WHILE most kids received Barbie dolls and Lego from Santa, James Finlay’s young eyes were wide with wonderment at his first motocross bike at age three.
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A lifelong love of motocross had been ignited, but there was no way he could have forseen the life-changing path it would take him down.
By 15, he was winning local competitions and, by 17, he was sponsored by Honda and Kawasaki in A-grade competitions. From childhood, James was destined for the big arenas, floodlights and the big crowds of motocross. He was raking in trophies and prize money and had become one of the nation’s young decorated riders.
And then, suddenly, his life hit a sharp U-turn during a competition at Buninyong’s Monza Park in 2007.
James, then 19, had landed hundreds of jumps on the track and was well aware of the risks involved in his profession.
“I hit a lip in the jump, which kicked the bike forward and I knew I wasn’t going to land, so I jumped over the handlebars,” he said.
He landed on his feet with high impact then slid down the mound on his backside, breaking two vertebrae and crushing two others.
It seemed like his love and his profession would be his downfall.
James was told he was a paraplegic and would never walk again. He currently has feeling above his knees, partial feeling above his ankles and no feeling in his feet.
He spent his first three weeks at the Austin Hospital in Melbourne and then was transferred to the Royal Talbot in Kew for rehabilitation. He was told he would spend at least three-and-a-half months in hospital.
“I was in hospital for two-and-a-half months before I discharged myself a month early. The place was driving me mad. Everybody there was so depressed,” James said.
“When I first was in there, I remember saying out loud ‘I’m never going to ride again’. Halfway through, I just couldn’t wait to get out of there. Once I was out, I just wanted to ride again.”
And ride he did.
Wheelchair-bound, it took James just 12 months to get back on a bike, reunited with the familiar smell of engine grease and chatter of the motor.
He was back in his element and although his mind was ready to tear the track up again, he conceded his body was not.
“I got another bike, but it was too soon, it was too hard. I was still getting movement back,” he said.
James remembers the fear that overcame him when attempting his first jump since leaving hospital.
“I was scared going into it. But after it, I felt as if I had overcome something, a fear. It took me a few jumps to not be scared, but I don’t think twice about it now.”
Proud parents Neil and Debbie Finlay have been James’ biggest fans since day one and have been overwhelmed time and time again by his incredible positivity.
“From day one, when he injured himself, he knew straight away he would never walk again. His attitude to that was the most positive any of the nurses had ever seen,” Neil said.
“There’s just something about him, he’s a natural. As they say, you can take the bike away from the boy, but you can’t take the bike out of the boy.”
Remarkably, nine months ago, James entered his first club event since becoming a paraplegic. Because it had been such a long period since his last competition, he entered the event in C-grade, although his mind continuously reminded him he was an A-grade champion. Returning to competition motocross was a sore reminder of his limitations.
“Because I’m not as fast as I used to be, it frustrates me. I should be up there and I’m not, so I was pushing myself too hard,” he said.
James pushed his limits to reach his previous condition and, as a result, the demands of motocross took a toll on his body.
"When he injured himself, he knew straight away he would never walk again. His attitude to that was the most positive any of the nurses had ever seen."
Chuckling to himself, he recalls a club event he entered last year where he competed in three races and was again admitted to hospital.
“I couldn’t even feel it. I came home after racing – I don’t even know what race it happened – and got in the shower, looked down and my ankles were huge. I had broken them.”
Because he has no feeling in his feet or strength in his ankles, James cannot locate the footpegs on a bike. When landing a jump with impact under the intense pace of competition racing, his ankles feel the full force, resulting in severe damage.
“It was taking a toll on my body, so I decided to stop the racing side of things,” he said.
Again, he laughs when retelling the story of his second visit to the hospital since becoming a paraplegic.
“My mate and I were mucking around on the paddock with our bikes when I fell off and snapped the scaphoid in my wrist. I was in hospital overnight for surgery to screw it back together,” he said.
James, now 25, says little progress has been made in terms of his mobility, but doesn’t let it dampen his positive attitude towards life.
“It’s been five years and not much has changed lately. It doesn’t worry me, because I’m doing something I love doing,” he said.
“I have no balance, but if I stand and just touch the table, I’ve got balance. I just don’t know where I am because I can’t feel my feet. But when I get on a bike, I’ve got perfect balance.”
As a young teenager, James played around with the mechanics of his bikes and learnt how to fix them under the guidance of his father. Although James didn’t know it at the time, the foundations of a future business venture were being constructed.
Eighteen months ago, he launched Squared-Off Motorcycles Services and Repairs in a garage workshop at the back of his home. A solid client base has been built since then and James has now taken his small business to the next level.
Last weekend, Squared Off Motorcycles opened in Ballarat, a building converted into a shopfront and workshop at the rear.
The shopfront, which is operated by his girlfriend Stephanie, sells motocross merchandise and equipment. The rear workshop has been setup to work on servicing his clients’ bikes.
“I love working on motorcycles and I can’t race anymore, so I have to stay in the industry somehow,” he said.
Upon meeting James, it’s hard not to admire his attitude towards life. It was hardly surprising to see him look so natural on his bike, tearing up his homemade motocross track at the rear of his home, as if the bike was an extension of himself. He still rides regularly with mates on his paddock or on a private track at Maryborough.
Reflecting on his achievements and hardships, James says the best advice to riders young and old is to have fun and maintain a positive mindset.
“Stay within your limits and just try your best. It doesn’t matter what position you come, just as long as you’re having fun.
“The accident didn’t stop me from doing what I love. I’ve done it (motocross) my whole life – I can’t just stop.”