No ordinary teenager: The Tomas Woods story
Tomas Woods has never forgotten a metaphor that his old coach, Rob Seeley, used to describe his journey in wheelchair motocross.
“Rob told me: ‘as an athlete, you spend years climbing stairs to get to the top, then when you do you can call an elevator to bring everyone else up with you.’
“That’s how it has become for me,” Woods insists. “Now we can call the lift and hopefully bring other people up with us.”
This exchange alone is proof that Woods is no ordinary 16-year-old.
That is before you consider that he runs a governing body, has a trick named after him, is a world champion and works on accessibility with the Governor of Texas.
Not everyone will reshape the landscape of a sport in this way, but the tie that binds it all is the pure elation that Woods gets from doing what he loves and that is a sensation that he is committed to sharing with as many people as possible.
Born in Preston, Woods got his first wheelchair in 2019 and started the adaptive version of BMX in 2020, aged just 11.
He was inspired by watching YouTube videos of legendary extreme wheelchair athlete Aaron ‘Wheelz’ Fotheringham, whose lavish creations lit a spark in Woods.
“I emailed my local sports club, Graystone Action Sports Academy in Salford, and I asked if it was something I could try,” he said.
“They said yes and told me to come down at the weekend. I did and I haven’t stopped going since.”
Breaking boundaries
As he has continued to chase his dreams, the teenager has watched societal boundaries crumble and is part of a worldwide network of people who share his passion.
“I’ve been to Texas, California and Jersey this year - travelling the world and meeting amazing, amazing people,” said Woods. “I would never have had that if I hadn’t sent that email.
“It’s such a big community. Every time I go to any skatepark anywhere in the world, I always end up chatting to someone. You can talk to anyone about anything, it’s amazing to be a part of a global community.”
The WCMX World Championships have been running for 10 years and is as accessible as global sporting bonanzas come. It is an online event where athletes can submit a video from anywhere in the world and judges score their routine live.
“It means everyone can take part no matter their background, financial circumstances or class,” said Woods. “That’s something I’m really passionate about.”
Creating a legacy
One of Woods’ proudest achievements is that Graystone now owns two community chairs that people can use for free to try the sport.
Based in Texas part-time, he has collaborated with the Governor of Texas to run events and is working with non-profit organisations in Louisiana to help coach and reach young people.
Amid it all, Woods keeps coming back to the transformative impact that getting active has had on his life.
“I’ve always loved to be active, I just can’t sit still,” says Woods. “WCMX is very much a mental game, you have to be strong and willing to make mistakes to try tricks and learn new ones too.
“It has changed my life so much. I ride, work out and train every single day and in terms of my physical and mental health, I’ve done a 180. I imagine I’d be in a very different place in my life without it.”