For juniors Sebastian Cook and Chris Mattheys, nothing compares to the thrill of motocross, a form of motorcycle racing held in enclosed off-road circuits.

Mattheys said he started riding in eighth grade, when his family moved from Engand to America and built a track at his farmhouse.

Cook, who has been riding for three years now, said he first got into motocross because of Mattheys.

“He [Mattheys] had a bike in his shed and he let me ride it. I fell in love with motocross. [I] got a bike for Christmas and took it from there,” he said.

Cook said motocross requires riders to train and stay in shape.

“Most people think we just kinda sit there and putt around, but it’s actually sasid to be one of the most physically demanding sports in the world. I’m not talking about riding around in a forest somewhere; I’m talking about racing and jumping and throwing 233 pounds of metal around. It [gives] my entire body the workout of a lifetime,” Cook said.

Mattheys said right now he only rides for personal enjoyment.

“I go to my farmhouse on the weekends to ride, but for now its just practice,” he said.

Cook, on the other hand, races competitively at the state and national level.

“Thirty to forty riders [start] on top of a gate [then careen] into a first corner that is usually about 15 feet wide,” he said.

Next, he said, the riders do laps around a one to two-and-a-half minute track.

“The track itself contains jumps, corners and usually whoops, and gets pretty rough later in the day,” Cook said.

Injuries are inevitable in such a tough sport, and both Mattheys and Cook said they have injured themselves while riding.

“I fell on the landing of a jump, dislocated my shoulder and fractured my scapula. Chris did almost the exact thing I did,” Cook said.

For Cook, motocross takes a lot of dedication and travel, because many of the tracks where he competes are in Georgia.

“It’s more of a lifestyle than a sport. With the training, the maintenance, the travel and the great friends you meet along the way, I feel like it’s a different way of living,” he said.

Both Cook and Mattheys said they really enjoy what they do.

“Sometimes Sebastian comes over and we ride together. It’s a lot of fun; [we] really have a good time with it,” Mattheys said.

Cook said riding is one of his favorite things to do.

“Motocross gives you an indescribable feeling, unlike any other sport I’ve played. When you are at one with the bike and the track, it is one of the greatest feelings in the world. somehow, it’s so peaceful between all the noise and calamity,” he said.