When you talk about fast on an MX track they don’t come much faster than the mighty “JJ” Jordan Jarvis!
As a North Carolina native Jordan “JJ” Jarvis has been spending time at a motocross track since she was just a few months old. As the daughter of a former racer, Jordan was raised around the sport and eventually chose to pursue racing full time as her interest in team sports like tee ball and soccer started to fade when they took away from her time at the track.
Around the age of 8 or 9, Jordan’s speed and skill on a bike had progressed and she started lining up against the boys to test her skills. The rest is history! Fast forward to 9 AMA National champion titles under her belt and Jordan is regularly lining up amongst MX world champions on the start line.
But what makes Jordan so special is that she didn’t go to an MX training programme growing up like most pro MX racers nowadays. She essentially started her path towards becoming the motorsport athlete that she is today through training alongside school only on weekends: which is pretty much unheard of! Now as a pro full time racer she’s unleashed the beast mannnnn is she fast!!
We caught up with Jordan to ask her what its like to be an athlete at such a high level and what’s next for her and her career!
Brapppppppp!
Where are you based right now?
North Carolina, USA
When and at what age did you first begin riding?
I started riding in 2006 at age 5.
Did you already do a lot of other sports growing up?
I did. I played soccer and basketball while riding as well.
Did you always know that you wanted to race in MX professionally?
I always wanted to race professionally. I just never expected to be racing in the men’s pro class. When I was growing up there was a pro women’s class here in the states. Over time the women’s class eventually started to lose support and momentum and not long after there wasn’t much of a women’s pro class at all. By the time I was old enough it had pretty much fallen apart at that point. I was lucky enough to get one year out of it before it was cancelled all together. As I grew up my family and I had realised what was going on and I had already had my mind set on racing with the men and focussing mostly on making it in the men's pro classes.
Did anyone in particular play a large part in inspiring you to start riding and racing MX?
My dad got me into racing. He was a pro racer himself and I wanted to follow in his steps.
Who are the people you have looked up to personally during your career?
As I started racing and really getting into the sport I absolutely idolised Ashley Fiolek. I absolutely fangirled her for so long. Haha! I got the chance to get to know her and she has now become a friend of mine.
Which race series do you currently race in?
I am currently racing in the men’s pro outdoor motocross series and supercross series.
What does your annual schedule look like in regards to the series that you’re involved in? Do you travel for most of the year?
Most of the time I am travelling all year long. Between my normal series and the random races in other series that I participate in I am travelling across the country and outside of the U.S. as well. I try to race as many WMX, GPS and sometimes off road races when my schedule allows it.
You must spend a lot of time on the road travelling with your career! What’s your favourite part of travelling around so much? And also what’s the worst part?
I think the best part about travelling is getting to see all the cool sights and landmarks. Travelling is always fun but most of the time I am usually driving across the country. If I go from my house to a race in California it's a 40 hour drive. I don't think anyone likes to be stuck in a vehicle that long. Haha
What do you feel are the key personality attributes that you feel you need to have to be able to compete at the level that you do?
You have to be extremely determined and strong. It is one thing to train and practise hard but it takes so much to collect yourself after a tough weekend and go back to training the following week to try to change and tweak what needs to be fixed to minimise the mistakes that were made the weekend before.
How much of your time do you spend training and working on the physical side of being an athlete?
I spend a good bit of time working out and trying to eat the best that I can. In order to be strong and healthy on the bike, you have to be strong and healthy when you aren’t riding. But I try to be smart about it so I don’t over work myself and burn myself out off the bike.
So you’ve raced alongside guys most of your professional career. When did you start racing in mixed races as opposed to just women’s series?
I have always raced with guys. When I was little I only ever had mixed classes. There really isn’t a young girls’ class in the states anymore.
Do you feel like racing in mixed gender races has helped you in any way?
I really do believe that racing in mixed gender classes helped me. If I just rode with just girls I wouldn’t have learned how to ride aggressively. Girls and guys ride very differently, that's no secret but it really teaches you a lot to ride with guys more than girls. It is two different types of riding styles. I think it would help most female riders to ride with men more often.
What has been your best career moment so far?
I think my best career moment is making it into a men’s pro national last year. Being the first female in the modern era to do that is crazy to me. I always knew I could do it but it didn’t seem possible till I did it. It sounds weird but it has been a goal that I’ve been working towards for so long that it just didn’t seem real until I was sitting on the line with past champions and world champions. All of these people I have probably watched and looked up to at one point and then all of a sudden I was lined up next to them and racing them. It all felt like a dream and then to come off the track for the second moto and to have my dad tell me I got 26. Only 6 spots away from getting points really just made the whole thing surreal!
What has been your hardest career moment so far?
I think the hardest career moment for me is any race where I fall just short of my goals. Whether it is being runner up at Loretta Lynn’s Amateur National Championship or being just short of making a national. You just work so hard and put so much blood, sweat, and tears into something and you miss your goal by just a few spots or a couple seconds in timed qualifying. It is just heart breaking for it to end up that way.
What are the pros and cons of being a professional motorsport athlete?
The pros to being a professional motorsport athlete is getting to do what you love everyday all week long. Yes it is your job but that is not what it feels like. It feels like you are living your dream every single day. The cons of it are how hard it is. I know that’s what everyone says about motocross but I don’t mean it in the same way. It is so hard to get support. There are so many fantastic riders but there are so few people who give out support. It just puts so much more stress on you to do your best all the time. It makes your good days amazing and your bad days horrible. But when you have a good day the feeling is indescribable. It feels as if you are on top of the world.
You’re obviously at a level now where you’re competing against some of the world’s top riders. What are your ultimate goals for this chapter in your career?
My goal last year was to make the main event. I really didn’t expect to accomplish that but it is still my goal this year. My goal is to make as many main events as possible and score points. If I do that I will be the first girl to ever do that. My other goal is to make a main event in Supercross as well. I’d be the first girl to do that as well if I could accomplish that.
Being in the position that you’re in as a female athlete in such a male dominated sport I’m sure that you must inspire a lot of young people! Do you work with any younger riders?
I personally love to train people, especially younger girls. Every chance I get I try to work with as many people as I can.
Ok let’s talk kit! I always find that there’s historically been a massive shortage of decent women’s MX and off road gear out there which seems to be rapidly changing now (thank god!). What kit do you use to ride and race in?
I wear FOX gear. Not only is the gear fantastic, they have just release a new women’s line that I helped test and tweak to make sure it fits for an average women rider or a women rider that races and typically wears more protective gear than your average person. It fits amazing and it is ridiculously good!
What do you look for in riding gear?
I look for durability, comfortability, stylish design and colour!
Would you ever do your own range of riding gear?
YES! I’d love the chance to help design some gear. It would be amazing to have the chance to work with FOX and possibly design a set of women’s gear! It would be such a once in a lifetime opportunity!
