That others may ride.

A simple slogan on the surface with so much significance underneath.

Cody and Dustin Blankenship founded Veteran Motocross Foundation nearly 10 years ago as a way to bring American service veterans, who enjoy racing Motocross and riding dirt bikes, together and revive the camaraderie and thrill that naturally comes with serving in the military.

"When you get out you kind of lose that," said Mark Coday, board president of Veteran MX. "During combat your body releases endorphins and when you get out you don't have that. We found a way to replace it and that's Motocross."

A veteran of Desert Storm, Coday joined Veteran MX shortly after its founding when maybe 50 guys rode under the banner of the non-profit. Today, more than 1,500 veterans regularly find joy, comfort and a temporary release from the scars of war through bar-banging, throwing a whip and fighting for a Holeshot.

MotoSport sat down with Coday to learn more about Veteran MX, how it helps our troops and how the rest of us can help.

1. How did the idea start that maybe this type of recreation would help veterans recover from their service?

Unfortunately, with statistics of 22 (suicides) a day, the Blankenship's wanted to find their part in the community to reduce that number. They both grew up riding dirt bikes and they took two loves (dirt bikes and service) and combined them together.

2.What kind of results are you seeing?

We don't have quantifiable results showing a decline or improvement in this or that. Most is circumstantial or what we observe. For example, a lot of what we do is put on riding clinics to get veterans together. Four or five years ago it was a struggle to get 10 veterans in southern California to understand what we are trying to do and ride for five hours and have that time to talk to fellow soldiers and know there's somebody out there to listen.

Our last riding clinic, we put 71 veterans through a five-hour clinic. We started out with Donnie Hansen as our riding coach and now we partner with Elevate Action Sports, and we had Jeff Emig and Vicki Golden as riding coaches. Perris Raceway donated the track, the coaches donate their time. So, we see the results in real time based on the number of participants in both attending veterans and those willing to give of their time.

3. What's a riding clinic consist of?

With that many people, we break into three or four groups and each instructor works on a different section of the track. One might work on turns, the other the start. One station was body position. Our goal is to make everybody a better rider, but also a safer rider. A lot of vets have bumped their heads. We don't need to bump them anymore. Veteran MX holds these riding clinics nationwide.

Jeff Emig Coaching Veterans

4. Is it part of a holistic approach to therapy, i.e. in conjunction with counseling, other treatments?

The great part about it is we have members that are counselors at the VA who also ride. Some people don't like (going into) the VA so sometimes it's a matter of getting together. I've met guys at the track, and we never unloaded. The dirt bike was the vessel so they can reach out. You get to the track, and you can tell their mood isn't all that well so you kind of talk and then two hours later you haven't ridden. We all kind of have that instant trust with fellow veterans. There's a baseline we've all gone through.

5. Is it the speed, potential danger, camaraderie, all of it, something else that resonates?

When you're riding you must focus, you can't think about something else. "How am I going to get through the whoops sections, that double?" It clears your mind. It's a good break to let you focus on something else and get your mind off the bad stuff or troubles you're having.

6. In our industry, lots of riders whether street or dirt bike to put on a helmet and go for a ride as a distraction to what's going on in their lives, do you see a similar parallel with what you are trying to accomplish?

One hundred percent. We call it throttle therapy. Once I get on a bike, I am focused on the guys I am riding with and my riding. It's therapy. A lot of vets, myself included, deal with pain everyday but when I throw a leg over a dirt bike, that pain goes away. That doesn't mean it doesn't come back but it's a temporary release. My wife can tell when I need to ride. I come back in a better mood with a clear head. A lot of vets use Motocross for the release.

Marine Corp Adaptive Rider

7. How does Veteran MX work? What can an interested rider expect when engaging?

We're a membership-based organization. The best way is sign up via the website. We have a private Facebook group, just for members, a free forum for the vets to be themselves. We have a lingo of our own, we often have one-liners that could be disturbing to others but normal in our community. Therefore, it's a safe spot for members to say "Hey, I've got Wednesday off of work who wants to ride?" Most vets once they get in and engage, it's amazing. "This is what I've been missing!" Some of these people you only talk to online (but) your friend group just grows and grows and grows.

8. You have racing series? As in a Champion is crowned in different classes?

We just had our big annual championship in Kansas which is more than a three-day race it's a seven-day retreat. This year was our fourth year putting on this race at Bar2Bar MX in Kansas. We have two more years on our commitment. They open the track on Monday with open practice through Thursday. Vets come ride, camp and bring their families. There's no qualifying.

We do other activities unrelated to riding. For example, we do an MRE challenge. You get two MREs and you must make the best plate and present it to three distinguished judges from Wichita. We have a Holeshot challenge. Saturday night after racing we do a pit bike race. There are all these types of activities going on in a super family friendly environment. This year we rented 18 travel trailers so people traveling from far away could stay at the tracks and not pay at a hotel.

We have 18 classes for racing including a "branch of battle" class and it's all 100% free for the 100 or so riders that showed to race. In the Branch Class, 92 veterans competed this year. Army won the first two years, then Air Force and Marines won this year. We give out big championship rings like Super bowl rings. It's a week I look forward to every year. Every third weekend in September.

Vet MX Championship Rings

9. How can the public get involved?

We are always looking for sponsors for our big race. We try to break down individual class sponsors just to help offset costs. Washougal donated a bunch of gear. We probably had six tables of gear at the championship race for riders to pick from.

Mainly, to get involved, check out the website. All the board members are there and the areas they cover. You can help out with a clinch or donate to a clinic. You can find us at all the Motocross, Supercross and SuperMotocross races.

I've been a firm believer that none of us did anything special for serving - it's our job. We want to be a part of the industry. So many people don't even realize we exist.

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Check out Vet MX at Sunset Ridge