Welcome to Camp: Where Growth Starts Before the First Lap
Trucks and trailers rolled into the lot, tires crunching over gravel as families settled into their spots. Tailgates dropped, ramps clanked against the ground, and soon bikes were being wheeled out—quiet for now, but standing ready for the week ahead.
Getting Settled: The Unloading Process
There’s no complicated system to figure out. Riders park, unload, and settle into their own space. Some move quickly, already slipping into their routine—bike on the stand, gear bag open, boots ready. Others take it slower, carefully checking over their bikes, quietly laying out their gear, still working through the weight of the moment.
You could feel the mix of emotions in the air. Some riders buzz with excitement, already sizing up the track and chatting with friends. Others glance around, their eyes darting as they take it all in. For some, the nerves had kicked in long before they arrived. You can see it in their faces—tight smiles, fidgeting hands, and the quiet question: “Do I really belong here?”
No one’s rushing you. But everyone knows where they need to be next: the riders’ meeting at the pavilion. That’s where the week really starts.
The Moto Academy pavilion is already set up in plain sight—a simple but steady anchor in the middle of camp. Riders naturally make their way over, some in groups, some hanging back, but all eventually drawn toward the place where the team is waiting. Coaches stand ready, easy to find, easy to approach, offering calm welcomes and making it clear: you belong here.
There’s no starting gate waiting at the entrance. No leaderboard. No one expecting you to prove anything on Day One. Just a group of people who showed up to learn, to grow, and maybe—even if they didn’t realize it yet—to face something much bigger than dirt bikes.
The Energy of Day One
As the riders’ meeting begins, the excitement is obvious—but so are the nerves.
Some riders are locked in, nodding along, fully ready to go. Others glance around, their hands fidgeting with their gloves or tugging at the edge of their jersey sleeves. You can almost hear the quiet internal conversation:
“Do I really belong here?”
Parents stand nearby, listening alongside their riders. They don’t have to be there—but they’re encouraged to. Some watch closely, quietly soaking in the moment, while others offer a reassuring hand on their rider’s shoulder.
The coaches lead the opening speech with calm, steady energy. There’s no pressure, no big expectations. Just a simple reminder of why everyone is here: to learn, to grow, and to show up for themselves—and each other.
What many riders—and parents—don’t realize before camp is that almost everyone arrives with that same quiet fear.
But by the end of Day One, that fear usually fades. Not because anyone suddenly becomes a better rider (they do)—but because they start to see what this camp is really about.
It’s about training. It’s about community. It’s about growth.
But more than anything—it’s fun.
So many riders tell us by the end of the week that this was one of the most fun experiences they’ve ever had on their dirt bike.
The coaches make sure you feel that from the very first meeting. This isn’t a place where you have to prove yourself to others. It’s a place where you get to show up for yourself—and actually enjoy it.
This is when it starts to settle in for a lot of riders—camp isn’t just about going fast.
It’s about the mindset you bring.
It’s about how you carry yourself.
And most importantly, it’s about knowing it’s okay to be nervous.
It’s okay to not have it all figured out yet.
The Hidden Battle: The Mental Game Starts Early
Even before a single bike hits the track, some riders are already facing their toughest challenge—the one inside their own head.
You can see it in their body language. The way they stand off to the side. The way their eyes drop to the ground when a coach walks by. The way they quietly convince themselves, “I can’t do this.” But if AJ were standing next to them, he’d remind them to add one simple word: “yet.”
“I can’t do this… yet.”
It’s a small shift, but science tells us it makes a big difference. Adding yet moves the brain from a fixed mindset—where abilities feel permanent—to a growth mindset, where improvement feels possible. Suddenly, it’s not about what you can’t do—it’s about what you can learn to do.
It happens more often than most people realize. Sometimes the hardest part isn’t the riding—it’s the thinking. It’s the fear of looking bad, the fear of not keeping up, the fear of failing before you even start.
The coaches at The Moto Academy know how to spot it. They don’t rush to the loudest rider or the fastest one—they find the quiet ones. The ones on the edge. The ones who might already be talking themselves out of even trying.
The message is always the same: take small wins. You don’t have to conquer the whole week today. Just show up for the next moment.
The real coaching starts here. Before the throttle twists, and well before hitting the track. It starts with helping riders win the mental battle they brought with them.
The Coaches’ Message: Don’t Quit
One thing is made clear from the very beginning: at The Moto Academy, quitting isn’t the way out. AJ Catanzaro shares a belief he’s carried for years—something he once heard and fully stands behind:
“Once you quit, quitting gets easier.”
The coaches remind riders that no one’s asking them to push through pain or to ride beyond what’s safe. But they are asking them not to give up on themselves. Take a break if you need to. Slow down if you need to. Step to the side and reset—but don’t quit.
Because quitting doesn’t just end the ride—it teaches your brain that stepping away is always an option when things get hard. And if you let that pattern take hold, it’s easy to carry it into the next race, the next challenge, the next big moment in life.
Not every rider finished the week. Some packed up early. Some faced battles we may never fully understand. And while we always hope to see those riders again, we also hope they’ll remember this:
You can always stop early. You can always take small wins. But don’t quit.
Gold Stars and Group Sorting: The Week Begins
As soon as the riders’ meeting wraps up, the coaches begin sorting riders into groups based on skill and speed. It happens early, before anyone hits the track.
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Red Group: Advanced
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Blue Group: Intermediate
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Green Group: Beginners and slower riders
The groups aren’t about status or ego. They’re about safety, learning, and creating the best environment for every rider to grow. Coaches make sure everyone knows—there’s no shame in where you start. What matters is that you’re here and you’re moving forward.
As the day unfolds, something else begins to take hold: Gold Stars.
They aren’t handed out for being the fastest or the flashiest. Gold Stars are earned for effort, mindset, focus, and the way a rider shows up for themselves and others. Sometimes it’s for helping a friend. Sometimes it’s for overcoming fear. Sometimes it’s simply for not giving up.
Gold Stars quickly become a quiet but powerful motivator.
They shift the goal. It’s not about being the best—it’s about being your best.
What makes Gold Stars even more exciting? Each one is also worth one raffle ticket for the big Friday raffle. As the week goes on, riders start stacking them—some finishing camp with hundreds of stars in their hands. It’s a tangible reminder of their effort, their growth, and their commitment to showing up.
The raffle isn’t just about prizes—it’s The Moto Academy’s way of giving back. On Friday, we gave away another week-long camp, VIP class experiences, Cardo Systems, LMNT hydration packs, Phoenix Handlebars, a Guts Racing seat, and more—thanks to our incredible sponsors and partners.
By the end of Day One, the foundation is set: riders know where they belong, they know what matters, and they’ve seen that progress is measured by something deeper than speed. The Gold Stars are there to remind them of that, all week long.
This Is Bigger Than Riding
By the end of Day One, something has already changed.
Yes, bikes have been unloaded. Gear is in place. Rider groups are set. But the real work—the kind that matters most—has already begun inside the riders themselves.
Some came in buzzing with confidence. Others arrived with quiet fear. But every single rider faced a moment today where they had to choose:
Will I keep going? Or will I quit?
And that choice—the decision to stay in it, to take the next small step—that’s where real growth happens.
That’s where confidence starts.
That’s where the whole point of camp begins to reveal itself.
Tomorrow, the bikes will hit the track. The Gold Stars will start to matter a little more. The coaching will go deeper. And the breakthroughs—the ones that can change the way a rider thinks, rides, and even sees themselves—those are still to come.
But today?
Today was about showing up.
And that’s enough.
Want to see what happens next? Check out Post 2: Growth, Gold Stars, and Team Spirit.