Posts
2018
Joined
8/15/2006
Location
US
Fantasy
725th
Edited Date/Time
7/4/2013 4:44pm
ESPN asked several athletes to write letters to themselves as younger athletes. Here is what Travis wrote:
Handwritten Letter Link
December 29, 2002
It's been four days since the last time you practiced, four days since the last time you ran, bicycled or went to the gym. The Supercross season starts next week and your mind is flooded with doubt. You have the flu and you're not recovering because you are over-trained. Despite what you believe, all your hard work will not go away in a week. The best thing you can do right now is rest.
A group of your friends will show up later today to ride. A film producer named Gregg Godfrey will also be there. Don't try to be tough. The cold medicine you're taking will slow down your reflexes. Don't let Gregg's cameras give you false courage. You will have plenty of opportunities to film with him in the future.
If you ride today, it will be the last day you ever wake up with a realistic chance of fulfilling your childhood dream of becoming a Supercross champion. You will never be able to jog, jump on a trampoline or do anything that impacts your right leg without swelling and pain. If you ride today, you'll go against your better judgment and attempt a 180-foot-long jump over two barbed-wire fences. You will end up lying on the side of a hill with a broken leg and a right knee that makes RG3's look perfect. (You'll get that reference in 10 years.)
But there's a catch. The hurt and depression you experience over the next two years will show you who your real friends are. These friends will pick you up and lead you to something greater than you ever dreamed possible. You will tour the world doing crazy, fun stunts with those friends. You'll meet your future wife on this tour. She won the X Games when she was younger than you are now. She's cute, talented, passionate and your best friend. In 10 years, she will be pregnant with your first child.
Today is the day that changes your life. For better or worse, I'm not sure. I only know the outcome you were destined for; not what could have been. I guess it's only fair to tell you that if you ride today, your racing career won't end. But instead of two wheels, you'll race on four. Rally cars, monster trucks and even NASCAR are on the horizon if you ride today. So what will it be? Knowing what I know now, I would leave everything the same. I would ride. But knowing how much winning that title means to you on this day, I think you'll stay in bed.
Whatever you do, always follow your passion.
Sincerely,
You in 10 years
P.S. Don't get a Corvette.
Handwritten Letter Link
December 29, 2002
It's been four days since the last time you practiced, four days since the last time you ran, bicycled or went to the gym. The Supercross season starts next week and your mind is flooded with doubt. You have the flu and you're not recovering because you are over-trained. Despite what you believe, all your hard work will not go away in a week. The best thing you can do right now is rest.
A group of your friends will show up later today to ride. A film producer named Gregg Godfrey will also be there. Don't try to be tough. The cold medicine you're taking will slow down your reflexes. Don't let Gregg's cameras give you false courage. You will have plenty of opportunities to film with him in the future.
If you ride today, it will be the last day you ever wake up with a realistic chance of fulfilling your childhood dream of becoming a Supercross champion. You will never be able to jog, jump on a trampoline or do anything that impacts your right leg without swelling and pain. If you ride today, you'll go against your better judgment and attempt a 180-foot-long jump over two barbed-wire fences. You will end up lying on the side of a hill with a broken leg and a right knee that makes RG3's look perfect. (You'll get that reference in 10 years.)
But there's a catch. The hurt and depression you experience over the next two years will show you who your real friends are. These friends will pick you up and lead you to something greater than you ever dreamed possible. You will tour the world doing crazy, fun stunts with those friends. You'll meet your future wife on this tour. She won the X Games when she was younger than you are now. She's cute, talented, passionate and your best friend. In 10 years, she will be pregnant with your first child.
Today is the day that changes your life. For better or worse, I'm not sure. I only know the outcome you were destined for; not what could have been. I guess it's only fair to tell you that if you ride today, your racing career won't end. But instead of two wheels, you'll race on four. Rally cars, monster trucks and even NASCAR are on the horizon if you ride today. So what will it be? Knowing what I know now, I would leave everything the same. I would ride. But knowing how much winning that title means to you on this day, I think you'll stay in bed.
Whatever you do, always follow your passion.
Sincerely,
You in 10 years
P.S. Don't get a Corvette.
The Shop
What an awesome read...
Hall of Fame. Guy B
Glad I got to watch you ride Travis. Oh, and thanks for holding my 1 year old daughter at STL Sx when you were sidelined with a shoulder injury when my wife threw her in your arms to get a picture. I later asked her if she realized he was not racing because of a hurt shoulder and now our daughter probably hurt it more.
its basically a "with what you know now, what would you change" kinda thing. travis has had a lot happen in 10 years and is quite interesting to see the path he has chosen....good and bad.
Him and RR17 will always be my favorite riders.
(I'm spacing out here - who is RG III?)
Pit Row
The guy operates on another level mostof us will never experience. I mean he runs around his house at night sleepwalking and screaming and has no memory about it. Don't try and understand the enigma that is TP199. There is some deep shit going on there.
i liked Aaron Rodgers letter as well, cool topic
"So what will it be? Knowing what I know now, I would leave everything the same. I would ride. But knowing how much winning that title means to you on this day, I think you'll stay in bed."
it doesn't interest you just how a successful person might view his successes or failures? this type of data for one's one career (even outside of sports) or raising kids for example, is something any thinking person should value (at least IMHO).
it isn't fanboy stuff, it's a look inside an extremely successful mans mind.
If you can't see that I only have one more thing to say to you. Unlike with national moto numbers, a triple digit IQ is desirable. You seem to have the number of a former champion.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Jnx5Sx1k5U
Didn't know he was expecting his first child!
Recently on a NASCAR pre-race show they had a really interesting segment featuring TP. During the bit Red Bull had Travis in to one of their testing facilities where they study and evaluate their athletes' brains in a number of different categories.
Summarizing the conclusions of the Red Bull scientists; Among an assortment of athletes where abberance IS the norm, Travis distanced him self from the rest by displaying dominance in a number of areas. Where some athletes showed mastery of one or a few different cognitive skills, TP's results were at the outer margins of excellence in almost every category.
I came away with the impression that the results of these tests really boggled the researchers at Red Bull because of how objectively powerful Travis's brain was on paper compared to the other super athletes that have studied.
If someone could find this clip I'm referring to I'm certain it would be very interesting to some of you.
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