Lancashire’s 14-year-old wheelchair motocross champion Tomas Woods: “Not feeling like the disabled kid was freeing”
Benefitting from the clarity offered by his diagnosis, an inspired Tom has literally thrown himself into competition. In 2020, he took part in his first WCMX championships, which were held online due to Covid, putting together a run and filming it at night at Greystone when no one was about. He even attached a smoke bomb to his chair for added flair.
“I’ll admit, my first thought about WCMX was ‘oh, ****!’” says Joanna. “Tom had waited 10 months for his first wheelchair, barely leaving the house for anything but doctor’s appointments for his pain, so when he was like ‘this is what I want to do’, I was a little taken aback. But, at the same time, we just wanted him to get out there and have a life again.
Then, earlier this year, he travelled to Switzerland, Germany, and Austria for the Limitless Skate Event. “It was unbelievable,” says Tom. “There was much more of a community spirit because we were all able to be there in person. It was also amazing to train and ride with people who are better than me. It was a big step up, but really good at the same time.
“Sponsorship really would help with the cost of everything because it adds up,” he adds. “Gloves alone are £25 a pair and I can go through a pair in two days when training for a comp, while some of the top-end chairs can cost £12,000. As for the World Champs, I’ll be the youngest person ever to compete in the pro league, so my goal is to get on the podium.”I mention the P-word: Paralympics.
“But competing at the Paralympics would be insane, especially with the exposure and funding that’d give WCMX,” he says, his face lighting up. “That’s the dream.”"To not feel like the disabled kid as I went round pounding the ramps and carving the corners was so freeing," says Tomas Woods
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