The Backroad Ball
The Babes Behind The Backroad Ball
Meet the two babes behind Eastern Canada’s first all-female motorcycle campout weekend: Kristin Munro (@krislee5) and Heather d’Entremont (@bambi_dm). Get your tickets and rock out with fellow Litas from June 17 - 19!
Website: www.thebackroadball.com | Instagram: @TheBackroadBall | Facebook: The Backroad Ball
What led to your love and passion for motorcycles?
Heather: For as long as I can remember, the distinct sound of a motorcycle always excited me. My dad had a motorcycle when he was younger and I was always finding my way onto the back of my friends’ motorbikes in high school. It wasn’t until my husband got his license a few years ago that I finally decided that riding two-up wasn’t for me – I wanted to be in control! A couple months later, I bought my first bike (read about my saga in getting my moto license).
Kristin: I honestly can’t pinpoint the direct factor that lead to the passion I now have for two-wheeled life. It may have started with “The Mouse and The Motorcycle” movie that I was obsessed with as a child and the toy motorcycle my parents gave me because of it, or maybe with the numerous rides I’d taken with boyfriends two-up yearning to be in the hot seat myself, enjoying the ride but hating my lack of control… Either way, it’s deep and it’s here to stay.
What inspired you to create this event?
Heather: In October 2015, I adventured to Babes Ride Out 3 with a fellow Litas NB member. When I arrived in LA, we were graciously welcomed by local motobabes and overcome with joy at the instant comradery – before even arriving at BRO! When I got home, I knew there was nothing even remotely close to the atmosphere at the event and the abundance of female empowerment available in Eastern Canada and immediately began scheming up ways to create the same magic closer to home.
Kristin: At the end of August 2015, I embarked on a wild journey to The Dream Roll in Washington, but after my 8 hour ride from BC turned into nearly 24 hours due to a few too many "bumps in the road," I had to call it quits (less than 2 hours from the event grounds). The difficult lonewolf experience I had and my ability to forge on until it finally became unsafe to do so, pushed me to try to inject more life into the female motorcycle community and create opportunities for similar adventures closer to home.
How did you meet?
Kristin: Heather was one of the first eager members to join the New Brunswick branch of The Litas! Honestly, we have Jessica Haggett and Instagram to thank. Once the option was put out there for women to start their own branches The Litas exploded. I found one of my other two co-founders, Stephanie Steeves (@ssteeves1224), in the comments section on an Instagram post talking about New Brunswick and wanting to co-found a branch and our third, Molly Grady (@mollygrady), was the daughter of the man I bought my first motorcycle off of and was already down before I really even got the words out of my mouth! I’ve met so many wonderful (and badass) friends through The Litas already and I can’t wait to meet even more!
Heather: Actually, it was at the Litas New Brunswick's December 2015 meet-up that we both realized our common desire to bring something like this home. We began brainstorming names and ideas for the event and it took off from there.
What inspired you to create a branch of the Litas in New Brunswick?
Kristin: Large in part, my experience trying to get to The Dream Roll last summer. I was alone most of the way, which was great in it’s own way, but when things got hard with bike trouble sometimes I’d wished I had someone there, I won’t lie. On the way back to BC from Washington I tried to meet up with Diana but missed her but finally got to meet up with Ria (@ria.the.welder) in Wenatchee, WA. It was honestly exactly what I needed at the time after all the tricky situations I had been through at that point. I was so stoked on the riding community/connection of the BC babes that I needed it here -- enter -- The Litas New Brunswick.
Why did you choose to hold this event in a small town like Penobsquis, New Brunswick?
Kristin: Last season, whenever our NB Litas met up we typically did so in Sussex, New Brunswick, as it was halfway between Saint John & Moncton where most of our babes live. It was the place we started many of our rides from and the place where we got to know each other. When looking for grounds to host the event on, we were met with so much enthusiasm from the owner, Glen, that it just made sense. He’s a fun-loving, fantastic human as well as a motorcycle rider himself and he immediately wanted to help us. We had other ideas and possibilities but nothing fit into our vision with the great central location quite as well as the location we’ve chosen, and with Glen’s enthusiasm, willingness to dress in drag in case he’s seen by female attendees, and prior knowledge of festival planning it just all fell into place!
Heather: The main reason for the weekend is to ride and explore, so Penobsquis is a perfect central location for us to explore beautiful spots like St. Martin’s, New Brunswick and the Fundy National Park. The ladies will be buying gas, eating at restaurants and looking for souvenirs, so this is a great opportunity for us to promote local businesses and tourism in the surrounding rural towns and areas.
What do you hope women will take away from this event?
Kristin: Rad memories, more confidence on two-wheels, a sense of empowerment, new friends & ladies to ride with!
Heather: New friends and riding buddies! There is no better feeling than riding down the road on two wheels with a pack of ladies. You turn heads – it’s awesome!
What are your plans for the future of the Backroad Ball?
Kristin: Bigger and better with a further draw (so far our furthest registered participant is from Connecticut!). The plan is also to have some charitable aspects that will be ironed out for future years. This year we’re non-profit in the sense that anything above covering our overhead that may be brought in will go back into the account for next year’s event, but in the future, we plan to connect it with some pretty sweet plans to give back… Stay tuned!
Heather: 2016 is seriously shaping up to be the year of the female motorcyclist! I would love to see this become an annual thing. The enthusiasm and support we’ve received from fellow women who ride in this region has been incredible! It’s clear that our humble area of Canada is long overdue for something like this. And hey, you never know, maybe we’ll even look at starting a co-ed event in the future :-)
Describe your perfect moto ride.
Heather: Riding down a winding back road surrounded by trees on either side – heading to a beach, a lighthouse or a nice coffee spot. September and October can make for some fantastic riding in Atlantic Canada. There’s nothing like riding through the country and taking in the aromas of leaves and wood smoke from a bonfire or fireplace nearby.
Kristin: There are so many options! Surrounded by tall trees, along the water, through the mountains - alone or with fellow riders - sunrise into late morning or late afternoon into sunset. I love it all... And I can’t wait to share some of my favourites!