And so it begins!

Saturday was a busy day for us. We started out with a lot of enthusiasm, a good case of nerves, and just a little bit of fear. Saturday was the first day of our motocross racing season. There have been a couple of races already this year, but Avery chose to hold off. His first race was at a track in Lafayette, called Wildcat Creek. He's pretty much grown up, learned to ride there. It was his comfort zone. The weather was a wee bit cold to be standing outside, but the sun was out! Race number one, he chose to ride his new Kawasaki, 450cc bike. He did great, finished 7th place. Pretty good for his first race on that bike. Second race, he stalled the engine right before a jump, which put him in last place at the first lap. He quickly passed half the riders, and finished 12th. That was not his best, but pretty good. After completing all the races once, they go back, and do the same races a second time, and average their placement to determine their final standing. Avery got back out on his 450, ready to ride. If you've never seen the start of a race, let me tell you, it's scary. There are at least 30 bikes lined up side by side. When the gate drops, they all merge, trying to make it through the first turn, which is about one car lane wide. Avery has a fast reaction time, and was one of the 4 at the front of the pack, a perfect place to be. Unless the rider right in front of you decides for some unknown reason, to hit his brakes. The riders immediately behind can't possibly avoid a collision. In this case, the rider behind, was my son. I had my head turned, and from what I'm told, it was good I did not see him be thrown like a rag doll. All I saw after the traffic cleared, was my son, not able to get back up on his own. As a mom, as a nurse, first instinct is run out there to my boy. And I have done that, and been scolded by track officials, but I waited this time. He had gone done right in front of the medics. Needless to say, he didn't finish that race, or even start his next one. We loaded up, with the help of all our motocross friends there, and headed to the ER. I had the camera with me Saturday, but never pulled it out. I took one picture that day, with my phone. I wanted him to see what the rest of us were so worried about:

This was through 3 layers, which I am thankful he had so much on that day! He was run over by multiple bikes, so his elbow and hip were torn up as well. We were afraid of broken ribs, but amazingly, nothing broken. He's young and healthy, and is recovering slowly. There isn't another race again until after Easter. Bikes were taken apart over the weekend and new parts ordered.  Avery's had minor crashes before, I think this is the worst I've seen. So our season is just beginning, and I know it's going to get better from here!