Riptide

Chad Reed Took a Chance - So Should You

Tuesday, February 28, 2012 By Jay Smith

I n life we all take chances, right? Take the chicken. Why did the chicken cross the road? Obviously it was to get to the other side, but what if when he was crossing a car sped up and didn’t see the chicken? Now the chicken can either turn back or keep going. What did he do? He kept going. He took a chance. Every day we all take chances. It’s cold out and you don’t put on a coat. You may get a cold. Yet we still leave the house. But in sport, some people say the risks aren’t worth it. I disagree. Take Supercross. Supercross is one of the most exhilarating sports but at the same time it is dangerous. Do we notice the danger? Sometimes we do, sometimes we don’t. Look at Chad Reed, AKA “Speedy Reedy”. He is great at what he does. His 16 championships describes who he is, but everyday he wakes up and hops on that bike, he takes risks. He might be or might not be scared of getting hurt. But if he does get hurt, he gets back up. Last Sunday a fall in Dallas, Texas left him with 2 broken ribs, one broken leg and a broken vertebrae, and put him in the hospital. I mean, he could’ve been paralyzed! He was in close with Ryan Villopoto in the main event. Would you take that chance of getting on one of the most dangerous machines that can be ridden? I would ask, well why not? Supercross is dangerous. But not taking chances is just as dangerous. Look at it this way. If you stay inside your house because you’re afraid of being stung by a bee (been there, done that), you won’t have fun. You can’t stay in one place for the rest of your life. You can’t stop at a certain point and look ahead and say: “no, I won’t take the risk”. Now jumping off a cliff without a parachute IS NOT what I mean. Take a bungee cord with you. Are you afraid of the ocean? Don’t go on a speed boat. Take a cruise. Are you afraid of telling that special someone how you feel? Leave a note. Don’t just let the adventure build up inside of you for nothing. Take a hike, literally, and discover nature’s animals instead of just going to the zoo. Chad Reed took as many chances as the next rider. He does it because it’s something he loves to do. You can’t just stay a shadow for the rest of your life. Become visible in the real world. It’s sort of like a bucket list. Chad dreamed of becoming a super cross star. Look at him now. That’s one big one that he just had to put a little check next to, before moving on to the next one. Take it from a kid who was afraid of the ocean until he was forced into the ocean by his friends. Or scared of the high dive at the local pool. Or even talking to girls. Yes, even that. But I said to myself that I had to put myself out there. I can’t be scared anymore, because if I am today, I will be tomorrow. So if you want to be the next Chad Reed, and have 16 championships, and you’re scared of the outcome remember that if you don’t do it today, it might not be there tomorrow. Life is just another risk you have to take. Chad Reed's accident on YouTube.