Laurie Jo Higgins, known as L J, brings a vibrant energy to the Full Throttle Magazine team as the newest sales representative. Hailing from Anna Maria, Florida, Laurie Jo is transitioning her passion from stock car racing to motorcycles, immersing herself in the biker lifestyle. Despite being in the early stages of her riding journey, Laurie Jo is enthusiastic about promoting Full Throttle events and supporting local businesses. Stay tuned for exciting updates and collaborations, and don’t miss out on the upcoming Full Throttle/Tampa Bay Rays Bike Night on Friday, July 15th. Join us in welcoming Laurie Jo and embracing the thrill of the biker community.
MEET THE NEW FULL THROTTLE SALES REP – LAURIE JO HIGGINS
Aloha it’s Laurie Jo (L J) Higgins from Anna Maria! OK, I’ll be honest I am still in second gear on the riding thing…It’s a whole different mindset than stock car racing … instead of being the aggressive driver I had to do a 180 and become the defensive one and now l actually have some fear, maybe that is a good thing. I have stopped drafting cars on the way to work due to learning to ride. Yep I was one of those. Sorry…
This month we had so many Full Throttle events that were a blast ( Loved playing with “Koko Ray and the Kreepers” thanks for asking me in Jand I am looking forward to what June holds, keep checking our Facebook page! And please call me if you want your own events promoted, l would love to write about your business or help you do a live stream event/bike night…lets go Florida I’m ready!
We are also planning and looking for sponsors for our first ever Full Throttle/ Tampa Bay Rays Bike Night. We had to change the date to give our bikers the best perks…The new improved date is Friday July 15th, see our ad!
Pictured above Laurie, Beautiful Loretta Young and the infamous Murphy’s! Evel with his sister Loretta.
Well I found another hidden gem on Anna Maria Island…” Evel Knievel’s” younger sister Loretta young!!! He has always been an inspiration to me, I got a couple jobs the same way he did after watching his documentary years back .l used to say” I pulled an “Evel Knievel”… note to current boss Tony: you may be or have been the recipient of being” Knieveled….” And sorry now I am even better after this interview!
As I sat down at Sean Murphy’s world renowned five star ” Beach Bistro”, admiring the ocean view with Evels beautiful sister “Loretta Young” this strikingly beautiful woman, I had no idea she was more exciting than Evel himself. Yes that’s possible it runs in the genes. From a simple life starting out as grandchildren of Ellis Island Irish immigrants who all migrated to Butte MT to life at in Reno/Vegas, years at Graceland with boyfriend Elvis Presley(yes she did!), She was the jewel of Beverly Hills… lucky for us now she considers Anna Maria Island her home. Despite Evels Mother “Ann Marie Keough” never setting foot on the island, the family felt her presence the moment they came here and eventually moved here. Evel being close by in Clearwater it all felt right. Her daughter Shellie Young of (Sotheby’s Inti)) calls the island home too.
After a couple glasses of wine (thank you Mr. Murphy), I asked her to tell me a few things not written or widely known about their childhood and Evel( Bob)… here is what I got in the simplified version… because there is absolutely nothing simple about this family. I asked if there was there ever a dream Evel had he always wanted to do, but was out of reach? Answer No. Nothing was out of reach. If he wanted to do it he figured out a way. From hockey to painting to being a world class skier if he dreamt it, he did it. That began a conversation on how much of an entrepreneur he was as a young kid …This comes from His Mother “Ann” who had her own entrepreneurial spirit and creativity (and as they say behind every great man…), as well as his father passing down his incredible mind for calculations and the engineering that Evel did himself through most of his career. It was also noted that he got his lack of fear from both parents.
Did Evel gamble with all the time spent in Vegas/Reno? Yes. He bet on anything and everything. Even when golfing. He would cover golf balls with something sweet and bet people a fly would land on his ball, he loved to gamble and loved to win! He bet on everything!
Loretta never got on the bike with him because he scared her, but at age 9 she did take a rare ride with him, after a bit he said “hold on sis”… she knew what that meant…she held on closed her eyes and opened them to see they had jumped over the anaconda mine…which let’s just say its HUGE! …she ran home and told Mom… grounded again.
Another gem I got was that all three of his jewel studded canes screwed apart to reveal vials of Wild Turkey. Hard not to smile at that image. Then there was the story of him getting 6 months jail but getting work furlough so he sent limos to the jail every day so all the inmates furloughed could ride in style too and not hold it against him.
I could fill the entire magazine with this family’s stories… my advice come by and say hello yourself. Loretta will be an honored guest at something fun that will be of much interest to all of us Motorcycle enthusiasts. The only details I can give, this is something on Anna Maria Island you do not want to miss. Full Throttle will be there…that’s all I can say look for details in July issue!
My last question…Evel died young from complications due to his liver transplant… Did he have any regrets, things he did not finish? The answer from his sister…Evel wished he had come to know Jesus during his lifetime and not just at the end when he knew he was dying….Clearly Jesus knew Evel.
LIVE HARD, LIVE FAST, AND GO OUT AS A GOOD LOOKING CORPSE.
Evel Knievel
