Unlike so many up and coming road racers these days, Melissa Paris doesn’t have motorcycle racing in her blood. Growing up with four older brothers she naturally was a bit of a tom-boy. You'd think she might have picked up her love for riding motorcycles from one of her older brothers, but other than one ill-fated day of riding around on a mini-bike with no brakes that her Dad had bartered for, her childhood was filled with much more traditional sports. Playing baseball from the age of 5 until 14 on a boys team, she dreamed of one day making the professional ranks. However, somewhere along the way, she got burned out on the sport and all the Little League politics and decided to try some other sports including swimming, water polo, track, and even a brief foray into BMX racing.