Arielle Martin Expected Back for Winter Nats

After tangling with Ashley Lynch in Sunday’s main event at the ABA Gator Nationals in Oldsmar, FL earlier this month, Arielle Martin ended up with a fracture of the Fifth metacarpal bone (right hand).

She characterized the injury as “no big deal” and said the cast would be off the week before the ABA Winter Nationals in Phoenix next month.

But if you’re in a cast, you gotta pimp it out, right? Some of you may have seen AMV15′s custom-painted Intense Podium at the first few races this year. Well, even though she’s off the bike, she is still reppin Intense in a big way with a graphical riff on her ride, put on the proverbial plaster.

We’ll catch up with Arielle at Speedworld to bring you the latest on her comeback.

Team USA Women Train with US Navy SEALs

Last month, Alise Post’s Facebook profile had a photo album from the Fréjus trip showing her, Amanda Geving, Arielle Martin and Brooke Crain having some pre-race fun on an obstacle course in the French countryside. On one of the photos, we wrote “I can see the headline now: ‘Elite BMX Women the first females accepted in to Légion étrangère’ (the French Foreign Legion).”

Naturally, we were kidding. But when we got word this week that three of them took in a day of training with the US Navy SEALs…well, who knows what may lie ahead. Like the movie “GI Jane,” Oakley gear and all.

In all seriousness, there is no doubt that graduates of the SEALs 24-week “BUD/S” (for Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL) school are among the most capable and respected operators in the history of warfare.

In BMX Racing, we have a deep respect for our top-hand athletes, who live, eat and breathe their craft. When they are not on an airplane to the next “job site,” they are training relentlessly to get ready for the gig. Brooke, Arielle and Alise took that training to a new level this week when they (along with the USA Velodrome team) joined the SEALs at their base in Coronado, CA (near the US Olympic Training Center/ Chula Vista). The fact that these three BMXers could keep up with the elite SEAL recruits for a full day of training shows the level of physical and mental conditioning involved in BMX Racing at the highest level.

News asked Arielle, Brooke and Alise to write a few paragraphs on their experience. We are very proud to bring you their story.

By Arielle Verhaaren
I first heard about “Navy SEAL Training” back in ’08 when the USA Track and Field team went through it. Rumors started flying around the OTC about how brutal it was, how many people dropped out, and how sore they all were when it was over. Even back then, I immediately started asking how I could get in on this gig. As a military wife, with a husband serving in Special Operations, I have a great deal of respect for the Special Forces. It is universally-agreed among all military branches that the Navy SEALs “BUD/S” course is the toughest, roughest and most revered training a soldier can receive. Of course I wanted in!  Two years later, our Sports Psych had it arranged and Alise, Brooke, and myself were off to Coronado to throw down the gauntlet, along side USA Velodrome.
 
I’ll let them tell you how tough it was, how teamwork took us to the top, and how much sand we are still finding in places it doesn’t belong. I have never done anything so physically demanding in my life. Being so far out of the familiar BMX training element forced us to dig deeper than we thought possible–just to survive. I’ve never hated running and push ups more than I did that day. It’s amazing what the human body is capable of, and how much farther it can be pushed once you find that state of mind and turn it on. My body was absolutely trashed when we finished (still is actually) but i’ve been on a mental high ever since. It was a very special experience, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I have been humbled as an athlete, a wife, and an American.

–Arielle Verhaaren

By Brooke Crain
When the OTC Sports Psychologist invited me to do a day of training with the US Navy SEALs, my first thought was “I’m going to die out there.” But of course I wanted to do it.

We started out with a warmup run–up, then down the sand hills on the base. After that, I was already feeling tired. As everyone in the BMX world knows, we are sprinters not long distance…anything. The SEALs training was, by far, the hardest thing I have ever done in my life.

Being the youngest one in the training, I was chosen to be the leader. I was not very thrilled about this because I don’t like yelling at people– especially people I don’t know. Being the leader, I would call out “down” and “ready,” in the drills. Toward the end, when I had to call the push ups, we were all in the “up” position for what seemed like hours. My arms were burning I just wanted to quit. Tears were rolling down my face, but I pushed through it.

Two days later, I am still sore all over my body. Training with the SEALs will make me think differently in life. These guys are incredible, and how they do what they do every day is amazing. I learned how much the body can take, even when you think it can’t handle anymore. I learned that there is a “switch” in your head that tells you that you’re tired, but if you can learn to turn that switch off and keep going you can do so much more than you ever thought possible. I had to dig down deep for this training and I’m very proud of what my teammates and I accomplished.

I learned a lot about my teammates, Alise and Arielle, that day. We have become a lot closer just by going through that pain together. We worked as a true team for the first time, and we were there for each other–rather then it always being a competition between us.  It was an amazing experience, that I will never forget. Training with the Navy Seals made me so thankful for all of those who serve our country and how much hard work they put in just so we can all be free. Those men and women are amazing and I couldn’t thank them enough.

—-Brooke Crain
 
By Alise Post

“Hey ladies, what do you think about training with the Navy SEALs for a day?”

“Oh heck yeah! The track and field people did that and said it was so hard a lot of people had to ‘tap out.’ I wanna see if I’ve got what it takes!”

When I accepted this offer from USOC Sports Psych Wendy Borlabi, it was definitely my competitive side speaking. After hearing about the difficulty of the training, of course I wanted to test my abilities (because that’s what athletes do…they compete–in EVERYTHING!). And honestly, I also wanted to prove to myself that I am just as tough as the big crazy meatheads who yell all the time just to put fear in people; that’s the kind of people I thought Navy SEALs were. However I learned a lot about the approach and reasoning behind their training, and actually gained a lot of respect for what they do, and the kind of person it takes to become a SEAL.

I won’t lie that I went into this pretty nervous, but was still confident that with my history in sport, and Arielle and Brooke right there with me, I would be able to push through just fine. My confidence however, was tested immediately when we got to the base in Coronado and started with a “light” run up and down a giant sand berm over to the classroom. Every one of us was already panting pretty heavily at this point, and sadly I questioned if I would actually be able to make it through the whole day in those first 10 minutes.

When we got into the classroom though, my emotions took another turn. I was completely inspired by their stories, and explanation to why they were so hard on their soldiers, because in all actuality it related a lot to the mentality of sport. They physically break their soldiers down to the point that their bodies can no longer function without using mental toughness. They force them to use the power of the mind, while under pressure, so they can prove they have what it takes under any circumstances to perform their tasks. As if that doesn’t sound familiar enough to an athlete’s mentality, they talked about some of the techniques they use to get through tough times: goal setting, visualization, motivational self-talk, and breathing. It was great to hear these things, then directly apply them to a situation completely out of my comfort zone and see how well I was able to cope.

We started with the giant obstacle course (O-course), which I found myself to get through without too much of a struggle. Having gained some confidence back, I had high hopes for the rest of the day. Then, when we moved into running over sand berms, carrying logs and boats, and being covered from head to toe in 10lbs water weight and 10 lbs sand (that was blinding you with no way to rub it off), all while being timed and with limited hydration, my emotions took yet another turn. It took a ton of mental toughness, not only to get through MY day…but also to support my teammates and help them get through theirs, as they were helping me. Brooke, Arielle, and I suffered a lot of pain together that day, and I believe we created a bond through that which will only help us work together to become the best we can be down the road.

I thank the Navy SEALs for the emotional roller coaster ride of a lifetime and teaching me a lot about my teammates, and myself. I gained a lot of respect for what they, and all military, do day in and day out. I will carry the values they taught me throughout my BMX career and everyday life.

Oh, and I guess I’d also like to thank them for making me the sorest I’ve ever been as well =)

–Alise Post
Redline #1

Photos courtesy of Daniel Walker, via Facebook

Arielle Martin On “Inspiration”

Arielle sent around an email today with a wonderful story about a friend of hers, a Paralympian, who also trains at OTC/Chula Vista. The story was so moving, that News asked her if we could reprint it for our readers to enjoy.

For all the complaining and self-limitation we sometimes let filter into our everyday lives, Elexis “Lex” Gillette reminds us that our world is literally brighter than we could ever imagine (and so is his, by the way).

A big thanks to Arielle for sharing this story of inspiration.

INSPIRATION

When I think about the opportunity I have had to live and train at the Olympic Training Center, what comes to mind is not the world class equipment, the physio, the state of the art technology, or the best SX course in the world. Its the other athletes. The ones I eat lunch with, live with, and pass on the campus en route to training. Athletes that inspire me to be a better athlete, to work harder as I see them work harder. Diversified in many different sports we are all united in one common goal: The Olympics.

None have impacted me more than Elexis Gillette. At first glance Lex appears to be a typical Long jumper. A long, dark muscular body with an obvious athletic astuteness and awareness of a high-caliber athlete. Always surrounded by people, Lex has an energy that is contagious, a smile always on his face, and it usually takes two or three glances before the average person finally realizes that he is completely blind.

It never ceases to amaze me how he gets around campus on his own, often without his walking stick. Or how he always knows its me when I walk in the cafeteria and shouts my name before I have spoken his. If that’s not inspiring enough his athletic ability is phenomenal. Watching him charge a runway to the sound of his guide runners claps before launching himself blind into a pit of sand seems impossible. A silver medalist in Bejing, Lex has proved the impossible wrong. His blindness has only made him more aware, and his attitude being so positive all the time makes me wonder why I complain about the small things.

Lex has an insatiable curiosity, and after attending our World Cup a few weeks ago he asked me if I would take him out to walk our course so he could “feel” it. Understand it. I was hesitant at first to take him to the top of the 3 1/2 story start ramp, but he insisted we walk it from start to end. Over the next 45 minutes he touched and felt every lip, landing, berm and surface while I explained it to him. It was an incredible experience for me, I had never seen the course like this before. As I was describing it to him while his fingertips were touching the gate, the ramp, the soil-tac on the dirt, it was opening my own eyes. Like I was seeing it for the first time.

Lex also happens to be an incredible musician. He writes, he sings, he plays. Its evident after spending just a little time with him that his real passion is music, none of us that know him doubt that he is going somewhere with it. He has real talent.

After we went out to the BMX track, Lex wrote a song about it. Below, you will find an MP3, accompanied by the lyrics. Its raw and funny. I thought it was pretty cool, and I felt like sharing, hence this email. The experience has inspired me.

Arielle

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“CRAZY”
By Elexis Gillette
—————–

45 degrees, go
and let the Red Bull take control
lights, camera, action
all in your peripheral
now you see me, now you don’t
take a risk, take a chance
don’t worry lil mama I might crash
it’s my sport, it’s what I choose
broken bones is just a bruise
you think that my screw’s loose?

little bit crazy
what you think about that?
little bit crazy
a little bit crazy
everybody think it’s a little bit crazy

I go hard or go home
and break competitors off like they Styrofoam
burning rubber bringing steam
you just wanna make a team
but I live American dreams
so go ahead and let the titans clash
we might need a … ambulance
I can make ya swerve in my velodrome
only one can take the throne

keep the rhythm bring it home

little bit crazy
what you think about that yo?
little bit crazy
a little bit crazy
everybody think it’s a little bit crazy

clip ‘em in, take a ride
pick a lane, you decide
hit the ramp, ride the sky
make the crowd lose their mind
clip ‘em in, take a ride
pick a lane, you decide
hit the ramp, ride the sky
While L.E.X. expand your mind

when I’m up in the race I’m all up in your face
and I got speed no one can replace
just kill the chase, can’t keep with the pace
don’t you know I be pushing the sounds, what
324 is where I make hits
ladies just go write your numb down
and fellas be looking like “who this?” like “who this?”
I’m that one that’s rolling and flowing and holding it scrolling it
I be controlling it through the crowd and then I’m just like “cool it now”
need to slow it down
everybody just jump jump and break it down
I got BMX on my hip, hula!
running the table, Don Shula
if you think that you a ruler wake up and smell them tulips, yeah
better get out the way when I get out my cage
red white and blue when I get on the stage
30MPH and I’m up in a rage

cause it’s a little bit crazy
a little bit crazy
BMX is so crazy
everybody say it’s a little bit crazy
it’s a little bit crazy
everybody say it’s a little bit crazy

---

Elexis Gillette Links:

http://usparalympics.org/news/2009/06/03/lex-gillette-finds-time-to-give-back/13243

http://mysocalledfabulouslife.blogspot.com/2009/06/athlete-spotlight-lex-gillette.html

Photo via Lex Gillette’s Facebook Page

Intense Rolls the Stars & Stripes at 2010 SX

Today’s “Latest Dirt,” would probably be better placed in the “Better Late Than Never” file, if we had one. Just prior to the Madrid Supercross, a few weeks back, Arielle Martin posted her new scoot on Facebook. The new Intense ride is rockin some new paint, which all the Intense-sponsored pros will be riding exclusively at UCI BMX Supercross races throughout 2010. On the Freecaster webcast, we also saw the Stars & Stripes livery under David Herman and Nic Long. Could a limited edition public release of the Stars & Stripes hardware be far behind?

Nice pedals, Ari

Arielle Martin Joins Intense BMX Factory Team

We have been meaning to get Arielle to appear as a guest on “Announcer’s Tower” for a couple months now, but the BMXNEWS hustle was constantly getting in the way. Just yesterday, the stars aligned, and we were able to synch up a time for a sit-down this afternoon. In the ensuing 24 hours, word started to leak out that a new sponsor was in the picture (probably after a Facebook post she made with a decidedly-Intense-looking bike in a repair stand, the caption of which saying “Could this rig be more fresh?”).

Lucky us that we not only got the Arielle interview we have been jonesing for, but we were also in the perfect place at the perfect time to break the news of her fresh new factory ride with Intense BMX.

Listen to the interview by using the controls below…

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