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Oscar Winning Director to Speak at AMA Women & Motorcycling Nat'l Conference

5 July 2000

Suzuki & MOTA joins sponsors for Women & Motorcycling National Conference

    PICKERINGTON, Ohio - The opening ceremonies for the AMA Women & Motorcycling 
Conference, to be held July 13-16 in Athens, Ohio, will bring a bit of 
Hollywood to the four-day, jam-packed motorcycle rally.

   Barbara Schock, Academy Award-winning director of "My Mother Dreams the 
Satan's Disciples in New York," will be the featured speaker for the 
Thursday evening ceremony.

    Before a screening of the film, Barbara will discuss how it addresses 
stereotypes of motorcyclists, and how she herself came to a better 
understanding of the sport. 

    "It's quite an honor to have Ms. Schock at the AMA Women & Motorcycling 
Conference," said Kim Barlag, member of the conference committee. "It's 
not every day that you get to meet an Academy Award winner, especially one 
who has made great strides for motorcycling and women at the same time."
Barbara was raised in South Dakota and attended the University of California 
at San Diego, where she studied film with respected film critic Manny Farber. 
In Los Angeles, she produced two films: "California Without End" and Island 
Pictures' "From Hollywood to Deadwood." Other film credits include working 
as an assistant to director David Fincher on "Alien 3," as assistant 
to producer Michael Nozik on "Thunderheart," and as story editor 
on Carl Franklin's "One False Move." 

    Prior to attending the American Film Institute as a directing fellow, she 
was vice president of development at Joan Micklin Silver's Silverfilm 
Productions in New York. Her article on screenplay development, "The Write 
Stuff," was used as the centerpiece of a Writers Guild seminar in 1999. In 
1998, she finished her thesis short film, "My Mother Dreams the Satan's 
Disciples in New York," which won the 2000 Academy Award for Best Live 
Action Short Film and the 1998 Directors Guild of America Award for best 
female-directed student short film.

    The Women & Motorcycling National Conference is a four-day gathering of 
motorcycling enthusiasts, industry leaders, and experts in the wide-ranging 
issues related to women and motorcycling. Based at Ohio University in Athens, 
Ohio, the conference will include presentations on topics ranging from 
motorcycle mechanics to travel tips, along with insight from women racers and 
riders, plus women working in the motorcycle industry.


    Suzuki joins sponsors for Women & Motorcycling National Conference

    Signing on as a Platinum Sponsor, Suzuki has pledged at the highest level 
of support. Suzuki officials, who also sponsored the first AMA Women & 
Motorcycling National Conference in 1997, say they got involved with this year's 
event because the company sells motorcycles that fit the female demographic.
 
    "The female rider is an excellent candidate for many of our models," said 
Suzuki Vice President Mel Harris. "We are very supportive of women riders 
of all kinds. In fact, Suzuki is involved with a few females who race our 
machines at the highest levels." 

    Mota, a company that specializes in motorcycle gear for women, has signed 
on as a Gold Sponsor.  In addition, Mota has donated badge wallets for each of 
the participants at the conference, and has lent its expertise to the fashion 
show, which will present motorcycle gear for female riders.

    "Mota is the largest retailer of exclusively women's motorcycle apparel in 
the U.S.," said co-founder Melissa Shimmin. "Being a part of the AMA Women 
& Motorcycling National Conference seemed like an obvious choice for us. 
It's who we are. It's who our customers are.

    "Mota will continue to carve out a place of their own for women 
motorcyclists," she added. "We create and support events that support the 
woman rider."