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Rock-solid teen

by JASON ELLIOTT
Sports Writer | August 31, 2010 9:00 PM

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<p>Ryan Breece celebrates his national championship in the 250 C Motocross at the 2010 Amateur Motocross Championships in Hurricane Mills, Tenn.</p>

Some kids, when their parents tell them to slow down - they listen.

Others don't.

For one Coeur d'Alene High sophomore, it's his love for speed that has brought him national recognition after winning the 250 C Class in the 2010 Loretta Lynn Motocross Championships in Hurricane Mills, Tenn., in early August.

Ryan Breece, 15, won the national title, defeating 42 other riders in the event on Aug. 7.

"I've qualified a few other times," said Breece, of Hayden Lake. "The funding wasn't there so I couldn't go. This time it was and I took first."

Breece qualified at regional events in Honey Lake and Hesperia, Calif., to advance to the national races.

"I had a lot of expectations going into nationals," Breece said. "I had

really high expectations I knew I needed to conquer. After seeing I was second in the moto after the first run - I knew I had to win."

Breece added the win has given him more confidence in himself when it comes to competition.

"It was a big boost for me," Breece said. "I was really honored to win something like that. I've been working hard and training for this day to happen."

Breece spends four days a week riding his motorcycle and six in the gym working on a variety of different aspects of conditioning.

"I usually work on my cardio for a bit, then get into the heat," Breece said. "Then I finish it off by lifting weights. I try to build my upper body and strength so I can handle the bike during races."

Breece, who traveled to nationals a few years ago, knew that his conditioning was going to be a factor while competing during the summer months in Tennessee.

"I knew the weather was going to be bad," Breece said. "I came back and started preparing because I knew I'd have to battle it again."

With temperatures in the 100s, with a humidity of 90 percent, Breece took to some different tactics to prepare for competition.

"He'd come over during the summer and mow my lawn wearing a sweatshirt," said Breece's grandfather, Pat Elfsten of Dalton Gardens. "It would be about 90 degrees out, and he'd be out there working away like it didn't bother him."

Breece also trains wearing a wetsuit, along with his race suit and sweatshirt to prepare him for the temperatures in Tennessee during the summer event.

"I'll do it for 45 minutes, take a two-hour break and then get back after it for another 45," Breece said. "When I get into it, it's really a fly-by and it doesn't feel like anything when I'm training."

"He does this stuff year-round," Elfsten said. "It helps him withstand those two-a-days during the fall."

Breece is a linebacker on the Coeur d'Alene junior varsity football team and also plays basketball, playing point guard for the Vikings during the winter.

"I love it," Breece said. "Between football, motocross and basketball, it doesn't leave you any time to get into trouble."

"It really gives him an overall healthier outlook on life," Elfsten said. "He's kind of lucky in that he doesn't sit in front of the TV. He likes to keep on the move and stay busy."

Breece got into the sport a few years ago after hearing that his next-door neighbor, Joey Corbey, was going to quit racing.

"He was doing it and then I found out he didn't want to race anymore," Breece said. "So I brought back his number (No. 21) and started getting into racing. He quit and I just started."

Breece competes every weekend in a circuit in Airway Heights from the spring to fall, where he's won between 200 and 300 trophies.

His favorite part of racing is right before the start of each race.

"On the gates when you're lining up," Breece said. "I love that nerve-wracking feeling. All-around, it's really fun. I like it because the more throttle you give, the faster you go."

Only once has Breece been forced off his bike for an extending period of time.

"I was practicing for a race in Las Vegas in 2006 when I missed a jump and broke my wrist," Breece said. "I had steel plates and screws put into my wrist and couldn't ride for about six weeks. I was just waiting for a chance to get back and ride."

That time off from the sport made him a much smarter rider.

"From that point on, I thought about things a lot different," Breece said. "I put thought into where the jumps were and it could have also been my bike setup with how I was riding."

One national title later - he has no plans of slowing down yet.