Young motorcyclist holds her line with a caring heart
Photos here... (Full story too...)Haley Rogers, a 15-year-old Diamond Bar resident, is relatively new to the sport of motocross.
With only 20 races under her boots in a male-dominated Moto X Kidz race series she has finally captured her first win on her #124 Suzuki 125cc in the 250cc starter class at Lake Elsinore MX Park.
So, what’s the big deal, you ask? Young women racing MX have been on the starting gate with young men since the first woman signed up.
Well, what separates Haley from the rest of her field (in this case) is that she wants to dedicate her next race on Sunday, Aug. 17, to a friend of her family: 13-year-old Kassidy Brewer of Murrieta.
Kassidy recently suffered a massive brain aneurysm at the base of her skull identified as arteriovenous malformation (AVM), a very rare and congenital disorder. Kassidy is in a coma being stabilized from severe swelling of the brain at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego.
According to a statement made by her family on a Web site, Kassidy was on her way to the emergency room complaining of head pain when she passed out. At the hospital she was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm attributed to the AVM.
Rady Children’s Hospital is the closest facility to the Inland Empire that specializes in pediatric traumas of this nature.
An AVM, as defined by the
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, is a defect of the circulatory system described as “snarled tangles of arteries and veins believed to form prior to or soon after birth.”
Haley’s plan
“I would like to do a “pass the boot” fundraiser for Kassidy after my moto with everyone in my race class helping out,” Haley said recently. “I’ll bring extra boots. And, I’d like this race to have the first all-women’s moto class in this series. I need four more women to sign up with me to have that.”
The Diamond Bar-Murrieta connection
“My brother, sister, mom and step-dad all live in Temecula and I’m a member of a sober Christian-based motorcycle club, the Last Disciples,” said Haley’s dad, Dave Rogers. “Kassidy’s father, Kevin Brewer, is a very active and honored member of our club and the community.
“[The Last Disciples] come from a variety of backgrounds and have experienced the hard realities of life and death in the real world. We no longer live just for ourselves. We are now with Jesus.
“Our club is our ministry, a way of life, serving the Lord through loving and serving our communities and those in need of help.
“The Brewers are such an awesome family. As a matter of fact, the entire family is well known for being called the Brew Crew. They’ve helped Haley many times with MX gear and safety equipment, since they co-own two Vespa dealerships in San Diego County, and their oldest daughter, Danielle Brewer, runs one of them.”
For more information on the Last Disciples, visit www.lastdisciples.org.
The Brew Crew
“Kassidy is quite a little girl,” Kevin Brewer shared with me during a telephone interview. “She has her black belt in Tae Kwon Do and she works and teaches martial arts at Robles Studio in Temecula. She even does light bookkeeping at 13 years of age. That’s quite impressive, if I do say so myself.”
Brewer then became apologetic. “You’ll have to forgive me if I seem to be choking up, ’cause I am. Kassidy was getting ready to try out for her second-degree black belt. She is very, very virtuous and mature for her age. She has always worked well with me on being disciplined.”
The Brewers run a commercial printing business based in the San Gabriel Valley.
“Some of our customers are Pechanga Hotel & Casino, the X Games, and we’re a title sponsor of the Temecula Balloon and Wine Festival,” said Brewer. “The round trip between my daughter and work is well over 200 miles. It’s very hard to sit that long between work and being at her side.
“My eldest daughter, Danielle, worked for the Metal Mulisha for a period of three years and we still regularly attend church with some of the guys at Revival Christian Fellowship in Menifee. Our family are huge fans of supercross and freestyle. We still get out and ride.”
Middle daughter Lexi Brewer, 17, is starting school a week late so she can be near her sister.
The motorcycle roots run deep
“I used to manage large events for California Speedway,” Brewer said. “If you need any help with events like the Lake Elsinore Grand Prix, I know all the tricks of the trade. No problem; I’ll help. I’ve raced that race.
“I used to race motocross. As a matter of fact, I won my division at Mammoth in 1990. I think it’s wonderful that Haley wants to help Kassidy at her race series. She gets it.”
Haley’s moto heart
“The heroes who influence my motos and active lifestyle are Ricky Carmichael and Ashley Fiolek,” Haley said. “I read Ashley’s monthly column all the time in Transworld magazine. I like to follow her profile and model.
“It would be so cool if the local race women could come out Sunday and help me with this fundraiser and race with me. That would be awesome for sure.”
Commenting on his daughter, Dave Rogers finished, “Haley is our youngest daughter of four. Riding dirt bikes really stuck with her. She says to me all the time, ‘Dad, I want to go riding – now.’
It’s a lot of work hauling her around to all the MX parks in the Inland Empire. I say to her, ‘Now?’ But when she sticks her lower lip out and begs, I give in. I’m a man. What am I supposed to do? Lovingly, she’s our little family brat. I used to race at Ascot, so I get it too.”
To visit Kassidy Brewer’s family outreach site, visit www.caringbridge.org/visit/kassidybrewer.
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