Jolene Van Vugt

Born in London, Ontario to Dutch immigrant parents Bill and Tina Van Vugt, the youngest of three children, Van Vugt grew up heavily influenced by her father, a young at heart avid motocross racer, while her mother wanted her to become a figure skater or ballerina. At the age of 11, Van Vugt convinced her father to buy her a dirt bike, after much debate about her commitment to her ever-changing hobbies. In September 2015, Van Vugt was seriously injured when attempting to do a ramp jump using a slingshot (a device used to propel bikes to high speeds in a short distance). The injuries required multiple reconstructive surgeries to her face and were expected to take months of recovery before she could perform again. ==Career highlights==

;2003 • CMRC Ladies Ontario Provincial Champion • TransCan Canadian Grand National Championship, Walton Raceway, Ladies 2nd • CMX Canadian National Championship, Ladies 2nd • WML Pro National Binghamton, N.Y. Round 5, 16th ;2004 • CMRC Ladies Ontario Provincial Champion • TransCan Canadian Grand National Championship, Walton Raceway, Ladies 2nd • CMX Ladies Canadian National Champion • WMA Pro National Monster Mtn. AL. Round 4, 7th • WMA Pro National Cohcoton, N.Y. Round 5, 7th • WMA Pro National Steel City, PA. Round 6, 7th • WMA Pro National Series 9th (Earning lifetime National #) ;2005 • First woman to backflip a full-sized dirtbike, ramp to dirt • TransCan Canadian Grand National Championship, Walton Raceway, Ladies 2nd • CMRC Ladies Ontario Provincial, 3rd • WMA Pro National Glen Helen, CA. Round 1, 20th • WMA Pro National Hangtown, CA. Round 2, 31st • WMA Pro National ThunderValley, CO. Round 3, 15th • WMA Pro National Washogual, WA. Round 4, 8th • WMA Pro National Steel City, PA. Round 5, 11th • WMA Pro National Series 16th ;2006 • CMRC Women's Canadian National Champion • Setting a female backflip distance record, 60 ft ramp to dirt • WMA Pro National Glen Helen, CA. Round 1, 16th • WMA Pro National Hangtown, CA. Round 2, 18th • Out for the remaining season due to surgery ;2007 • CMRC Women's Canadian National Championship, 2nd • TransCan Canadian Grand National Championship, Walton Raceway, Ladies Champion • First woman to backflip a dirt bike into Grand Canyon • WMA Pro National Budds Creek, MD. Round 3, 15th • WMA Pro National Steel City, PA. Round 6, 13th ;2008 • Guinness World Record for first woman to backflip a dirt bike • Guinness World Record for longest female backflip • CMRC Women's Canadian National Championship, 3rd • WMA Pro National Southwick, MA. Round 5, 11th • TransCan Canadian Grand National Championship, Walton Raceway, Ladies Champion • First woman to jump at MOD FMX show in Austria ;2010 • First woman to backflip a full-sized dirt bike, ramp to ramp • Nitro Circus Live, Brisbane, Australia, May 7 ==Filmography==

Television • ''Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory'' (1 episode, 2009) • Nitro Circus (2009) • Nitro Circus Live (2011–2014) • Ridiculousness (1 episode, 2016) • Z Nation (1 episode, 2016) • ''Jay Leno's Garage'' (1 episode, 2020) • Barry (3 episodes, 2022) Films • ''Jackass Presents: Mat Hoffman's Tribute to Evel Knievel'' (2008) • Nitro Circus: The Movie (2012) • Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) ==References==