Motocross Performance Magazine Canadian Motocross news leader
Last summer, after finishing up the 2023 Thor WMX West Series with a solid 8th overall, Téa Ferguson and her family decided to make the long trek from their home in Manitoba to the ECAN in Deschambault, QC. The plan was for Téa and her three older sisters to race the ECAN and then head to Walton Raceway for the Walton TransCan. All was going to plan as Téa was enjoying the sandy track and the famous Quebec hospitality. Unfortunately, as it sometimes happens in this sport, disaster struck in one of the ECAN Ladies class motos, and Téa crashed and was severely injured. From there, she would be transported to a Quebec City Hospital, where surgery was performed and the long healing process began. Thankfully, Téa received a lot of support from family, friends, as well as from her fellow competitors, and amazingly, less than two weeks later, she made her way from Quebec to Walton to cheer on her sisters, as well as soak up some of the healing vibes at the Walton TransCan. Seeing her at Walton Raceway was incredible, and it proved just how tough she is. Today, Téa is back home in Manitoba with her family, going to school and preparing for the holiday season. As you will read below, she is still in the recovery stage, but she is doing great, and as you would expect, she cannot wait to ride again. We caught up with Téa Ferguson for this week’s Female Perspective.
MXP: Hey Téa! Thank you for taking the time to speak with us. How are things in Manitoba? Is it starting to get cold yet?
TF: Hey Chris, great to hear from you! Here in Manitoba, we had an early snowfall, which stopped our riding. The early winter temperature has so far been friendly!
The last time we saw you was at the Walton TransCan in August. You were only a few weeks into your recovery, and it was certainly brave of you to travel to Walton Raceway to cheer on your sisters. It must have been hard on you both mentally and physically to be at the TransCan. What made you want to be there?
It was definitely a challenge, but I knew that any obstacle was worth facing (the biggest obstacle was convincing my mom to let me attend!). Being surrounded by the people and environment that I love was the best medicine for me at the time. It was what I needed to get my mind off of what had been eating me alive in the Hospital for the two weeks I was there.
Well, it was great to see you there. Can we talk about your crash in Deschambault and subsequent injury? Do you remember what happened?
Unfortunately, I remember almost every detail of my crash. It happened on the first lap of the second moto in the ECAN WMX Class. I had gotten a 5th place start, and coming out of the second corner, I missed a shift approaching the triple; I wasn’t to alarmed and decided I would just double it instead. I hit a kicker on the face of the jump which caused me to endo. Upon landing on my front wheel, it jack-knifed and threw me into a metal fence just two feet off the track. My pelvis came into direct contact with the metal post, and I knew immediately something was very wrong in my hips or lower back. Scott Tokely was putting up banners nearby and was one of the first to get to me; he stayed and played a huge role in making me feel safe. My sister Ani was with me soon after and put her bike in front of me to protect me, as no yellow or red cross flag was being waved. I was transported to a trauma centre in Quebec City, where they identified three serious fractures in my pelvis, one of which was seriously displaced.
That sounds very serious and scary. Thankfully, you had some good care at the track with Medic Ron Cameron, and then once you arrived at the Hospital, you had your mom with you, and she speaks French. Other than the obvious pain that you were in, it must have been very scary to be in a strange place and in a strange hospital.
It was very strange to be taken care of by doctors when I could not understand what they were saying or doing. It was more frustrating than anything because it felt like everyone was talking behind my back, yet right in front of my face, when all I wanted to know was what was happening. To this day, we still laugh about some of the things that got lost in translation. Google Translate was my friend (laughs).
You ended up having to have surgery to fix everything. What exactly were your injuries?
The surgery repaired my displaced fracture, where my iliac crest was broken off. Luckily, during my surgery, they made the decision it was not necessary to plate my other two fractures. The hardware they did end up using was two large pins. They closed me up with 21 staples, which made for a pretty cool scar at least!
Oh, we’re sure you have a pretty rad scar! You’re certainly one of the toughest young riders on the planet. Okay, we’re just over three months into your recovery. How have things been going?
Recovery has been going really well! I’ve been having regular checkups with my doctor, and each time, I gradually gain more mobility and get cleared for more activity. I am now fully cleared for any activities that don’t cause pain or involve high collisions. In September, when things were really starting to look better, I got thrown a curve ball after following up with a back specialist and being diagnosed with Atypical Scheuermann’s disease. I’ve been struggling with back pain since a crash last year, which was followed by a volleyball injury. It was a relief to have an answer as to why my initial pain never left, but it still was tough news to hear. I was prescribed a Boston brace (a hard custom-fit brace that goes from my tailbone to my chest) to prevent me from leaning in any direction. Hopefully, this will allow my vertebras to heal. I am also doing physio for this.
How long do you have to wear the brace?
I have been wearing the brace 24/7 for about a month now, and the doctors suspect I will need it for several more.
Have you been able to attend school and at least socialize with your friends?
Outside of missing classes because of doctor appointments, my injuries have not prevented me from going to school and hanging out with my friends, which felt great to be able to do something normal. However, losing the ability to participate in school sports was a tough one.
Speaking of school, what grade are you in, and what is your favourite subject?
I am currently in grade 10, and my favourite subjects are Phys Ed and math.
You’re obviously a very driven person, and you love riding and racing. It may be too soon to answer this, but do you see racing again in the future?
The first thing I said while on the side of the track was that I can’t miss Walton. I could never picture myself not getting back on the bike. I’ve had doctor after doctor ask me the same question, and I gave them all the same response: “As soon as I can.”
That’s amazing! You come from a racing family, and before your injury, it was so cool to see you and your three sisters on the starting line at any given time. What is it like being one of the talented Ferguson sisters?
It is definitely cool racing at such a high level alongside my sisters. When I think back to my 5-year-old self on my PW50, I think of all the opportunities we’ve had, people we’ve met, supporters we’ve gained, and achievements we’ve accomplished. I could never have imagined that there are people out there who look up to my sisters and me in the same way I look up to other women and racers. It’s exciting to realize that much more is still to be done.
Is it harder or easier being the youngest sister when it comes to racing?
It’s been great to have three older sisters to chase; at the very least, I always have someone to ride with! I’ve been able to observe them for so long that I can learn from their successes and struggles. I can trust them for knowledge and much more just because they have more experience than me. I have to admit that I have struggled with the pressure of living up to their achievements and standards.
You’ve been steadily improving over the past few seasons. What results or results are you most proud of?
The results I am most proud of include being the first female to win a Supermini overall in Manitoba in 2021. This year, I finished 6th in one moto and 7th overall in Kamloops. I finished 9th overall for the West Coast WMX series; I thought that was pretty good, especially for my first year of racing in the national circuit.
Favourite thing to do when you have nothing to do?
I don’t do it as much as I should, but I really enjoy reading.
When it’s your turn to choose dinner, what is your go-to meal?
My sister Ciel is a great cook, and her cajun honey salmon with asparagus and potatoes is definitely what I’m picking.
If you get to choose the music when you’re travelling somewhere, what music do you play?
When I’m on aux, chances are we’re listening to Kanye.
What is your favourite track?
Under different circumstances, I would choose Deschambault… but I will go with Zhoda International Raceway, my home track.
Who is your favourite rider?
My favourite riders are Jo Shimoda and Ken Roczen.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
In five years, I see myself healthy and thriving, riding to the best of my abilities and plugged into this amazing motocross community.
Again, thank you for doing this, and Happy Holidays to you and your family. Final question. Who would you like to thank, and do you have anything else you’d like to say?
There are so many people I owe thanks to who were immediately ready to help after my crash and while my Mom and I were in the Hospital. The Desmarais family and Sean for getting my sisters to the line and ready to race; the Seitz family- especially Jackie for driving my sisters from Deschambualt to Walton; the Pomeroy Family for giving my sisters a place to stay. The Dupuis family for picking my mom and me up from the Hospital and chauffeuring us to Walton, and the entire Walton team for generously lending me their one golf cart so I could get around.
Finally, all of the people who make it possible for me to race: Heartbeat Hot Sauce, Fox Racing Canada, Husqvarna Canada, Capitol Motosports, Chudds Powersports, 100% Goggles, Rynopower, SBS brakes, Burmey Training, Dirt Tricks, Importations Thibault, Good 1 Concepts, Moto Seat, Fusion Industries, Temple Metal Roofs, my trainer DJ Burmey, and last but not least, my Mom, Dad, and my Sisters.
