Amanda Colon
Before you began working with NETRA, what was your introduction to the organization? What were your first impressions?
I had started dating someone that raced, he introduced me to NETRA and to the whole race lifestyle. The first race that I went to was the 2009 Spring Challenge in Freetown. I was a little overwhelmed at first. It was definitely a lot to take in especially having never even seen a dirt bike before that. What stood out to me the most was just how genuinely nice and welcoming everyone was. I didn’t know anyone and felt like the new kid in school but everyone that I met was so helpful and happy to show me the ropes, it really made me feel right at home.
When did you first get involved in scoring our hare scrambles? What got you interested in doing it?
I started scoring for NETRA in 2010, so this season will be my eleventh. In 2009 when I first started going to the hare scrambles, I was pretty much the designated pit girl which was fun but I still kind of wanted to get more involved. So when I heard the scoring contract was up for grabs, I jumped at the opportunity and submitted a proposal to the comp committee. I had absolutely NO idea how to score a race but I figured that with a little training, I could figure it out. I didn’t end up getting the contract that year but fortunately the people that did get it, invited me to join their team. By the middle of the 2010 season, they decided that they didn’t want to do it anymore, so I ended up taking over and have been doing it ever since.
You've been along for the ride and a big support as NETRA has gone through a few different versions of scoring software. What were the challenges of these changes? Any funny stories or nightmares from those times?
The biggest challenge for me was having to learn all the technical stuff. I am not a techie person at all, I still refer to most electronic devices as the “thingamajig”. But after a lot of training and a ton of practice, I finally got the hang of it.
I have had so many scoring nightmares over the years, I don’t think I could pick just one. My team and I have been through everything from extreme weather conditions taking out our equipment, swarms of bees shutting down races, to being run over by a rogue novice racer. But no matter what gets thrown at us, we always manage to overcome and get the job done.