I've been around monster trucks since I was a baby, when I'd ride in one in my car seat. At age 3, I'd hold the flashlight for my dad while he tinkered with his rig. At 8, I learned how to change tires—no small thing, considering they're 66 inches tall and weigh about 800 pounds. Throughout my childhood, I tried so many activities: volleyball, piano, gymnastics. But each time, I told my dad, "I want to go back to a monster truck show." Everything led me there.

I crushed my first car at 13 and did my first official event at 14, before I'd even gotten my regular driver's license. Half of a monster truck competition is racing, and the other half is freestyling: You get two minutes on the floor to do slap wheelies, donuts, whatever you like. That's my favorite part of the night. It's the adrenaline of a 1,500-horsepower engine, 60,000 people on their feet screaming, music blasting, the announcer yelling my name. I get crazy, give the fans some "wow" moments, then bring myself back. That's me catching air (left), my head in a helmet that's locked into place so I can barely move.


Photo: Peter Bohler

I've won trophies for tricks and was named Monster Jam Rookie of the Year in 2016, when I was 18; a judge said, "She's not afraid to go big." Off the track, I'm super shy—talking in my college classes makes me nervous; meeting strangers does, too. But in front of a huge crowd, I'm a total show-off. When I'm strapped into a truck, nothing scares me.

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