Friday, June 16, 2017
By ED PUSKAS
NILES
Ryan Villopoto isn’t your typical retired athlete.
For one thing, the veteran supercross competitor and former world champion rider is just 28. In most other sports, he’d still be in his prime.
But even though Villopoto is more than two years into retirement, he still has quite a fan following — from kindergarten-age kids to adults — and many of them from across northeastern Ohio and beyond showed up Thursday at Johnny K’s Powersports for a chance to meet their idol.
Villopoto didn’t disappoint. The biggest name in motocross/supercross spent two hours signing autographs, chatting with fans and posing for photographs. The crowd included: aspiring rider Brenan Knack, 6, and his father, Derek, of Wadsworth; Canfield’s Aaron Bernard; Cody Dorman of Benita Springs, Fla.; and Mineral Ridge High School girls basketball players Kalyn Stricklin and Nevaeh Cruz.
Such appearances on behalf of long-time sponsor Kawasaki are now a big part of Villopoto’s life away from the professional track.
“I haven’t even ridden since October,” said Villopoto, a four-time Monster Energy AMA Supercross champion.
Lingering injuries from an April 2015 crash and the feeling that it was just time to do something different were among the factors that eventually convinced him to announce his retirement on his website on July 9, 2015.
“It can be a dangerous sport,” Villopoto said.
That truth became all too evident after that 2015 wreck, in which Villopoto sustained multiple tailbone fractures, soft-tissue damage and multiple compressed discs in his lower back.
When he was still in pain months later, Villopoto decided to walk away from the sport he loved — at least from the competitive side of it.
“Some guys wait until they’re in a better position financially to be able to retire from racing and it seemed like we were in a position to do that,” he said. “I’ve been racing for a long time, since I was about 3 or 4.
“If motorcycles are a part of your family, you can get into it very young and I did. ... I’m at a point in my life now where I don’t miss it. But if I want to go out and ride tomorrow, I can go do it.”
Villopoto was born and raised in Poulsbo, Wash., where he now resides with his wife, Kristen, and twin sons Gage and Brax.
“Spending more time when my wife and sons is the best thing about being retired,” Villopoto said.
These days he satisfies the competitive itch in other ways. His family recently purchased a track in Washington.
“I can be competitive in business,” Villopoto said. “One reason we bought the track was to make sure it stayed open because it’s becoming more difficult to keep track open now.”
Villopoto’s visit to the Midwest will include an appearance at High Point Raceway in Mount Morris, Pa., about 20 miles east of Morgantown, W.Va.
Michael Capito, Johnny K’s Powersports general manager, said the Niles location — one of three in Ohio — has been open since 2007. It is located in the former Jim Pace Pontiac building at 430 Youngstown-Warren Road. The other locations are in Burbank, near Lodi, and in Cleveland.
Both Villopoto and Johnny K’s are affiliated with Kawasaki, Capito said. In fact, Villopoto’s relationship with Kawasaki spans half his life. It began when he was 14.
Also operating under the Johnny K’s umbrella is Indian Motorcycle of Youngstown, which is next door to Johnny K’s Niles location, at 420 Youngstown-Warren Road., once the site of a Saturn dealership.
Scott Dolan is the general manager of Indian Motorcycle of Youngstown.