Welcome to Momentum, a motorsports podcast powered by High Gear Success. I'm your host, Heather Wilson Schiltz Here we share the stories and strategies that keep the world of motorsports moving forward. And today I'm chatting with Lindsey Scheltema, the executive director at the United States Motorcycle Coaching Association, also known as USMCA. So thanks for joining me. Thanks for having me. I'm excited to talk more about this. Yeah, and it was really nice because we actually got to catch up in person recently at AIM Expo and that doesn't happen very often. was really excited. It was such a great event. I feel like so many people were able to connect. I just felt like there were so many, I mean, so many little mini conversations happening everywhere. It was a very, I feel like for the networking aspect, like it was super successful for a lot of people. Yeah, at one point somebody asked me about products there that I saw and I was like, actually, to be honest, I didn't look at a single product in any of the booths. That sounds like crazy to say, but I was just so busy talking to people that I wasn't really focused on what products would be there. It was crazy. It was just, felt like everybody had that mindset too. And that's what I was explaining to a bunch of people also. said, you know, it's super successful when everybody has that same mindset. you go in for, I mean, you go in for those conversations, you're networking, you're building your business. But when everybody has that mentality and that mindset, it just makes a show that much more successful. Well, and was cool too. So obviously I got to catch up with people that I already knew. And then people that I've known online for years, but I haven't been able to meet in person. And it's almost like, have we met in person? Have we not met in person? Because you feel like you know each other so well. Yeah. And then I even had people coming up to me that were like, Hey, are you Heather? Do you like have a podcast? Um, and so it was just really cool to get to connect with different people when I was joining some California weather, of course too. Absolutely. So as far as your career, you've been in the industry for a lot of years. Some of your former titles include Paddock Tour Manager of Monster Energy Supercross, Media Operations Manager for AMSOIL ArenaCross. You were even Miss ArenaCross from 2009 to 2013, which is so cool. And a former women's Pro Motocross competitor. Lots of different roles in the industry, but how do you feel like some of those roles contributed to your current role with USMCA? always use this. I always use the term like it's just full circle. Like everything in my life is full circle right now. I'm in my thirties and it's just like the circles coming back around and it is so cool. What I mean by that is, you know, as a racer, you are so like you're into the traveling, you're into the competing. You have all these friends, like you travel all the time and then you get a little older, you get a job in the industry. same thing, you're traveling, you're meeting people. Like this time it's just a different job. You're, you like I had all those other titles instead of a racer, but it was still that. And then now I'm going specifically from paddock manager to the director at the USMCA. It was um really rejuvenating for me. um I love I love this story because I love operations. I love the adrenaline that you get behind that. Like the adrenaline rush that you get when you're trying to put on a live event is, it's just like racing. It's just like setting up. It's just like you're lining up at Loretta's. And I think that was what kept me going all those years is because you always had that sense of adrenaline. And when I moved into the USMCA, it was a different role because then, I was promoting getting connected to, getting, I was more of a connector. So I connect riders to coaches, I connect coaches to coaches, I connect partners to our organization, and I'm just a connector. And I love that because I feel as though I'm doing my part to help the sport grow. And that's where I am super passionate. So, you know, where I left a job that gave me a ton of adrenaline, like this more like, It fulfills my purpose because I feel like I'm getting so many more butts on seats. I'm getting so many people with that lifelong connection of, you know, that coach that serves as a mentor that helps raise your kids. Like, it's just an incredible thing. And now I'm a parent. My kids are racing. I'm back racing. Like, it's just full circle all the way around. Like, I couldn't have asked, like, I couldn't ask for a better life. I think that's like the perfect fit and being able to be that connector. And like you said, you're making an impact by getting more riders out there too. So I want to take a second to kind of step back a little bit. Can you explain how USMCA got started? Yeah, so it's kind of twofold. We're actually celebrating our 10 year anniversary this year. So that's super exciting for us as an association. But um we started because we were going to bring back high school motocross. The KTM group was bringing back high school motocross. It was one of their side projects. And they got really far in the process. It was going to be out in Southern California. This happened back in the 70s and was an incredible hit. um So they had Teams lined up, tracks lined up, and then they went to the athletic association and they said, hey, all your paperwork looks great. You filled everything out. We're super excited about this. However, the field is blank where it says coaching association. We need to know who certifies these coaches that are training all these riders. And we're like, uh, doesn't exist. And they said, well, that's the bigger issue because in order to be considered a USA sport, you're required to hold a coaching association. You're required to hold your coaches to a standard. You're required to legitimize what they're doing and for every coach to have a basic form of. emergency training. I mean, it's just it's just a thing that everything else, every other sport has this. So it was a huge wake up call. At the same time, the um president of the KTM group was Jon-Erik Burleson. He was trying to find a coach for his son. And this was all happening at the same time. And his wife was like because he wanted Nate Ramsey. And his wife was like, cool, who's Nate Ramsey? And he's like, are you kidding me? Like He's won championships, like he's an incredible super cross champion. You don't know him. And she's like, can he pass a background check? Is he CPR certified? She asked all these questions that any parent would, you would think, ask. And Jon-Erik was like, wow. Yeah, you bring up good points. And so that was all happening at the same time. So it just kind of was that perfect storm to just start the USMCA. It took a really long time, but they ended up benchmarking the coaching association off USA Ski and Snowboard and USA Cycling. A group of people that are majority still with us today, they're a part of our advisory group. They traveled to Colorado, to USA Ski and Snowboard. They went to the USA Cycling headquarters and they were given all of the information because apparently, and don't quote me on the year, but USA... I believe it took them 20 years to get off the ground. So they were like, we just don't want you guys to be like us. Like we want you guys to succeed. We'll give you everything. So Ski and Snowboard said the same thing. They wanted to help us succeed. They wanted to see this. And they were like, we're an open book, ask away. So they were really helpful while we were forming the coaching association. But really the rest is history. mean, I stepped into the coaching association in 2020 and we've just We have not stopped. We had a record breaking year last year in 2025. We certified about 200, I think it was 252 coaches all in all, which was an all time high for us. The coaches are getting it. The coaches are stepping up. They see the need. And the biggest thing for me this year is just education. I want to raise education. I want to raise awareness. And that was why Amexpo was so beneficial for me is because I want to raise awareness on the dealer level, on the dealer level, on the track level, because that's where the most people are going. And the more people I can educate, I feel like the better off will be. Yeah, it's cool that there was a lot of cross collaboration between the cycling and the ski organizations that they were so willing to help. I think that's always a great starting point when you have other outside entities that have been there and done that. Yeah. They're willing to help. So that's awesome in itself. And then you obviously know this, but some of my listeners may not that I'm a USMCA certified coach. Yep. But for those that aren't familiar, what does that certification process look like for coaches? Absolutely. So in a nutshell, we're the national organization that sets the professional standard for motorcycle coaching across all disciplines of riding. what I mean, our overall goal was to set a standard of motorcycle coaching. And I think we're doing a really good job at it. But in a nutshell, all certified coaches are over 18. They pass a national level background screening. Their CPR and first aid trained and then they go through training to help manage and detect concussions, heat illness and cardiac issues. They go through core content that we um have set up and a lot of them are just hypothetical questions. We really wanna make sure that you understand the ins and outs of the business side of things because there's a lot that goes, as you know, there's a lot that goes into coaching than just being a good rider. A lot of it is your business ethics and how you handle tough parents and hard conversations. So we wanna make sure that coaches are prepared for that. And then... The last thing we do is a reference check. We call a couple people that you have coached. A lot of them are parents, and we just ask. And I don't necessarily ask about the coaching side of things, but it's more or less about the person. want to hear how they are. I want to hear about their personality, about how they handle situations. I want to hear what makes the parent feel safe around this coach. That's the last step that we do. it makes a world of difference when talking to different facilities, different organizers, different tracks. uh there's a lot of tracks that are stepping on board to requiring coaches to hold insurance. So that is a benefit that we offer our coaches as we purchase a excess general liability policy. It is an umbrella policy, but we allow coaches to purchase that after they're certified. And that's been a huge benefit for the coaches, especially with recent incidences. So it's really good to protect yourself and we really promote that at the USMCA also. I've known a lot of people that have been coaches for many years before this organization existed and it's definitely a liability, right? I mean, our sport can be dangerous in ways, so it's nice to have that protection. And it's also just nice to have that kind of certification, that stamp of approval that you can put out that you have been through a process and training and that you have those, safety checks, like you were talking about as well. So from your perspective, how do you feel like coaching helps sustain the sport long term? Meaning like, how's it contributing in a larger way? I've seen this in multiple ways. For somebody that's a motocross rider looking to get to that next point, I mean, it helps right away from the beginning. You're getting those fundamentals and then you're fixing bad habits. And the fixing bad habits can be done on any stage. I've heard it from coaches that are with vet riders, especially during vet camps. A lot of our coaches have vet camps for 30 plus age groups. You know, a lot of it, um when I talk to the riders that have gone through that, they just say, you know, it's hard when you develop bad habits and it's just up to us to try to fix them. And with a coach, they can help you with that. But as of recently, I've em been talking to a lot of people that are hiring different coaches for different disciplines of riding. So you might've been a motocross rider your whole life. but you're going into adventure riding or you're going into sport bike riding and you wanna start doing track days. I will tell you firsthand from racing motocross my whole life to going to a track day, I had the motocross elbows. They could tell right away. in track, like when you're doing sport bike riding, your elbows are down and it's a totally different style of riding. So. Coaches can help with different disciplines when you're going from discipline to discipline, and they can help when you're trying to continue being a lifelong motorcyclist because there's different things and there's, I truly believe in you never stop learning. So it may be where like you get a lot of coaching at first, but then like if you're just a seasonal rider, it's just maintenance. But you your car, you don't have to bring it in for maintenance every day, but it needs maintenance every, so often and when you hit certain mileage point. And I think that's the same with any type of dirt bike rider or sport bike rider. I think the maintenance to get coaching and just make sure that you're fresh with your skills and with not developing any bad habits that may creep in. Well, whilst you least expect it, I think it's really important. We talked about different disciplines there, but also different experience levels too, of coaches that you can find in USMCA. So I always call myself like a beginner or learn to ride coach. Like I want to work with the people that I've never even sat on a bike before or have very minimal experience to help them build those good foundations and those good habits. I'm not a racer. I'm not a racing coach, but you have the whole spectrum in USMCA. Can you speak to that a little bit? Yeah, so a lot of, our coaches, so you can go to MotorcycleCoaching.org to look at any of our coaches. We currently have 425 active certified coaches on that website. They all have profiles and on that profile, it shows what level of, what skill level they coach up to. So there are some coaches that will only take on pro athletes because that's what they're interested in. They're interested in building that next professional athlete. But there is a lot of coaches that are recreational. They just want to help with the beginner riders. They just want to do the weekend warriors. Or they're wanting to more or less go from that beginner to intermediate level. all of their levels are on our website, MotorcycleCoaching.org. But that's the biggest thing too. But like I mentioned, there are specialties. So if you're into trials or you're into enduro riding or ah like I mentioned track days, there's All those specialties are on our website also, so you can look at what specialties our coaches are coaching in, because that's important. As far as what separates a good coach from a truly impactful one, what are some of those things that you think a really impactful coach needs to possess? The biggest thing is patience. I get that a lot with reference calls. But there's a quote that a reference had last week that's really sticking out to me. And this was adventure focused specifically. And he was on a week long adventure with their coach. And what he said was, really takes a special person to not like to be a part of this experience. he's like, what really got me is like, this is a really great coach is he said, you're with them breakfast, lunch, dinner, campfire afterwards in like all throughout the day. Like you're with each other 24 seven. So you have to, you have to be like willing to adjust. have to be willing to always have a good personable attitude on your face. Like always be willing to be there because You don't have a, like, there's no spot to dec, like, you just have to be there and be in the moment. And what he said was. I, were talking at the campfire that the night before, and I was just mentioning different things that I've been working on or want to work on. And, you know, he's like, I just thought it was just, you know, campfire talk and like things that I've been thinking about for a long time. I just decided to bring it up. And he's like, I didn't really expect anything from it. Um, and then he's like the next day. He went out of his way to make sure that every point I made, he helped me fix. And he showed me ways that I can work on it on my own. like, that just truly, like a good coach, like a great coach listens and applies. And I truly believe that's the biggest thing that like, that was super impactful for me. So I was like, dang, like that'll change somebody's life when they remember what you said the night before and then. on their own, just go and like show you everything and all the ways to fix it. Like that was, that was so cool. and I feel like every experience can be so customized too. So it sounds like that was like a multi-day, all day, overnight type of thing, which is really cool. I would say that's definitely not the norm. Um, but sometimes coaching is, you know, six hours, eight hours, but sometimes it could be, especially for younger kids, maybe it's just four hours. So it's kind of built around the rider too, if the coach recognizes that. And one more. like, so yes, that was the multi day type example. But like for the coach that is with a kid, like a motocross kid, for example, or like a GNCC rider, they the most impactful thing that I've heard, like parents tell me is when the coach follows up for no reason, like, hey, I remember that they and again, it goes back to listening. But he said, hey, I remember that Johnny said he was going to race in Kentucky last weekend. How did it go? Fill me in like or. you know, hey, I just decided to drive here. It's only a couple hour drive, but I really wanted to support him like Johnny, you know, and just like, there's like, there's so many coaches out there that are just, they want to help because they care. They're passion. You can't hide passion. And these coaches are driving hours out of their way to make sure that they're supporting their riders. And, and that really goes a long way. And I really, truly believe that's why we are part of such an incredible industry is It is so tight knit. is so close. And once you get connected with one, a coach that cares that much about you, mean, like I say this all the time, coaches are more than like a normal USA sport coach. A motorcycle coach is a mentor and they will truly shape your life for the better. I think developing rider confidence is a big part of that too, and having that relationship more than just teaching them the mental or physical skills. And so I'm always a big advocate of telling people that usually family or friends teaching each other how to ride is not the best case scenario for a lot of different reasons. uh Sometimes those people have not been through training. They are not educators and they don't really... even remember the basics sometimes it's kind of a get on and just give it gas situation, which usually does not end well for anybody, right? The participant has a bad time. They don't ever want to get on a motorcycle again. It wasn't a good experience. And so I really encourage people like you may have a friend that is the greatest rider or in my case, you know, my dad rode ISDE was a phenomenal rider, but he didn't necessarily have the patience or the skills to teach me. And of course he did teach me when I was younger, but As I got older, like it's better having that outside perspective of somebody that's trained and can really help you progress like in a stepwise fashion. Absolutely. So as far as mental and physical skills, when it comes to motorcycling, obviously coaches are hitting on some of those physical skills, but I feel like they're also hitting on a lot of those mental pieces as well when it comes to like helping instill that confidence and just helping riders develop those better processes and habits. Yes, and that's becoming a growing topic in our industry. mean, there's, we do have a lot of mental coaches that also, um that's their specialty on MotorcycleCoaching.org because there comes a point where when you are in competition, any competition, you can only get to such a level to where like the one thing that's gonna differentiate you is your mindset. I speak about mindset. a lot. I read a lot of professional development books. I read a lot of motivational books, listen to lot of motivational podcasts because you are who you surround yourself with. now raising teenage girls, I try so hard to just dial this in because the more you surround yourself with positive people, the more positive you are by default. it really I, and this goes the same way with coaching. Like you have to have somebody that believes in you and believes in your program. And we say this a lot of times because I've had it to where in the past coaches are like, you know, Lindsey, there's like 40 coaches that are all specializing in dirt bikes in Texas. Like, why are there so many or 50? Like, why is there so many? And I'm like, because not one coach fits all. You can't like every rider has different needs. and every coach responds a little differently. even with different, like with different reference calls I've had, they've given me instances where they've worked with other coaches and they're great. And they have, they were like, you know what? They're just great. They just weren't great for my son or they just weren't great for my daughter. And I'm just seeing such a better connection with this coach. And you're gonna get that all across the board. And that's why when you are starting to, I hate to the word shop, but when you're searching for that, for your next coach, shop around. Like ask other coaches, like talk to them about what they're into, ask them what their skillsets are. just create that relationship because it might not be the right fit first, but you're gonna find one. And that's why we have so many coaches because everybody's different. Yeah, I mean, they're different in personality and also different. And sometimes the way that they teach or the curriculum, I mean, you're going to get different advice from different people. There is not a standard curriculum that everybody is teaching. They might teach similar things, but everybody's going to have a slightly different opinion and you have to figure out what works for you. Which is why I think this sport is so great though too, because everybody has their own little secret sauce and that's okay. And that's why I'm all about multiple coaches, you know, because I think you can learn a little bit from everybody. I've been seeing too, a lot more coaches offering like online training courses. so what is kind of your take on that, whether it's online versus in person? mean, there's a lot of different stuff that you could do online, uh, without even being in person, but it's kind of something that I feel like it's just starting to kind of explode a little bit more. think it's good. don't think anything can truly replace in-person coaching, but I think it helps in terms of that continued motivation. You have somebody constantly reminding you, constantly helping you, like somebody that's always there to help drive you and push you. If you aren't like self-motivated off the start, I mean, I think that's a lot of times why people have a coach too is because they can't do it on their own. And I think the online stuff is beneficial because they always have, you know, they always have somebody to help them or they always have a tool or a reference to go back to if they do have questions. So I do think it's good and it's definitely a part of developing our industry. What is a misconception about motorcycle coaching that you would love to clear up that you may be hear sometimes? Maybe it's a misconception or even an objection. Well, I think I already said it. It's just because you're a good rider doesn't make you a good coach. like I mentioned in the reference calls, like I always like whenever I do a reference call, I make sure that every reference knows who we are, what we do. It's a part, it all goes back to educating. And the more people that I can educate on how this coach went through this process because they believe in setting a standard and setting themselves apart. My goal at the end of that is like, because of every person that I talk to, I, my hope is that they will only choose a certified coach from here on out because it's the right thing to do at the end of the day. and that's my biggest, my biggest thing, everybody, like, that's the biggest thing is just because somebody has a name or a great racing history, does not make them a good coach. There is so much more that goes into being a good coach. I always reference Colleen Millsaps I always, I always go back to her because she is an incredible coach. she never raced dirtbikes. Like, so it doesn't, it doesn't, I mean, she raised a son that was a champion, but she did not herself race. And so you always have to reference like those, those kinds of things is because there's so much more that goes into coaching. It's your personality. It's how you handle. hard situations, it's how you help someone break through bad habits and push them through adversity and try to keep their confidence up. mean, it's just, there's so many things that go into being a good coach. And I think that's the biggest thing is I just, want motorcycle coaching to be at the same level as basketball, hockey, ski and snowboard, cycling. I wanna be considered. at that same level. Like we've always, I want to elevate the sport and I truly believe we can elevate the sport and be looked at the same. Like we are getting more attention in the press and that's fantastic, but we need, we as coaches need to set the bar and we need to be setting the examples so we don't get people connected with the wrong people. oh I train and certify a lot of street bike coaches in the state of Ohio for the state's sponsored programs where they can get their licenses. Although it's not USMCA, like those things that you were just hitting on, like personality is so important. And for us, we do have a set curriculum and we do have to ensure that everybody is teaching the curriculum the way that it's prescribed. Obviously people are going to have a little bit different personality, like flair and teaching that same curriculum. But for us, I always will take somebody who has a great personality that maybe isn't the best rider, but it's still competent. They have to be more competent than their people they're teaching. cause they do have to be on the bikes and the course, but like personality over skill for me any day. Oh, for sure. oh For those that are looking for opportunities to get involved in coaching with USMCA, how can they learn more information? So they can learn more by going to usmca.org. There's more information on the certification process and the prerequisites. We have the background screening information on there for people to view. There's also, can email me at lindsey@usmca.org. I can jump on a call with you, answer any other questions. Our certification is good for two years and you are required to renew every two years. The reason for that is the background screening needs to refresh and we also, your CPR expires every two years. So that's the reason behind that. So if anybody has any questions, that's where they can reach me and I would love to walk you through the process and explain any more. And then on the flip side, for those looking to learn or improve their skills, how can they get connected to a coach again? If you're looking to get connected to a coach, go to MotorcycleCoaching.org. You can go to the website. You can go download the app on your phone, create a free profile, and you can message coaches and just ask them questions and try to get connected for a coaching session. And then finally, looking ahead, what are you most excited about as far as where USMCA is headed in the next few years? Like 10 years is a big anniversary, but where do think you guys are headed from here? That's a big question. um We're working through um what the strategy looks like for the USMCA for the next 10 years, actually. um We are, I'll start with next month, we're hosting a in-person USMCA Coach Summit. So that's a really exciting opportunity for coaches to get together, to collaborate, network. We're gonna have keynote speakers and really we wanna invest back into the coach. I'd like to... get more partnerships so coaches can get more benefits. I'm excited because the biggest thing for us is I just want to create more coach opportunities. I want coaches to feel like they're a part of something. We are hosting optional coach calls every month. So we try to get somebody on to speak um on behalf of like something that other coaches can learn about. But it's also an opportunity where coaches can ask other coaches questions. And we're just trying like A, I want to educate. I want to educate more people on who we are, what we do, and why they should be involved with us and only use certified coaches. But then also, I want to create more opportunities for coaches. So I think those really go hand in hand. And I think we're starting off 2026 in a really good direction with these coach calls and then our in-person coach summit. I'm just excited to see where the year goes. We're going to we're just going to go full blast and see where it takes us. I guess we should also mention too that USMCA was recently acquired by the Motorcycle Industry Council, the MIC. And so I think that's a perfect pairing. When I heard that news, I think it's going to be a really great fit and also provide USMCA with some more resources and funding and connections. So I think it's just like the perfect pairing and will definitely help boost the future. 100%. That is the biggest news that I failed to share. Sorry about that. Yeah, so we were acquired last February by the Motorcycle Industry Council, for us, that meant everything. um OEMs are stepping up to providing great opportunities for coaches. It's just incredible. There's over 400 members of the Motorcycle Industry Council, so... I just think of that as uh endless opportunities for our coaches and for our organizations. So definitely a step in the right direction. That is where we need to be. And I'm really excited for this opportunity. So that's kind of the spearhead of everything. now from here on out, it just goes back to the coach calls, networking, and raising education. I mean, that's really our main goal for this year. So we told people where they can connect with USMCA, but tell people where they can connect with you personally online. I am on all of the all of the platforms so if you just search Lindsey Scheltema I'm on Instagram Facebook LinkedIn But then like I mentioned my email is Lindsey at USMCA org if you do have any questions regarding Getting connected to a rider if you are wanting to partner with the USMCA on a financial aspect for our upcoming opportunities We have a lot of them And then also if you're a coach looking to understand more about the certification, that would be a great opportunity. Awesome. Well, thank you so much. And thanks to everybody for tuning into Momentum. This has been a production of High Gear Success. If you want to connect to recommend a guest, head to MomentumMotorsportsPodcast.com. Until next time, keep the momentum rolling.