Jackson Strong: The Story Of X Games

You know how every once in a while, an inspiring story will make you shiver with emotion, and force you to feel an overwhelming sense of motivation and inspiration? I know the feeling well, as I felt it recently. I’ve been lucky enough to witness a rare mission of redemption and triumph over the past twelve months, and I can tell you that I haven’t taken the experience for granted. Before I tell you this incredible tale, I want to clearly state that Jackson Strong is the most driven, fearless, dedicated individual that I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. He’s honestly unstoppable when he puts his mind to something, and no matter how many times he gets knocked down in his pursuit for perfection, he will always walk away with the glory that he deserves. This is Jacko’s story of X.

The journey to the 2016 X Games in Austin, Texas, started the moment the 2015 version of the event came to a screaming holt for Wagga Wagga’s homegrown hero. After enduring complications with the ramp used to execute his extraordinary trick, he sat by and watched the competition take place from the sidelines. I can only imagine what was running through his mind on the twenty-two-hour drive back to California the following day. Without letting the drama from the 2015 X Games dampen his spirit, he went out and landed his brand new trick, dubbed the “Double Drop”, to dirt at Brian Deegan’s property a few days later.

For the next twelve months, Jackson and I spent nearly every week planning and filming his second film, Headstrong 2. The workload has been massive, but Jackson continued to train in the foam pit with the 2016 X Games in his sights; hungry for success and ready to atone his failed attempt the previous year.

Now, fast forward to Jackson and I sitting on a plane heading to California, ready for another big weekend at the X Games. After a minor mishap that almost stopped Jackson from getting his new passport approved, he was late arriving into Los Angeles. This meant we had to drive his bike and gear to Austin only a couple of days before the event.

We arrived at the Circuit of the Americas on Saturday morning with Moto X Best Trick scheduled to take place. It rained on and off all day, and we were unsure if the event would go ahead. Once the rain stopped, the track builders removed water from the course and things were starting to look good. Jackson prepped his bike and started to get into the headspace required for a professional freestyle motocross competition. Then, out of nowhere, it bucketed down rain again and everyone was evacuated to the riders’ lounge. The event was called off for the day and rescheduled for Sunday. This meant that the Moto X Quarterpipe competition would go down in the morning, and the Best Trick competition would take place straight afterwards. Therefore, we packed up and headed back to the hotel for the night, to get some much-needed rest for the huge day ahead of us.

On the morning of day two in Austin, we set off towards the venue. Jackson didn’t say much on the drive to the venue; his mind was focused on winning Gold. On arrival, we got straight into bike prep and Jackson walked the course. The riders were all geared up for practice and ventured out onto the track. Jackson took a few runs at the Quarter but didn’t hit the ramp; he wanted to wait for his run to send his big trick to dirt. Competition time came around and the riders started to get their first runs in. I took my camera gear and set off to find a good position on the hill to film Jackson’s trick, feeling his anticipation. Nervous as hell, I sat and waited for his name to pop up on the big screen.

It was go time as Jackson rolled out onto the course. He was about to do the very trick he was unable to perform at the 2015 X Games a long twelve months ago. He rolled in towards the Quarter, then powered into the ramp pulling back for the Double Drop. I locked my camera lens onto him and watched him pull the bike around and around, looking to land the trick perfectly. But as both wheels touched down on the dirt, his frame and bike dug into the dirt as his suspension bottomed out. Jackson was bounced violently back up off the bike and couldn’t keep his grip on the bars. He smashed his neck into the handlebars and rolled off into the ground.

It was obvious, and we both knew he would land hard, but not that hard. The crowd cheered and applauded as Jackson got to his feet but he was holding his neck and I knew immediately knew something was wrong. By the time I ran back around to the pits, Jackson had already been taken over by the medical staff and was getting his neck checked. He was already bruising up badly, so the medics decided to airlift him to hospital suspecting a torn artery. Jackson’s bike was in a bad way; the sub-frame was twisted and all the bolts were bent. His pipe was caved in and both wheels were buckled. Jackson’s friend and mechanic, Mitch Pullen, and previous X Games Gold medalist, Brian Deegan, tried to straighten the bike out, but with little hope for riding the Best Trick competition in an hour, we packed up the bike and gear expecting the worst, while they wheeled Jackson towards the helicopter.

On the way to Austin’s hospital, Ryan Hagy, Jackson’s Manager, called me saying that Jackson’s scans came back clear. In what would have to be an unprecedented request, Jackson convinced the nurses and medical staff to fly him back to the X Games in the same helicopter that took him to the hospital. We spun the car around and sped through traffic to make it back in time to finish fixing his bike. Jackson only had fifteen minutes until he had to be on course for his Best Trick run. Once Deegan heard the news that Jackson could still be riding, he jumped on a random bike in the pits and rode off towards the helipad to pick Jackson up. We parked the car and ran through the pits, carrying all the gear and bike parts. We could hear the TV announcers saying, “We’ve just got word that Jackson Strong is being airlifted back into the venue and will still be competing in Best Trick!” Back in the pits, Hagy helped Jackson put his armour and gear on while Brian and Mitch got the bike back together.  

With literally one minute to spare, Jackson was cheered as he rode back out onto the course for his run. I grabbed the camera and ran over to the entrance of the course. My hands were shaking so badly I could barely hold the shot. Without hesitation, Jackson came screaming in towards the ramp and launched into a huge Frontflip. The crowd and everyone in the pits were in total silence until he brought the bike around and landed two wheels perfectly on the dirt. I nearly dropped the camera as everyone screamed and cheered. In scenes of jubilation, everyone started jumping around and throwing their fists up while Jackson rode back up the down ramp to throw punches into the air; it was a surreal scene.

Busted but not beaten, Jackson climbed off his bike to ice his neck and groin while a dozen TV cameras surrounded him. Not only did Jackson just stick a perfect Frontflip off a conventional freestyle ramp (without an assist kicker), he didn’t even have time to pull the ramp from 75ft back to 78ft which he usually Frontflips from. Adding to this amazing achievement, he did this trick while hardly being able to walk. Jackson’s Frontflip scored him a 94, putting him in the lead. This courageous rider went on to stand on the podium, holding his third consecutive Best Trick Gold medal, alongside fellow Aussie riders, Josh Sheehan (Silver) and Clinton Moore (Bronze).

“The staff here got me in and out of hospital in a helicopter just in time,” Jackson told the TV reporters after the event. “I’m sore as hell right now and doing well to stand up. I’m glad I went there and got one down, but I’m hurting.”

It’s moments like this that really define who a person is. It shows how far a human can push their mind and body to the limit in search of glory. When all hope seemed lost, Jackson pulled his last ounce of strength together to pull the seemingly impossible for Gold. I now know that the true meaning of never giving up is sticking to your guns until the end.

Four times X Games Gold medalist, Brian Deegan, said, “Dudes like Jackson have carried on the sport with things like he did today. He goes bigger than everyone else, crashes, gets a chopper ride to the hospital and back just in time to pull a Frontflip and win Gold. That’s what’s going to keep the sport going. That’s what is going to keep people interested. That tops any story I’ve ever heard in freestyle action sports. I’m just stoked to be a part of it and get to witness it.”

And so am I. Thanks for the inspiration, Jacko!