How 13-Year-Old Damian Found His Passion at Wheelfest

Every kid dreams big, but for 13-year-old Damian, those dreams are fast, extreme and built on wheels. Living in Los Angeles, Damian had long wanted to try adaptive mountain biking, but local opportunities were nonexistent and equipment costs were high.

When Wasatch Adaptive Sports set out to expand Wheelchair Palooza into Wheelfest, success was defined by a single metric — getting just one person to try mountain biking and fall in love with it. Damian turned out to be that exact success story.

When his mother, Sophie, saw that Wheelfest was offering mountain bike sessions, the decision was immediate.

“Damian has always wanted to try mountain biking, and when I saw Wheelfest was offering sessions, I knew I had to get him there,” Sophie said. “He skipped two days of school, but sometimes you just have to choose the experience.”

The sport lived up to every expectation. “It was everything I thought and more,” Damian said. “I had the best time, and the feeling is indescribable. I can’t wait to get out there again.”

The trip was about more than hitting the trails; it was also a chance to reconnect with his long-time role model, Aaron “Wheelz” Fotheringham. Damian first met Wheelz in 2021 as an 8-year-old at a Life Rolls On event in Venice Beach. Ever since, Wheelz has shown him that a wheelchair comes with no limits.

“Seeing Wheelz do tricks shows me what I can do on a wheelchair and maybe push the limits further,” Damian said. “Like if he can do it, then maybe I can do something even crazier.”

Having that kind of mentorship makes all the difference. For Damian, seeing Wheelz at events like Wheelfest is both inspiring and educational. He aims to learn directly from his role model so he can turn around and teach the next generation of riders as WCMX and adaptive sports grow.

Damian already has his sights set on the future. “In the future, I hope adaptive mountain biking grows to be as big as regular sports,” he said. “I hope that the Paralympics adds WCMX and adaptive skateboarding so I can be in the Paralympics and be a gold medalist.”

To anyone hesitant to try the sport, Damian says, “I would tell someone who is thinking about trying mountain biking that it’s more fun than scary. You feel like you’re flying through the trails.”