Road to glory: one girls story of determination leading to success Published July 13, 2006 By Airman 1st Class Ashley Coomes Public affairs Grand Forks AFB, ND -- “I visualize the race before the gate even opens. I take a deep breath and try to stay calm, because if I get nervous, I lose focus,” said the five-foot-five, blonde hair, blue-eyed girl. “I refuse to be taken down.” Erin “2 Sweet” Moore, daughter of Tech. Sgt. Douglas Moore, 319th Civil Engineering Squadron, won the North Dakota Bicycle Moto-cross State championship qualifier last Saturday in Fargo and last Sunday in Grand Forks. She has placed first in the North Dakota state finals for the past two years. Erin started racing in 2003 when she bought her first bike with money saved from Christmas. Her two younger brothers raced and she told herself that if they could do it, she could do it well as well. “I crashed three times during my first race and no one was even around me,” she recalled. Because most of the other racers had more experience, she was initially discouraged, but finally decided to race hard and race often. By the time that first season was over, she had recovered from her scrapes and bruises and finished fourth in North Dakota in her age group. That winter, she began a training routine which involved swimming, weights and joining her high school track team. In 2004, Moore hit the BMX scene hard with the goal of becoming the number one girl competitor in North Dakota. She accomplished that goal and much more by finishing 12th in her national age group (14-year-old-girls). She raced no less than four times a week that season. “After the state championship race in 2004, it seemed she had a gift for racing,” said Sergeant Moore. “I could see she had determination and passion for the sport.” In 2005, Erin felt that she was ready to become best of the best. “At one point, she was angry and upset because she had lost a national championship in Texas. She told me she didn’t want to race anymore and hated it, then she turned around and asked, ‘Dad, what do I gotta do to win?’” said Sergeant Moore. Through determination and hard work, Erin placed first in the U.S. open championship at Topeka, Kan., and was named 8th in her national age group of 14-year-old -girls. Erin continues to race three times a week at the Red River BMX track, which her father operates, and plans to compete in the Southwest national BMX championship in Las Vegas, Saturday. With the first BMX event introduced for the 2008 Olympics, she says she now has new goals to set her sights on. No doubt she will be as successful as always.