here are two things motocross fans don’t like: change . . . and the way things are. That’s a phrase I use about firemen when we sit around the coffee table and complain about things, but it applies perfectly to motocross fans too. We are a fickle group when it comes to how we want the stars of the sport to act, aren’t we? If they’re too reserved and quiet, we call them boring and robotic. If they’re too outspoken and boisterous, we label them loudmouths and arrogant. These guys can’t win! So what are we looking for from these guys? We all have different opinions about how these riders should act, but here’s my two cents.

I think I speak for everybody when I say we’d like to see some genuine personality out of the riders during interviews and fan interaction. When you get asked a question, look the person you’re talking to in the eyes and ANSWER THE QUESTION! Seriously! If I have to watch one more interview where a rider is staring off into the distance speaking to nobody and rambling on about how great his Dunlop tires hooked up off the gate—hey, it’s a metal-grate start pad, and a road slick would hook up on that—and then rolling into a run-on sentence of sponsors, I’m going to walk briskly into my kitchen and smash some plates. For real, just take a deep breath, forget about all the fans in the stadium, and answer the nice lady’s question. Now, if you can add in a little joke or quip or even a mildly amusing anecdote about something that happened during the race, major bonus points! Girls will be throwing their bras at you from the cheap seats! The bar is so unimaginably low right now that even I couldn’t limbo under it.

Second thing to note: there is a difference between exhibiting personality and being an asshole. Doing an interview and ranting about how badly a team treated you or how unfair this sport is because you didn’t get the ride you wanted doesn’t make you a transparent, personable figure, it makes you sound like a snot-nosed brat. Adam Cianciarulo, Dean Wilson, and Aaron Plessinger are all good examples of riders opening up and being themselves. Go watch anything Rick Johnson used to do; that guy was on another level when it came to bringing personality to the sport. And we don’t want everybody to fit into some mold, we want them to be the person they are. Plessinger likes to sing karaoke in his car. It’s pretty weird, and he’s not going to get a golden buzzer on America’s Got Talent, but he’s having fun and being himself, and that’s cool. Adam has an obsession with Blink 182, a band that hasn’t been relevant since flip phones, but that doesn’t stop him from being himself and making videos with their music, because he loves it. And did you see Deano’s clothes while he was on vacation in Jamaica? Dennis Rodman saw those photos and went, “What the hell is that kid wearing?” But Deano is genuinely doing his thing, and that’s why he’s one of the most popular riders in the sport right now.

Lastly, remember to have fun. This sport is hard, you don’t get to win much once you hit the pro ranks unless you’re a Hall of Famer, and the window of opportunity opens and closes in the blink of an eye. Some of the best advice I ever received about racing, and life in general, is to remember to enjoy the journey and don’t worry so much about the destination. Now go be yourself! Yeah, you!