Sowa enjoying the (motocross) ride of his life

Kyle Moylan, Sports Editor
As a loving and caring mother, Christine Sowa has, at times, tried to nudge her children in a certain direction.
   Considering the speed and jumping prowess Mic and Amanda can generate, however, that’s a lot easier said than done.
   "I gave them golf and tennis lessons," Christine noted with a slight sigh. "They played baseball and softball, but she loves horses and he loves motorcycles. What are you going to do? (laughs)."
   Considering how good Mic Sowa has gotten riding a motorcycle, there is no turning back now. Sowa placed seventh in the C Division at the 26th Annual Air Nautiques/AMA Amateur National Motocross Championships at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch in Tennessee last month.
   "It’s a pretty cool feeling," noted Sowa, who is heading into his sophomore year at Allentown High. "You have everyone asking you how you did. You were competing against the best and the fastest. It adds an extra level of confidence to you. I’m definitely hoping to make a career out of it."
   Unlike most people’s future careers, Sowa can pinpoint the exact moment his started. He was five years and watching television.
   "I saw it on T.V. and I kept asking my parents for a dirt bike for Christmas," Sowa noted.
   Mic must have been a good little boy that year because Santa Claus certainly disappoint him.
   "The day I got it, I rode it," Sowa said. "By the end of the day, I was comfortable on it. I rode it for a few weeks and then I started racing it."
   The only trouble was the state of New Jersey didn’t think 5 years should be racing.
   "You had to be 10 to compete in New Jersey, so we went to Pennsylvania to race," Sowa recalled. "It was interesting. The competition was still strong. The races were just slower and on littler bikes.
   "I won my first race when I was six. I started winning races, then point series and championships."
   Sowa not only learned the power of a motor bike, but also of the pen. He got involved with a petition that helped lead to New Jersey changing its rules and create a division for 7-9 year olds.
   "I was nine, so I was at the top of that group and won the championship at Englishtown," Sowa recalled.
   As he got older and bigger, Sowa’s bikes got bigger and faster.
   "I’ve probably had 15 or 16 different bikes," Sowa noted. "Usually after the racing season we sell the bikes and get new ones. I usually need about four bikes to make it through a season. With racing and practices, the bikes take a beating."
   Because of the expense of the bikes and traveling, Sowa has picked up sponsors. Among his sponsors are Mt. Holly Suzuki, FMF, Wiseco Sunstar and No Fear.
   "Also mom and dad," Sowa was sure to add. "They put a lot of time and money into it."
   Sowa is at the point now where he races every weekend during the season, which stretches from about March to November. Just this year alone, he competed in races in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and Virginia.
   Through different area qualifiers, Sowa earned the right to compete at the regionals in New York. A win there earned him the right to head to Tennessee and face off against the best of the best.
   "There were (racing) teams there from all over the country," Sowa noted. "There were also teams from Italy and Australia. They had to qualify in this country, but they brought the teams from over there.
   "I was hoping for a top-10 finish. These are the best 42 guys in the country. I was real happy with seventh (which was determined by a combined score of three races)."
   Sowa’s type of racing has been shown on television a great deal. It’s the dirt tracks with the bumps and the high hills. And the older he gets and farther he advances along, the tracks get more and more difficult to maneuver.
   "It’s real dangerous," Sowa said. "I’ve had 11 broken bones from it. I’ve hurt my foot, knee, hands, wrist, shoulder and arm. I just try and heal as fast as I can and get back on it again.
   "My mom gets really nervous," Sowa noted. "My dad (Mike) is always working on the bikes when we race. I think he’s nervous, but he doesn’t show it."
   According to Christine Sowa, those nerves never go away. It doesn’t matter if it’s a race or even a practice session.
   "I’m nervous every time he gets on a bike," Mrs. Sowa said. "I just tell him to have fun and be careful. I say that every time. That’s all I can say."
   Especially when she realizes how much her son loves what he’s doing.
   "It’s a totally different feeling than anything I’ve ever done before," Sowa said. "Once the gate drops, you’re in your own world. You feel the cold and the rain before and after a race, but you blank it out once the race starts. You’re just thinking about how to get another place ahead. There’s not really one word that can sum it up. It’s just an amazing feeling."
   Sowa has tried to share that feeling with his sister.
   "I taught her how to ride a couple of my dirt bikes, but she’s more into horseback riding," Sowa said. "She taught me how to ride horses, but it wasn’t a good experience (laughs). I like to be able to be in a little more control."
   Sowa’s racing career has already earned him a room full of awards and plaques. When he turns 16, Sowa can start competing for prize money. He’s looking forward to that day and to the one when he gets his driver’s license.
   "I think my parents are nervous about letting me drive," Sowa said. "I’m always telling them, ‘Pass this car. Pass that car. Why are we still behind them?’"
   We know, Mrs. Sowa. We know. "Have fun and be careful."