Jump and Motocross
The engines rev higher with each second of the gate drop creeping closer, the vibrations of the motorcycle underneath you making you even more nervous, the smell of exhaust almost suffocating you inside your helmet, and in a split second the gate has dropped and 40 riders all funnel into the first turn. While some say it is just a simple race others see it as a lifestyle, a way to get off the edge, a high risk to fill their need for a rush, or just a quick shot of adrenaline. This is Motocross.
The sport of Motocross is mostly looked upon as a death wish although it is very dangerous I think that the excitement and thrill is definitely worth the risk. It all started for me when I was five, my dad told me when I could ride my bike without training wheels he would get me a dirt bike. Soon enough I was waking up on Christmas morning to a motocross bike. After that it was like throwing a match into a bucket of gasoline. All I thought about was riding my dirt bike. It soon became much more than a sport to me. We would travel up and down the whole entire east coast to race with the fastest kids so I could get faster.
We were almost never home on the weekends, we were either at a race or at a track putting in practice to hopefully one day fulfill the dream of becoming a professional. Although that dream is still very far and has slowly drawn to back of my mind I still want to be a professional more than anything else. My love for the sport has steadily grown stronger with every lap I have put in. It is something about the jitters you get right when you go to try a new a jump not knowing if you have enough power to make it or have too much and over jump it.
That feeling you get right when the gate is about to drop is a sensation undescribeable by words. When the motors rev high and the seat rattles it is almost like a lullaby to put you into a mood to be serious, yet let all of your problems slip away, I honestly cannot describe why I love Motocross so much it is just an addiction that has grown on me. Once the gate is on the ground and all forty of the riders shoot into the first turn you have to be completely concentrated. After you break past the first turn it is a free for all to see who is the fastest. It is pure competition to the finish line and that’s why I love it.
Motocross consists of many different obstacles corners, jumps, whoops, mud, and dust. Every corner is different, some have deep ruts and others are flat, no matter how tight or wide the corner is you have to go through it smooth and quick because 99% of the race is won in the corners. Jumps are probably the scariest part of the sport but once you get over the fear of it jumping becomes very second natured. When jumping jumps it is all about speed and body positioning, squeeze the bike with your legs and get over the front of the bike with your elbows up, then hold the throttle and hope for the best.
Mud and dust all depend on whether it is hot or rainy or whether the track crew watered the track. Mud is very tricky to ride in because if you stop then it is very hard to get going again so you have to stay on the gas in the mud. When the track is dry and dusty you have to be easy on the throttle because if you give it to much throttle you will slide out. See Motocross is a very tricky sport but it something you adapt to and practice at and eventually you get better and better.
When it really comes down to it Motocross has not only been a sport to me but it has been a life lesson to teach me self-control, discipline, and hard work. It all started with a simple promise that I would get a dirt bike if I could ride without training wheels. Now it is a lifestyle that I love so much and wouldn’t trade it for anything. Its many different obstacles can be a hard struggle to get through just like some of life’s struggles, but if you work hard and put your heart in it, it will be worth it in the end. Motocross is said to be a death wish but for me it is simply a way of life.
