I know! I know! The blog has been a bit empty the past couple of weeks. I swear it's not (only) because I'm being lazy. Two circumstances caused the lack of updates.

1. I took the second half of February off from traveling, so I haven't had much to write about. Well, at least nothing that has much to do with sports.
2. March started with a bang. Unfortunately, I can't report on the trip I took this past week. It was, without a doubt, one of the coolest trips I've taken since I started covering action sports six years ago. Unfortunately, until later this year, it is top secret. I signed an NDA—you know, those agreements folks sign before hanging with Britney or attending a party at Paris Hilton's mansion—that says I can't write about my experience until September 2009. I promise it will be worth the wait.

So cryptic, right?

Next week, I'm heading to St. Augustine, Florida, to report a story on 18-year-old motocross racer Ashley Fiolek. Last year, Fiolek won the WMA (Women's Motocross Association) title in her rookie season. Last month, she became the first woman ever signed to a factory deal. (She rides for Honda Red Bull.) Fiolek is perhaps the most talented and promising female motocross rider ever. And she is deaf. The story will be out in May, just before the start of the 2009 WMA season. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, check out this week's Action Sports Report on ETM.com. I caught up with freestyle skier Kristi Leskinen, who is holding her own slopestyle contest for female skiers and snowboarders at Seven Springs Mountain Resort in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, her hometown.