ANGELLE'S BLING
Sat, 2008-03-15 08:37
(Marvin Smith photo)
Let the record reflect, the three-time NHRA world champion has no problem letting the world know her gender. She’ll quickly testify her preference was to be known as a good motorcycle racer who just happened to be a female.
“That’s the way it was in the beginning of my career because I didn’t want anyone looking at me differently,” Sampey said. “I just wanted to be one of the guys because I didn't want any special favoritism. I didn't want the comments or the things that were happening like, ‘Oh the girl, the girl- I just wanted to be one of the guys.”
Let the record reflect, the three-time NHRA world champion has no problem letting the world know her gender. She’ll quickly testify her preference was to be known as a good motorcycle racer who just happened to be a female.
“That’s the way it was in the beginning of my career because I didn’t want anyone looking at me differently,” Sampey said. “I just wanted to be one of the guys because I didn't want any special favoritism. I didn't want the comments or the things that were happening like, ‘Oh the girl, the girl- I just wanted to be one of the guys.”
Sampey admitted her mindset was such in the early part of her career but over time this mentality has subsided.
“After a while I've kind of wanted be a girl even when I was racing and have more feminine apparel to wear -- more feminine uniforms -- maybe do something pink or something on my letters,” Sampey admitted. “I never had a sponsor that we were really able to do that with. The Army -- you can't really get more masculine than to support your troops. It was kind of hard to put anything pink or anything shiny on an army uniform.”
Sampey has the opportunity this season to explore an avenue she’s never traveled before. The likable rider from Houma, Louisiana brims with excitement at the prospect of expressing her feminine side. She can thank her sponsor, Rush Racing Products, for delivering on this freedom of expression.
“They've really been more open to letting me be more of a girl,” Sampey pointed out. “They told me they didn't care what I did -- bling it up, and have fun with it. I added rhinestones all over my letters and I'm going to go with the rhinestone theme all year. I have rhinestones on my jacket. I have rhinestones on my uniform. It's just showing that you can be tough chick and go out there and race but still have a feminine side.”
Sampey further justifies her decision to bring out her femininity after reading a comment attached to a video on YouTube.com.
“Someone had put their own personal video on there of me going down the race track,” Sampey explained. “A guy had commented on the video and said, ‘Yeah but is she a butch?
“It said something about she's probably a 6-foot manly man woman with tattoos.”
This experience changed Sampey’s thought-process.
“I really thought that concept of how people looked at girls on motorcycles had changed but I guess it hasn't,” Sampey admitted. “I just want to show that you can be a petite feminine person and still be able to ride a Pro Stock Motorcycle.”
Even crew chief George Bryce experienced a bit of what Sampey described during the recent test session in Valdosta, Georgia.
“I had a couple of guys come walking up that I haven't seen before. And they weren't familiar with our organization or the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle tour,” Bryce said. “They commented on how bad the bike is and asked who the driver is.”
“Who's the driver?” Bryce countered, adding. “Why?”
“He said, ‘Because I want to shake his hand.”
“I said I'll go get him so I said Angelle come out here a minute. So she comes walking up to the door and I said here he is. She walked out the door and he said, ‘damn.'”
“I guess they were expecting to see some big masculine, buffed dude come out and I walked out,” Bryce said. “It's just even funnier when people think that and then this girl comes out with rhinestones all over her leather.”
Sampey conveys the showmanship aspect means much to the sport – especially in a media-starved division such as Pro Stock Motorcycle.
“We're actually going to try to come up with this rhinestone at 190 mph or do some kind of girly theme along with the thrill of racing,” Sampey said. “I think it's good -- it's good for the sport. Anything that anybody in this sport can bring to make it is all bigger and better. Whether it’s a girl or Antron Brown for example because he came along with Troy Vincent -- the NFL football player so and that brought football fans to the sport.
“I don't care who they are -- what color they are -- what gender they are -- if someone comes along and can bring something that's going to grab one or two more fans then that just makes the pot bigger for all of us. That's all I'm trying to do I'm just trying to make it better for all of us.
“I'm not trying to make myself stand out above anyone else I'm just trying to make the sport more interesting.”
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