SCHOOLS: Winning with a non-traditional approach to school

WASILLA — Non-traditional — an overused term for sure because the term can apply to a lot of different situations. My family is non-traditional, but not in a way many people would consider non-traditional. I have a mom, a dad, a sister, and a brother. We all live in the same house together. That’s the traditional part. However, for 6 to 8 months of the year, my family is never in the same place for more than two weeks, which is very much non-traditional.

Before my family started moving a lot, we were just like all of my friends’ families living in the Valley. My dad commuted to Anchorage every day for work, my mom stayed at home cooking, cleaning, running errands, and supporting all of our busy schedules. I went to public school, attended all of the school’s social events, hung out with my friends every weekend, participated in cross-country running and track and field. On top of all of this, we attended church every Sunday, enjoyed flying to our cabin, fishing, hunting, and snowboarding.

That all changed two years ago when my brother, Landin, now in the fourth grade, was 7- years old and a family friend suggested we get Landin a dirt bike. Shortly after, he started participating in some local races at Kincaid Motocross Park. He quickly showed potential in the sport, winning every race in his class by a large margin. Sometimes, my dad would have to stop him in the middle of the race to let everyone else pass him, and then Dad would tell Landin to go pass them all back. It didn’t take long to realize my brother’s non-traditional, natural talent and uncommon work ethic.

As much as leading the local race series was fun, a part of all of each family member that felt Landin was not exposed to the opportunities available to challenge his potential. The motocross scene in Alaska is limited because the season is only half of what it is in the Lower 48. Plus, in Alaska, there are far fewer participants, especially Landin’s age. If Landin’s goal was to be successful on the national stage and someday make a career out of racing motocross, the family was going to have to give him our full support. We would have to leave Alaska so that Landin could train and race year-round.

Five countries, 23 states, 400 days, 60,000 miles, 150 races, and countless hours of practice later, Landin, my now 10-year-old brother, ranks 21st in the nation and has participated in the Loretta Lynn’s Amateur Motocross National Championship two years in a row. Some of Landin’s other trophies include 7th place overall in the Texas Winter Series, 1st overall at the KTM Junior Challenge, 5th overall at the Arenacross Amateur National Championship, a Moto win and 8th overall at the Mammoth Motocross National, and a first overall at the Pala Loretta Lynn’s Regional. He is a non-traditional champion.

While all of these highlights are something to be extremely proud of, none of it came easy and none of it would have happened without sacrifices from all of us. In most team sports, the team is the athlete’s support system and every teammate works together to achieve one goal. In motocross, the athlete’s team is his family and other supporters.

To many people, our family could be viewed as putting aside our individual lives, interests, goals, for Landin. In our eyes, however, this is the best experience of our lives and we all feel fortunate to be able to have such a unique lifestyle.

I often get asked if I enjoy being at the races all the time and I never hesitate to say how much I love it and how I feel extremely blessed. Looking back at the last two years of my life, I realize I’ve met so many people from all over the country; I’ve experienced all types cultures, and I’ve learned to appreciate them all. Above all, I’ve learned the value of hard work and dedication. Every day is an adventure and my family and I wouldn't have it any other way, including all the hard work we put in to support Landin.

My sister and I gave up a public school, prom, high school sports, and all of the other “experiences” I thought I was supposed to have in high school. Some things haven’t changed, though. My mom still drives everywhere we go, whether it’s to practice or a race. Though now sometimes she drives 12 hours non-stop. When she's not driving, she's still keeping a home running — cooking, cleaning, making calls, keeping my sister Lainie, Landin and me on track with our homeschool assignments, and helping my dad with bike maintenance.

My dad still has a full-time job. But now he commutes from his computer into his office in Wasilla for work. Sometimes Dad has to take calls as late as midnight because Alaska Time is two to four hours behind where we are. On top of supporting the family, Dad is Landin’s mechanic and coach. Being the dad and the coach is very challenging because when Landin doesn't get the results he wanted, Dad can’t be the traditional dad and tell Landin “good job, anyway” and that the only important thing is that Landin had fun.

Motocross is not just a ‘glad you participated’ sport. There is real dedication, real money, real-time, and real sacrifice. Expectations and aspirations are high. But at the end of the day, what I get out of this whole experience is an extreme sense of pride and closeness in our family.

Who else gets to experience life this way? I may not have this opportunity much longer, and I am just soaking it up as much as I can now. The traveling, the time with my family, and the ability to rally around a common cause is something that not everyone will get to experience. Who knew the non-traditional could be so wonderful.

Lexi Pepperd is a junior in the journalism program at Mat-Su Central School.