Issue link: https://tmcpulse.uberflip.com/i/1162476
t m c » p u l s e | s e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 9 18 Even as a young child, Miller's focus and ability to visualize a far-off goal was apparent. She entered her first BMX racing competition when she was only 4 years old. Boys domi- nated the BMX scene back then, and being a girl in a sport that was very much a boy's club made competing impossible. There weren't any girls to race. "I was a tomboy growing up and I always wanted to play with boys. I always would ride at the BMX track with boys, my friends were boys and, naturally, I wanted to race boys, too. There were rules in BMX at the time where you couldn't," she said. Miller was determined to train with the boys in order to reach the top of her game, so her parents took her to races in different states, tucked her long blonde hair under her bike helmet and told people she was a boy. "No one knew us. We'd just hide that I was a girl, put my hair up under my helmet, send me out, race the boys and then come back into the van and leave. But that's what we had to do so that I could race and improve." Miller's training paid off. As a sophomore at South Park High School in her hometown of Pittsburgh, she earned a national level in BMX and turned pro at the age of 15. But she later retired from her BMX racing career to focus on her true passion: road cycling. "It would seem BMX and road cycling are really similar to a lot of outsiders because they're both bicycles," Miller said. "If you think of, say, running, for example, you can't be the best sprinter and the best marathon runner. It's totally different. The same goes for cycling. BMXers are your pure sprinters." Miller had her sights set for the long haul and seemed destined for cycling greatness. Tell us your love story and you could win a wedding valued at over $55,000! KEY DATES: Contest Entry Deadline: Sep. 15, 2019 Top 10 Finalist Announcement: Se Sep. 30, 2019 Public Voting on Top 10 Finalists: Oct 1 – 22, 2019 Winner Announcement: Nov 1, 2019 Win Your Westin Wedding Date: Feb 14, 2020 PRIZE PRIZE PARTNERS: Pompon Florists, JPL Entertainment, C. Baron Photography, Royal Luxury Events, Houston Flower Wall Co. Revelry Goods, Fresh Prints of Belaire, Flour and the Girl and Houston Diamond Girl Houston Diamond Girl Arriving Early 2020 ENTER & VOTE: WESTINHOUSTONMEDICALCENTER.COM/ WEDDING-CONTEST 1709 DRYDEN, HOUSTON, TX 77030 | 713.730.2404 | SALES@THEWESTINHOUSTON.COM Miller works in her lab at JLABS @ TMC, where she and her company, PATH EX, have been located since joining the TMCx medical device 2019 cohort.