Ashley Fiolek:'Just Part of the Plan'

CBN.com -19-year-old Ashley Fiolek is one of the top female competitors of women’s motocross. As the first female rider for the Honda Factory Team, she became the youngest ever to win the Women’s Motocross Association Pro National Championship in 2008 and 2009.

Ashley also won the gold in the X Games’ Womens’ Moto X and became the first female to appear on the cover of Transworld Motocross Magazine.  With all of her motocross prowess you would never guess that she’s bee profoundly deaf since birth.

“God made me this way. The rest of my family is hearing and I’m deaf. But I think its kind of cool, actually. I think it’s kind of awesome that I’m deaf. Its just part of the plan. And I never even wanted to hear, I never even thought about it. It’s just who I am.”

Ashley started riding when she was 3 years old. She seemed fearless. But it wasn’t until she became a Christian a few years later that she understood where true courage comes from. 

“Motocross is a dangerous sport, and I know God is with me all the time. I wouldn’t leave the track if I didn’t feel that way in my heart. I always say a prayer before I ride, before I go out on the track. Even when I’m practicing, I just feel more confident knowing that he’s there with me.”

For most, riding a motorcycle depends greatly on what you hear. Because Ashley is deaf, she cannot hear the gears shift, and has to depend on what she feels.   

“My mom and dad just tried to give confidence to me. And we just kept practicing and I was getting really frustrated, I didn’t think I could get it. And then I just felt like God was telling me, yeah, you can do it. You can work through this, you know. And my dad kind of worked with me and I feel the engine now, that’s how I shift. You know so it’s not a problem that I’m deaf.”

Ashley says being deaf is less of an issue than being a woman in this sport.

“Being a women in this sport’s actually even worse than being deaf. Because it’s a male dominated sport. So you know the boys are getting all the exposure. So I felt more that I was a woman, you know than I was deaf and I just wanted to help the other girls too, I wanted to raise our sport to a different level.”

Now at 20 years old, Ashley continues to turn heads with amazement. And she says that when she’s on the track, its her platform to show off the source of her courage.

“I’m thankful that God has given me the skill and talent. Jesus and God, this is the reason why I’m here. This is the goal He’s given me through motocross and me being deaf. He means everything to me. And I wouldn’t be here and I wouldn’t be doing what I do without Him.”