Not even a broken ankle could stop Wilbraham & Monson Academy's Jack Pagano '18 from pursuing his dream.
Seven months after breaking his left ankle, Jack signed a professional motocross contract at his home in Wilbraham April 3. He is just one of 1,000 people to hold professional status in the United States.
That's elite company.
"I had to sign about 30 pages of paperwork," Jack said with a chuckle.
Jack's goal was nearly put on hold in September when he crashed and broke his ankle with the season winding down.
"Yeah, I had about two races left until I would have enough points to send in my application to be a pro and that's when I broke my ankle," Jack explained.
Jack's lengthy resume, though, helped him overcome his setback. Despite not technically meeting the criteria to become a pro since he didn't have enough points, Jack's application to become a professional was approved, largely due to the director of the New England Sports Committee Motocross giving Jack a complimentary recommendation. His professional request was approved by AMA Motocross.
Jack became interested in motocross at age 3 and started competing a year later. He stayed with the sport until age 9, dropped it, but then came back to Motocross in full at age 16.
"I like how it's different than any other sport," Jack said. "It's an individual sport, and I like that the best. There's no one else to count on and if you make a mistake it's your fault. You can't blame it on other people."
Jack, who will compete nearly every weekend in the New England Sports Committee Series from April to October, will race at nearby Southwick Motocross April 8.