My Ride Like MADD 2025 Speech

by Ashley Opliger // July 26, 2025 // Twister City Harley-Davidson // Park City, Kansas

Good afternoon, riders, friends, and family members.

Thank you for being here today for Ride Like MADD.

This isn’t just a ride—it’s a rally, a movement, and a memorial. And for me, it’s deeply personal.

My name is Ashley Opliger, and I stand before you as a daughter who lost her dad in the most heartbreaking and senseless way imaginable.

In just two days [on July 28, 2025], it will mark one year since the tragic day that my dad, Steven Richard Golik, was hit by a drunk driver while out on a motorcycle ride. He was less than four miles from home, doing what he loved—riding his Suzuki 750 on a summer evening.

The man who took his life made a choice. He got behind the wheel extremely intoxicated and made a reckless left turn into my dad, who was simply driving straight on Central.

He didn’t just hit him—he drove over his motorcycle to flee the scene, leaving my dad paralyzed and dying in the middle of the road.

There are no words to describe the depravity—the inhumanity—of someone doing this to your beloved dad. And there’s no preparing for the phone call I received from my mom that night. No way to brace yourself for watching your dad suffer in a hospital bed for a week… and then succumb to his injuries, taking his final breaths surrounded by his family before entering eternal life in Heaven.

Life has never been the same for our family.

It would take me all day to explain how deeply we grieve and miss him. Each of us feels irreparably broken. We think of him every hour of every day.

But today, we rode—for him. And for every father, mother, sister, brother, friend, child, and loved one whose life has been stolen by impaired driving.

My dad was not just another victim. He was a devoted husband to his high school sweetheart of almost 42 years, an incredible father and grandfather, a loving brother, and a brilliant engineer who dedicated 36 years to designing aircraft at Textron. He was a biker, a patriot, and a man of integrity.

Today, we rode 64 miles—one mile for each year of my dad’s life—on a route that told his story.

We drove by our family’s ministry, Bridget’s Cradles, in Kechi.
We passed his grave at the cemetery.
We stopped at Textron, where he worked for three decades, and drove through the Beechcraft tunnel where he loved to rev his engine.
We rode past the collision site where this tragedy took place.
We drove through his hometown of Andover, and down his favorite curvy road, Thunder Road.

Each stop and stretch of road was chosen intentionally—a route that honors his legacy.

But it was also a route that calls for change—to protect other bikers and families from the same devastating fate.

Because no family deserves to go through the excruciating pain and grief we’ve endured—and will continue to endure—for the rest of our lives without him.

The truth is: drunk driving is 100% preventable. Every crash caused by impaired driving is not an accident. It’s a choice. A deadly one that puts every life on the road at risk.

A $20 Uber ride would have saved my dad’s life. And that’s why we’re here today—to say never again. A human life has inherent value—and is worth infinitely more than $20.

To Bretz Injury Law, Twister City Harley-Davidson, Kechi Police Department, our two bands [The Nailbiters and Trickey Dix], our poker stop sponsors [Textron, Andover Central Park, and WSU Tech], and the many amazing volunteers—including several local CMA [Christian Motorcyclist Association] chapters—thank you for helping make this ride a reality.

To all the riders here today: thank you. You are the heartbeat of this event.

By showing up, you’re helping raise awareness about the dangers of drunk driving.
And through your support of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), you’re providing advocacy for stronger laws and sentencing, and offering support to victims and their families across Kansas.

Today, my dad’s family and friends are wearing shirts that say:
“Safer Roads for Good”
In memory of Steven Richard Golik.
Both the message… and his initials: SRG.

On our shirts, there’s a logo that Casey [Ensz] here at Bretz [Injury Law] so generously designed—of my dad on his bike, doing the biker wave.

I have such fond memories of riding out to Cassoday with him as a kid, both of us putting our left arms out to wave to other bikers. My dad loved riding—and he loved the biking community.

And now, every time I see a motorcyclist on the road, I do the biker wave in my car, say a prayer for that rider to get home safe, and think of my dad.

And you know what?

Today was the ultimate biker wave.
The biker community came together in support of a fallen brother.

And it gave me something else, too:

Hope.

Hope that change is possible.
Hope that we can make our roads safer.
Hope that justice will be served.
Hope that I will see my dad again in Heaven—because of Jesus.
And hope that, out of this tragedy, my dad’s legacy will live on—through Safer Roads for Good.

I hope today doesn’t end here. I hope you’ll carry this mission forward—by sharing my dad’s story, supporting MADD’s work, and raising awareness about impaired driving.

I’d love to close with a few moments of silence in memory of my dad—
with our biker waves pointing to Heaven.

I know he sees us today.

Thank you.