Mud in Your Eye

It’s kinda funny, and then again, not. I stumbled across some old injury photos just a few weeks ago. They were mildly amusing so I set them aside to write a blog about later. Low and behold, I got beat to the punch. Waheed made like an ostrich and buried his head at the shadowy Starwest motocross park. The resulting injury spurred comments from Steve and eventually Adam himself once the drugs wore off enough for him to find his computer.

Anyway, since getting banged up is a common topic around here lately, I thought I’d apply the risky nature of our sport to the professional arena. We’re only two races deep in the new Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series and already we’ve seen crashes play a huge role in the outcome of each. James Stewart knocked himself silly at Anaheim 1 and took Chad Reed and Kevin Windham along for the ride. Everyone was ultimately okay, but the rumors mill instantly ground out worries about a busted collarbone for James and God knows what else. Fortunately, he came back strong to win Phoenix, but we saw more crashes there.

Ryan Villopoto has hit the deck several times already as he tries to adjust to the big bikes and big boys in the 450 class. Mike Alessi took him out in Arizona, but Mikey is still trying to get back up to speed following his grotesque injuries in 2008. Jason Lawrence sampled dirt this season and missed the main event at Round 2.

So far there haven’t been any season-ending mistakes, but it goes to show that we all hit the deck sooner or later, and pushing our limits in racing only increases the odds. Not to say it isn’t worth it, but keep your fingers crossed that our heroes, or just your riding buddies, keep the knobby-side down. As a last resort, if you do find yourself wondering where you are and why that hot chick is paying extra attention, try to do like our pal Dustin and throw out a classy hand sign for good measure. Way to go, D.