Introduced by mutual friend Ed Economy, Pam and I met at the West L.A. College slalom contest in July of this year. From the first time I heard about Pam and her racing, I had wanted to meet her and find what its like to live life at Warp 12! Her amazing accomplishments go on and on like a book and shes just getting started!!

Already a Guinness book of World Records holder, Sports Announcer, and X Games, Gravity Games, Playstation Extreme Games competitior you may be thinking what could be next??? But Im sure theres more in store for this Extreme Lady. Pam has been featured in many top magazines, on a Nike commercial, in the 2004 Gravity Games calendar, on an Extreme Sports Trading Card, and has her own Matchbox car. Besides all this she is featured on many tv shows on a regular basis. Pretty amazing huh!!

Pam carved out a few minutes of her super busy schedule to answer some questions about her life, travels, and adventures. She hopes to inspire other females to take up Luge as their extreme sport of choice. So on to the questions....

Sasha) How long have you been riding? Pam) I began riding Luge in 1996. I fell in love with it immediately! I was hooked after the first run down the hill. After I started riding I went to a few races to just check it all out. I really enjoyed the whole vibe and scene of the down hillers. I began to compete in 1997.

Sasha) Ive heard that you surf, snowboard, and skate also. How long have you been active in those sports? Pam) I began surfing as a teenager. My parents have a house by the ocean, so I was always by the water on the weekends and all summer long. The locals were super cool and taught me to surf. Skating and snowboarding just happened along the way, and I couldn't be more pleased about that! My life is just one big playful time just as it should be.

Sasha) Are there any other sports you participate in? Pam) I do have a motor cycle- a street bike. I ride pretty often. I have also competed in downhill mountain biking. I still have a huge quiver in the garage...

Sasha) What do you do in your free time? (If you have any that is..) Pam) You've got to make time in everything you do. I'm actually a huge cloud watcher. I love the outdoors. Nature is amazing for sure.

Sasha) What's the fastest speed you've been clocked at? Does it scare you to go that fast? Pam) I've been clocked at just over 80mph-which is truly frightening. It is such a different thing. You've got to really have a great respect for what youre doing. The entire dynamics of the board change at those speeds. The sounds are so much more of a howling rather than a humming. You have to be very precise in everything your doing. For racing we really like to keep the speed in more moderation....55-65 mph. When yourre dealing with head to head racing there is a lot that happens in seconds. At 60 mph you're going 88 feet per second. So no hesitations- You have to be very exact.

Sasha) Is there a story behind your hot pink leathers? Pam) Well, when I began to race everyone hadn't really began customizing their race leathers yet. Most people were using off the shelf motorcycle leather-either black or navy blue. I wanted to make sure that I wasn't mistaken for a little boy so I had pink leathers made. The pink just grew from there....With out a doubt It's me killing it in the races.

Sasha) Is your nickname of Pinky Z related to the leathers, hair color, or what? Pam) You know...that name actually was given to me at the Australian X Games in 1998. The announcers and all the media people started calling me that. There is a candy bar called PINKY and the kids started to give them to me at the events. Theyre not bad actually-chocolate, nuts and caramel. Theyre pretty tasty indeed. When I go to Brazil to race, they call me Penelope. There is a cartoon character named Penelope who races cars and wears pink. Kind of cool! I gotta to love it!

Sasha) Can you share a bit about how you got involved in luge and if you had an inspiration for doing so. Pam) Oddly enough, Luging was never something I imagined myself doing. I've always been involved in alternative sports. I had seen Street Luge in the 1995 X Games and thought, RAD!!I'd love to try that. Several months later I ran into a friend of mine that was Luging. He was telling me about this great New" sport. I had to try it! I did and here I am today!

Sasha) When was your first competition? How do you feel about competing against men? Pam) My first competition was back in 1996 in So Cal at Benelli Park. Those days were wonderful- you had the transition of the older riders still killing it-Hickey, Beau Brown, Goulart, Inouye-an amazing mix of racers for sure. As far as racing with the men goes, Ive always raced with the guys. When I began, there was no separation of classes. Now there are women's races- which is super exciting! I'm hoping it will help to get more girls involved in the sport. But I will always love riding with the guys. It really pushes me harder than I think I would have gone! It's super aggressive for me. I mean after all, what guy want to get beat by a girl! hehehehe......

Sasha) Is there anyone you look up to, admire, or that inspires you now? Pam) I'm inspired by the girls who go out there and fully go for it! I love seeing people beat the odds. Those who dont look back and just stick with their dreams! There are so many amazing girls out there now that are just going huge. And its going to be beautiful to see how things open up in the next several years.

Sasha) Is there anything special that you do to prepare for a race? Pam) I'm huge on having a big Oatmeal breakfast. I always bring exactly what I want with me the morning of a race. I go to sleep early the night before so I have just the perfect energy. I get up extra early so I can just relax and enjoy myself- no pressure until the racing begins. This a l l allows me time to prepare for my day. I go through my mental check list and just stay relaxed...because believe me going head to head with the sports top riders at 60 mph gets you going instantly!

Sasha) How did your first sponsorship come about? Pam) I was actually wearing a lot of GIRLYTHINGS and then it dawned on me that I should send them off a letter and introduce myself.....and thats how it all began.

Sasha) Where are your roots? Pam) I grew up in Southern California...I'm such a California girl! I Love it here. I Love the ocean, the mountains and just everything about it! I have lived other places, but I always return home...it just keeps calling me back. :)

Sasha) If you could go anywhere in the world for a race, where would it be and why? Any special hills/ mountains you've checked out you're itching to fly down? Pam) Wow, I've actually had the privilege of racing on every continent. Which has been an incredible adventure! Every place is beautiful and offers such exciting new adventures. The people are wonderful and I love all the different cultures. I think the one place I'd live to ride would be the Himalayas. It seems like such a beautiful, spiritual place. And riding those roads seems like a breathtaking experience for sure.

Sasha) Are you involved with music in any way? Is there a genre of music you enjoy the most? Pam) (Laughing) I sing in the shower and dance around the house to great tunes when I'm in a super hyper mood! I love to listen to music, but I wish I could say I play an instrument. I've always had this odd fondness for bagpipes. When I was a little girl my neighbor played the bagpipes. I grew up in the mountains so the sound of his playing would echo in the canyons. He always played at the end of the day when the sun was setting. That is just such an incredible memory for me. Since that time I I've wanted to learn to play the bagpipes. Odd, I know. But thats me....

Sasha) Do you have a favorite type of food you prefer ? Pam) Hot fudge sundays for sure! :) For the most part I eat incredibly well. I Have a small herb and vegetable garden and I really enjoy cooking,...I guess thats because I love to eat!

Sasha) How do you celebrate a victory or a great run? Do you do anything special? Pam) Everyone is incredible. They always give big hugs and high five one another. I think its because we are doing something so dangerous that we all know if we make a mistake the odds are so against us. There is incredible camaraderie at the races. It very competitive but we are like a big family also.

Sasha) What's the worst injury you've had to date? When was your most recent one? Pam) My worst injury was at the 1998 X games. I shattered my ankle. I had seven pins and a plate put into it. I tore all the ligaments and tendons, which was actually worse that the break itself. Recently I've just had minor scrapes and bruises-not too many injuries. I think I slam harder skateboarding daily than I do on my luge. I know when its right to push the envelope and when its not.

Sasha) Besides being a pro athlete and commentator do you have any other type of job? Pam) I am actually a fashion designer. I have my degree in fashion design. I work in the surf, skate and snow industry. I've designed for some of the industries best, O'Neil surf, Haro Designs, and Zumiez..just to name a few. I love it. Its super creative and fun. I so get into my zone when Im designing.

Sasha) You've done some amazing things--Does any one event in particular stand out to you? Pam) Gosh, each event stands out in its own way, but there are a few that I have incredible fondness for- the locations, the people, the killer hills and just an amazing adventure over all. I think one event that does stand out for me is the Cape Town South Africa event. The hill is a super fast very technical hill. There are two incredible turns- a left hander and a right hander. This was one hill I was able to completely strategize on and make my move in the second turn leaving everyone in the dust. I very rarely hear anything other than my focused attention on racing, but because I was pulling such an insane inside move during each heat, the crowds were going nuts. Its a really odd thing when all you can hear are thousands of people screaming and cheering for you! I know I got the move of the event.