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Nicole Robinson - Bound for NASCAR
by Mee Vang
Nicole Robinson
Great Granny's 90th Birthday (Nicole in red dress, lower right) Click to enlarge
Nicole with Harley
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Nicole Robinson is from Green Mountain, North Carolina. Green Mountain is a very small Yancey County town, about seven miles north of Burnsville.
"I don't tell people that I'm from Green Mountain because I'll get the 'where's that?' response, so I just tell people I'm from Burnsville," says Robinson. It amazes and even surprises some Mars Hill College students when Robinson tells them that Green Mountain is smaller than Mars Hill.
To Robinson, Mars Hill is big. "I'm used to being out in the middle of nowhere, miles away from civilization, and miles away from state highways. I'm used to sleeping and hearing nothing but dogs barking." Her closest neighbors are her aunt, her brother-in-law, and her sister. All her other neighbors live about a half-mile away from her house.
"I live on Confederate Drive, which is on Upper Pig Pen Road; you can't get any more country or Southern than that!" Her older sister, who is a 2002 Mars Hill College graduate and a history buff, named her road Confederate Drive.
"A lot of people wouldn't even be able to understand my family sometimes when they talk. What would they think if my dad asked them to hand him a poke?" (A poke is a bag).
Robinson came to Mars Hill College after her sister and her mom graduated from there. Mars Hill is close to home for her. "When I decided to come to Mars Hill, I wasn't ready to move far from home." She also wanted to be at a small college, so Mars Hill was perfect for her.
Robinson values her family a lot. "No matter what hardships I go through, my family is always there beside me." Her parents, her two sisters, her two brothers-in-law, her grandparents, and her uncles are some of her heroes. "My uncle, Dug, is my hero. I'll never forget, when I was five, he played Barbie dolls with me. When no one else would play with me, he did."
Robinson has a very large extended family. Her father's family has lived in Western North Carolina for generations. She has over a hundred cousins on her dad's side of the family. Her great-grandmother had 15 children, and every September that part of her family has a family reunion.
Robinson considers her dog a part of her family. She has a black Labrador retriever named Harley. "Harley is one of my best friends; I couldn't live without him. He can always keep me entertained. Harley is my little buddy." Her neighbor gave him to Robinson's older sister when he was a little puppy. He was named after the Harley Davidson motorcycles.
Before Robinson came to Mars Hill she had hamsters as pets. "The first hamster I had didn't really have a name; I changed it about every week. Then the next two I named after NASCAR tracks, Talladega and Pocono." When she was younger, Robinson had two rabbits, and now she would love to have one again. "My older sisters even have a nickname for me, Bunny." She would also love to have a pug. "After watching Men in Black, and seeing the little dog, Frank, I wanted a pug."
Robinson values good country music. She likes the classic country artists such as Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, and David Allan Coe; but she also likes the newer contemporary country musicians like Big & Rich, Gretchen Wilson, and Brad Paisley. "Country music is what I was born listening to, and it's what I'll die listening to. It is the music of the small town."
In early 2006, Robinson went to the historic Ryman Auditorium to see the world-famous Grand Ole Opry. "Going to the Opry was my dad's 53rd birthday present, but it was a present and a thrilling experience for my entire family as well as for me."
Robinson is currently a junior, majoring in business administration with a concentration in organizational communications. When she graduates from Mars Hill College in 2007, she wants to work for NASCAR, Inc., --with the NASCAR media and with public relations. She is an avid NASCAR fan, and has been for the past ten years. "It is my dream to be a part of the historical and legendary sport of NASCAR racing. I want to be a part and a contributor to NASCAR founder Bill France's dream and legacy."
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