VOA – CONNECT 
EPISODE # 184  
AIR DATE: 07 23 2021   
TRANSCRIPT

OPEN ((VO/NAT)) 
((Banner)) 
Girl Skater, Olympic Athlete 
((SOT)) 
((Bombette Martin, Olympic Hopeful)) 
Because there's fewer of us, you’ll notice more people are 
shocked. I love to see the girl skateboarding community 
grow because it's becoming more normal. 
((Animation Transition)) 
((Banner)) 
Team Spirit 
((SOT)) 
((Michelle Dalager, High School Athletic Training 
Teacher, Boys Varsity Basketball Coach)) 
I'm fortunate to be able to coach really good athletes. I think 
that when you're successful, that it is a combination of, you 
know, you being able to get the best out of your athletes, but 
you have to have good athletes to work with. 
((Animation Transition)) 
((Banner)) 
Burning Rubber 
((SOT)) 
((CJ Wilkinson, Street Luger))  
Well, the dangers here on an open road where we ride are 
the oncoming traffic. They come into our lane and when they 
do that, they really jeopardize our safety because we could 
be coming around a blind corner and not know they are 
there. 
((Open Animation))  
 

BLOCK A 

((PKG)) SKATEBOARDER 
((Previously aired April 2021)) 
((TRT: 08:56)) 
((Topic Banner: Bombette))  
((Reporter/Camera: Aaron Fedor))  
((2nd Camera: Lachlan McClellan))   
((Producer: Kathleen McLaughlin))  
((Editor: Kyle Dubiel)) 
((Map: New York City, New York)) 
((Main character: 1 female))  
((Sub characters: 2 female; 3 male))  
((NATS/MUSIC)) 
((Bombette Martin, Olympic Hopeful)) 
My name is Bombette Martin. I'm 14 years old and I'm a 
skateboarder. 
((NATS/MUSIC)) 
((Bombette Martin, Olympic Hopeful)) 
My parents do not skate. They cannot stand on a skateboard 
for their life. My little brother, he is a really talented 
skateboarder. He's 11. His name is Kayo and he also 
competes a lot. 
((Kayo Martin, Bombette’s Brother)) 
I'm way better. I’m totally better. 
((Bombette Martin, Olympic Hopeful)) 
No, you're not. 
((Kayo Martin, Bombette’s Brother)) 
I'm way better all around. 
((NATS/MUSIC)) 
((Courtesy:  Bombette Martin)) 
((Bombette Martin, Olympic Hopeful)) 
Well, I was nine years old when I started skateboarding. So, 
that was like almost six years ago now. And we're really 
lucky to have a world-class skate park right down the street. 
So, actually like when we were really little, me and my 
brother, we'd go watch the skaters through the fence. And 
one day, we decided to go in and I just fell in love with it. So, 
here I am. 
((NATS/MUSIC)) 
((Mary Apple, Bombette’s Mother))   
Just for your warmup, can you do back and forth on the five-
foot hip? Just, just really work on frontside, backside ollies 
on the five-foot hip and then also try to include...just try, try 
because you might need to do this in England. Just try to 
make it a backside air with a grab. 
((Mary Apple, Bombette’s Mother))  
You know we live local. So, the kids used to come and like 
we would just be playing in that park over there. And we 
used to come kind of hang on to this fence and like watch 
the guys through and, you know, cheer them on. But it just 
looked so intimidating. I don't know about for the kids, but for 
me. 
((NATS/MUSIC)) 
((Bombette Martin, Olympic Hopeful)) 
When I was really little, I used to be like obsessed with 
monkey bars [playground climbing frame]. Like I would go 
around like to all different parks around the city and just like, 
you know, do monkey bars and I would do like all different 
like tricks and stuff. And so, I used to think that one day, I'm 
going to go to the Olympics for monkey bars, even though 
there is no such thing. 
((Andrew Gelles, Owner - Substance Skatepark, 
Bombette’s first teacher)) 
When I first saw Bombette and her brother, they were 
pushing the wrong way, couldn't go down a three-foot ramp.  
I started teaching them because I thought they were 
hilarious. They were really funny kids who would like make 
weird voices and amp each other up. But after those first six 
months had passed between her and Kayo, it was clear that 
these people were long-haul kids. They were in it for the 
right reasons and they were going to make this work. 
((NATS/MUSIC))  
((Bombette Martin, Olympic Hopeful)) 
There's like competitions that gain you points, the Olympic 
Qualifiers. They were all supposed to be last year for the 
2020 Olympics in Tokyo, but obviously that all got postponed 
because of COVID. Now it changed from five competitions to 
like what, three now. That gains you points and that goes 
towards the rankings for the Olympics and I have to be in the 
top 20 to go. 
((Bombette Martin, Olympic Hopeful)) 
Yeah, style comes into it a lot and the difficulty of tricks. So, 
like it’s, I mean, it's really confusing. You have to like really 
know skateboarding. Even like I still don't know. We like try 
to ask people like “oh, what scores better, like this trick or 
that trick?” And, you know, people, they can't give us like a 
straight answer, but like it’s all based on, a lot of it's based 
on opinion, like “oh, this judge thinks that looks better than 
that” or whatever, “that's more difficult.” But yeah, it’s, you 
know, based on difficulty mainly. 
((Bombette Martin, Olympic Hopeful)) 
Our lifestyle is pretty much changed so much just because of 
skateboarding. And I mean, it's all over the place but it's fun. 
((NATS/MUSIC)) 
((Bombette Martin, Olympic Hopeful)) 
When I first started skateboarding, just something I mean 
super simple that would be like such a big accomplishment 
for me. But now that I’ve like grown so much, something like, 
there’s, I learned a trick like a couple months ago that only a 
few girls in the world can do and so that was a very big 
breakthrough for me. The big trick was kickflip Indy. 
((NATS/MUSIC))  
((Courtesy: Bombette Martin))  
((Bombette Martin, Olympic Hopeful)) 
I've been trying it for like a couple of years now, and then the 
one day, I just got like super close and I was just going over 
and over and over, falling and falling again for about like four 
hours and then I finally landed it. 
((NATS))  
((Bombette Martin, Olympic Hopeful)) 
And it was, it was really cool. 
((NATS/MUSIC))  
((Jiro Platt, Skater and friend)) 
I’ve always like skated with her at contests a lot. She’s 
always been really good at vert [vertical] skating. 
((NATS/MUSIC))  
((Bombette Martin, Olympic Hopeful)) 
Well, I actually enjoy being a girl skateboarder because you 
honestly, when you're a high-level girl skateboarder, you 
tend to get more praise. You’re just, I guess, you're noticed 
more because boys, there's just so many of them and there's 
fewer of us. So, they’re like, people are shocked, honestly. I 
love to see the girl skateboarding community grow because 
it's becoming more normal. There's, I mean, so many of my 
friends, they've started skateboarding and I mean it's nice to 
see. 
((Lucinda Jacobson, Skater and friend))  
I mean, Bombette's obviously an amazing skater. The first 
time that I met her, she did like a kickflip front-rock, which is 
like a really hard trick. And, I don't know, seeing another girl 
skating at Substance, it was really cool. I think it's cool that 
skating is going to be an Olympic sport because I think 
people are starting to take it a little bit more seriously. They 
don't just think it's like a thing that burnouts do. 
((NATS/MUSIC)) 
((Bombette Martin, Olympic Hopeful)) 
It's like a drug. It's so addicting. When you're just learning 
something new or just accomplishing something that you've 
been working so hard for, like that feeling is just the best 
feeling ever. And I'm sure it's like that for other sports, but I 
just feel that skateboarding, unlike other sports, is just so 
welcoming and everyone's so encouraging. You'll rarely 
meet someone that's like an ass to you because there’s just, 
everyone just loves to see others progress. And that's really 
nice. 
((NATS/MUSIC)) 
((Popup Banner: Bombette Martin, a dual US/British citizen 
who won the UK National Championships, will be competing 
in skateboarding for Great Britain at the Tokyo 2020 
Olympics taking place this summer (July 23, 2021 to August 
8, 2021.)) 
 
 
TEASE ((VO/NAT)) 
Coming up….. 
((Banner)) 
For the Love of the Game 
((SOT)) 
((Michelle Dalager, High School Athletic Training 
Teacher, Boys Varsity Basketball Coach)) 
When basketball season happens, that's all that we're 
doing. I'm a school at 7:00 in the morning and I don't really 
get home until 8:30 at night.

BREAK ONE                                                                    
BUMP IN ((ANIM))                      

BLOCK B   
 
 
((PKG)) FEMALE VARSITY BOYS BASKETBALL COACH 
((Previously aired April 2021)) 
((TRT: 9:06)) 
((Topic Banner: Playing True)) 
((Reporter/Camera: Arturo Martínez)) 
((Map: Fallon, Nevada)) 
((Main character: 1 male))  
((Sub characters: 4 males; 1 female)) 
((NATS)) 
((Michelle Dalager, High School Athletic Training 
Teacher, Boys Varsity Basketball Coach)) 
Come on. G up. Come on, Sam. 
Good, good. 
Nice, nice. Stay with it. 
Push, push, push, push, push, push. 
Don’t get screened, Matt. Don’t get screened. 
Board, board, board, board. 
Got it, baby. 
Keith, nice shot. 
((NATS)) 
((Michelle Dalager, High School Athletic Training 
Teacher, Boys Varsity Basketball Coach)) 
My name is Chelle Dalager and I coach the Boys Varsity 
Basketball team at Churchill County High School. In the 
state of Nevada, I'm the first female coach to coach a Boys 
Varsity program. 
((NATS)) 
((Michelle Dalager, High School Athletic Training 
Teacher, Boys Varsity Basketball Coach)) 
Back cut, back cut. 
Next pass.  
Look, look. 
Back cut him. Back cut him. 
Nice. There you go. Good rig, Keith. Nice pass. 
((NATS)) 
((Michelle Dalager, High School Athletic Training 
Teacher, Boys Varsity Basketball Coach))  
There is really more to basketball than just the game of 
basketball. It really is about life lessons. Your life is full of 
wins and losses, you know. You feel like you've done 
something great, and sure enough somebody will knock you 
down or you feel like you're maybe not so great, and then 
something picks you up. It teaches kids discipline, teaches 
them about work ethic and it teaches about being able to rely 
upon somebody and about a commitment to a family.  
((NATS)) 
((Michelle Dalager, High School Athletic Training 
Teacher, Boys Varsity Basketball Coach)) 
Here we go. Rotate. 
First off, you're not always going to reach your goal, 
right? You're not always going to make it. That's just part of 
life and part of basketball. What you should never do is stop 
or quit playing harder or stop trying to at least get the highest 
number you can get. We made lots of good progress when 
we were early, right? So then, you all went home and had 
turkey legs. And then, I don't know what happened, 
right? Like our minds aren't focused on basketball 
anymore. And really this is where we should be the most 
focused we can be. Understand? So, talk to your pals and 
get them out. Okay? Questions? Collin? Guys? All 
right. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go.  
((NATS)) 
((Keith Smith, Boys Varsity Basketball Player, Churchill 
County High School)) 
I love it. It's probably like my favorite basketball coach. I've 
played for a couple of different coaches and she's just 
different. She pushes us, the intensity, demands a lot out of 
us.  
((Toby Anderson, Boys Varsity Basketball Player, 
Churchill County High School))   
She really pushes us to our limits and I think that's why we 
have done well the past few years. We've been just pushing 
hard in practice and getting what we need done.  
((NATS)) 
((Michelle Dalager, High School Athletic Training 
Teacher, Boys Varsity Basketball Coach)) 
Wave on me. Wave on three. One, two, three.  
((NATS: Team)) 
Wave. 
((Michelle Dalager, High School Athletic Training 
Teacher, Boys Varsity Basketball Coach)) 
We've just completed and we've won two state 
championships, back-to-back. One in 2019 and one in 2020. 
((NATS)) 
((Michelle Dalager, High School Athletic Training 
Teacher, Boys Varsity Basketball Coach)) 
This is the state championship team that won for the first 
time in 47 years, and it's pretty exciting. The last time they 
won a state championship was in 1971, and that was the 
year I was born.  
((Michelle Dalager, High School Athletic Training 
Teacher, Boys Varsity Basketball Coach)) 
You can see my two boys together. Number 11, that was 
Avery when he was a sophomore, and just behind him with a 
big curly head, that was Hayden when he was a senior.  
This is our basketball trophy case. Here's our first one and 
the other one is in my office because I'm not ready to give it 
up yet. So, this is 2020 and this is 2019. And so, I play 
those. If I'm in a bad mood, I go back and I watch both of 
them.  
((NATS: TV show)) 
State Championship, Churchill County High School taking on 
Elko High School. Game time. Less than 10 seconds left in 
OT [overtime]. And that’s Elijah Jackson. However, not the 
first time it’s happened. 
What? Flashback in 2019, Nevada 3A Basketball State 
Championship. Elijah Jackson hit the three against the same 
team. Boom. Ridiculous. No way..…to win the state 
championship. No way.  
((Michelle Dalager, High School Athletic Training 
Teacher, Boys Varsity Basketball Coach)) 
Second time. Second shot.  
((NATS/MUSIC)) 
((Michelle Dalager, High School Athletic Training 
Teacher, Boys Varsity Basketball Coach)) 
I'm fortunate to be able to coach really good athletes. I think 
that when you're successful, that it is a combination of, you 
know, you being able to get the best out of your athletes, but 
you have to have good athletes to work with.  
It's not about gender for me. It's really about just coaching 
and trusting your players and, you know, making them 
believe in themselves.  
((Michelle Dalager, High School Athletic Training 
Teacher, Boys Varsity Basketball Coach))   
I really did not expect to get the job. I wasn't really even 
going to apply for it because I didn't think that I would get it 
because you don't ever see, you know, women getting those 
types of positions. And so, you've hired a female coach. Yes, 
she's coach, but now we have two state championships to 
go with that. And I think that just helps people, maybe, 
recognize, I hope that a lot of female coaches get hired to 
coach male programs because I don't think it's a gender 
issue, right? It's you just don't see it very often. Although, 
you see men coaching women's team. It's just never been 
done, I guess. And that's what makes it pretty special. It 
makes it unique.  
((NATS/MUSIC)) 
((Michelle Dalager, High School Athletic Training 
Teacher, Boys Varsity Basketball Coach)) 
Also, a really cool thing for me is that my two sons were on 
the team and we got to share a state championship 
together. That's a big memory for me.  
So, that was them playing youth basketball for me. The left 
one is when they were a little bit younger. The right one is 
when they were a little bit older. You can tell that they're 
getting a little bit taller than me. When they were growing up, 
we played a lot of different games outside at home. When 
they started beating me, I started using my Achilles as a 
crutch.  
((NATS)) 
((Michelle Dalager, High School Athletic Training 
Teacher, Boys Varsity Basketball Coach)) 
When basketball season happens, that's all that we're 
doing. I'm at school at 7:00 in the morning and I don't really 
get home until 8:30 at night.  
((NATS)) 
((Michelle Dalager, High School Athletic Training 
Teacher, Boys Varsity Basketball Coach)) 
James or Lacey is here.  
Are you sure? 
How was your day? 
((Avery Strasdin, High School Student, Tricia’s Son)) 
Good. 
((Michelle Dalager, High School Athletic Training 
Teacher, Boys Varsity Basketball Coach)) 
Good? 
Where are you going? 
((Avery Strasdin, High School Student, Tricia’s Son)) 
Nowhere.  
((Michelle Dalager, High School Athletic Training 
Teacher, Boys Varsity Basketball Coach)) 
Nowhere. You are just hanging out? 
((NATS)) 
((Michelle Dalager, High School Athletic Training 
Teacher, Boys Varsity Basketball Coach)) 
Oh, this looks so good.  
My partner at home is very supportive. Our boys are her 
biological sons and, you know, she's been really supportive 
about, you know, having me coach them and she's a huge 
part of our team as well. She travels and goes to all the 
games and takes our scorebook.  
((Photo Courtesy: Thomas Ranson / Lahontan Valley 
News)) 
((Tricia Strasdin, Michelle’s Partner)) 
We love basketball. 
((Michelle Dalager, High School Athletic Training 
Teacher, Boys Varsity Basketball Coach)) 
Yeah. 
((Photo Courtesy: Thomas Ranson / Lahontan Valley 
News))  
((Tricia Strasdin, Michelle’s Partner)) 
We got lucky. If you get the opportunity to embrace anything 
that is going to bring your family together,  
((Tricia Strasdin, Michelle’s Partner)) 
and you get to travel together, and you get to experience 
success together, and you get to fail together, and you get to 
kind of pick yourselves up and try again together, and you 
get to have some early mornings and some late nights and 
some long weekends together, I'm not sure that it matters if 
it's basketball or what it is.   
((Photo Courtesy: Thomas Ranson / Lahontan Valley 
News)) 
((Tricia Strasdin, Michelle’s Partner)) 
I think it helped us in lots of different ways.  
((Hayden Strasdin, Former High School Student, Tricia’s 
Son))   
I'll never forget it. I was glad to have my mom as a coach 
and my brother on the team for my year, and then for him to 
win a back-to-back is even cooler.  
((Avery Strasdin, High School Student, Tricia’s Son))  
Yeah, I don't have so many words for it, if I’m being honest.  
((NATS/MUSIC)) 
((Michelle Dalager, High School Athletic Training 
Teacher, Boys Varsity Basketball Coach)) 
For me, it's the best memories I will have with basketball will 
be with my family and, you know, what we brought to Fallon, 
and we've been able to travel to all those tournaments 
together, and then I coach them, and then we get back in the 
car and we talk about the games and….. 
((NATS)) 
((Michelle Dalager, High School Athletic Training 
Teacher, Boys Varsity Basketball Coach)) 
Start close, they say.  
Oh, one for one. 
((Michelle Dalager, High School Athletic Training 
Teacher, Boys Varsity Basketball Coach))   
I was a terrible shooter in high school. And then, when I went 
to community college, it got a little bit better because I was a 
little bit older.  
I'm thankful for Fallon. They've supported me in coaching a 
100 percent. I just have, we haven't run into issues like 
that. My 2019 team, some kids on other teams were, you 
know, giving them a hard time about me, you know, being 
gay and about them playing for a woman.   
((Michelle Dalager, High School Athletic Training 
Teacher, Boys Varsity Basketball Coach))   
And, you know, I just told my players, I said, “That doesn't 
hurt my feelings.” And he was like, “Well, what do you mean, 
coach? It doesn't?” I said, “No, because it's true. Yes, I'm in 
a relationship with a woman, that makes me gay.” And I said, 
“I'm sorry you have to feel like you have to defend me. You 
don't.” I said, “It does not hurt my feelings at all. Now, if they 
call me fat, then you can get after them, right? But other than 
that, just let them say whatever they want to say, and you 
prove your point by just playing the best basketball you can 
play and beating the people that are saying those mean 
things.” And that’s a life lesson, right? 
((Video courtesy: Thomas Ranson / Lahontan Valley 
News)) 
((NATS/MUSIC))   
 
 
TEASE  ((VO/NAT)) 
Coming up….. 
((Banner)) 
Finding Peace 
((SOT)) 
((CJ Wilkinson, Street Luger)) 
People think I'm a real thrill seeker, and I find it thrilling, but 
it's also very peaceful. It’s almost a spiritual experience for 
me. It's so quiet in my helmet.
	
BREAK TWO                                                                   
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BLOCK C  
 
 
((PKG)) STREET LUGE  
((Previously aired June 2019)) 
((Banner: Racing Downhill)) 
((Reporter/Camera: Arturo Martínez)) 
((Map: Boise, Idaho))  
((Main character: 1 female))  
((Sub characters: 3 male))  
((NATS))
     ((CJ Wilkinson, Street Luger)) 
Sometimes we let our age, we let our number define us. It's 
like grey hair bothers so many people and it just limits 
happiness. I think once we can become comfortable in who 
we are and what we're doing and create a life that we love, it 
changes everything. 
My name is CJ Wilkinson and I'm a mom, a hospice nurse, 
but when I'm riding my street luge downhill, people know me 
as Mama Wilky.
     ((NATS))
     ((CJ Wilkinson, Street Luger)) 
     All right, let’s go.
     ((NATS))
     ((CJ Wilkinson, Street Luger)) 
People think I'm a real thrill seeker, and I find it thrilling, but 
it's also very peaceful. It’s almost a spiritual experience for 
me. It's so quiet in my helmet.
     ((NATS))
     ((CJ Wilkinson, Street Luger)) 
Street luge helps get rid of the anxiety and the stress and 
depression that sometimes I'm dogged with. Working as a 
hospice nurse, it can be really challenging and I feel 
heartbroken sometimes, and it just provides a release so I 
can come back and be as good as ever the next day. It's 
almost like flying on the earth.
     ((NATS))
     ((CJ Wilkinson, Street Luger)) 
     Not too fast. I'm old.
     ((NATS))
     ((CJ Wilkinson, Street Luger)) 
Next week, I'll be 55 years old and I started about three 
years ago. It was a really challenging time. I got sick after 
running my last half marathon in 2011 and it took years 
before we figured out what was wrong and eventually I 
ended up unable to work and in bed most days. 
((NATS))
     ((CJ Wilkinson, Street Luger)) 
This is what it looks like to wake up with Lyme disease. Very 
hard.  
     ((Dean Wilkinson, Street Luger))
     I know you thought you were gonna die. 
     ((CJ Wilkinson, Street Luger)) 
     I was told I was probably not going to make it, remember?
     ((Dean Wilkinson, Street Luger))
Yeah. Luge gave her motivation to keep going because 
otherwise she was ready to give up, and we found the low 
dose immunotherapy. That was a key thing that turned 
things around and made a big difference.
     ((NATS))
     ((CJ Wilkinson, Street Luger)) 
It's still part of my stay well strategy and I can't imagine not 
doing this.
     ((NATS))
((CJ Wilkinson, Street Luger))  
My downhill family feels like just a bouquet of wild flowers. 
We're all unique, but we make a beautiful thing when we 
come together.
     ((NATS))
     ((CJ Wilkinson, Street Luger)) 
So, I am the skate mom of the community. I love all the 
people I ride with and I just bring them under my wing and 
make them my own, and they don't seem to mind.
     ((NATS))
     ((CJ Wilkinson, Street Luger)) 
     We don’t litter, Cade. You can’t litter.
     ((Cade Keller, Street Luger))  
     It’s biodegradable.
     ((Brandon Ayllon, Street Luger)) 
     Mom yelled at you.
((Cade Keller, Street Luger))   
Shut up.
     ((CJ Wilkinson, Street Luger)) 
     It is not biodegradable.
     ((NATS))
     ((Brandon Ayllon, Street Luger)) 
She's Mama Wilky all the way. I mean, like every time we go 
down the hill, she makes sure we have everything. If we fall 
or if anything's happening, she's right there if you need 
anyone to hear you out. She's my other mother, that's all. 
((Cade Keller, Street Luger))   
You don't see a lot of women skating and you also don't see 
a lot of older women skating, so it's kind of abnormal. 
     ((Brandon Ayllon, Street Luger)) 
My favorite part is that she's super fast. She’s faster than all 
of us.
     ((NATS))
     ((CJ Wilkinson, Street Luger)) 
Although it's a male dominated sport, the women are starting 
to catch on and we actually had our first women's division 
two years ago.  
     ((NATS))
     ((CJ Wilkinson, Street Luger)) 
     Isn’t this the greatest adventure?
     ((CJ Wilkinson, Street Luger)) 
The maximum speed that I’ve achieved was 70 miles an 
hour in a training run in Colorado. It was mind boggling. It 
was so fast.
     ((NATS))
     ((CJ Wilkinson, Street Luger)) 
Well, the dangers here on an open road where we ride are 
the oncoming traffic. They come into our lane and when they 
do that, they really jeopardize our safety because we could 
be coming around a blind corner and not know they are 
there. My husband worries a lot. He's kind of a worrywart, 
actually.
((NATS)) 
Is everybody in? 
((CJ Wilkinson, Street Luger)) 
He drives for me. We have a truck that follows us down. He 
drives it and that prevents any traffic from coming from 
behind and overcoming us.
     ((NATS))
     ((CJ Wilkinson, Street Luger)) 
Best driver in the business. I love you man. He does support 
me. He gets up at dawn and drives me and he also joins me 
when he rides his gravity bike.
     ((NATS))
     ((CJ Wilkinson, Street Luger)) 
     And they call him Papa.  
     ((CJ Wilkinson, Street Luger)) 
I hope that I encourage other women. Whatever your 
passion is, if it lights your heart on fire, start it back up. 
Anything's possible at any age. Just keep doing what you 
love. 
((NATS)) 

CLOSING BUMPER ((ANIM)) 
voanews.com/connect 

BREAK THREE                                                                       
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SHOW ENDS