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AIM HIGH: Extraordinary Stories of Hispanic and Latina Women

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Aim High Extraordinary Stories of Hispanic and Latina WomenHorsepower & Heels driver Erica Ortiz is featured in the first edition hardcover book, Aim High: Extraordinary Stories of Hispanic and Latina Women.

 Aim High: Extraordinary Stories of Hispanic and Latina Women is a book that offers hope and inspiration. Author Laura Contreras-Rowe traveled the country meeting and interviewing inspirational and amazing Hispanic and Latina women.   This book features 33 thought-provoking positive role models from all over the country and from different professional backgrounds to tell their story, delivering a powerful message that despite financial challenges, family obligations and horrific environment or events: a young Hispanic or Latina woman can succeed to astounding heights with courage and tenacity.

Horsepower & Heels driver Erica Ortiz had the honor of being recognized in the book.

May 2010 International Latino Book Awards
1st Place in Best Gift Book
2nd Place in Best Cover Design
Honorable Mention/3rd Place for The Mariposa Award for Best First Time Book

2010 IPPY-Independent Publishers Book Award
Gold/1st Place in Best Non-Fiction Multicultural Juvenile/Youth/Young Adult

Aim High: Extraordinary Stories of Hispanic and Latina Women

(Amazon Affiliate Link)

Publisher: Laura Contreras Rowe, Inc; 1st edition (2009)
ISBN-10: 0984246304
ISBN-13: 978-0984246304

A photo says a thousand words

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In addition to the crew chiefs and drivers, one of the other groups of greatly talented professionals you get to meet at the racetrack every weekend are the guys and gals that are risking their butts hanging on the guardwalls to give us great images of the action. Though I know absolutely NOTHING about photography aside from point-and-click, I’ve always had great respect for these guys and gals, and always truly admire their work.
Sports Photographer Mark Rebilas

Last week, I had the pleasure of meeting my absolute favorite Professional Sports Photographer, Mark Rebilas. I’ve been a fan of his and have been following his work for quite awhile now, but I didn’t realize how cool a guy he actually is until recently.

Mark hails from Phoenix, AZ; the son of photographer Gil Rebilas, who first put a camera in his son’s hands at age 10. Mark quickly learned the trade, enlisting as a Photographer for the US Navy, and leading a team of 22 photographers on an aircraft carrier during a wartime deployment across the world.
Now, you can find him high above the tri-oval at NASCAR races, capturing some of the crazy crashes, or on the sidelines at baseball games and a wide variety of other sports. A very recognized name in the business, Mark’s won the NMPA Motorsports Photographer of the Year award twice, and has been featured all over the industry in ESPN, Sports Illustrated, and many other publications. Mark has also covered a few drag racing events, and his images are absolutely stunning. His photo blog is really impressive, and tells a great story about the events he covers. Though he told me he originally started the blog for other photographers, any sports fan can really appreciate his detailed blogging style and the great story his images tell.
Someof my favorites are the unique portraits he’s done with my favorite NHRA drivers. His approach is drastically different from our regular drag racing photographers, and from what he outlines in his blogs, his techniques are much more complicated and a lot harder work. But the results are amazing:
Angelle Sampey
Angelle Sampey last season in the staging lanes
Now-retired Funny Car driver Gary Scelzi

The action shots are unlike anything I’ve ever seen. With drag racing being the fastest moving of all the motorsports, I imagine its quite difficult to catch all the action coming at you at 300mph. But these are just the most vivid and spectacular I’ve ever seen…

Robert Hight
Robert Hight in Nitro Funny Car
Tony Schumacher explosion
Tony Schumacher in Top Fuel
Fuel Altered explosion
Fuel Altered Engine Explosion at March Meet

Clearly, I don’t have to do much talking. His work speaks rather breathlessly for itself. I couldn’t possibly post all of my favorites, so you really need to head on over to his blog to check them all out.

Other than the fact he drives a Corvette (::groan::), Mark is one of the coolest people I’ve had a chance to hang out with in some time! I’ve already made him promise that if I strike the lotto and go Top Fuel racing, he’s going to be the official Photographer with sole mission to make me look like a resident bad ass! Thanks, Mark!

Check out Mark’s Blog: www.markjrebilas.com/blog
Or better yet, subscribe to it free here.

Ortiz to Air on Houston’s 1560AM The Game

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1560AM the GameHuntsville, AL– Horsepower & Heels driver, Erica Ortiz, will be live on-air with the “Thunder Road” morning show this Sunday, March 1st on Houston, TX’s AM radio station 1560AM “The Game”.

The “Thunder Road” show is Houston’s ONLY place for all things motor sports and the best damn racing show around, featuring hosts Doug Johnson, a former Fun Ford Weekend competitor, and “Ya Boy Blue” (Jeffery Blue). Erica will join the well-known Houston personalities for their “Driving Divas” segment, a portion of the show dedicated to women in motorsports. Past guests include NHRA Pro Stock driver Erica Enders and Stock Car racer Kristen Bumbera. …

On Air: Houston’s 1560AM The Game “Thunder Road”

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Listen in this Sunday, March 1st to Houston’s 1560AM The Game radio station for my guest spot on the Thunder Road show’s “Driving Divas” segment.

Thunder Road is Houston’s ONLY place for all things motor sports and the best damn racing show around, featuring hosts Doug Johnson, a former Fun Ford Weekend competitor, and “Ya Boy Blue” (Jeffery Blue). Past guests on the “Driving Divas” segment have been NHRA Pro Stock driver Erica Enders and Stock Car racer Kristen Bumbera.

The show will air this Sunday, March 1st from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM central standard time.

Don’t live in Houston? The show is also available via web. You can listen online.

Horsepower & Heels Feature with Hispanics Today available ONLINE

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Grant, AL– If you missed Erica Ortiz and Debbie Denny of Horsepower & Heels on the popular national TV show, Hispanics Today back in November, you can now view the segment online.

Hispanics Today is an English-language television show that highlights the largest and fastest growing segment of the U.S. population- the Latino market The goal of Hispanics Today is to inspire, educate and address issues that affect the Hispanic community, while showcasing the growing, powerful impact and influence the Hispanic community has in the United States.

Hispanics Today.com has just added a show archive feature to the web with each individual segment from their broadcasts. The segment, entitled Erica Ortiz: Latina Drag Racer, can be viewed at http://www.hispanicstoday.com/story-description.php?video=21.

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