The year wound down and I had not only scored a ride on a great team, but also scored enough points to win the 250-B Grand National Championship. I knew it was time to jump into the deep end of the pool and move into the A class. I spent the entire off-season training and had my mind set on winning the first A class race of the season, which was scheduled to take place at Echeconee. Having the opener at my track was a huge psychological advantage, though I was the only one who knew I never really got to practice there. Practice was going well, I felt fast, and my lap times were right where they needed to be. During the final practice, I misestimated the triple and crashed pretty hard. In my heart I knew I was hurt pretty bad, but I couldn't and wouldn't accept it. I decided to race anyway. My parents knew something was up, so I pretty much hid from them until they called the 250-A class to the line. I lined up, but something still didn't feel right. The gate dropped and I pulled the holeshot, I was right where I wanted to be, except I was feeling rough. As the laps wore on, I began losing sensation in my limbs and had to slow down. I then knew something was wrong but figured I'd finish the race. I held on for third and rode my quad straight to the ambulance. I got transported to the local hospital where they realized I had broken my collarbone as well as a vertebra in my neck. I wish I had a happy ending, but my racing career pretty much ended that day. It took a lot longer to heal than I thought it would, and the wreck scared the MX right out of my parents. I tried a couple of small comebacks without them, but it wasn't the same. Our family's plan to invest in the tracks gave me the opportunity to stay involved with racing without actually riding. I still look back and wonder where I would've ended up, but I'm glad I ended up where I did. Just about every guy I raced with in '01-'02 has made it; Dustin Wimmer, Pat Brown, Joe Haavisto, Jason Dunkelberger, Matt White and Mark Kendall are just some of the class of 2002. I still get to see those guys and we still laugh at all of the antics of what is still one of the best years of my life.