By Jim Witters

With much of his family involved in motorcycling and ATVs, Nicholaus Hughes started his motorized adventure early, tearing up his uncle’s yard at age 7 doing laps on an ATV.

“My grandpa rode with the Lancaster (Ohio) Motorcycle Club in the 1950s. My grandmother was in the AMA Most Popular Woman Rider contest. My cousin is racing ATVs in AMA District 11. My uncle runs Hughes Cycles in Ohio. And my other cousin raced flat track,” Hughes said. “Motorsports are in my blood.”

Hughes, now 30 and having moved out of his home state, is the AMA State Chapter Coordinator for South Carolina.

AMA State Chapter Coordinators are chosen from among AMA members who have completed the AMA EAGLES program. Each letter of EAGLES stands for an important element of advocacy: Education, Activism, Growth, Leadership, Expertise and Skills.

Coordinators help organize and support AMA-related recreational riding and advocacy activities, and they stay informed about legislative and regulatory issues that affect motorcyclists.

State coordinators promote riding in their states by working with AMA staff members, AMA Commissions, AMA Districts and individual AMA members.

Hughes welcomed the opportunity to increase his involvement with the AMA.

“My grandparents were a part of the AMA since the 1950s,” he said. “I rode with an AMA-chartered club in Ohio, and others in my family have been racing in AMA-sanctioned events for years.

“The AMA is in the roots of my family tree, and I wanted to do more and be involved at a different level. The EAGLES program gave me the framework I needed to reach out and do just that.”

Hughes says that becoming an AMA volunteer is a way to help.

“I want to be able to make an impact,” he said. “When legislation has the potential to affect our ability to ride our motorcycles or ATVs, I want to be able to bring people together and make a difference.”

Among the issues facing South Carolina riders are poor road conditions, “inexperienced riders, the need for more training courses and education and motorcycle awareness,” Hughes said.

“We are one of the states that allows a choice with wearing a helmet,” he added. “That is an important topic for many of the organizations in our state.”

Hughes also would like to help expand AMA membership in South Carolina.

“Riding with a chartered AMA club was a great experience for me,” he said. “I learned more about the motorcycle culture and history and rode more than I would have riding alone. I would like to encourage our members to create more chartered clubs and deepen their interest.”

Hughes recognizes the ties that hold the motorcycling community together and the strength that results in unity.

“Our commonality is our motorcycle,” he said. “Whether you ride dirt, street or track, we all have the same interest. If we want to be able to keep the right to ride, we have to make sure we pay attention to what is happening around us, leverage our group influence and work together to make changes.”

Hughes said South Carolina offers some great motorcycling roads and events, and he wants more riders to take advantage of those opportunities.

“Caesar’s Head is spectacular.” Hughes said. “You can ride right up to the summit via a plethora of switch-backs, and then ride right on into North Carolina.”

Hughes also recommends visiting beautiful Charleston, S.C., and attending the bike night at the Greenville, S.C., Quaker Steak and Lube.

“Do not forget, though, the best event this year was easily the AMA Gypsy Tour in Myrtle Beach,” Hughes said. “We look forward to having the Gypsy Tour back in South Carolina.”