Mud, Mindset, and Motocross

February 17, 2026

You will find siblings Tatum and Brody Veon at motocross tracks most weekends. PA Cyber middle school student Tatum does it for the adrenaline rush; elementary student Brody does it for the trophies.

They fell in love with dirt bike racing five years ago, and it has been a huge part of their lives ever since. The friends they’ve made at the tracks have become like family. The Veons sleep at the track in their trailer and wake up to the sound of bikes revving.

They mostly compete in motocross, which is held on a wide dirt track. Sometimes they compete on narrow tracks through woods or on oval tracks. In the winter, races move to large indoor spaces.

They participate in races hosted by American Motorcyclist Association, Pennsylvania Motocross Association, and Competition Riders of America. Their goal is to someday make it to the amateur national motocross championship, held annually at Loretta Lynn Ranch in Tennessee. It’s one of the biggest amateur motocross races in the world. Parent Christopher explained, “They will take the 40 fastest kids in the world, per class.”

The Family Sport

From a very young age, Tatum watched her dad race dirt bikes and decided she wanted to do it too. In turn, little brother Brody grew up watching Tatum and, of course, wanted to join the family sport! Tatum really got into racing at age 7 when she was eligible to ride a bigger 50cc bike. Brody began at age 3. (Generally, you have to be 4 to race, but parents are allowed to age up their child by one year.)

Tatum has been competing in an all-girls class, and this year she’s eligible to compete in the girls’ and women’s class. She has sponsors for tires, goggles, boots, training, suspension, and so on. She has a competitive edge when racing in mud. “Tatum happens to be really good at it, and a lot of kids spin out and wreck,” said parent Chelsie. “But man, she comes out really muddy.”

Both siblings have developed grit that comes naturally from crashing and learning to get back on the bike. Tatum said, “You have to get over the fear, or you work on the fear. It’s a mindset. If you have a good mindset, then you’ll be good. If you have a bad mindset and you’re like, I can’t do this, I’m not going to win, then you’re not going to win.”

Chelsie said, “Motocross is definitely a very dangerous sport, but we’ve lucked out very much so that neither one of them has broken a bone yet.”

More than a year ago, Brody went to the hospital after a crash where the handlebar jammed under his helmet, knocking out a few teeth and almost breaking his jaw. His sister has told him to let go of the bike when he is crashing, but he said everything happened so fast in the moment.

Back at Home

At home in Beaver County, the family has a backyard track. That’s where the Veon children learned how to ride, and today it’s where they practice after school. Racing dirt bikes involves some mundane but necessary tasks. Once Tatum and Brody return home from a weekend of racing, they wash their bikes, check parts, and take them to the mechanic if needed.

Their bedrooms are decorated with stunning trophies, including six-foot-tall trophies from triathlons. Brody proudly said the trophies “make our bedrooms really cool.” Tatum said dusting them “takes forever.”

They enrolled at PA Cyber last school year so they can visit their father when he works out of town, all while staying on pace with schoolwork. “There was also a little bullying happening at [the last] school,” said Chelsie.

What would they say to someone who is interested in competing in motocross? “Pick the right bike and just do your best,” Brody said. Then Tatum added, “Get training to learn the basics. Practice a ton. Make sure you get the right gear. And then go to smaller tracks. Don’t give up unless you’re actually hurt. Get back on.”