The Journey to Become a Motocross Athlete
Some of the world’s most elite athletes live lifestyles that are far different from any other professional athlete. Motocross riders endure the most physically demanding and dangerous conditions and are only recognized by a small portion of the total population. These athletes compete year-round for championship tiles and race victories for race teams which are much like employers. These athletes must maintain their lifestyle of extremely demanding training to keep competitive with other top performing competition. As new technology advances these race machines become even faster and more maneuverable than ever before.
This has pushed these athletes to the edge as racing has become increasingly dangerous. One small mistake at these speeds can cause severe injury to these athletes, forcing them to sit out for the duration of the season.
Training never stops for these athletes as they transition from an indoor season directly into an outdoor season. They are then exposed to the natural elements of extreme temperatures in head to toe gear in addition to wet and muddy conditions increasing the risk of a mistake which can be devastating to the riders. They are forced to relocate their family to be able to train at team race facilities located in Florida and California. These strategic locations allow these race teams to practice year-round for both indoor and outdoor seasons. Controlling these 250lb pound machines on technical tracks battling with 20 other riders is no easy task. Heart monitors on these riders show results of anaerobic plus heart rates. This form of endurance has granted motocross the title of the most physically demanding and dangerous sport in the world.
The journey to become a professional athlete in any sport whether it be baseball, basketball, football, golf, or motocross begins at a very young age. Many athletes were introduced to a particular sport by their parents in which they competed for many years. Their will become a point in a child’s life when he or she starts to make their own decisions as to whether or not they wish to continue to pursue their passion for a sport. Unlike any other sport in the world, motocross forces kids to sacrifice many things other sport do not, making their dream and passion a lifestyle. For example, the other sports I had listed previously allow all the athletes to compete in school organizing functions or town related teams that permit kids to compete on the weekend when school is out of session. Motocross is not one of these sports. Schools and towns cannot host their own motocross teams due to the high risk and liability to host one of these events. These Athletes then turn to nationally held events which host the top riders around the world for every age class. These events require most of the athletes to travel hundreds of miles to compete. At a young age these competitors rely on parents or guardians to cover costs and traveling arrangements to stay competitive. Many kids are then forced to be home schooled as a majority of their time is spent traveling and competing in hopes of one day accomplishing their dream of a professional motocross racer.
