Meeting "Nitro Circus" Star Travis Pastrana

While his name is not well-known among the general public, among crowds who follow Motocross, the XGames, racing and pop culture, Travis Pastrana is a celebrity. For those who have seen his television show on MTV, "Nitro Circus," his name is synonymous with crazy stunts that we all wish we could try but don't dare. I had the opportunity to meet Travis Pastrana at the Indy Dealer's Expo in Indianapolis in February 2010 and while it was a brief meeting during a fan signing, it was a highlight for me.

I had the chance to attend the Indy Dealer's Expo as a visitor and an observer. My husband works for a local Yamaha dealership and went to the Expo to represent his employer. He was able to take me with him and while it was a great getaway for the two of us, the chance to meet Travis Pastrana was completely unexpected and came on Sunday, February 14.

We had walked around looking at the displays and noticed the "Nitro Circus" booth. We ventured over that way and saw that indeed, Travis Pastrana was signing autographs. There was a line and when we approached to take a place in the line we were told that Travis was about to take a break and no one else was allowed to get in line.

I sighed in disappointment. The husband and I overheard someone say that Travis was about to leave to go elsewhere, so we assumed that our chance had passed. After some more walking around we ventured to our hotel room for a nap (I'm a Sunday nap kind of gal) then went back to the display area.

Upon noticing there was another line at the "Nitro Circus" booth, we were able to get in line. We thought we would probably get to meet someone else from Pastrana's entourage - Andy Bell or Jeremy Rawle. When we got close to the signing table, we were able to see that it was Travis Pastrana, Jolene VanVugt and Jeremy Rawle.

I have been known to be a little spastic on occasions and I became downright giggly and giddy at the idea of meeting Travis Pastrana. I couldn't stop giggling and smiling and my husband thought I was a nut. When we finally made it up to the table I was so impressed that it seemed like Travis, Jolene and Jeremy were not anxious to keep the line moving. The husband snapped a quick pic of me with the three of them then mentioned that I would hate the picture (yes, I did - it was horrible). Jeremy spoke up and suggested we take another. They were so personable and friendly and I could definitely see how they would be a cool group of people to hang out with.

At my house, the whole family loves watching "Nitro Circus" and the assorted "Thrillbilly" DVD's of Pastrana and his cohorts doing stunts on motorcycles, cars, bicycles, tricycles, slip-n-bleeds, and even the occasional rocking horse.

My three children were staying with my parents and I knew that after meeting Travis Pastrana and getting an autograph, I would become elevated from "Cool Mom" to the title of "Super Ridonculous Cool Mom."

I was still giddy when I called my kids and asked them "Guess who I just met and got my picture taken with? When I giggled "Travis Pastrana!" they exploded into the phone. They were very excited and thrilled when I brought them the autographed poster.

And yes, I did earn the title "Super Ridonculous Cool Mom," and meeting Travis Pastrana was a great memory.