Now and then the ugly side of this sport rears its head and we are forcefully reminded of the very potential, and extreme consequences that come with doing what we love. And man, it is one hell of a hard pill to swallow.
I often speak about how professional riders have to get themselves to a certain and specific place in their head in order to do what they do… I always felt like it went without saying, but I guess I’ve never really explained the why for that.
Every single person on the line knows what could happen. But every single person has come to terms with, in their own way, and accepted the possible outcome of what they’re about to do. Or, plain and simple, they would not be out there. When these riders are preparing for a moto, there is an abundance of thoughts and feelings overwhelmingly flowing through their minds. As I’ve said before, those who can manage those thoughts, are generally amongst the elite. Not only do they need to completely remove the negative thoughts associated with their own well-being, but they also have to prepare themselves to do the obvious – physically battle one another for 35 minutes, all while maintaining their ability of riding the motorcycle. When you break it all down, this sports top athletes are truly remarkable human beings.
I’ve never really brought this topic into this discussion because, well, I feel that it’s a bit of a taboo subject… Personally, I don’t even like to speak about it because I don’t want these thoughts and feelings lingering in my head. When I pull that helmet down on my head and sit there for a moment and do it up, it’s almost an entrance, or a passage, to a place mentally that allows me to ride my dirt bike comfortably and confidently. I think we all have some sort of way of “getting there”, and perhaps some of us aren’t even aware that we’re removing the consequences from our heads just so we can ride, it just happens.
I feel like it begins early in our “careers”, not specifically age-wise, but in rider development wise. As we grow into ourselves and learn to ride with more speed and confidence, the comprehension of what is actually taking place becomes clearer. With that, at some point, comes a realization of the immense risk involved. Whether it’s vague, or a profound understanding of what could happen, it’s still there. I think the level of which, is more apt to be affected by age. When you’re a kid, young, or even a teenager, you’re generally doing this for the pure fun and enjoyment of it, and you may not even be aware of or have the knowledge of what a serious injury is. You fall off, scrape yourself up, get up and carry on. Most of these younger riders aren’t exactly living their lives with actual responsibilities either, they don’t have to go to work on Monday, and they don’t need to make sure there’s money in the account for a mortgage, truck, or insurance payment. And they definitely aren’t thinking about how their family would manage the burden of caring for them with a serious injury. I feel like the “the kids” are more likely to push the risk a little further than the more experienced older riders based on that fact alone.
I am not writing about this to scare anyone, and as you can tell, I can’t even put the actual word on the screen. This part of the sport absolutely scares the shit out of me but unfortunately, it’s a realistic possibility.
As we get a little older, regardless of if you’re an amateur or professional, real-life responsibilities enter our lives. Whether it’s something small like a vehicle payment, or as significant as bringing a child into this world, the responsibilities completely change your perception of life itself, especially riding and racing dirtbikes.
How your perception accepts the risk is what allows you to continue progress or limits and retracts your abilities. It’s just the way it is, and you do not get to decide what way that goes. Some guys are able to put the risk at the back door and leave it there, and some have those thoughts creep towards the forefront. Little side story – as a kid, my parents were into Nascar so naturally I was as well, it’s part of what developed and forged my love for racing of all types. I was, am, and always will be a Dale Earnhardt fan, (which is why I really appreciate the fact that I have built “the number 3” on numerous occasions in my mechanic career, Mike Brown, Brett Metcalfe, and my current rider, Shawn Maffenbeier) I don’t recall the quote word for word from The Intimidator, but it was along the lines of – “If your joy outweighs your fear – you’re good. But if your fear outweighs your joy – time to hang it up.” That is something that resonated with me even at a young age, and I’ve taken that thought with me throughout my whole riding career. But damn, how absolutely true is that?! It hit home then and really hits home now.
Being involved with this sport for so many years, unfortunately, comes with the fact that I have seen, figuratively and literally, the most significant and sadly, the ultimate consequence. I hate it. I absolutely fricken hate it. I hate it so much for the riders that it happens to, some of which are my friends, that have their lives completely changed, or are no longer with us. It’s sad, man. It’s so damn sad. This sport isn’t my hobby, it isn’t just something I do for fun… this shit is my life. My life revolves around these damn things and it’s absolutely a love/hate relationship. The sport of motocross has given me so much, and a lot to be thankful for in my life. The people, the places I’ve been, the self-gratification of accomplishing goals, as a rider and mechanic. But damn, dude, it’s also made things quite clear that no matter what you do in your life, there will be things, and times that don’t seem fair, and provide lessons to remain humble and appreciative of the simple things. The biggest lesson of all is do not take a single thing for granted, what is here today, may, can, and could very well be gone tomorrow.
You can’t live your life in a bubble and be protected 100% of the time, that’s blatantly unrealistic. But what you can do is take an educated, methodical, calculated approach to whatever it is that you do. Growing up we hear people say, how can you let your kid do that? blah blah blah, eyeroll. Yes, the risk is greater riding a dirt bike versus swinging a golf club but who are you to decide what type of enjoyment someone feels out of what they do? The moment we step out the front door of our homes, there is significantly more risk. Going for a walk down the sidewalk, driving a car, and not to mention A LOT of jobs have a level of danger that most people wouldn’t be comfortable with. But, we all have our own way of accepting those risks and of course, carrying on with our lives.
Motocross riders are constantly juggling risk and reward and how we manage that is what makes us who we are. We are a special type of human, we’re strong and determined and we fight until we can’t, and then fight some more. The most recent case of this uncomfortable topic has affected and altered my perception of the risk we take. I want to say I’ll manage it, and like most times overcome it and swing my leg back over my bike here soon and find that feeling of joy again. But for now, I’m going to stop and take a minute to appreciate everything in my life that I can control, re-evaluate a few things and make sure my “joy still outweighs my fear”
Stay strong, #197