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f you’re lucky enough to be from Ontario and have been involved in Motocross for any length of time, then you most likely got to watch Jolene Van Vugt grow up before your eyes. For years, Jolene and her family were a fixture at every Ontario race. First Jolene was a young girl watching her father race then eventually she began to race herself. In the last few years, Jolene’s life has taken her from the local Ontario racer that we all knew to one of the most famous female extreme athletes in the world. MXP caught up with Jolene on one of her very rare quiet mornings to find out what exactly has made her so successful.

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MXP: Hey Jolene, how are things going?

JvV: Really good actually, I am in a new sport now so my life is just training and preparing for that. Everything is good though, just busy as usual.

I am assuming that you’re referring to the sport of Endurocross. How is that going?

It’s going well. It’s a huge challenge for me because it’s a pretty gnarly sport. Coming from a motocross background, Endurocross is pretty tough. It’s kind of like trials where you have to ride really in control even though you just want to charge. It’s very demanding but fun at the same time.

For most of us who have never ridden an Endurocross track, what is the hardest part?

I would say just trying to find some sort of consistency with each lap. One lap can be perfect and then the next lap you’re upside down. That is for sure the hardest part, but it’s the same for everyone so you just have to deal with it. Also, the proper bike set up has been a pretty steep learning curve for me but I’m slowly figuring it out, so it’s fun. There is definitely a lot of falling down and getting bruised up, that’s for sure.

Looking at Endurocross from the outside, it looks as though there are a lot of hidden secrets that you can only get from doing it?

Oh yes, for sure. At each race that I do and the more I practice, the more things I pick up. Being at the races and getting advice from other riders has been really helpful. Things like throttle control, balance and picking the correct lines are very important, as they are in motocross also, but it just seems like in Endurocross the obstacles can bite you quicker.

When I went to Brazil for the first round I was basically riding a motocross bike with a motocross set up and that really didn’t work very well. I finished okay but the bike was a handful. If I follow through with this next year I am definitely going to get a full on Endurocross bike and go from there.

So right now you’re in California training for Endurocross?

Yes, I was doing it all on the east coast. I built a track behind Travis’ house and at the time it was great, but I put so many laps there that I had to find something new. Here in California there are a lot of Endurocross riders so it’s a good place to train.

Can you take us through what it is like jumping a double jump made out of logs?

Well, it’s pretty scary. I still don’t think I’m comfortable with it (laughs). At first I wasn’t sure how the logs were going to make my bike react. I didn’t know if I was going to get kicked or if I was going to get wheel spin. I had a lot of different thoughts going through my head.

So far it has worked out and I haven’t had any huge crashes. I guess the best way to describe Endurocross is that it’s way out of my comfort zone. In fact I don’t think it could be further from my comfort zone, but I’m learning and having a blast.

With all of the extreme things that we’ve seen you do over the last few years, would it be safe to say that you enjoy getting out of your comfort zone?

I’ve never really thought about it actually, I just seem to look at the new opportunities that have come my way as challenges and I just go after them. It’s not like I stop and think that this or that is out of my comfort zone, so I just go and try it. I’ve always seemed to have to ability to face tough things and do my best at them, even if I may not know what the outcome will be beforehand. That’s how I was with racing, with Nitro and now with Endurocross. I’m sure that’s how I will be with the next thing that comes along.

You raced motocross from a very young age then you stopped to pursue other things that we’ve all enjoyed watching. Did you miss racing?

Yes, very much. I think that is one of the reasons I started racing Endurocross. I just missed racing.

Even though I was travelling the world and doing crazy stuff, without racing and competing there was certainly a void inside me. When these Global

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X-Games came up, I really jumped at the chance to compete. Although it’s been hard work, I’m glad I did it. I actually have a funny story: at the first round in Brazil when I was lining up at the starting gate for the first time, it had been so long since I’d seen a gate drop that I wondered aloud to my brother that I hoped I’d remember what to do.

Do you get bored if you have nothing going on?

I’m not sure. It has been a while since I’ve had nothing to do. We went from the tours to filming Nitro Circus 3-D and then I recently did some stuff on the new Batman film. I don’t think I get bored because when I do get down time, I really cherish it.

What type of things do you do when you get time off?

I’m like most people. I just go and do stuff that I normally don’t get to do. I’ll go to Canada and see my family and spend time in the house I bought there that I rarely get to see. When I am home I just like to do stuff around the house and enjoy the time there, but after about a week or so I start to get restless and I want to hit the road or go and do something.

Do you get that restlessness from your Mom or Dad? Definitely from my Dad. He has trouble sitting still and he always is doing something. Honestly, since I started doing Nitro Circus I have a harder time sitting still. I don’t know if it’s because my body just got used to moving and being on the go all the time or what. Being busy is fun though, especially with some of the things that I’ve done and the people that I’ve been lucky enough to be involved with.

“I’ve always seemed to have the ability to face tough things head on and do my best at them, even though I may not know what the outcome will be beforehand.”

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Obviously you’ve travelled to all the corners of the globe so this might be a tough question. If you could pick one place that is your favourite to spend time, where would that be other than home?

That is a tough question, but I would have to say that Australia is on top of the list, for sure. I really love it there. The scenery is beautiful, the people are great and there is so much to do there. It’s actually been a while since I’ve been there, too long!

Okay, let me take you from Australia to Walton in 2007. Is that moment near the top of your list of crowning achievements?

You know, I still think about that moment all the time, for many reasons. Obviously it was the first time that I won a Walton TransCan title, but it was more than that. My family and I had been going there for so many years. Even before I started racing we went to Walton Raceway because my Dad was racing. I worked so hard to win a title there and for a few years I had come up short, then in 2007 I finally did it. I was very happy, to say the least. It was also great to go back in 2008 and repeat as the Ladies Champion.

You know that you and your Dad are currently tied for Walton TransCan titles at two. Do you think there is any chance that we might see you back at Walton to try and break the tie with your Dad? I didn’t know that we were tied, that’s awesome. Well, I know I won’t be there this year but I’ve learned that you never say never in life. I’d love to go back there one day and race again. That place means a lot to me. I can tell you about a pact that was made a few years ago. Heidi, Jessica, Kristina and I all made a deal with each other that one day we’d all go back to the Walton TransCan and race the Plus 30

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class, just to say we did it. So maybe one day you will see us girls there; kind of like a high school reunion of sorts.

That would be very cool to see, and I can’t think of a better place to do it. All you girls have so much history there. You have certainly come a long way since 2007. What advice would you have for someone who is sitting at home and is interested in going down a similar path that you took?

I would just tell them what has worked for me so far. I’ve only gotten to where I am out of sheer determination, I don’t give up and I’m not afraid to try new things. I think in life you have to take opportunities that come your way, even if you don’t have any clue what the outcome might be. Sometimes you fail and sometimes you succeed, but you’ll never know unless you try it. That is honestly how I have tried to live my life and it has worked so far.

That is awesome advice Jolene, for all of us. Okay, let me ask you one last question.

What is scarier, jumping the natural double at Walton or jumping a Barbie car? (laughs) I can tell you that both are pretty scary in their own right. While jumping the natural double was really tough the first time I jumped it, jumping the Barbie car is pretty scary. Not only am I dropping in from a pretty good height, but I have no brakes so I’m completely committed to it. I couldn’t stop if I wanted to, so I’m going to go with jumping the Barbie car, but it’s close.

I know you’re busy but thank you for doing this. We wish you all the best and we can’t wait to see what is next for you.

Thanks for calling. I’m never too busy for someone from Canada. Hopefully the rest of the summer goes well and I can see all of my Canadian fans soon.

“I can tell you about a pact that was made a few years ago. Heidi, Jessica, Kristina and myself all made a deal with each other that one day we’d all go back to the Walton TransCan and race the plus 30 class, just to say we did it. So, maybe one day you will see us girls there, kind of like a high school reunion of sorts.”

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