Motocross Performance Magazine Canadian Motocross news leader
You often hear about riders riding the wave of emotions that come with racing. There are many highs and lows in this sport we love, but dammit they are extreme.
From winning races and championships and getting that taste of success, to having career-altering injuries consecutively can really mess with a professional athlete’s mindset. These guys are tougher than we think.
The high of winning. Man, I’ve been there, and it is absolutely the most incredible feeling I’ve ever felt. Hands down. Justified by all the hard work involved, every setback you’ve overcome and still somehow pulling it off makes winning the ultimate high. It’s addicting, it truly is like a drug, and it can and will consume you. It’s very easy to get swallowed up by the ‘win at all costs’ demons if you’re not careful. What I mean by that is you’re willing to do anything, good or bad, to win. It’s a scary line to walk.
The good – working your ass off! Trying to become the best you can be at your craft. Whether that’s riding the bike, or working on the bike, if you have the will to succeed, the learning never stops. In the professional world, every single little thing matters, and the accumulation of such, can make a huge difference. There is a saying that was written on a piece of paper stuck to the wall at the shop I worked at as a teenager, I can’t remember it word for word, but it was along the lines of – Success can be measured by the accumulation of many small gains painstakingly achieved. As a punk kid, I had no clue what the hell that really meant. But as I grew a bit older and understood a couple more things in life, it became clear. Adding up all the small things you do can create significant change. I’ve held on to that philosophy since and it is true, in racing, and especially in life.
The bad side of the win at all costs mentality can make a person do some questionable things. Sometimes it’s as mellow as being so focused on the end goal that you build walls around you and block everyone out. People become frustrated with you because you’re not giving them the time of day. Or, there’s the extreme, of actively doing something to sabotage or harm your competition. The first thing that pops into my head (and I don’t know why? Lol) is the whole Nancy Kerrigan / Tonya Harding fiasco. If you’re unfamiliar with that story, allegedly Nancy Kerrigan was assaulted by someone in Tonya Harding’s camp before a major figure skating event. I don’t know if it was Olympics or what. But the point is, the desire to win, can make people do crazy stuff!
I think this desire to win is what makes the other end of the spectrum so difficult to deal with. As a motocross racer, it’s not a matter of if, it’s when that you will suffer from an injury. We’ve all seen many of our fan favourites go down and get hurt. They are out of the spotlight for a while then re-emerge like nothing really happened and fit back right into the field where they left off. But what about the major injury, or when they have back-to-back to back injuries. What does that do to their mindset? After all, these guys are only human. One guy from my era that comes to mind is Trey Canard. One of the most talented guys to ever ride a dirtbike but hindered by injury after injury after injury. The mental strength these guys have to have is absolutely incredible, and something I believe that should be studied. It is simply not normal.
To be able to not give up and stay positive. To have the ability to not allow yet another setback to extinguish the desire to win is an incredible feat. I believe it is all led by that intense addiction to winning. Maybe it’s a positive thing, it could be argued that it can pull some of our heroes out of the deepest darkest places that no one knows about, to return to the glorified star we all know and admire.
It’s obvious that a professional athlete must be physically fit. There is an infinite number of resources available to achieve that, but what’s slowly becoming more mainstream, is how one must be mentally fit as well. The highs and lows of life itself are one thing, and we see average people struggling every day. But for a professional athlete, to work so hard to achieve one thing and have it all come crashing down can put them in a tailspin of negative thoughts and turn into depression.
It’s real, and it needs to be talked about more.
I can’t count how many guys have stated they contemplated retiring or giving up the dream after a major injury. Real-life sets in for a moment and it’s beating them. For some of these guys, racing a dirtbike is all they’ve ever done, and to have that taken away from them, can be a mountain they simply cannot climb, without support. Most athletes have people around them keeping them afloat, but this industry can be cruel, and if you’re not winning races people tend to forget about you. It’s cutthroat, but it’s a reality.
I have to commend the professional athlete, and especially my friends who are professional motocross/supercross athletes that are climbing this mountain, yet again… You are stronger than you realize, and just know there are people that love you as a person, not the athlete, that will do anything to help.
To my buddy JP, that just had another one. Stay up buddy, you are strong.
You’re a champion. And you’re a damn good human. Lace-up those climbing shoes my man.
