MotoDemption 2021 featuring High Fives Athlete Mike Garrison
Newest Empowerment Video by @generikaldesign just released!
High Fives Foundation Welcomes Adaptive Motocross Riders to Annual Motodemption Camp
If a guy who can't move or feel 75% of his body can celebrate his 5-year wedding anniversary with the girl of his dreams by doing the sport he loves that paralyzed him 15-years prior - What's stopping you. If I can do what I love, regardless of any ``disabilities or setbacks``...so can anyone else.Mike Garrison
The High Fives Foundation is on a mission to change the lives of adaptive athletes.
While the nonprofit started their philanthropic movement on the ski hill, they now also welcome those who have suffered from a life-changing spinal cord injury sustained after a motocross accident.
Each year, the Foundation holds a two-day camp called Motodemption where their athletes, professional guests like Doug Henry, and one annual grant winner come together to ride adaptive dirt bikes and specially-modified buggies around Leadville Motocross Park in Leadville, Colorado.
The adaptive dirt bikes are built by Aaron Hill, welding and metal fabricator by trade, and Davey Gonzales, organizer of contacts and funding. Gonzales was first inspired by the idea of Motodemption after helping former motocross racer Aaron Hill back onto a motorcycle. Hill was riding moto and broke his back, leaving him paralyzed, and the two wanted to inspire other adaptive athletes.
Each adaptive bike is fit to the specifications of the rider. Depending on the driver’s injuries, the bike must be built and welded to include safety modifications and unique hand controls for the shifter and clutch.
While a spinal cord injury may take away your ability to walk and feel, it can't take away your passion for racing.Mike Garrison
The adaptive dirt bikes are built by Aaron Hill, welding and metal fabricator by trade, and Davey Gonzales, organizer of contacts and funding. Gonzales was first inspired by the idea of Motodemption after helping former motocross racer Aaron Hill back onto a motorcycle. Hill was riding moto and broke his back, leaving him paralyzed, and the two wanted to inspire other adaptive athletes.
Each adaptive bike is fit to the specifications of the rider. Depending on the driver’s injuries, the bike must be built and welded to include safety modifications and unique hand controls for the shifter and clutch.
This year, motocross racer Mike Garrison was the winner of the Motodemption grant. Garrison broke his T5 and T6 vertebrae while racing motocross when he was 18 years old, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. Garrison was invited to Motodemption on August 27, 2021 to ride a specially-modified Husqvarna 350, which was gifted to him at the end of the day. The moment was captured in a powerfully emotional video that can be found here.
We found the perfect guy, such a deserving applicant, someone who was going to utilize it to the fullest. Being able to give back the ability to be back on dirt is indescribable. I felt a sense of pride, happiness, and I can't wait to see what this means for his future.says Davey Gonzales
It’s not often that you get to fall back in love with something you thought you lost forever. We got to give the gift of joy, the gift of adventure, and the gift of inclusion to Mike with this bike through the Motodemption crew - can’t thank Davey Gonzales and Aaron Hill enough for what they do to build these bikes.says High Fives Foundation Founder Roy Tuscany
