Alex Cairns may look like the other athletes on the Don Ross Secondary mountain bike team, but there is one inherent difference between the 14-year-old and the rest of the boys he is competing against.
Alex was born with Spina Bifida and is paralyzed from the knees down. Beneath the shin pads he wears when racing downhills, Cairns is wearing braces to keep his legs stable. He is competing in the North Shore Mountain Bike League and last year he also began competing in downhill races. He recently competed in the Brodie Rat Race downhill event in Roberts Creek and said the participating in the races is simply a matter of enjoying himself.
"It is easier for me to ride bikes and it is way too much fun," said the grade 8 student. "I was born paralyzed every where below my knees, and my legs are all bent out of shape so the braces are trying to make them straight but it is not really working. But they also work as extra padding."
Alex also receives pressure headaches when he is exercising and has a shunt in his brain that is no longer functioning.
"I get pressure headaches every so often and they are emphasized when it is hot out or when I am climbing hills. So that is another reason I prefer downhill," said Alex. "I still race cross country but I take it easy. To get rid of them I go and sits in the shade."
Alex's older brother Phil also races for the Don Ross team and placed second overall in the league's standings for junior males this year. The younger Cairns said his parents were supportive of his decision to also start racing."They didn't say much," he said. "They just kind of let me go because they knew I would be fine."
Joanne Cairns, the mother of the two boys, said her younger son's ambition and determination is something he has always had.
"We have always pushed him to do what he wanted, we are very proud of him," she said. "We have always focused on his ability rather than his inability and he has too."
She said she was happy her son to be so involved with the sport and that his attitude had a lot to do with his accomplishments.
"It's his passion and it is really nice he has something to focus on. If he didn't have his bike I don't know what he would do he has great determination," she said.
"Sometimes some people can resign themselves, but the power of positive thinking goes a long way."
For Alex, he sees his riding as just something he does along with his friends.
"I don't really think about it I just try to lead a normal life as much as I can. I would like to go further with it. It would be fun, but I don't know it would be hard," he said, indicating his legs. "It's the way it has always been but I decided hey, let's give this ago so I am just going to go to whatever races I can."
Alex will be competing in the North Shore Mountain Bike League Championships in Whistler this weekend on May 27 along with the rest of the Don Ross and Howe Sound Secondary mountain bike teams.
BC High School Mountain Bike Championships
Local high schools will compete for top spot in the province this Saturday May 27 in Whistler. The event will feature up to 500 students from across the BC and is being hosted by the Whistler Off Road Cycling Association. Come out and cheer on the local rippers. Visit www.nsmbl.org for more information.
