Cypress, Calif. - Yamaha ATV racing champ Traci Cecco-Pickens was honored last week by the city of Shamokin, PA, for her
successful ATV racing career. At a ceremony a week ago that included the
city council and approximately 50 spectators including Cecco-Pickens' family
and friends, Mayor George S. Rozinskie, Jr., proclaimed Dec. 10, 2012, as Traci
Cecco-Pickens day in Shamokin and presented her with the key to the city
honoring her as a historic competitor and role model for the city's youth.
"I've
enjoyed 14 years of racing professionally, fought for nine championships and a
created lifetime of memories," Cecco-Pickens said of her career. "I'm
honored to receive this key and proud to say I'm from Shamokin, the city that
provided me all the tools and resources that I needed to make my dreams come
true."
Yamaha's
Regional Business Manager Kevin DeCew was also in attendance at the event: "On
behalf of everyone at Yamaha, I'd like to thank Traci for all of her years of
dedication and for her accomplishments in the sport of ATV racing. She is
a tenacious competitor and represents Yamaha in a highly professional manner
throughout the state of Pennsylvania
and across the country."
Cecco-Pickens
capped a historic career in 2012 with her ninth Grand National Cross Country
ATV Racing Women's class championship. She announced her retirement from
racing on Oct. 20, 2012, at the famous Ironman GNCC event in Crawfordsville, IN.
The
Shamokin area is also home to the Northumberland
County's Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area (AOAA), a new ATV riding area that is
expected to open in 2013. Yamaha's OHV Access Initiative provided a
$20,000 GRANT to help support the development of the new riding area.
