AX: Miss Arenacross Lindsey Scheltema

AMA Arenacross Series Interview of the Week: Miss Arenacross Lindsey Scheltema

The excitement is heating up in the 2010 AMA Arenacross Series as the world’s best arenacross racers head to the West Coast this weekend at Fresno’s Save Mart Center. Traditionally, the first and second half of the arenacross season serve as two completely different chapters in one year and this season, that trend couldn’t be more accurate.

As the AMA Arenacross Series hosts its eighth round of the season on Saturday night, the on-track action has picked up considerably over the last couple weeks.  The halfway point of the season from Youngstown produced arguably the greatest race in the history of the sport while last weekend in the series’ return to San Antonio, the premier AMA Arenacross class’ pair of leading riders engaged in a heated battle.

While Babbitt’s Monster Energy/Ti Lube Kawasaki’s Tyler Bowers appeared to be the rider to beat through the first half of the season in which he garnered six victories, the momentum has shifted dramatically in the early stages of the second half as Bowers’ teammate Josh Demuth has put forth some of the best rides of his long, illustrious career. Along the way, the on-track excitement has been as unpredictable as ever throughout the field and on any given night, one of the many past AMA Arenacross Series winners still in search of their first win of the season could stand atop the podium.

We checked in with Miss Arenacross Lindsey Scheltema to get an inside look at how things have played out so far in 2010. As the co-announcer at each round of the AMA Arenacross Series, Lindsey is right in the middle of the action and we wanted to get her thoughts on how things have shaken out so far this year and what we can look forward to over the next month.

Lindsey, now that we’re seven rounds into the 2010 AMA Arenacross Series season, what are your thoughts on the action that has taken place so far?
The action that has gone on thus far in the 2010 AMA Arenacross season is incredible. We have seen mass chaos, past champions battling with new rookies, back flips, mayhem, and much more high flying fun action. I cannot wait to see what’s the rest of the season has in store for us!

Despite Tyler Bowers’ early season dominance, the racing has still been close and if he slips up, there are a number of riders ready to take advantage. In fact his teammate Josh Demuth is making a bit of a late-season run. Who else has been up there each week giving Tyler a run for his money?
Well in Baltimore, Nathan Skaggs gave him a run for his money for a couple laps and Brock Sellards was up there for a while in Hampton. Unfortunately, Brock is out with an injury which is a bummer for the series because he traditionally is the strongest closer of any rider in the series. Chad Johnson, Tyler’s teammate, definitely has been pushing Bowers as well, even to the point of gaining time on him. And obviously there’s Josh (Demuth), who is riding amazing right now and looks to be the guy to beat at the moment. We definitely have a few close contestants to show Tyler Bowers a good race.

What about the AMA Arenacross Lites class? The racing in that class has been phenomenal and a lot of young riders are making a name for themselves early on.
Oh for sure! Well first off, not talking about young riders, but Jim Neese, one of our veteran arenacross racers has been having spectacular performances weekend to weekend. Along with Jim we have Tyler Bright who has been following close behind. The two Foremost Insurance teammates are certainly two racers to keep on the lookout in the AMA Arenacross Lites class. Another team to definitely keep your eyes on is the team GPF babbittsonline.com riders, Dano Aulseybrook and A.J Catanzaro. A.J in particular just turned 16 and this is his first year racing arenacross. You might not be able to tell that though after watching this guy tear up the track on his dirtbike. Dano is also a top upcoming rider and has definitely been showing some quick lap times.

For those who may not know, what exactly is your role as Miss Arenacross?
My role as Miss Arenacross is to reach out to the fans each and every week. Since this sport is my life, love and passion, I strive to get all the fans as excited as I am about racing. I serve as an ambassador to the sport and one of the faces of the series. I do a lot of public relations and media work to promote arenacross. On race nights I serve as a co-announcer during the races.

This is your second year as Miss Arenacross and you have taken on a more prominent role in the actual show each and every night. Talk a little bit about that.
Yes, I have actually! As Miss Arenacross, I help promote the races and attend media and promotional events. I also co-announce during the night with Wes Kain. I recently moved to Aurora, IL where our headquarters are located and I am the new operations coordinator for the series. For me, this is absolutely incredible because I not only get to promote the sport I love, but I also get to work behind the scenes to make this sport possible.
 
Do you have any past experience announcing? How has it been getting used to speaking in front of thousands of fans every weekend?
I have announced occasionally at some of our local D14 races for the last five years, but nothing like arenacross announcing. I can’t tell you or even begin to explain how I felt on top of the catapult landing in Des Moines in 2008 when I was selected as Miss Arenacross. I was shaking like crazy, and had no idea even what to do. Since then, I slowly got more comfortable and now in 2010, I absolutely love it. I am so comfortable, love interacting and talking with the fans, and I couldn’t ask for anything more.

You are also a top-level women’s motocross competitor as well as a full-time student. What are your plans for the future?
Well, in the near future I have so many plans for myself. It’s hard to say what my future holds, but as of right now, I ‘m working for Feld Motor Sports full time, I go to school full time at Franklin University for Public Relations and Management and also plan on competing as a racer this summer. I am tentatively planning on racing a couple WMX rounds at the outdoor nationals, Loretta Lynn’s and probably a couple local races. I could never not be a racer, it’s in my blood. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

How do you think things are going to play out the rest of the season on the track?
I have no idea – it’s too tight to call at this point! This year we have so many new faces, previous arenacross riders returning, as well as past champions returning in hopes of obtaining another arenacross championship. The racing we have seen so far this season has been nothing short of incredible and I couldn’t even begin to tell the fans what is going to play out on the track the rest of the season. I hope to see all you guys at least once during the rest of this 2010 season! Keep watching my weekly blog on arenacross.com. See you guys at the races!
Tickets for the Fresno Arenacross are available at the Save Mart Center box office, Ticketmaster, ticketmaster.com and arenacross.com. Action begins Saturday night with opening ceremonies at 7:00 p.m. PST.
 
Fans in attendance also can take part in the Track Party on Saturday from 5-6 p.m. for the chance to meet the riders and get autographs. Simply recycle any MONSTER ENERGY can at the gate entrance for FREE admission. Must have valid Saturday event ticket to enter.

Tickets for all rounds of the 2010 season can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com and www.arenacross.com.  For more information on the AMA Arenacross Series log on to www.arenacross.com.