Adaptive Action Sports recently caught up with Travis after his X Games 17 madness, covering everything from the TP7 crash, the come back in RallyCross and how TP copes with injuries. Here?s a quick excerpt:Dan Gale:?What is it about being an action sports athlete that appeals to you the most?Travis:?Riding a motorcycle is what I?ve loved to do since I was 4 years old and my parents used to take me trail riding every weekend.? The sports have evolved, but I enjoy that the mindset has remained the same. . . . Push the boundaries of what?s possible for yourself.? If you push yourself far enough, before you know it, you are pushing not only your own boundaries but also the limits of what others believe to be impossible. . . and that?s where it really gets exciting!?Dan: Our athletes ?adapt? in order to participate in action sports. We have found that, with the right amount of forethought, anything can be accomplished. During the X Games you had an injury that made you sit out Moto X Freestyle but you ?adapted? to your injury and still competed in the RallyCross. Can you tell us a bit about that; what it was like to have to adapt?Travis: Athletes in any sport find themselves constantly adapting to injury. Two days before X Games I tore the flexor tendon from my middle finger off the bone.? Without use of my middle finger and without time for surgery, we simply taped my middle finger to the pointer finger.? This was a minor adaptation but it meant less fingers to hold onto the bar and an extra finger working the clutch.??After best trick, my rally team and I were forced with a much bigger adaptation.? With more than 20 fractures in 8 bones from my tibia through my ankle and into the foot, there was no quick fix. The thought process though was simple: can we find another way to work the throttle? Could I learn how to use the new method of hand controls fast enough to be competitive and also not be a danger on the track? Could I tolerate the pain . . . especially knowing I wouldn?t be able to use any pain killers or even most over the counter medication due to safety and event rules.I decided it was worth a shot and the team worked all night to get the car ready. Hand controls were installed.? Was it ideal? No.? Did I win? No.? Was it an amazing experience both for me and the team? Hell, yes.For the rest of the interview with Travis, check it out HERE at Adaptive Action Sports.Image Credits to: Van Hanja/ESPN Images" />


TP catches up with Adaptive Action Sports



Daniel Gale, Execituve Director and Co-Found of Adaptive Action Sports recently caught up with Travis after his X Games 17 madness, covering everything from the TP7 crash, the come back in RallyCross and how TP copes with injuries. Here?s a quick excerpt:

Dan Gale:?What is it about being an action sports athlete that appeals to you the most?

Travis:?Riding a motorcycle is what I?ve loved to do since I was 4 years old and my parents used to take me trail riding every weekend.? The sports have evolved, but I enjoy that the mindset has remained the same. . . . Push the boundaries of what?s possible for yourself.? If you push yourself far enough, before you know it, you are pushing not only your own boundaries but also the limits of what others believe to be impossible. . . and that?s where it really gets exciting!?

Dan: Our athletes ?adapt? in order to participate in action sports. We have found that, with the right amount of forethought, anything can be accomplished. During the X Games you had an injury that made you sit out Moto X Freestyle but you ?adapted? to your injury and still competed in the RallyCross. Can you tell us a bit about that; what it was like to have to adapt?

Travis: Athletes in any sport find themselves constantly adapting to injury. Two days before X Games I tore the flexor tendon from my middle finger off the bone.? Without use of my middle finger and without time for surgery, we simply taped my middle finger to the pointer finger.? This was a minor adaptation but it meant less fingers to hold onto the bar and an extra finger working the clutch.??

After best trick, my rally team and I were forced with a much bigger adaptation.? With more than 20 fractures in 8 bones from my tibia through my ankle and into the foot, there was no quick fix. The thought process though was simple: can we find another way to work the throttle? Could I learn how to use the new method of hand controls fast enough to be competitive and also not be a danger on the track? Could I tolerate the pain . . . especially knowing I wouldn?t be able to use any pain killers or even most over the counter medication due to safety and event rules.

I decided it was worth a shot and the team worked all night to get the car ready. Hand controls were installed.? Was it ideal? No.? Did I win? No.? Was it an amazing experience both for me and the team? Hell, yes.

For the rest of the interview with Travis, check it out HERE at Adaptive Action Sports.

Image Credits to: Van Hanja/ESPN Images



08.20.2011