JP Off-Road's All Women's Team

By: Randy Wheeler

Girls Rock!

Kathy Crook piloting her competition TJ over the rocks in Moab, Utah.

Back in 2001, I had the opportunity to watch the JP Off-Road sponsored team of Kathy Crook and Renee LeBaron compete in the inaugural CalROCs event held at Lake Amador, California. Kathy and Renee are the first All-Women's Team to compete in the major rockcrawling circuits held across the country. These women have been competing in the fast growing sport of competitive rockcrawling for almost 2 years now and have earned the respect and admiration of their male counterparts, fans, and the media by showing that women are just as capable as the men when it comes to crawling up and over severe obstacles. These women are proving that the sport of competitive rockcrawling has plenty of room for female competitors. Just ask the guys how tough and competitive these women are.

This past year I met up with Kathy during the Moab Easter Jeep Safari on a trail known as Rusty Nail. By the time we got to the trail head, there was about a two hour wait just for the first obstacle. During this waiting period, I had the opportunity to chat with Kathy and discuss my idea of a feature article on her and Renee. Meanwhile, a group of well known and respected industry folks decided to try a previously un-run alternate route around the first obstacle, affectionately known as Riff Raff.  Mind you, this alternate route was just as difficult as Riff Raff. Kathy piloted her rig up and over the obstacle with the skill and finesse of a seasoned rockcrawling veteran. This girl can wheel!

4x4wire: So how did you get started in competitive rock crawling?

Renee LeBaron (RL): The first year my husband competed with ARCA I told him I could do a better job than the spotter he was using. Little did I know we would need a lawyer present.

Kathy Crook (KC): It kind of just fell in my lap. Dave Knight from JP Off-Road Aluminum Bodies was asking around about women drivers/spotters and spoke to Jason Bunch from Tri-County Gear. Jason and I are both members of the "Trailmasters" Four Wheel Drive Club and have been wheeling off and on together for several years. Jason told Dave that he knew a real good driver that might be interested. Dave called me and we arranged to do a test drive with his new ARCA Competition Jeep known as "Big Red." To make a long story short, I rolled Big Red on the test drive (my first roll ever!). What an impression that made! After getting the Jeep back on its wheels, Dave asked me to jump right back in and drive some more... which I did. I think he really wanted me to roll... just to see what I would do. I also think he was a little surprised that I got back in. Was he impressed by my driving skills? Maybe. But I really think it was my determination and not wanting to quit that convinced him to make me the driver. The rest is history. The Jeep Renee and I used last year was called the "Chick Jeep." I had only 8 hours of practice time driving the "Chick Jeep" and only 2 hours practice working with Renee before we competed in our first ARCA competition at Johnson Valley. We placed 35th out of 70 competitors.

4x4wire: How did you hook up to be one of the only all women's teams?

KC: As far as I know, we are the only "All Women's Team." We hooked up because Dave Knight wanted to have a women's team and stir things up a little bit. Being a women's team, gets a lot of attention, but because we do well against the guys, we get even more attention. When there are 50 plus guys competing and only one women's team, everyone watches when it is our turn and they all know how we are doing!

RL: Thanks to Danny Grimes and JP Off-Road, Kathy and I were introduced two hours before our first tech and have been working together ever since.

Kathy and Renee competing in the inaugural CalROCS event

4x4wire: Do you feel that you are treated differently by the judges, crowd, or other competitors because you are women?

RL: No way.... We have to work just as hard. However, I have to say that the kids really get a kick out of the two girls competing with the guys.

KC: Judges? There are both men and women judges. Some are tougher than others, but the bottom line is, they have to treat all the competitors the same. They really follow that rule and do a great job of judging no matter what gender you are. (Personal note: I think some of the judges are even tougher on us because they don't want someone to say they are favoring us because we are women). As for the crowd, again, with so many guys competing, it's easy to get lost. But with a woman spotter and woman driver, the crowd notices and pays attention and remembers. The younger kids (boys and girls alike) seem to make us their favorites to watch. I have not had a bad experience with any other competitors yet! There is a lot of camaraderie amongst competitors and Renee and I fit right in! All the guys cheer us on and help us out and we do the same for them! It's all about having fun.

4x4wire: How often do you get to practice together?

RL: Usually the day before the event, although there have been events we haven't had a chance at all. Boy, can I feel the difference.

KC: Very little. We are sometimes able to practice the day before the competition (if we are lucky). We don't live very close together, and this makes it tough. Also, since I am competing in two other competitions (other than CalROCS with Renee) and helping as part of the support team for Dave Knight in the RCAA competitions, I am not around a lot. I do get to practice driving in the Jeep, but just not with Renee spotting.

Kathy Crook is all smiles during the CalROCS event.

4x4wire: What's the hardest aspect of competitive rock crawling?

RL: The pressure of time limits.

KC: Failing to complete an obstacle (by timing out or hitting too many flags) especially when you know you should have been able to do it. I wish they had a do-over rule where you could take one obstacle and do it over again (when you screw up). Failure is never easy and can affect your performance the rest of the day.

4x4wire: Renee, what's the toughest part of spotting?

RL: Well at first it was stacking rocks, but now it's staying out of Kathy's way.

4x4wire: Kathy, what's the toughest part of driving?

KC: Trusting and listening to my spotter and trusting the vehicle to do what it is built for. In certain situations, I cannot see and have to rely totally on Renee to get me where I need to be. If I didn't trust her, there is no way I could move forward. Also, I know the vehicle is very stable and works extremely well. I have seen the vehicle climb steep waterfalls and go seriously off camber without a problem. I just have to remember how stable it is when I am inside the vehicle. The feeling is always different from the inside.

4x4wire: I noticed that in some of the competitions you run, you use the two-way radio headphones. Does this work well for communicating?

RL: Well after the last event we've found that we communicate much better when I'm not yelling in Kathy's ear.

KC: We had some problems with the headphones last year and have decided to not use them this year. So far, it seems to be working well. The headphones were a little overpowering for me. I needed to be able to think and make decisions on driving rather than just listen to Renee's directions. I wasn't communicating to Renee and letting her know where I needed to be when we were using the headphones. Not using headphones in the first CalROCS Event has allowed us to communicate more with each other and talk about what we need to do during the obstacle. I can also choose not to listen if I see a better line than we originally talked about. With the headphones on, I relied too much on Renee's guidance and not on my skill.

4x4wire: Do you work on your own rig?

RL: I don't have the opportunity to work on our competition vehicle, however I am in currently working with my husband to build his competition vehicle.

KC: Yes. I have a 1994 Jeep Wrangler that I bought brand new. My husband Ed and I have modified and modified it. It is pretty well set up. We (and I do mean "We") do everything ourselves (my favorite saying: Real Jeeps are Built not Bought). Ed is very mechanical and I have leaned a lot from working side by side with him in the garage wrenching on the Jeep until the wee hours of the night. We are able to go out about once a month with our club, the Trailmasters, to places like the Hammers, Rubicon, Truckhaven Hills, Dove Canyon, Dusy, Swamp Lake, etc. FYI - I usually drive.

4x4wire: Any vehicle changes for the upcoming (this) season?

Renee LeBaron spotting Kathy during the Women's Rockcrawling Championships Series.

KC: Yes, a completely new vehicle! We are now driving a 1997 TJ in the Stock Modified Class (last year we drove an 83 Scrambler in the Trophy Class). It has a Vortec V6 Engine with a 700R4 Automatic Tranny and a flipped upside down 300 Transfer Case (twin stick). It sits on a stock TJ Frame with Currie High Pinion 9" Axles and a ARB up Front and Detroit in the rear. We are running Metric Goodyear MTRs which are equivalent to 35x12.5x16s on Champion rims with bead locks. It uses the Currie J arm suspension and Anti-Rock bars in the front and rear. It also has (or should have by the next competition) turning brakes to lock up the rear wheels individually.

4x4wire: You competed in the CalROCS event last year at Lake Amador, but didn't finish well. What happened?

RL: Unfortunately Kathy and I didn't have a chance to get together the day before the event, which we have found to be detrimental. You've seen what happens.

KC: Blame it on the vehicle - it was not set up for that type of terrain. Blame it on the Driver - I had never driven on anything like that terrain. It broke away from under the vehicle and the water just made things much tougher and traction harder to find. Blame it on the Spotter - the obstacle times were short and we had to move really fast to not time out. It felt like Renee was too close to the vehicle and in my way when I wanted to go. We ended up timing out on all of the obstacles except for one, which we ended up pointing out on. We were not communicating very well and because the Jeep was not working well, we both ended up being very frustrated. Blame it on the full moon - full moons make weird things happen.

4x4wire: What have you done to be more competitive this year?

RL: I've increased my workouts. I've also increased the practicing with my husband... because if I can work with him, I can work well with anyone!

KC: We have a better vehicle to work with. We are competing in a class which we are both more familiar with. I am communicating better with Renee and driving the car (not just listening). I am better at hitting the gas when I need to.

4x4wire: Where do you see rock crawling events and vehicles headed in the future?

Kathy finesses her way up the Moab slickrock.

KC: I think the events will continue to grow in popularity. I would love to see Stadium events. They could combine it with the "Sunday, Sunday, Sunday" Motorcross events! The average person has no idea how exciting and thrilling it is to watch a rockcrawling event. It has all the same qualities as any other stadium or round track sports, but in rockcrawling you get to see more action, carnage and vehicles roll. As far as the vehicles - as long as there is an unlimited class, progression will continue. Progression will include making the vehicles lighter, stronger, more stable and getting the most clearance underneath. With the separation of classes, the average Jeeper now has the opportunity to compete without spending a lot of money. I think there will be an enormous influx of new participants in this area. Having participated in both classes, I can state the obstacles in the Stock Modified Class are not wimpy! They are just as challenging and dangerous as the Unlimited Class obstacles (especially considering you are limited by tire size and wheel base length/width). They are usually more technical than the Unlimited (i.e. tighter turns, tighter gates) but they are still exhilarating. In fact, I foresee some of the Unlimited class competitors dropping down to a lower class like the Stock Modified. It's the same thing - just with less to do it with.

4x4wire: We're seeing more and more women compete in professional rockcrawling and more women's events from the major event organizers. From your point of view, this has got to be pretty exciting!

RL: I really have only one thing to say and I'll say it over and over. My motto is CHICKS ROCK!!!

KC: Yes it has. Before competing, I very rarely saw another woman while out rockcrawling. Now, I get to see 1-2 each time I compete and will probably see more. It has offered women an opportunity to become part of an exciting sport and meet the challenge. Since it does not take a lot of physical strength to drive, women can do it just a good or better than the guys!

4x4wire: Any other comments you'd like to share with us?

RL: I would like to say thank you to my husband for introducing me to the ROCKS!

KC: When I am not rockcrawling, I work part-time as a Human Resources Administrator for a small consumer product research company. I am a mom to Justin, six years old, and wife to Ed for almost 11 years. Without the support of my husband and son, I would never be able to dream of doing something like this!

Dave Knight from JP Off-Road Aluminum Bodies fully sponsors the "All Women's Team" and provides the awesome Jeep for me to drive. Dave started the Women's Team because of his unselfish desire to have women get involved in this sport. It has worked! Because of his venture, women now regularly compete against each other and against the men and are doing great!

For all those women out there that would like to get involved in doing something like this, there is plenty of time to do it! The next Skyjacker Women's Competition is September 11th and 12th in Cedar City, Utah. They have two classes available in which to compete - the Modified Stock and Trophy. It is organized by Sports in the Rough. For more information, go to www.sportsintherough.com.

4x4wire:  A special thanks to Renee and Kathy for taking the time out of their busy schedule to take part in this interview.  If you ever get a chance to see these women compete, you don't want to miss it.  These woman truly are making history and it's only going to get better.  Thanks again Renee and Kathy!  Good luck and keep up the competitive spirit.  Thanks also to Dave Knight of JP Off-road for having the vision and confidence in his team.