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  • 1 week ago
Follows slopestyle and freeride athlete Harriet "Haz" Burbidge-Smith as she makes her comeback from a broken neck that required surgery. Recovering from such a serious injury is never a small feat and every aspect of recovery, both physical and mental, is amplified when attempting to return to the highest level of professional riding.
Transcript
00:02I don't want to stay in the comfort zone.
00:04That's not where I'm at in my life.
00:11When I was four years old, my parents sent me to the BMX track,
00:14and I loved it.
00:21Just kind of snowballed really quickly
00:23and suddenly felt like I had a place.
00:25Harriet's going to do it.
00:28The day is today.
00:31This is an iconic moment for the ladies joining for the very first time.
00:34Here we go, Harriet Pervert-Smith dropping in.
00:38Yep, there she goes.
00:45That's where I landed.
00:48And that's where I landed over there too.
00:52And possibly, well, one of them broke my neck.
00:57I don't know which one.
01:03Your brain lacks a good excuse to get out of doing something.
01:09What is returning?
01:11Returning feels like going in a circle.
01:14When she was getting back on the bike,
01:15I remember watching her ride the pump track,
01:18and it was just like pure joy.
01:22The alternative is you risk everything that you love about your life
01:26by not continuing.
01:32It's a lost cause.
01:33I couldn't ride.
01:35Practice, like I got so nauseous from my neck pain.
01:40I'm expecting a lot from myself
01:42because I just remember all the stuff I normally do.
01:49Yeah, I like that one walk.
01:53Everything has a risk to it.
01:54You just decide whether you want to prioritize it or not,
01:57and you get on with it.
02:00I have never seen someone so dedicated to the recovery.
02:05I have so much more than I want to do.
02:09All through my injury, my main goal was to get into Rampage.
02:18I'm not really returning to the rider I was.
02:20I think I'm just becoming a new rider, but better, hopefully.

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