Growing up in Los Angeles County means more than Hollywood, beaches and sunshine. Canyon Country, Calif., resident Dani Thompson can attest to that.

For Thompson, a senior infielder on the NIU softball team, her hometown lives up to its name.

“We always had a canyon in our backyard,” Thompson said. “Not a lot of people had canyons in their backyards, but we always did.”

Canyon Country may not be the perfect place to spot celebrities or enjoy the ocean, but it is perfect for the extreme sport of dirt biking.

Thompson has been riding dirt bikes for about six years now, along with the occasional snowboarding trip. Thompson said her family’s involvement in dirt biking helped lead her into the sport.

“My dad got into it, then my brothers, then my sisters and my mom got into it and we go out with a bunch of my friends [on] holidays,” Thompson said. “A lot of people from my town do that. I live about an hour away from most places [to ride], and I can ride in my backyard.”

Even though she plays Division I softball, the risk of getting injured has not deterred the infielder from getting on a dirt bike. The senior said she doesn’t go too extreme when on the bike to avoid injury, but added that if softball were taken out of the equation, she would kick it up a notch.

“I just like going fast on the dirt bikes,” Thompson said. “I’m not into the whole jumping thing because I don’t want to get hurt for softball. I know it’s a risk but I’m not going to let that affect anything. But, I’m not a big baby or anything.”

Dirt biking has only given Thompson one injury that has limited her in softball. Last summer a close encounter with a bike chain left the infielder hindered for a few weeks.

Despite having the collectiveness of the prototypical dirt biker, Thompson said her experience in the extreme sport does not carry over into softball.

“They’re totally different,” Thompson said. “I don’t think about that [dirt biking] when I’m playing.”
Now that the fall softball schedule has wrapped up, Thompson can again start thinking about dirt biking, along with her unique view of Los Angeles County, backyard canyon and all.

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