Columbus, IN. newspaper article...

recently a bmxer from columbus indiana broke 3 vertebrae and fractured his skull. he wasn't wearing a helmet, and at 14, i'm sure we were all padded up too...right.... anyways, the local track called me and let me know that he really looked up to me and Matt Pohlkamp. we've both have visited the track and did clinics with the riders from there and we've established a great relationship with the local scene there. they asked if i would just give the guy a call to chear him up. they said he didn't have a positive male role model in his life and his family didn't have a lot of money. well, recently i had bought a LEATT neck brace. i've worn it here and there, but was looking to sell it and make some money back. well, after getting off the phone, i began to think, maybe i was meant to make a positive impact on a kid who would never be able to afford such a brace like this. $400!!! so i thought about it...and thought and finally i decided that this would allow me to really help a kid out that needed it. so i put together a small get well package and took him up an autographed redline jersey, my national number plate from last year and the brace.

the local paper was there and this is how they reported it:

conquer BMXer on track to recovery after gnarly crash BY BRITTANY HART bhart@therepublic.com

Blake Nichols’ eyes lit up as he shook hands with one of his racing idols, pro BMX rider Tommy Board, recently in Columbus. “It’s awesome to have a pro come see you,” Nichols, 14, said. The Columbus East freshman is in a neck and upper back brace after suffering a broken skull, two neck fractures and a broken rib in a crash July 20, when he was not wearing a helmet during an unofficial practice at the Columbus BMX track. Board, who promotes helmet safety awareness through Brain Injury Alliance of Kentucky, visited Nichols to give him encouragement for his road to recovery. “We all crash. It’s just part of the sport,” said Board, 38, of New Albany. “Helmets have saved my life twice.” Board, who has been racing for 26 years and won more than 25 national BMX wins, presented Nichols with an autographed bike plate from a National Bicycle League Grand Nationals race, a BMX jersey, BMX bike stickers and a neck brace to wear in addition to his helmet while riding. “I’ll definitely be wearing that all the time,” Nichols said about the brace. Board showed Nichols how to use the brace, which he said is the latest in neck protection for BMX racing. Board also attends physical therapy assistants’ school in Louisville. “It’s really cool to help people get back on their feet and get back to doing what they love to do,” Board said. Back on track Nichols is already itching to get back on his bike, but doctors said he will be in the neck and upper back brace for at least three months, said Kylie Schneider, Columbus BMX board member. “I have good days and bad days,” Nichols said. Doctors said a helmet would have protected Nichols from head injuries, but not his neck breaks, Schneider said. Nichols recently competed in National Bicycle League Midwest Regional, where he placed first in each of his 10 races. Since the accident, doctors said he will not be able to compete in National Bicycle League Grand Nationals. “I’ll go and watch it,” he said. The competition is the next major stop on Board’s schedule. “You’re a BMXer — you’ll be back out there,” Board told Nichols. Until then, Nichols anxiously awaits his return to the track. “I just want to be the best rider I can be,” he said. Race f or Blak WHA T: H e lmet A e Rac e for B lake. wareness WHEN : 11 a . m. t o 1 p. m. header re gis tration rac , 1 p . m. doub le - e, Aug. 30. WHERE : Co lumb us BMX track D O NATIO NS: M o netar . do nati o ns to he lp w ith y B the me rac al e or bills t ma y b e made a t dona tion ac o the B lake Nicho ls Co lumbus BMX co unt ac , p ar t of Ir win Union B co unt , at ank .

Nichols sits alongside his BMX hero, pro rider Tommy Board, who promotes helmet safety awareness. Board, who has won 25 national BMX titles, said helmets have saved his life on two different occasions.