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Junior motocross champ races on to #1
For most people, watching their career go "downhill" usually means bad news. But for people like Cierah "C.J." Bish, downhill is a good thing -- a term of endearment for those who embrace the sport of motocross.
Since joining the Idaho racing scene eight years ago, C.J.'s life on the downhill circuit meant cruising through hairpin corners at 45 miles per hour and flying 80 feet over dirt-packed hills to lead the competition.
The fact she just turned 13 doesn't seem to phase her. She also appreciates the idea she's a girl. In fact, it helps drive her to be the best racer in Idaho while setting her sights on one day climbing to the top of the national ranks.
It's her quest to prove that girls are just as competitive as boys in this sport. She's highlighted that fact each season, recently clinching her sixth state title while adding to her collection of 31 first-place awards.
Humble beginnings
A seventh-grade student at Mountain Home Junior High School, C.J. began her love of racing one afternoon while watching BMX racing on television with her father. She was 5.
"I was so amazed what people can do on a bike, and I said I wanted one," she said.
Her father, who competed in motocross as a child, agreed to not only get his daughter a bike but to also teach her to ride. C.J. still recalls those first moments on that bike.
"I remember being so excited that I gave it too much throttle, and me and dad flew off the back," she said.
Despite that less-than-auspicious beginning, C.J. learned fast, and her parents watched their daughter master that first motorcycle. Over time, they encouraged the six-year-old to try competing for a change of pace.
"She didn't want to race," her mother said. "All she would do is practice every Friday night with all the little kids (at the track)."
Their daughter reluctantly agreed to compete in the last race of the city's motocross series in October 2002. Her parents promised to not ask again if she decided racing wasn't in her blood.
"But when that gate dropped, there was no stopping her," her mother said. Even when C.J. fell down or ran into a fence, she'd get up and yell at someone to help get her bike started.
Finishing sixth overall, the youngster was hooked, asking her parents, "So, when is the next one?"
She had to wait until March 2003 for that next chance. Despite her limited racing experience, she entered the season's first race at the track in Glenns Ferry and sped on to win the pee wee powder puff title.
"I was locked on it -- the thrill of the sport and the fun of it," C.J. said.
"She fell asleep in the truck on the way home hugging that trophy," her mother added.
From rookie to veteran
By the end of the racing season, C.J. had already outgrown the capabilities of her first bike and started to ride one with more power. Over the next five years, her parents continued to move her into more powerful vehicles to keep pace with her abilities.
"She would run them so hard that the top ends would go out on them," her father said. "She'd max out the potential of one bike, so she had to move up to the next bigger bike."
However, it's instinct and the ability to "read" the track that win these races, not speed and horsepower, her father said. Her natural ability to correctly gauge where to pick up speed, especially on tight corners, helped her win more than one contest against boys with more powerful models.
"It's a lot better to have more smarts than speed," C.J. said. "You've got to find a good line for a jump or a good rut for a corner. That's how you get your speed."
Along her downhill journey, C.J. relied on several mentors to sharpen her instincts. People like Cole Siebler helped her develop the racing rhythm. Others like Tag Hawks showed her how to "read" the track to find the best places to pick up speed while Matt MacKay helped her master cornering.
One tough teen
During her years of racing, the teen's had her fair share of bumps, bruises and close calls. She's cartwheeled down a hill while still on her bike, been launched off her cycle during jumps and tumbled over safety rails. Hundreds of dollars of safety gear, including a neck brace, helmet and knee and elbow pads, allow her to walk away often unscathed.
"We take every effort we can to keep her from getting hurt," her dad said. " The funny thing is that she's broken two bones in her life, and none of them have been on a motorcycle."
But it's her desire to beat the odds and be number one that impresses her parents, despite those collisions and hits that would convince most riders to lay down and cry. Instead, she's often calling out to have someone restart her bike so she can get back into the race.
"She don't have 'quit' in her; that's what makes her who she is," her mother said.
"If you go to any of the tracks or call anybody in the sport and ask who is probably the toughest person on the track, it's going to be her by far," her father added.
Life outside of racing
Off the track, C.J. remains a typical teenager who enjoys going to the movies or going to slumber parties with her friends. Despite her love of the sport, school work remains a priority in the Bish family. The seventh grader has a particular love of Jim Clark's world geography class. She enjoys exploring the world and learning more about what is out there.
"Maybe I'll go race there someday," she said.
She also remains active in the school's sports programs to remain in top physical shape. This allows her to handle the rigors of riding, jumping and turning, which takes a toll on even the most seasoned athletes.
"It keeps me active and moving so when I'm on the bike I can stay on without running the risk of letting go."
Starting this month, she begins training for the upcoming motocross season, which begins in March. To prepare, she spends two or three days a week on her motorcycle at a makeshift track on her parent's property along with another course in town or Boise.
Looking to be #1
Her goal in coming months includes attending the Women's Cup in Wortham, Texas, in January. If she goes, it would possibly be the second time a woman from Idaho would attend this national competition. Attending the race would give her an accurate look at her current racing skills and what she needs to reach the top, her father said.
"She's always willing to learn," he added. "She's not one of those kids that thinks she knows it all or has no room for improvement. Every time we're at the track, she'll come up and ask, 'what can I do on my starts or where am I losing speed?' She's still a student of the game."
However, the teen was quick to highlight there's no room in this sport for showing off.
"If you want to be a showboat, you might as well quit the sport now and join the X-Games. Motocross isn't about show. It's about fun and seriousness," she said.
There's only one thing that tends to anger C.J. --parents that put the need to win above their child's love of the sport or parents.
"There were boys and parents of these boys whose whole intention was to beat (C.J.)," her father said. "No one would give her the respect and credit that she earned. All they tried to do was beat (just) her."
It's people like this that inspire the teen to practice and improve.
"I'm going to keep going downhill. Now that I've come to the middle, I'm going straight to the top," she said.