Munro shows the boys how it's done
Teenage motocross sensation Melanie Munro continues to teach the boys a thing or two.
Last weekend the 17-year-old Mount St.Agnes student made history by becoming the first-ever female to win a domestic motocross championship.
A veteran of five years on the Coney Island track, Munro outjumped, outrode and outshone all of her male counterparts to win the gruelling 125cc division.
Opting to trade in her ballet slippers for life in the fast lane, she's consistently proven she can more than compete in what has been a traditionally male-dominated sport.
"I'd rather do scrambling than ballet. Besides, it's a lot more fun," replied Munro when asked why she took up the sport.
Munro has never been far from the motocross action.
Father Brent is a former 250cc competitor, while Munro's two brothers, Stephen and Randy, can also been seen showcasing their talents at Coney Island in the 125cc and 80cc categories respectively.
"I was always at the track as a youngster with my dad when he used to race. And my brothers are also active in the sport and it kind of rubbed off on me," she said. "Because I was always there at the track I eventually decided that I might as well join in.
"It was extremely hard in the beginning. In fact, I cried after my very first race because I kept falling off my bike."
But she persevered and now attributes her rise to the summit to hours of practise, both on local soil and at an overseas motocross camp in Ontario, Canada, where she was coached by some of the best instructors in the country.
Munro noted how that experience helped her immensely.
"Just riding all day-long certainly helped to make me a much better rider. Just being on the bike all and everyday. And after attending the summer camp for the past two years, I managed to steadily progress," said Munro, who is also contemplating playing soccer.
"My competition don't look at me as a girl," she added. "I don't think that they acknowledge me as a girl. They don't look at me as such but instead treat me as though I am one of the boys. And that's good because I don't want to be treated differently."
However, she conceded that being accepted by the opposite sex was one thing, but being accepted as a winner was another.
"They hated it. They hated it when I beat them," she smiled.
With the class championship safely in the bag, Munro says she's accomplished most of her goals.
"I guess that you can say that I am very happy because I also won three races in a row and a woman has never before accomplished that," she said.
"I never found the race track challenging, at least not as challenging as some of my rival competitors. I think that the race track course changed only once this year."
And although the talented rider remains uncertain about her immediate future, she warned that her racing days are by no means over yet.
"I will probably come back and occasionally compete in a few races. But no, I don't intend on calling it quits altogether."