THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS

Although motorcycle racer Leslie Porterfield’s life doesn’t directly mirror any specific cinematic storyline, the ballsy blonde bombshell easily could fit in with the cast of characters from the “Fast and Furious” movies. Actually, come to think of it, we’re not sure why no one has made a movie about her life. For starters, Porterfield learned to ride a motorcycle at age 16 because everyone told her she couldn’t — which could make for an ideal hazy-edged flashback scene. Fast-forward to the ripe ol’ age of 19, when she started racing. She was determined to go to the Bonneville Salt Flats, an area of densely packed salt pan in Utah — a place she calls “paradise for gearheads” — to break the record for the Fastest Woman in the World on a Motorcycle. In 2007 she made it to Bonneville, but crashed at 110 mph and broke seven ribs. Someone else might’ve called it quits, but in a dramatic twist, Porterfield defied all odds and went back to Bonneville in 2008, where she became the first female member in the Bonneville 200 MPH Club. Then, by going 232 mph at Bonneville, she set the record for Fastest Woman in the World on a Motorcycle. (Racers must maintain a speed for one mile both ways, and the speeds are averaged. Her highest speed was 246 mph.) Today, she owns High Five Cycles in Dallas and is the proud mother of 19-month-old twins. “I always get asked if I plan to go back and go faster, but having twins has definitely changed that,” she says. So for now, she’s sticking to mentoring other young female riders. “Who knows — I may just end up helping out the next person who will break my record,” she says. “But that’s all right. Records are just on loan; they’re made to be broken,” she says, as the credits roll. —Brittany Nunn

It’s true! In fact, a recent study performed on behalf of the American Association of Orthodontists surveyed people who had orthodontic treatment as an adult. Many of the respondents reported positive bene ts of adult orthodontic treatment. Personal relationships improved according to 83% of the patients surveyed; career success improved according to 58%, and 92% said they would recommend treatment to other adults. One patient stated, “A more brilliant smile and the straightest teeth…gave me con dence to do anything.”* Now that’s worth smiling about! Call for a complimentary exam if you would like to nd out how we can help you improve your smile.

Patricia A. Simon, DDS 1809 Skillman St., Dallas 75206 214.826.9000 · lakewoodortho.net

LakewoodOrtho @DoctorSimonSays

Last year’s book “Unbroken” mesmerized readers, spent 125 weeks in the New York Times best-seller list and was named nonfiction book of the year by Time magazine. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Laura Hillenbrand penned the story of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner and heroic airman who fought in World War II and was shot down over the Pacific, where he survived several grueling months before being captured by Japanese soldiers. Then he endured several more years in brutal prisoner-of-war camps. Lakewood’s Orville Rogers’ luck was a little better. When the Hiroshima bomb dropped and Zamperini was still sitting in a Japanese prison camp, Rogers was training to fly a B-17; Rogers never faced life-threatening combat. Unlike Zamperini — whose flying experience led to man-eating sharks and unimaginable loss of basic freedoms, among other horrors — Rogers loves planes and relished his time learning to pilot them. He even has a model of a B-36 at home, which he showed the Advocate in 2010. “It could fly higher than any fighter,” he said then. Like his contemporary, Rogers’ running prowess has enhanced his legendary status. Last year Rogers broke the world record for seven indoor and outdoor track events in distances from 60 to 3,000 meters. Last March at the National Indoor Championships in Landover, Maryland, 11 world records were broken among some 1,200 competitors, and Rogers broke six of those. “I think I have some of that built-in stubbornness, perseverance, whatever you want to call it,” Rogers told Runner’s World magazine last year. “I’m going to finish the job I started.” Zamperini, who, like Rogers, is now 96, is living the good life these days, too. He most recently was spotted on the pages of Entertainment Weekly, arms locked with Angelina Jolie, who is directing the movie version of “Unbroken.”

Feed the Hungry

Heal the Heart

—Christina Hughes Babb

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