Tom Hart must feel like the most fortunate man alive. Though some would point to rough times in the recent past, I do believe there is a smile on Tom's face today. In the past 2 years Tom has survived the battle with cancer (and the chemo that drove it from him) and picked the crumpled body of his son out of the dirt. Tom and Carey Hart have a very special relationship, they are more like brothers than father and son, which makes it harder than ever for one to see the other suffer.

Carey's attempt from last year left him and his father broken.

The X Games Big Air competition was an exorcism of epic proportions for the Hart family. For the past year the thought of Carey's aborted backflip attempt had hung like a dark cloud above them. It was a trick that should, at the time, probably not have been attempted. But, after Carey had set the bar by trying the first flip at Gravity 2000, it was something that the Harts just had to prove they could complete. Imagine finding the Holy Grail but having to leave it behind...Carey needed to prove that the Grail was in his grasp.

But the night would not have been complete without the whole family in attendance so Carey's superstar girlfriend chartered a jet, left her tour, and flew to Philadelphia for the day. To the rest of the world she is Pink, to those gathered around the Harts she is Aleisha and had no problem in taking the back seat role on an occasion so grand and grave. Aleisha was in the crowd last year to see Carey fall from the sky and knew exactly what the risks could be.

There are 3 rounds of competition in Moto X Big Air, so each rider has 3 chances to pull the biggest trick they know. Carey sat out the first 2, perhaps hoping that someone would give him a way out. Though we had tried to make his day as peaceful as possible the pressure mounted with every second of the approaching competition. To make matters worse Carey's long time friend Mike Metzger was pulling backflip after backflip almost making them seem commonplace. Carey paced the halls of the event floor and skulked in a corner beneath the bleachers.

Run number 3 came all too quickly. The riders were pulling tricks that would themselves have been incomprehensible just a couple of years ago but seemed so rational now. Carey was on his bike and quietly rolled out on to the dirt in front of 15,000 people.

Carey Hart, exorcising demons, with a successful backflip.

I had walked up to Tom earlier in the evening and invited him on the other side of the barriers to join me on the dirt at the base of the landing. This is the position we both found ourselves in last year when Tom sprinted past me to catch his tumbling son. Neither of us wanted a repeat of that scene - but we both understood the importance of being in that same position.

Over the past few years I have spent some quality time with the Harts. Tom is the only person I know who can drive a loader while holding a cigarette, a beer and talking on the cellphone - multitasking at its finest. When X Games paid for my first hotel room back in the ancient times of '99, Carey was my roommate. The family in the freestyle world is still small and care exists even beneath the tough patina that the guys project.

Carey rolled to the top of the ramp and had Ravi stage him in front of the video wall that scrolled his name. The crowd was screaming and the rest of the riders had walked quietly out on to the dirt, keeping a respectful distance from Tom and the landing area. I turned to look at Tom and realized that he had tears seeping from his eyes. At that point I would have gladly called the whole thing off and declared it "not worth it", but the freight train was already running fast downhill.

Though he had not even taken a practice run on the jump, Carey rolled down the in-run and ran headlong into his former nemesis. I think everyone's heart skipped a beat right then as he sailed upside down and finally, finally nailed the jump that was the monkey on his back for 2 years. Tom did not so much run forward but was pulled towards the jump as the demons leaped from his body. The crowd of riders swarmed the landing and enveloped Carey in the biggest group hug seen at X. Beneath the mass of humanity Carey turned to me, "Hold me up - I think my foot is broken".

Carey and his gal Alieisha (Pink) in a post-backflip moment of celebration and relief.

Later that evening as the group were all celebrating in the Lobby of the Marriott I caught Carey and Aleisha grappling in the lobby hallway, tangled in Carey's crutches. "Get a room you two" I said to the hot and heavy couple. "We already have a room", said Aleisha, "I just can't get Carey back there". Though I'm sure they eventually found their way to the Ritz Carlton, this was a time to celebrate among friends, among a select group of people who understand just how many dragons have to be slain before a quest such as this can be realized.

The boys surround Carey. From left to right, Deegan, the author - Tes Sewell (behind in black shirt) Carey, Tom Hart (behind in red cap) and Mike Metzger.

Because we are lucky to be around the best of the best we tend to take the skills of these athletes for granted. We forget the long hours of practice and the pain that comes when mistakes are made. We forget the anguish that family and friends experience when watching their loved ones suffer in injury and defeat. We forget because these athletes want us to forget, and to only know the wonder of their successes. A trait that a few people, like Carey, possess.

Tom Hart is, indeed, a fortunate man.

The author, Tes Sewell, in between showing Ozzie how it's done at Karaoke gigs, wanders the globe organizing a variety of events including Moto X at the X Games, the ESPN Moto X Championships and the Sims World Championship of Snowboarding just to name a few.