NBC Sports -- 03/09/2008
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Photo - Bubba Harris is back on his bike,
and he's set the Beijing Games in his sights.

Six months removed from a gruesome crash at the Beijing Test Event
that nearly cost him his left foot, Bubba Harris is back on his bike,
and
he’s set the Beijing Games in his sights. The 2005 UCI world champion
believes that he can return to form in time to compete in BMX’s
inaugural
Olympic competition.

Harris’ best shot to make the Olympic team will likely come on June 14
at the Olympic Trials in Chula Vista, Calif., where he’ll face off
against
an imposing collection of the world’s best, including Kyle Bennett,
Donny
Robinson and former training partner Mike Day. But Bubba is optimistic.
He talked with NBCOlympics.com about facing amputation, juggling to get
stronger and empathizing with Olympic snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis.

How are you doing physically?

My foot’s getting better. I’m about 85 to 90 percent right now. The only
thing I’m having a problem with is right out of the gate. The second
pedal
is the most important pedal in BMX and that’s actually my left foot, my
second pedal, so I’m a little bit behind, but my track speed is very
good.
Actually I got seventh in time trials in Spain two weeks ago, so I’m
definitely back and I’ll be a force to be reckoned with this summer.

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What went through your mind when the doctors
brought up amputation after the accident?

That was definitely very scary. My foot was completely off. Of course,
my
skin and my tendons were still hanging on a bit, but my foot was off my
leg completely. If it had been a half-centimeter more off to the side,
they
would have had to take it off. I’m out of it, I’m in morphine because my
foot’s off, and the last thing they told me was if we can’t get this
back in,
we’re gonna have to take your foot. Me and my dad both looked at the
doctor and said, “no you’re not.”

How long were you off the bike?

Three solid months. It was very depressing. It’s hard to be an athlete,
sitting on the couch, playing video games and watching movies. I
couldn’t
move, it was really hard for me to even go to the bathroom. I was living
with my fiancée, we moved in with each other two years ago, and I
actually just asked her to marry me on Christmas Eve. But when I was
injured she took so much care of me. The first three months were hard,
but once I was back on the bike again, I was super set.

What was it like those first days back on the bike?

Sore, very sore. I’m still sore. The first 30 minutes of my riding,
there’s pain. I’ll have pain my whole life. But it’s not that bad. After
30 minutes of warming up, it starts to go away. The first two months
of riding again was very hard. To not be able to pedal down the first
straight, not be able to put all your power behind it, not be able to
jump
the jumps that you wanted to jump. But at the same time at least you
weren’t in the house anymore.

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You say you’re at 90 percent right now.
What are you doing to get to 100 percent?

Everything possible. I mean it’s just been climbing. My ankle is getting
stronger and stronger and stronger and the thing is with my injuries, I
dis-attached two ligaments completely, they’re scarring back in. So it’s
just a process of those scarring all the way back in and I’ll be good to
go.

Some of the biggest training things that have helped me in the past I’m
not able to do right now, but I’m doing a lot of physical therapy.
Standing
on one leg and juggling; I know it sounds random, but you’ve got to
build
all the muscles in your ankle.

What would making the Olympics mean to you?

The Olympics is the sporting event of all time. If you’re even able to
call
yourself an Olympian, that’s saying something. And for BMXers to have
that ability now, it’s amazing. We will be the first, the pioneers of
the BMX
world in the Olympics. That’s definitely an amazing honor. To say you
were a part of that first group, to look back on history. Your kids will
be
able to say my dad was one of the first Olympic BMX athletes ever.

Talk about the track in Beijing.

The track in Beijing is the best track in the world right now. The
facilities
they have there, the Bird’s Nest and the Watercube, wow, and the BMX
facility is the best BMX has ever seen. To have a facility totally
geared to
BMX… In the stands in Beijing, there are huge bleachers set up, all
yellow
with blue seats that spell out B-M-X. The starting hill is four-stories
high,
and when you get eight dudes going down at once, man, you’re going
super fast and you’ve got jumps right away. Intense.

Any Olympic events from the past that you identified with?

Last Winter Games, when Lindsey (Jacobellis, during the women’s
snowboardcross final in Torino with a huge lead) fell, I think that
definitely was the biggest thing I could relate to since our sports
are so similar.

To be out in front of a race like that, I definitely learned a lesson.
I was actually watching that live when it happened, taking every turn,
I wanted her to win so bad, and then to see that happen, I literally
covered my eyes. I sat back and stared at the ceiling and was like wow.
I will make sure I don’t do that. I was definitely feeling it with her.

ACC - http://www.genesbmx.com/2008-bmx-olympics.html

Geneb...Wenatchee,Washington-USA
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