"It’s really important to thank Jesus and let people know I’m thanking my God for the breath that I have right now.”
Trey Canard has trekked some dark spaces.
Loss. Injury. Uphill climbs. Injury again. An environment riddled with temptation and material obsession.
In 2003, when he was twelve, his father died in an accident while constructing a practice track. Canard stayed on the bike, pursuing his dream of racing that stemmed from a family love of the sport.
In 2011, Canard broke his femur. Three months later, he broke it again. He then broke his collarbone. And in the second race back from his collarbone injury in January 2012, he suffered his fourth injury in nine months- a broken back. When he and another racer crashed into one another, their motorbikes tangled with their bodies. Unlike his previous snares, this one would take a while to recover.
After surgery, Canard spent months simply relearning simple motions and lightweight rehabilitation, relentlessly pushing forward while teetering on the uncertainty of his situation. Doctors said it would take a year before he could train again.
“Right off the bat I didn’t know [if I’d race again],” he said. “Then there’s that fear of what if this happens again? One of the biggest things to me was trying to understand grace through that time. With injuries, you really have to realize what grace is and be OK with it.”
The Oklahoma native continued to rehab and connect with his faith on new levels. During the summer, he went on a mission trip to Tanzania. “Looking at verses like Romans 8:28 really gave me a huge perspective on God and took my eyes off myself a bit knowing that He has big things no matter what, and they are all good. I was able to grow so much spiritually in that time.”
He was riding once again in the fall.
“I think any time you deal with real traumatic experiences you have to search and have to dig deep in all parts of life. Anytime you question or think about things you always seem to grow.”
Canard has experienced his fair share of trauma. However, with the strength of his faith, his heart and head have managed to stay on track in the course of his life. “Knowing everything I do is for His glory, I think that’s grown me in a lot of ways. So much success is setting your treasures in Heaven.”
For Canard, he sees the professional racing environment as a portal to share what molds his identity deeper than surface level.
“I think we can falsify Jesus in so many ways when we act a certain way and people go, ‘Well, there’s not much to that. You see him acting like everyone else.’ Anytime I get the opportunity it’s really important to thank Jesus and let people know I’m thanking my God for the breath that I have right now.”
In a performance-driven environment, Canard realizes he must keep a loose hold on the sport and look beyond standings.
“I’m continually praying, ‘God, take this into Your hands.’ I hold onto it so tight sometimes and I try to make it about me because I want to win so badly,” he admitted. “But I always pray for Him to guide me, that my motives would be right and not so focused on winning but trusting in Him to determine the outcome.”
Canard pursues his profession with a zest for life cultivated from a personal conviction to set an example for young racers. So when an FCA Motocross Camp came to Oklahoma, Canard wanted to be a part of it.
“Anytime I feel like I have success, it’s his success too. I imagine if he were here, he would have so enjoyed this level, how excited and enthusiastic about it he would be."
-Trey Canard
“If I go to a camp and hear just one time, ‘Hey, you’re inspiring my walk with Christ,’ that’s worth everything to me,” he shared.
Younger racers remind him of the dedication his father poured out to help complete Canard’s dream of racing. His legacy still lives on in each turn, jump and dirk kickback from tires.
“Anytime I feel like I have success, it’s his success too. I imagine if he were here, he would have so enjoyed this level, how excited and enthusiastic about it he would be,” he said. “The biggest way I could make him proud is following Christ and truly living that. If I won every single race from here on out but didn’t have Him, it wouldn’t be worth it.”
It’s all a gift. Every breath. Every whir of the motor. Every day of pushing the limits to faster and better. Every interaction with another human, a chance to bring the glory back to God.
And Canard’s holy ground?
“Putting the cross in motocross is exactly that- taking a dark place and trying to fill it with light."
Photos courtesy of Simon Cudby