Wade four-wheels it

CARLSBAD -- Lauryn Wade is quick-footed in soccer and basketball. And whenever she finds time to relax, she still keeps that adrenaline rush going.

Her outlet: four-wheeling.

"It's great. I like going fast on it. It's awesome," Wade said. "It's kind of hard some days, like on the weekends when we have tournaments and stuff. A while back ago, we'd go almost every weekend when I didn't have sports or anything. Going over the dunes and just hauling butt through the desert, when you see animals running, it's cool."

Wade, a junior, finds solace riding her ATV alongside family out in the sand dunes in her spare time. Loco Hills near Artesia is one spot the Wade family ventures off to.

And just over a month ago, the family traveled to the dunes in Kermit, Texas, which about 90 miles southeast of Carlsbad.

"It's always fun going out there. The dunes are big. It's fun being out there with everybody, just pulling in the sand," Wade, 16, said.

Wade has been riding four-wheelers since she was about nine-years-old, keeping up with her older brother Caleb and his friends trekking across the bumps and hills. Not too long after she started riding, Wade's four-wheeler rolled over - but suffered only minor injuries, flipped it back over easily, got back on and kept going.

Wade has seen far worse things happen to other riders.

"I've witnessed a lot of wrecks. I've witnessed a dude break his back in Kermit one day, when he over-jumped and landed. I've watched people go over the bars and just crash pretty hard," Wade said.

Incidents like those have crossed Wade's mind sometimes, given how dangerous it can be.

Aside from the elements of speed and adrenaline, Wade said soccer, basketball and four-wheeling all have one thing in common.

"You can't be scared," Wade said. "On the basketball court, you've just got to have confidence. You can't be scared, or you're not going to be a good rider. You've kind of just got to go."

Wade said she's thought about taking up competitive ATV riding, but her father Scott Wade is quick to say "no" because of the dangers behind it - at least for the forseeable future.

"What makes it dangerous is when you go riding and are getting around a bunch of people that have no common sense, have no experience and don't wear the proper gear," Scott Wade said.

Even out at the dunes, Scott Wade still worries about his daughter.

"Always," he said. "Her four-wheeler's very fast, so I worry when she's riding it."

For now, Lauryn Wade still rides her ATV just for fun whenever she has the opportunity.

And she's still fearless.

Current-Argus Sports Editor Matt Hollinshead may be reached at 575-628-5518.