The news site of Santa Barbara City College.

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The news site of Santa Barbara City College.

The Channels

The news site of Santa Barbara City College.

The Channels

Emergency Medical Technician is amateur motocross rider

When Jomy Smith crashed in a race and was diagnosed with a concussion, it was the least of her worries.

She had to drive back from San Bernardino to re-qualify for City College’s Emergency Medical Technician program later that day.

A City College radiology student, Smith competes regularly in two separate motocross racing series while having two jobs and taking on a part-time student’s workload.

“I have my goals and I am not going to give up,” Smith said about her rigorous schedule.

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Smith is an amateur racer sponsored by O’Neil Motocross and races in the U.S. Desert Racing Series. She also works as a full time assistant to an orthopedic surgeon and as a part time security guard.

Smith finished eighth last year in the USDR but wants to improve on that effort this year. After winning round one of the six race series at Red Mountain Feb. 7, Smith is currently in second place among all women.

“I feel like I am naturally a pretty decent rider,” Smith said about her hobby. “I could be pro if I had the time and the money.”

However, time is not a luxury she has.

Smith calls the balancing act of racing, work and school “challenging,” but says that paying her way keeps her motivated to work harder.

She has wanted to be an x-ray technician since she graduated high school. She has completed all of the pre-requisites for the course in the past four years and looks to start the 22-month-long radiological sciences program in June.

Professor Bruce Oda says that earning your associates degree in Science at the Radiological program can be just as challenging as getting the same four year degree.

Oda taught Smith in the introduction to radiological sciences and remembers her as “active and vivacious.” However he admits her tight schedule is going to be tough to maintain.

“School is my priority, I don’t want stop riding, even if I stop racing.” Smith said about her increasing workload.

However, toughness was never a problem for Smith. Over her five year racing career she has overcome seven concussions and numerous broken bones.

“I realize it’s quite an ironic field of work for my hobby,” Smith said.  “Being a patient so many times gives me a unique perspective on the whole x-ray process.”

Smith’s interest in motocross sparked when she moved down from the Santa Ynez Valley to attend City College.

“I rented a room and my landlord took me dirt biking for the first time,” Smith said. “I was immediately hooked.”

From then on she entered two or three races a month paying her way and serving as her own pit crew.

At 31-years-old, Smith is older than most of her competition.

“The girls who are in their late teens and early twenties usually get technical and financial support from their families,” Smith said. “It is definitely a disadvantage, if something goes wrong out there I am going to be the one who has to fix it.”

In the future Smith wants to assemble an all girls team to compete in the Baja 100, and upon completion of her associate degree, she hopes to work as a traveling x-ray technician, riding on her days off.

Smith has a newspaper article posted on her wall of a lady in her sixties who completed the Baja 100. This article serves as inspiration for Smith.

“I do it because it makes me happy, a stress reliever,” she said, “I will keep riding until I physically can’t.”

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