Beyond the Byline: Getting to Know Genevieve Cadorette

Credit: Genevieve Cadorette

Racing returns to Rockingham this weekend and Skirts and Scuffs columnist Genevieve Cadorette is live on the scene. Follow her on Twitter at @C_Genevieve.

Upon first glance Genevieve Cadorette might not seem like your typical female NASCAR  fan, and there’s a good reason for that. There’s nothing typical about her. She’s bright, energetic, and has dreams of seeing her name in the credits of a racing related movie someday, not as an actor, but as a writer.

Born in Quebec, Canada and later moving to New Hampshire where she was raised with her younger sister, Genevieve didn’t learn to speak English until the age of six. It didn’t take long to realize that her path through life would involve writing of some sort. In a recent conversation Gen said, “I realized I could write books as cool as the Sweet Valley Twins and Sweet Valley High. At 13, I was in love with novels, music and movies and I knew then that I had to do something in writing.”

Studying Law and Communications at Hesser College in Manchester, NH, Genevieve put her creative side on the back burner and focused on her future and a job that would be financially and personally rewarding. Working as a legal administrative assistant for several years and writing legal documents along with a few political pieces Gen was able to pair her love of writing with her love of the law. The future was looking bright until the summer of 2008 when she found herself a victim of the tanking economy and without a job.

Looking for a new place in the world and using her recent employment woes as fuel Gen enrolled in online screenwriting classes at New York Film Academy and that’s when her racing related script started coming together. Gen describes the plot saying, “The story really isn't about the sport of racing, it's seen through the eyes of a female writer about her journey to get out of the hum drum life of an employee to the exciting life of a NASCAR reporter.” Gen goes on to explain that the version of the screenplay she’s currently working on has been changed based on what she’s learned representing Skirts and Scuffs in the media center during the 2011 and 2012 seasons. She’s realistic about her dreams for the screenplay but says, “it's in my bucket list and it can't happen if I don't try. Kind of like the lottery, how can you win if you don't buy a ticket?”

Although she grew up near the New Hampshire Motor Speedway she didn’t attend a race at the track until she was in her early 20’s. She had a  respect for the sport and found it interesting, but it didn’t get into her blood the way it did with her father and her sister until 2007. While taking a photography class she had the opportunity to return to NHMS. She loved the challenge of trying to capture the fast paced racing on film and says, “something told me I was in the right place and the thought of auto sports news sounded very appealing. I had never had personal feelings about the sport or a particular driver, so I was caught off guard when I realized how much I loved to take pictures and write about it. I could never do that for my ‘favorite’ sports like weight lifting and the Red Sox, Tom Brady and the Patriots, because my personal feelings got involved.”

Cadorette on pit road at
Charlotte Motor Speedway (2011)
Credit: Genevieve Cadorette

Genevieve found her place in the NASCAR media when she joined the Skirts and Scuffs team in the middle of the 2010 season. Since that time Gen has represented S&S at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Martinsville Speedway, Rockingham Speedway, and various related events in the Charlotte area. About her experiences covering NASCAR from a media perspective she says, “My first time in the media center at Charlotte Motor Speedway was an experience I'll never forget. It felt right. It felt like everything I ever wanted was in the palm of my hand. I had this 'finally' feeling overwhelm me. I can't tell you that I don't regret going for my dream job when I was in my twenties because I did something fun in my twenties but I can tell you that now that I have this chance to be in the media in an elite professional sport means a lot. I have the chance to make this happen now so I'm going with it.”

These days Gen resides near Charlotte, NC where she works as a child care provider during the day. Her schedule is often hectic but she always makes time for her second love of health and fitness. As a former gymnast and fitness model, living a healthy lifestyle has always been one of her top priorities.

Summing up Skirts and Scuffs in once sentence Cadorette says, “We are more than just fans wanting to be writers, we're a community and together we're building what could be a really hot site for all NASCAR fans.”

With women like this on our team the possibilities are endless.
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A fan of NASCAR since the age of 12, Katy Lindamood is the Founder/Editor-in-Chief of Skirts and Scuffs. In addition to Beyond the Byline, which profiles the women of Skirts and Scuffs, Katy also writes Deuces Wild, a weekly recap of Penske Racing drivers Brad Keselowski and AJ Allmendinger. Katy can be contacted via email or through Twitter.