Jennifer Smestad & Sharon LaVoy : TEAM Arizona Riders of the Month January 2014!
Last Updated: November 29th, 2020
The great thing about motorcycling, and the training school in specific, is that we’re introduced to people from all walks of life. Last month, as a response to our newsletter, a very caring Sharon LaVoy emailed us about a special TEAM Arizona graduate named Jennifer Smestad. We’re suckers for a smile and a sash, so we were instantly hooked!
What is interesting about Jen? Well, for starters she was Miss Maricopa 2012 before she became Miss Arizona 2013. Let’s not stop there though. Jen went on to compete in the 2014 Miss America competition. Particularly interesting is that Jen was diagnosed at age 10 with Tourette’s Syndrome. She uses her raised public profile to provide Tourette Syndrome Awareness and Advocacy.
So what about her motorcycling career? It began with the Basic RiderCourse from TEAM Arizona in July 2012 and has seen stints on borrowed motorcycles. Yes, her riding experience may be limited, but it will be growing as she hopes for a candy purple Harley Sportster 72 in the near future. Jen is pragmatic about motorcycling and even self effacing. She understands that motorcycling is very much a risk and reward proposition.
In Jen’s own words:
This is kind of embarrassing, but going into the course I didn’t know there was a clutch on a motorcycle. I didn’t even know what a clutch was! Learning how to use it was the most challenging for me, and it still confuses me at times. I love to go fast, which is still only 35 mph to me, but I’m getting there!!
So what about Sharon, the catalyst for this award? At Jen’s prompting, Sharon decided to take the course as a means to surprise her motorcycle-riding husband. The surprise worked and 18 months later, Sharon has been tootling around on a Honda Rebel (aka Rebbie). She absolutely loves the feeling of freedom she gets on two wheels.
In Sharon’s own words:
After riding only for 1.5 years, I still get nervous in heavy traffic. Other than that, the more I ride the more comfortable I feel. Practice, practice, practice. Before hitting the road I go to a parking lot of a vacant store and practice my turns, stops, etc.
We are excited to have two fantastic proponents of motorcycling in the TEAM Arizona family. Please welcome Jen and Sharon as our first Riders of the Month for 2014!
Riders, we want to honor YOU! If you want to become a TEAM Arizona’s Rider of the Month, entering is SIMPLE.
- Email Bill (bill@motorcycletraining.com )
- In the subject line, type “Rider of the Month”
- In one paragraph, tell us why you deserve the title TEAM Arizona Rider of the Month!
Let’s have some serious FUN with this gang! There are some great stories out there and we don’t want to miss them, so tell us about YOU!
For the Entire TEAM Arizona Newsletter Content, CLICK HERE
