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HENRY MILLER
250 SX / 11TH
IMAGE / LANNAN WORDS / MATTINGLY DESIGN / WILSON
>> Just a few short weeks ago, Lucas Oil Stadium hosted the NFL Scouting Combine.
A place where the best prospects of collegiate level in all of the land could go, and be dissected piece by piece, in order to see if they can land a piece of financial return to a specific NFL team. The process is tedious, and at times, looks to be a bit overwhelming, but you must be able to perform under the watchful eye, at the sports most intricate circuit, in order to be chosen and given an opportunity on the professional level. The same can be said about Monster Energy Supercross, as team managers are always on the lookout for the hottest up and coming prospect; who can do the most for them, at that specific moment in time. Henry Miller knows this all too well; he’s felt the criticism of team owner’s, being
the recipient of the “we’ll pass” side of the conversation; it’s driven him to new heights,
as he’s always been able to flip negatives into positives. He knew that Indianapolis was
yet another platform for him to persuade managers and sponsors alike, generating buzz with a performance here could benefit a great amount of dividends in the years to come. His practice and qualifying performances were solid, although having a discussion with
his team to adjust the clickers due to the unseasonably soft soil, he was pleased with the amount of pop he was getting off of the short, abrupt faces on the edges of the bowl turns. The game plan for the main event was to race the track every single lap, focusing on hitting the 47-second mark each time around; if he could do that, he would be well on his way to a spectacular ride. The cameras were now rolling for the main event, and it was just he and the 21 other warriors behind the gate, willing to do battle. Coming across timing and scoring buried amongst the best, he absolutely could not get complement with time dwindling away. He was near 14th in the opening moments. The young man was in somewhat unfamiliar territory; looking around, he knew he could be one of the top riders in the series, but it always takes one action, or displaying ride to really clear the mental gap in his head. He was proving it to himself, the bowl turns were his with ease, as he would stand until the apex, and descend into a squatting motion, the levers of his bike almost ripping the ground; all the while, the right arm cocked to 90 degrees. Overtaking riders such as Dakota Alix,
he knew he was truly amongst the best on this particular night in March. After just losing a position to Kyle Cunningham, he would try and latch on to the veteran, taking his inside line before the small dragon’s back, and jotting down notes like a college lecture. The experi- ence was good, and irreplaceable; and it would eventually cultivate in an astounding 11th place. Well-done Henry.
84 GRITMOTO • MARCH 19, 2017