marpi.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Marianas Racing Association has issued an open invitation to women looking for some adrenalin rush on the motocross track.<\/p>\n

MRA official Cuki Alvarez, who oversees the exhibition races the revived group conducts once a week in Marpi, encouraged women interested in motocross to come forward, as experienced riders will be there to assists newbies.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough some ladies have asked, they still seem little timid and \u2018shy\u2019 and we want to try and break that thought that MX is a \u2018men\u2019s only\u2019 sport. We want to encourage more women to ride,\u201d Alvarez said.<\/p>\n

Only Cuki\u2019s wife, Mari, has been regularly joining MRA\u2019s weekly races and though she admitted that motocross may be intimidating to some, especially for women, once you get the hang of it and learn from master riders, you will look forward to jumping into your bike every time you have a chance.<\/p>\n

\u201cI encourage women to stop by and check us out at Kan Pacific. They can watch and see if it\u2019s something that tickles their fancy. If so, we have many veteran riders that can help them find the best bike to fit their size and level as well as assist in teaching them to ride. Most of our beginner riders start at the flat tracks or the beginner course inside the baseball field. Once they build enough confidence and skill, they can start riding the main track,\u201d Mari said.<\/p>\n

Like any newcomer in any sport, Mari said there will be challenges as you navigate your way into the track, but one must not be discouraged by these setbacks.<\/p>\n

Mari Alvarez clears a berm during one of the weekly races that Marianas Racing Association held last month in Marpi. (Marianas Racing Association)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe last time I rode a bike was almost 14 years ago, that\u2019s a long break! My first experience riding a dirt bike again was a combination of excitement and nervousness. It helped that I knew how to drive a standard vehicle because it\u2019s just like a car, you need to work and control the clutch, it\u2019s really an important part of the bike. Then of course I always feared crashing but that\u2019s where all the practice and safety gear come in,\u201d the female rider said.<\/p>\n

The once-a-week exhibition races helped Mari slowly keep up with the boys on the track and she believes other female riders interested in joining the group will gain the same improvement or even better than hers once MRA gets a permanent raceway.<\/p>\n

\u201cI still need to learn utilizing the bike to its full power but like everything else, practice will make you better. For now, we are only allowed one day of practice a week and so I look forward to Marianas Racing Association\u2019s permanent track. I feel I need to work harder on my aggressiveness and eliminate my thoughts of crashing especially at my age, LOL. This time around, I\u2019m taking it slowly but I do want to get back to my best shape and skill,\u201d Mari said.<\/p>\n

The brave female rider expects more tough rides, including occasional crashes, as she works her way back into her top form, but the adrenaline rush that motocross brings to her is enough to conquer the fear of falling down from her bike.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I love the fact that I\u2019m working with a machine. Then the fast speed and going through rough terrains gives me this constant adrenaline. The fear of crashing will always be in the back of my head, but I\u2019ve learned that it\u2019s part of the sport. Just need to dust off the dirt and get back on the bike,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Marianas Racing Association has issued an open invitation to women looking for some adrenalin…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":327713,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[4883],"class_list":["post-327692","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-mra"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/327692","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=327692"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/327692\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/327713"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=327692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=327692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=327692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}