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"\"&lt;p&gt;\\n&lt;p&gt;Knowing how to handle the media and public relations is becoming a prerequisite for success in motocross.  Before even making it to the pro ranks, top mini riders and amateurs are being interviewed for magazine features, web articles and highlight videos.  How a rider carries himself\\/herself in front of the camera\\/microphone\\/tape recorder can determine how far their career will go.  As Mike Bell said during the Fox media training we covered in &lt;i&gt;Monday Kickstart&lt;\\/i&gt;, the reason a professional motocrosser is able to earn a living is because of sponsorships; &amp;#8220;it&amp;#8217;s all about marketing, selling products and developing brands.&amp;#8221;  If a rider is able to conduct an interview well, be articulate, and be likable; that benefits their sponsors, who in turn want to continue to support that rider&amp;#8217;s career.&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;p&gt;For suggestions on how to work with the media effectively, we&amp;#8217;ve reprinted some of Mike&amp;#8217;s tips from his &lt;i&gt;Media Training 101&lt;\\/i&gt; presentation.  Mike Bell was a top pro in the late 1970s and early &amp;#8217;80s, and the 1980 AMA Supercross Champion.  Mike won 20 AMA and Trans-AMA nationals during his seven-year career, and he is a member of the &lt;a href=\\\"http:\\/\\/www.motorcyclemuseum.org\\/halloffame\\/hofbiopage.asp?id=127\\\"target=blank&gt;Motorcycle Hall of Fame&lt;\\/a&gt;.  Mike definitely knows what it takes to be a successful professional in our sport&amp;#8230;&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;p&gt;\\t\\t\\t&lt;b&gt;Magazine Interviews&lt;\\/b&gt;&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;ul type=\\\"disc\\\"&gt;\\n&lt;li&gt;Have energy; show enthusiasm and passion for what you&amp;#8217;re doing&lt;\\/li&gt;\\n&lt;li&gt;Speak clearly and slowly&lt;\\/li&gt;\\n&lt;li&gt;Project a confident attitude, but don&amp;#8217;t be cocky or arrogant&lt;\\/li&gt;\\n&lt;li&gt;Think carefully about answers to questions before responding&lt;\\/li&gt;\\n&lt;li&gt;Keep answers direct and to the point&lt;\\/li&gt;\\n&lt;li&gt;Give credit to others when appropriate (mechanics, sponsors, etc.)&lt;\\/li&gt;\\n&lt;li&gt;Have fun!&lt;\\/li&gt;\\n&lt;li&gt;Always remain approachable and willing to talk to the press&lt;\\/li&gt;\\n&lt;\\/ul&gt;\\n&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Live\\/Video Interviews&lt;\\/b&gt;&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;ul type=\\\"disc\\\"&gt;\\n&lt;li&gt;Smile and expect to be there&lt;\\/li&gt;\\n&lt;li&gt;Be enthusiastic and passionate&lt;\\/li&gt;\\n&lt;li&gt;Maintain a comfortable and humble attitude&lt;\\/li&gt;\\n&lt;li&gt;Don&amp;#8217;t say anything you might regret later&lt;\\/li&gt;\\n&lt;li&gt;Know your sponsors and when to mention them&lt;\\/li&gt;\\n&lt;li&gt;Take the opportunity seriously and have a plan&lt;\\/li&gt;\\n&lt;li&gt;Know the race situation.  What happened?  Why are you there?&lt;\\/li&gt;\\n&lt;li&gt;Always thank the fans&lt;\\/li&gt;\\n&lt;li&gt;Practice your podium presentation&lt;\\/li&gt;\\n&lt;\\/ul&gt;\\n&lt;p&gt;One of the best pieces of advice Mike had was to always remember how lucky a pro is to be racing for a living:&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Were you ever a fan?  Did you or your parents buy tickets and sit in the stands?  Don&amp;#8217;t forget how it felt.  Be gracious and genuinely appreciative for the opportunity to do what you love to do.  Remember you ride &amp;#8220;dirt bikes&amp;#8221; for a living.  The majority of fans can only imagine what it must be like to be a pro motocross rider and they have a tremendous amount of respect for what you can do on a motorcycle, so treat them with respect.  Don&amp;#8217;t take any of what professional motocross brings as a career for granted.  Even a long career is motocross is just a blink of an eye in a lifetime.&lt;\\/i&gt;&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;\\/blockquote&gt;\\n&lt;p&gt;\\t\\t\\tGreat advice, Mike!  Not too many of us will ever have the opportunity to give a podium speech, much less live life as a motocross pro, but for those of you out there on that path, these tips will help you be prepared for your time in the spotlight.&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n\""^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://motocross.transworld.net/photos/tuesday-tip-brmedia-training-101-with-mike-bellbr/>