Personal History
The competition was intense and fun at the Mini X Arena Cross in Stillwater on Saturday the 22nd of Nov. They put on a great event. Everyone appeared to have a great time. It's nice seeing racers help each other with their equipment when someone has a problem. My new friend Blake, from Texas,was there and he rode lights out in the Mad Dog Open. I'm getting better at Arena Cross but it is definitely a more difficult skill set for me than Hare Scrambles. With 3 races to go I'm still in 1st place in the Mad Dog C/D, but everyone is starting to bring it a lot harder as we close in on the end of this exciting series!
I had so much fun at the OHSCS Awards banquet on Saturday night in Stillwater. I was surprised when they announced that I was one of two people chosen as "The Most Improved Rider for 2014. Many of my friends were there and we cheered for each other as they announced our final standings in the OHSCS Race Series. I also earned 2nd in the mini open and 4th in the mini division, (which includes the experts). It was a fun night and I raised $120 for my charity though the prize package the Thunder donated for me to raffle away. All in all, it was a great night! Thanks to Kevin for working so hard to put on such a great racing series!
This has been a busy week. Last Friday, Nov 11th I did my radio interview with KXY in OKC for the Children's Hospital Foundation. Today the Edmond Sun paper called and interviewed me about my racing and the OHSCS awards banquet on Sat the 15th. They wanted to know about the gift package the Thunder gave me to raffle off and how my fundraising efforts are going for my charity.
I started riding 3 years ago as part of my parent's effort to help me regain my balance and coordination. You see, I was faced with an uncertain future after contracting bacterial pneumonia. After several surgeries, my condition worsened and I was placed in a drug induced coma on full life support. My parents were told not to expect a good outcome. The doctors said if I lived, I would be severely disabled, both mentally and physically.
On my road to recovery I made a commitment to raise $1 million for the Children's Miracle Network.My speeches have helped others raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Charity. Santa Fe High School in Edmond took up my cause in their annual fund raiser a few years ago and raised nearly $200,000. Every dime of it went to my favorite charity. In 2010, I was a part of the CMN annual calendar and was named a Community Hero by the Oklahoma City Thunder and Devon Energy.
I have trained at least 5 days a week for the last year and a half. My workouts include running and weight lifting along with a cross fit program that my Dad has designed for me. When I'm not playing football or tennis, I walk down to the YMCA after school and work out there. I shoot hoops, play raquet ball and lift weights. My football coach told my Dad, "He never takes a play off, never takes a day off."
My Dad let me enter 1 race in 2012. I finished 9th in the kid's race at the Golden Eagle Enduro in Stillwater. In 2013 he let me enter 3 races. I got a 4th place at the Golden Eagle Enduro and then rode the CrossTiimbers Race at Lake Draper and the Hare Scrambles at Stillwater finishing 11th and 8th respectively.
In my first full season competing in the OHSCS series I finished 2nd overall in my class and 4th in the mini open division. I also got to attend the FCA Camp at Robbie Reynard's Race Track in Wellston, Ok. I earned most improved rider. I had the most fun I've ever had at that camp. I learned about being "All in" in everything I do and especially with my family and God.
The Oklahoma City Thunder just donated a 'Thunder Pack' for me to raffle off at our OHSCS Awards Banquet on November 15th, 2014. Proceeds from the raffle will go to OKCHF.org.
In addition to riding and racing my dirt bike, I play varsity football and tennis at Central Middle School in Edmond, Ok.
Riding Goals
#1 Win my class at the 2015 Mini X Series at Stillwater Racing.
#2 Ride the Ok Land Run GP series in 2015. Finish in the top 5 in my class.
#3 Ride the OHSCS events again in 2015. Improve on my results from last year.
#4 Attend the FCA Motocross Camp again in 2015 and improve my skills.
#5 Train with Robbie Reynard,
#6 Attend Ricky Carmichael University
#7 Ride Arena Cross
#8 Qualify and compete at Loretta Lynn's
#9 Work to get better every day
Competitive Highlights
In my first full season of racing , I finished the 2014 OHSCS racing series in 2nd place in my Mini Open Class and 4th place in the Mini Open Division. After getting lost on the Hare Scrambles Course at Skiatook and being three laps behind, I kept riding and earned 8th place. My Dad was very proud of me because I didn't give up like some of the others did that got lost.
In late September, I rode my best race of the year at the Cross Timbers Race at Lake Stanley Draper. I was 3rd off the line and worked my way up to first. Several of my friends and I battled hard for the win. I fell once but got back up to finish in 3rd place.
Things have really started to click for me. I earned my first ever 1st place at the Lazy J Arena in Stillwater on September 13th. Earned another 1st place at the AMP on October 18th and then finished 2nd at the AMP on November 1st, 2014. I'm looking forward to the 2015 racing season!