Looking back on 2011, there have been a lot of influential people that have caused ripples of change. One person in particular is being recognized by the American Motorcycle Association (AMA) as the AMA Motorcyclist of the Year for 2011, Nancy Sabater. You may already know the story, but if not Sabater's story is one of hard work, persistence, and believing in making a change.

In August 2008 President George Bush signed into law the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) which was passed because "inexpensive imported children's toys were testing high for lead content which can present serious exposure risks for children," (The AMA Motorcyclist of the Year, American Motorcyclist, Jan. 2012). The CPSIA banned the manufacturing, importing, selling and distributing of products for children 12 and under that contained a trace of amount of lead and that products would undergo periodic testing.

This sounds like a good thing, keeping children safe. However the wording of this law included the manufacturing, selling, and distributing of dirt bikes to children 12 and under since trace levels of lead can be found in parts of the bikes such as in the brake calipers and battery terminals. It made no difference that these parts were not accessible and/or highly unlikely that a child would place one of the lead based bike parts in his or her mouth.

Sabater had been riding since she was 19 and her fiancé Billy Schlag, who had a professional motocross license in the 1980s, is deeply rooted in dirt biking as a family activity. Nancy believes that the sport has "been morphed into many different things, but the real sport of motocross racing is a real grassroots, family activity," (The AMA Motorcyclist of the Year, American Motorcyclist, Jan. 2012). It was this passion for the sport and knowing that "children are the future of the sport, and the thought that we would have to put riding aside and not do these family things greatly concerned me. We need kids to grow the sport, and without an exemption to the law, eventually the ban would have killed motorcycling," (The AMA Motorcyclist of the Year, American Motorcyclist, Jan. 2012) that made Sabater jump to action.

It all began with Sabater's effort to interview and video tape riders and their experience about riding. This would show what a huge part motocrossing really played in so many lives, and how the law would affect future generations if kids were not able to grow up riding. Sabater made a total of 20 videos that she posted on YouTube and a Facebook Page dedicated to the change.

What really got litigators' attention was the AMA Family Capitol Hill Climb on May 26, 2011. This organized event gathered over 200 activists from all over the states to raise awareness of the affects of this law on motorcycling families. Sabater dubbed those making a difference "moto-patriots." Wayne Allard, AMA VP of Government Relations states on the event, "the AMA and its members in new events to focus media attention on the issue, lobbied on Capitol Hill, and organized campaigns to encourage riders and parents to contact their federal lawmakers to exempt kids' OHV's from the CPSIA. When it counted, riders and parents responded," (The AMA Motorcyclist of the Year, American Motorcyclist, Jan. 2012).

All the dedication of Sabater's and AMA members paid off as on August 12, 2011, President Barack Obama signed into law H.R. 2715 which exempts kids' OHVs from the CPSIA lead content limits. That same day the bill received unanimous approval from Senate. It was this victory that "demonstrated the fruits of our labors. Something really happened here. We effected change. We showed these kids that if you want something hard enough and you work hard enough that you get results. Who knows what battles we'll fight next in D.C., for the AMA, for the rights of motorcyclists. This was a victory on many levels.

The future of motocrossing no longer is threatened by the CPSIA law, and children and their families continue to enjoy the sport together. It's for this reason that Nancy Sabater was named AMA Motorcyclist of the Year. It did take a huge effort from so many to get the attention that was needed to get the exemption to be made, but as AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman points out, "no question, Nancy was joined by a large number of dedicated motorcyclists and their families. However, she is one of the AMA's most-dedicated, most driven and most well-intentioned members," (The AMA Motorcyclist of the Year, American Motorcyclist, Jan. 2012).