Just wanted to drop a quick line about my son, Jake Thompson. He’s a 15-year-old first year (Beginner Class) racer up here on Vancouver Island, BC, Canada, and has had a great season up until the last race weekend of the year. He was running in third place on the second lap and high-sided at the top of a jump, breaking his femur and getting a concussion. He went in for surgery the same day and had a long pin nailed down the length inside of the broken bone. Unfortunately he’ll probably miss the beginning of the 2011 race season (he just found out he was bumped to Junior Class), but he hasn’t lost any ambition to keep racing even though he’s still in a lot of pain.Dean Thompson
Comox, BC, CanadaTo Jake: First off, injuries are the worst! I’m sure that’s not how you had planned to end your first year racing. And congrats on getting bumped up a class. You know you’re making progress so keep at it and stay focused. I had a knee surgery to repair a torn ACL about a year ago and watching movies all day on the couch is no fun so I know your pain, as does every other human being who loves to race and ride dirt bikes. We all know a good crash is bound to happen but it’s a risk that you and I deal with every time we throw a leg over a bike. I guess the one thing that isn’t too bad about getting hurt is all of the motivation you build up, and when its time to ride, you go crazy and can’t get enough. Maybe time off that is spent thinking about riding is what keeps us coming back for more of our dangerous sport. -Chris Green
