The Seattle-based charity MX for Children gave a Toronto fans a unique experience at the World Supercross last year. MX for Children’s Paul Gross founded the charity to give back to children’s hospitals across the country because he appreciated the impact his local children’s hospital had on saving his son’s life. Last year was the first year that MX for Children brought the Inside Line Experience to Toronto fans. Kids who raised more than $500 for the charity, were awarded two Inside Line passes, that gave them backstage access to the riders, the rigs, and the track on the Friday before the race.  Not only did the kids and their families have an awesome experience, The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto received funding for continued research into treating hydrocephalus. The Inside Line is coming back to Toronto. If your kids would like a chance to raise some money for a great cause and have an unforgettable supercross experience, read on …


RXC: I had a chance to check out the Inside Line Experience last year in Toronto and it was amazing. Was that event a success?
Paul Gross: I did consider last year to be a success, especially being the first year in Toronto and doing it remotely. I came up and did one trip to set it up. It was a great success on many fronts. It raised money for a great cause. It engaged kids predominantly as fundraisers. The two kids who were the top fundraisers—Chase Langille and Dakota Laskow—they really got hooked into the concept that they were raising money to help someone remotely connected to motocross. Incidentally, one of the kids had a lot of experience in the hospital himself and the other kid just felt good about helping out. Both the kids and the parents really got into the value they were contributing and found it very rewarding. I think the kids had a tremendous opportunity at the meet and greet. If you’ve seen the pictures, the interaction they had with Chad [Reed], James [Stewart], and Tim Ferry, it was pretty amazing. All the other stuff they got to do as well was quite cool, but that one-on-one interaction is really the highlight of the Inside Line Experience, that really personal time with those riders that you just can’t get in any of the other venues. The experience is kind of magical. It’s nice to see these kids learning about charity and doing something for a good cause and then getting this very unique, can’t-buy-it, priceless experience.

We hear you are planning to do it again this March in Toronto. How would you explain the program for those who don’t know?
Yes, we are doing it again. It’s an opportunity to get a backstage pass to the supercross. You are able to see things behind the scenes and meet the riders. The entire experience can’t be purchased. You are earning it as a function of having worked very, very hard. The money not only ends up at Sick Kids, it ends up specifically with kids who have hydrocephalus and have to have a lot of brain surgery. It has no cure and a person with hydrocephalus gets brain surgery after brain surgery as their treatment. It’s this ultimate trade off of, do good and get a very unique feeling from the good and then this tangible reward. You get to meet the riders, you get to watch the pre-race press conference (so you feel like an insider in the whole press/interview set up), then you get to go and watch a private practice at Roger’s Centre, the track is being built, you get to walk up to the front row, you get to see at least one of these riders feel out the track and put on a little bit of a show. Then there’s a tour of one of the factory rigs; that’s not something you get offered easily. You get to see the riders again, just doing their thing at the trucks, in a very relaxed environment. That’s why it’s called the Inside Line Experience. You are really getting the inside track on the whole experience of supercross.

Chase Langille gets some riding tips from Tim Ferry.

Last year, the kids got a real chance to get up close and personal with Chad Reed, Tim Ferry and James Stewart. Any idea who will be involved this year?
It’s too early for me to say. I have asked for some people to be there, they may or may not be able to be there. There is a press schedule of teams who will be there that day but it’s not my place to say who it is just yet. But I can say that there will be some Canadian greats there as well as some American greats, so it will be interesting on both fronts.

What kind of feedback did you get from the families last year?
I got very positive feedback about how positive the experience was and how thrilled the parents were with their kids raising money for this charity. One woman, Dakota Yaskow’s mom, described it like this, ‘It was jam packed ... From pictures, autographs, press conference, private practice, pit passes… It was like Christmas… This was the single best experience we have had with our son. We saw this little boy full of compassion and excitement. Not for himself but to help out and see how much he could do’.

(You can read more about the Yaskow’s experience here)

So if Toronto area fans and families want to get involved, what is their first step?
The first step is to go to www.mxforchildren.org and there is a section that describes the Toronto event. There’s then a spot where they can sign up to take online pledges, or they can download a paper form for taking door to door. Either of those solutions or a combination will allow them to take credit card contributions.

Thanks Paul, it’s an amazing program and just another example of how motocross people are willing to step up and help out.
Thank you and see you in Toronto.