As a young kid I got hit in the face playing goal at soccer camp never to return. I tried out for basketball in fourth grade and didn't make the cut. I ran track in upper primary school and got beat by every girl (incidentally this is a trend that continues to this day, and of which I am no longer ashamed). Somewhere along the way I found mountain biking. As it turned out, I wasn't a ball player, and I had been late to develop any coordination; however, on my bike it didn't matter. I floundered but then I excelled. I eventually became a halfway decent runner too. My photographic work often follows my interests, and I have remained interested in athletes who push the envelope. Athletes who are strong individuals. Athletes who compete against themselves as much as they do against others. There is a grit about these types of people that is something I feel compelled to capture.