For 21-year-old Anthony Picchione, nothing compared to the fast-paced, high-energy sport of motocross racing.
Since a young age, Picchione dedicated months each year to rigorous training, competed in races across the nation and got a national ranking as he pursued his dream of turning professional.
But in 2021, an unfortunate series of events led the young racer to a catastrophic accident.
“I woke up late on the day of this race, which was scheduled as the first event that morning,” says Picchione. “It was around 7:30 a.m. when I arrived and missed the customary site lap that allows riders to familiarize themselves with the track.”
Unusually, his father, who typically accompanied him to the starting gate, wasn’t able to join him this time. As the race began, Picchione didn’t get off to a great start. On the first straightaway, he started passing several other riders.
However, as he approached the end of the straightaway, he encountered an unexpected problem. He had too much weight over the front of his bike, and the ground was much softer than he anticipated. As a result, his front wheel sank into the soil, abruptly stopping the bike’s forward motion.
“I didn’t know that it was going to be that soft and the front end stuck into the ground,” says Picchione. “The bike stopped and then obviously I kept going, flipped over, and I don’t really remember, I didn’t get knocked out, but I don’t really remember. It all happened so fast, but I just landed, you know, front flipped and landed on the top of my back. And that was kind of it.”
Picchione sustained a level T5 spinal-cord injury that marked the end of his racing career and the beginning of his recovery journey.
“It’s a constant work in progress,” Picchione says about his recovery. “But I have it tattooed on my arm that everything happens for a reason, which is something that even if I don’t want to believe it at times, I have to keep telling myself, because I know that no matter how bad something might be, there’s a reason.”
Like many newly injured people, Picchione may never know the reason for his changed path. However, he remains confident that everything will work out and believes there’s a purpose behind why he’s not the professional motocross racer he had always dreamed of becoming.
But the sensation of riding a motorcycle is a difficult experience to convey to non-riders and something not easy to let go.
“When you’re on the bike, everything else fades away,” says Picchione. “You become laser-focused on the present moment, with all other concerns disappearing.”
This intense concentration is probably Picchione’s favorite aspect of the sport.
Riding and racing provided a unique form of release. No matter what emotions or issues he faced in his daily life, they seemed to dissolve when he was on the track. The act of racing had a way of clearing his mind, offering a respite from any troubles or worries that he might have been experiencing.
Back In The Saddle
Through a mutual friend, Picchione connected with the founder of MotoDemption, an organization whose mission is to help people with disabilities rediscover the thrill of riding.
MotoDemption offered an annual grant that would fly Picchione and a companion to one of its camps to experience riding again. However, Picchione was still under the one-year post-injury hospital protocol, which made him ineligible for their August camp.
Undeterred, MotoDemption helped Picchione get into a camp scheduled for December 2022, which aligned perfectly with the required waiting period. As a result, he was able to travel to California and experience riding for the first time since his injury.
“The feeling that I get on the bike is the same as it used to be, if that makes sense,” says Picchione. “The emotional feeling, [but] not so much the physical aspect of it.”
Navigating a motorcycle as a T5 paraplegic presents unique challenges. Key among these are maintaining balance, mastering the start-stop process and managing gear shifts. However, the MotoDemption staff, coupled with their specially adapted motorcycles, transforms these obstacles into surmountable hurdles.
“So, they lift you onto the bike and strap you in and make sure you’re safe,” says Picchione. “It was a little nerve-racking the first time, but I remembered pretty quickly because, you know, it’s all I did for 15 years.”
Once the riders are secure, the team gives a push and off they go.
“Obviously, there’s one person in front of you and one person behind you at all times, watching to make sure nothing’s going wrong,” says Picchione.
The MotoDemption team employs a system of hand signals to communicate with riders during their excursions. These signals convey important messages, such as the need to return to the setup area immediately or the plan to complete one more lap before concluding the ride.
Two team members accompany each rider throughout the entire experience. Their primary role is to provide guidance and support. When it’s time to stop, these companions use the predetermined signals to direct the rider toward the stopping point. They then accelerate ahead, dismount from their own bikes and position themselves to assist the rider.
Additionally, other members of the team are strategically placed throughout the course and are ready to offer support. This ensures that there’s always someone prepared to help the rider safely come to a stop and dismount, creating a secure environment for all participants.
While Picchione has only ridden a number of times since returning to the sport, he doesn’t have any immediate plans to returning to racing. For one thing, he doesn’t have a motorcycle of his own and has to rely on the MotoDemption adapted bikes.
Despite that, he’s proud of his progress and the opportunity to return to riding.
“For me, the biggest accomplishment was, well, there’s two things,” says Picchione. “The first time that I got to ride again, just to overcome all the things I had to go through after getting hurt to get to that point really meant a lot to be able to just to ride at all. That was probably my biggest accomplishment. And then the other thing I’m most proud of is the progression that I’ve shown over the past three times that I have ridden. Every time, I get exponentially faster and feel more comfortable. Obviously, the more you do anything the better you’re going to get.”
Gaylord Featured Adaptive Athlete
Picchione was recently named Gaylord Sports Association’s 2024 featured adaptive athlete and competed in the Gaylord Gauntlet, a 5K obstacle race that took place June 15, 2024. The race, which features 24 obstacles and benefits the Gaylord Sports Association, is broken into four main divisions based on injury level or disability and awards the top three male and female participants of each division.
“This is our 10th year of the event, which was started by our medical director, Dr. [Stephen] Holland,” says Gaylord Sports Association program manager Katie Joly. “Each year, we choose a featured athlete and put together our Gaylord Sports Association team. So, we’re super excited to go through the course with Anthony.”
Prior to competing in the gauntlet, participants engage in regular team meetings, where they undergo specialized training sessions. These gatherings allow them to familiarize themselves with the challenges ahead and develop strategies as a team.
“I’d like to continue to spread my story and inspire people, because I think that’s kind of my main goal through all this, is to show other people, whether it’s people in a situation like me or just someone that’s struggling in everyday life, to try to show them that life’s only as bad as you make it,” says Picchione.
For more information on MotoDemption or the Gaylord Sports Association, visit their websites below.
https://sportsassociation.gaylord.org/