Megan Stevenson’s Ladies Offroad Challenge Experience
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Megan Stevenson’s Ladies Offroad Challenge Experience

Author: Megan Stevenson

Have you ever been “too chicken” to try something even though you really wanted to? The internal battle raged inside my head when I found out about the 2016 Ladies Co-Driver Challenge. Should I apply? Was I qualified? The social media voting was scary! Would social media support me? Did I have what it took? In the end my doubt outweighed my confidence; I did not apply.

A lot has happened to me in the last year that has helped me grow my self-esteem and self-confidence, so this year, when the time came to apply, I jumped on it. Why not? What’s the worst that could happen? I could not make it passed the first round but that wouldn’t change ME or how I viewed myself. If I didn’t make it that was ok and I would try again next year. To my complete amazement, not only did I have a HUGE outpouring of support on social media which landed me in the Top 30, I also made the Top 10!!

The four days of the training weekend brought about a whole range of activities and different challenges. We toured race shops, learned recovery techniques, went wheeling in Sedona, shot guns at an indoor range, and kayaked 14 miles on the Salt River. All these activities taught me something a little different but also reminded me that I can do whatever I put my mind to. Except breaking down more bead locks, I’m still on strike for that. Haha. The one activity that is, and will forever be, the most memorable for me was touring the race shops.

The past year I have dived head first into racing and learning my job as a co-driver; I live and breathe this stuff! At Jagged X we got to see a small UTV shop with an extensive list of championships and wins. When we pulled into Geiser Brothers/RPM Racing I about fell out of the van I was so excited! They are the largest manufacture of trophy trucks with some of the biggest names in racing driving their trucks. Our third stop was to UTV Inc. Both a retailer and a manufacture, the sheer size of this place and range of things they could make had me in awe. Our last stop on the tour was to SDHQ. I had never seen so many wheels and such a variety of parts on display! As much fun as this was, there was one activity that stands out at the most challenging.

I have never been kayaking before, so when we showed up to the Salt River and were told we would be kayaking 14 miles I was nervous! I expected my coordination (or lack thereof, lol) and the physical exertion to be the biggest challenge so I was surprised to find that it was all of us girls learning to work together. It took a couple of hours and some trial and error but we finally figured out a system of communication that kept all our kayaks together. In the end, we finished as a team.

To call these four days memorable would be an understatement. There was a ton of Live Facebook videos documenting us and what we were doing, but they didn’t, and couldn’t, capture everything going on behind the scenes. For me, to be able to spend that time with 11 amazing, talented, and diverse women was a humbling experience. We had numerous challenges and we bumped heads but we learned, we grew individually, we grew as a team, and through all of that, we bonded.

I came home from Arizona feeling renewed and excited. The skills I learned, the people I met, the lifelong friends I made, and the things I got to experience are invaluable. Even if I don’t get selected to be Charlene’s media assistant for the 50th Anniversary of the Baja 1000, getting the opportunity to participate in this weekend was a win in my book. To my family and friends, thank you. To everyone who followed me, all who stood behind me, all who believed in me, and everyone involved, THANK YOU! Keep an eye out because this is just the beginning for me.

Click here to read more about Megan.

Photo Credit:  Lori Palmer, The Adventure Portal

See all the action from the training weekend:
Day 1 - Welcome to the Van: http://bit.ly/2te8RRE
Day 1 - AZ Science Center: http://bit.ly/2suLkPU
Day 1 - Photos: http://bit.ly/2rT25CV
Day 2 - Jagged X Shop Tour: http://bit.ly/2suvJ2L
Day 2 - Geiser Bros Shop Tour: http://bit.ly/2sgia6z
Day 2 - UTV Inc Tour: http://bit.ly/2suAKbF
Day 2 - SDHQ Shop Tour: http://bit.ly/2rj5cpi
Day 2 - Recovery Training: http://bit.ly/2rT9HW9
Day 2 - Photos: http://bit.ly/2suFRs5
Day 3 - Wheeling in Sedona: http://bit.ly/2sleFMO
Day 3 - Drive-thru: http://bit.ly/2sl0Yxr
Day 3 - Shooter's World: http://bit.ly/2rjvXcY
Day 3 - Photos: http://bit.ly/2rod83J
Day 4 - Kayaking: http://bit.ly/2ro4qmd
Day 4 - Pool Party 1: http://bit.ly/2sUN2at
Day 4 - Pool Party 2: http://bit.ly/2ro6KcD
Day 4 - Pool Party 3: http://bit.ly/2rnCtea
Day 4 - Mannequin Challenge: http://bit.ly/2slpXkb
Wrap-Up - http://bit.ly/2rcmSP6


Author: Megan Stevenson