There is no easy explanation for what happened to me not only this year but the past three years. All I know is I have never been in better physical or mental form and after putting so much effort and time into training to only have the end result turn out the same is so frustrating.With A double back flip I dont seem to have trouble with the rotations. The landing is where my training needs to go. When you are talking about milliseconds to react and correct a mistake, the chances are if a mistake is made you are going down. I cant thank those who have been supportive and positive towards my efforts enough. These are the people who understand the obstacle before me. There has only been three people in the world to successfully land a double back flip and if it were easy surely after the four years it has been around someone else would have stepped up and at least attempted the feat. However there has only been a few.
The first of course was the man himself, Travis Pastrana. His awe inspiring performance at the 2006 X Games was just meant to be. I still get goose bumps when I watch that video. After his feat he vowed to never attempt a double in competition again and still remains true to his word.
In comes myself. A nobody. Just some guy from the UP of Michigan who has been blessed with the gifts needed to give this a shot. Now one thing I have never claimed to be is talented. I dare say my accomplishments to date are the direct result of being an extremely bullheaded person and also having a strong faith in God. He has put me here in this position. He has directed my bike each time I have landed as well as each time I have crashed.
Then we have Cam Sinclair. What can I say about Cam. Talented determined, and able to succeed where I have failed. Cam has landed so many doubles without crashing I lost count! Unfortunately, Cam made a mistake a week before the X Games and what he has nearly perfected nearly cost him his life. My family and I pray for Cam and I personally hope to see him make a full recovery, come back and stick that double once again.
Now with all this stated and the facts out, all that is left is the aftermath of what some are calling the flop of the X Games. Flop... What a joke. Most of the people who are saying ignorant and hurtful things dont have a clue what it is like to sit on the top of the drop in at the biggest contest in the world, listen to 30,000 people start screaming for you and on command attempt one of the gnarliest tricks ever. The pressure is so high as well as the danger. This sport is life threatening, not just a double backflip. Most all of the riders lay waste to the fears and left it all out there. Now there wasnt much success. People are saying what a joke the efforts were. How unprofessional it looked. My rebuttal..... look at other sports. Failure is what spawns great things! Do you think Dave Mirra lands every no handed 720 he attempts? How many tries did it take for Tony Hawk to stick his 900? The difference is when they go down, they jump back up and have another try. When you are talking about front flips, 360 super indy's, 720's , double backflips, decade air's or body varials on a 220 lb dirt bike that is sent under acceleration anywhere from 30 to 50 feet up. Failure is not something that can be looked at like it is no big deal. If you go down and are fortunate to get up under your own power I would say wow. Nearly everyone went down this year. Some of the freestyle riders as well as many fans are saying what a joke it is. That we best trick athletes are not anything more than a bunch of dare devils who cant ride a bike..... But aren't we all? Sure FMX athletes are amazingly talented but I have seen Nate Adams crash on stock tricks he performs on a daily basis and lay there unconscious. I have seen Bilko crash 360 super indy attempts get back up and win the gold metal. I have seen some of the best riders in the world go down no different than any of us who failed to ride away in best trick. Yet none of the riders or fans talking crap on us are even thinking about a double back flip or a 720. Now dont get me wrong. I am one of the biggest fans of Bilko and Nate Adams, Nicky Danielson, and Jeremy Lusk as well as the rest of the top riders in FMX. I have never claimed to be as talented as they are or that I can do what they do. I have the utmost respect for all of them. However one thing I have always said is you ride a dirtbike long enough and you will crash. Human error is inevitable. Everyone makes mistakes and when you are talking about risking everything for just one shot at being the best in the world for just that moment, I dont think any of us deserve to be wrote off or disrespected.