Shelby Rolen is a name that many racers may be familiar with. Shelby not only races GNCC events but also as many rounds of the WMX Nationals as possible. Unfortunately Shelby recent suffered a broken back in a practice crash. We caught up with her to hear more.

 

GNCCRacing.com: How's it going today?
Shelby Rolen: Pretty boring, actually. Just sitting around watching way more TV than I probably have in my entire life.

So first off, for those who haven't heard, how did you break your back?
Well, I went to practice a little over 2 weeks ago at a track I ride at all the time, went out and started jumping everything on my first lap without checking out the track first. I went to do a small double that’s always had a roller landing, and when I took off I realized they had built up the landing to a peaked landing. I landed with my back wheel on the top of the landing and from there I think I went over the bars and basically landed on my head. I ended up breaking T3-T5 vertebrae’s, bruising my lungs, and had a concussion also. I’m thankful that’s all that happened because the crash was pretty violent. The doctors all agree without my Leatt I most likely would have broken my neck. Moral of the story is always roll on the first lap no matter how many times you have been to a track.

 
I actually know that moral all too well myself! So what is the latest on it?
I have been to 3 different doctors just to make sure I can get healed as quickly as possible. The main focus on my healing is the T5 vertebrae because it has the most damage. They’ve decided against surgery because to get to the T5 they have to cut away a lot of my shoulder muscles, and those would never heal completely which would hinder my racing and daily life forever. As of now I've been in a back and neck brace for just a little over 3 weeks and stuck on the couch or in bed. For now I'm supposed to limit my walking and standing to just the times I have to. I go back to the doctor this Thursday to get a new CT scan and see how my healing is coming along. I'll be in my brace for another 2-4 weeks depending on how I’m progressing. After that I’ll hopefully be healed enough to get out of my brace and start the process of gaining back my strength and mobility. The doctor also said as soon as I’m out of the brace I can get back on a stationary bike and start training again, so that will be awesome. 

So when will you be back on the bike?
It’s looking like early to mid-December.

Did you ever think anything like this could ever happen?
I guess I always have known it was possible. It’s a risk I choose to take every time I get on a bike, but no, I never truly thought it would happen to me. 

What's the toughest part of it all?
Mentally it’s just the boredom and frustration of having to be so inactive. Physically, it’s the soreness that comes from just sitting and not moving my body much at all. Another issue is just my inability to do your everyday tasks that I would have never thought about not being able to do. I literally can't do anything for myself. I have to lay in bed and my mom washes my hair in a plastic tub, somebody has to go get me anything I need, even food and drinks. Changing clothes while laying down and not being able to lift up is crazy hard, even brushing my teeth is a challenge because I can't bend over to the sink. Basic living is tough right now (laughs)

What are your plans for when you get back on the bike?
Ride, ride, ride. The day I'm released I will be headed out to somewhere to spend the rest of the winter getting ready for the 2013 season. I plan to just moto as much as possible and I’ll spend some time out playing in the woods as well. I really want to focus on my corner speed for next season, that’s my main struggle, so turn tracks will probably be a big focus for me as well. I'm hoping Jed (Haines) gets to come down more this winter, and if so I'll be spending a lot of time riding with him. I also plan to ride with Aaron Plessinger a lot too. They both push me and motivate me, so that always helps. 

So prior to that, how had 2012 been going for you?
It was going pretty well. I was having a lot of success at my moto races so that was awesome. As far as the GNCCs go I was doing okay. I had been top 10 at most of the races I did so that was good. I actually haven't raced any GNCCs since Indiana. I took a break to focus on motocross, and was planning on finishing out the last four rounds in hopes to get back inside the top ten in points.

You've also been doing some of the WMX rounds this year as well, how had that been going?
WMX is my true love. I got to do 4 of them this season. It was really going awesome. Started out a little rough at the first one I got to do this year, Freestone, but after that it really picked up and each race got better and better. My starts came back and I was just riding the way I always knew I could. I was confident when I got on the line this year and that makes all the difference in the world. I got my first ever top 10 at RedBud and that was an awesome confidence booster. I finally figured out how to ride a pro race. You have to figure out the style of the pro events because it’s just so much different than even the big amateur races such as Loretta Lynn’s. Basically, I feel like I was having a break-out season for me.

How did it feel to crack the top 10 in moto 1 at RedBud?
It was awesome. I don't think I have ever been so happy coming off the track. I was actually proud of myself and that is an amazing feeling. It was a dream come true for about 30 minutes then it sank in that I wanted more (laughs).

How tough is it to transition between GNCC and WMX?
It’s actually pretty tough. The GNCCs you have time to get going and make up for mistakes. WMX you have 15 minutes plus 1 lap so you have to be ready to roll as soon as the gate drops. I find that if I have been doing GNCCs, when I switch to moto I don't have the aggression that I need to have. That’s why I took a break from the GNCCs during national season. It was just too hard to transition.

Obviously both are tough in their own ways but which presents more of a challenge to you?
Definitely the GNCCs. I have only been doing them a couple of years and haven't really got to consistently just focus on that and learn the little tricks that you need to be the best in the woods. I struggle with reading the terrain and adapting to all the different things you see on one track. I make dumb little mistakes and my line choice is just not up to par. I have been racing moto for 16 years, so it’s like breathing to me. 

Alright, before we wrap this up, who would you like to thank?
Biggest thanks has to go to my parents and little brother. They have been doing this with me from day 1 and have given up everything to help me live my dreams. Fox, FMF, Roost MX, All Balls, Leatt Brace, Scott USA, DP Brakes, Raines Racing, Dunlop, Monster Energy, Works Connection, Twin-Air, Renthal, CV4, FCA MX, Scott Plessinger for all his help last winter, my friends, and of course my boyfriend Jed. Also want to say thanks to everyone for all the support, prayers, and encouraging words these past couple of weeks it really means a lot and I couldn’t do it without you guys.