BMXers Told Ken Nork “Stay Strong!” And He Did.
There are certain points in ones life where you remember precisely where you were when you are given profound news. For some, it may be a terrible event like 9/11. For others, it may be the incredible news that your going to be a father. And sometimes, it is the tragic news that a friend has been critically injured. Such was my experience at this year’s Silver Dollar Nationals, when I received the news that Ken Nork had crashed during the second round, and was likely paralyzed. Standing in the lobby of the Grand Sierra, a pair of panini under my arm, en route to go edit the photos of the day. There, Jackie Altizer, who traveled to Reno with Ken and a contingent from our local track, Steel Wheels BMX, told me what happened. I felt the color drain from my face, and it felt, for that moment, like I was standing on two bags of marshmallows. Hearing those words “They think he might be paralyzed from the chest down” brings a quick “film” in your head of what life is going to be like, thereafter, for your friend, who you just saw race the first round, a few hours earlier.
In the weeks and months that followed, BMXers from around the world (through a Facebook group, and messages on VintageBMX.com) adopted a rallying call made famous by another fallen BMXer, Stephen Murray, and the “Stay Strong Ken Nork” movement was born. Murray, as you recall, is a BMX dirt jumper who was paralyzed from the neck down after a critical injury at the final stop of the 2007 Dew Tour.
Through fundraisers at local tracks across the US and Canada, Ken and his family were helped to offset the financial burden this kind of event inevitably has when one of the bread-winners is unable to contribute. As of today, The Ken Nork Facebook page has 1323 fans, and the thread on Vintage talking about his injury has received 206 replies and over 16,000 views.
Fast-forward a mere five months, and Ken has gone from receiving the devastating news that his case was hopeless, and he would never move his arms and legs again, to being back at the track to watch his two kids participate in last week’s Answer Supercamp—on his own two feet, assisted only by a cane.
I felt that the thousands of supporters and well-wishers who chimed in to give Ken strength would really like to hear from him, in his own words, in his own voice, for the 4-1-1 on how he’s doing.
Seeing Ken walk into Steel Wheels back in April brought the whole thing full circle. The hair stood up on the back of my neck, the color drained from my face, and there I was, standing on those marshmallows again. I couldn’t have been happier.
—MIke Carruth, June 14, 2010
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