Sentinel Article—May 3, 2012

One-handed Motocross Racer Proves He Has Drive
Harold Glissen teaches children about disabilities, anti-bullying

BY JENNIFER AMATO
Staff Writer

Harold Glissen, who was born with only one arm,
shows the bike he rides during motocross races.

Writing. Walking. Putting on a jacket. Stacking pennies. Seemingly simple tasks can pose a challenge for someone who has a disability. To learn about tolerance and acceptance of those who are considered “different,” Harold Glissen of Howell recently spoke to a group of Cub Scouts about how he overcame being born with only one arm to become a landscaper and a professional motocross racer.

Glissen said his mother had the mumps while she was pregnant, which caused his birth defect, but that he “is not defective at all.”

He said he was picked on as a kid, nicknamed “Captain Hook” because of his prosthetic arm. He eventually stopped wearing it, and said the only limitations he has are things like tying shoes and scratching itches. He was also upset that his baseball coach would not let him pitch, but he did try wrestling.

He was judged by adults as well. When he was 10, he caught someone staring at him on the grocery line. When he was 13, a homebuilder would not let him clean up construction debris because of his one hand.

“I remember a couple of times I would be crying, I would be upset, I would tell my parents or I would tell someone in the school office, and it would stop for a little while, but it would start up again,” he said. “I wish I could show them what I have achieved through determination. … Anytime someone tells you you can’t do it, be determined that you can.”

In 1979, at the age of 15, Glissen went to Raceway Park in Old Bridge after watching a couple of motocross races. He wanted to try, but when the promoter denied him because he only had one hand, he said he started to cry. He finally convinced the promoter he would be careful, and he got to race that day.

“I have been there ever since,” he said.

Glissen said his bikes have a Rekluse semiautomatic clutch. Amudguard helps hold his left elbow in a pocket on the handlebar so he can pull the clutch in.To protect his shortened arm, he uses a sock as a glove and puts hockey tape just above the elbow. He also has another sock with a neoprene patch sewn on that he uses as a thumb on the back of his arm.

He explained the importance of safety gear during the 35-mph rides, such as a helmet, goggles, a chest protector, knee guards and heavy boots, and showed one of his racing helmets.

Glissen turned pro in 1998 and became the only one-armed person in the world to hold a motocross and supercross professional license.

“Those three to four years I raced pro were some of the best years of my life,” he said. “It does have a dangerous side, but it truly is a great family sport.”

One of the highlights of his racing was going to motorsports legend Travis Pastrana’s house and getting to do a back flip. Glissen said Pastrana’s father told him to come down the driveway onto the ramp, stay in first gear, put his weight into the bike and pull his weight around.

Glissen said he landed right on his head in the 30-by-30-by-9-foot foam pit, with the motorcycle on his feet and in his hands. “I was completely upside down in this foam. There was no light, there was no air. I don’t want to say I panicked, but I was sweating,” he laughed.
Apulley and hook attached to a bobcat swung him out of the pit, 15 feet off the ground, he said.

Glissen experienced some broken bones here and there, and finally stopped racing professionally in 2001, though he continues to ride.

In January, he had a major collision during a race in North Carolina. He broke his pelvis, back and sacrum and required plates and screws. Though he has paralysis in his right leg, which caused drop foot, making him limp a little, he was still able to walk just five days after the surgery.

He also had to buy a new bike, one with an electric start because he cannot kick-start the bike himself.

In mid-April, the 48-year-old took his first ride since the accident, saying he “felt pretty good,” though he “rode pretty cautiously,” and was planning to return to racing on April 29.

In addition, Glissen began his own landscaping company, Glissen Landscaping, based in Marlboro, in 1985. He quit his job at a scientific research laboratory and decided to buy a 21-inch Snapper lawn mower. He now has six or seven trucks, eight lawn mowers, trailers, bobcats and backhoes — all of which he operates using his one arm.

“It’s a lot of hard work,” he said. “It’s a lot of long days, days going into nights.”

All in all, Glissen told the Scouts and their families to follow their dreams, never give up, and push through all of the negativity and bad times one may experience.

Through his organization, Only One Inspiration, he speaks at schools around the country about his experiences, especially since bullying has become such a widespread issue today.

“Most importantly, be kind to others,” he said.

Glissen’s visit was part of the Scouts’ initiative to work toward a disabilities awareness belt loop. The Cubs had to try different activities, such as putting on a jacket with one hand, stacking pennies while wearing a heavy glove, writing with their opposite hand, walking with crutches and a walker, tying their shoes while two fingers were taped together, and wearing earphones and goggles that impaired their vision and hearing.

About 35 Scouts from North Brunswick Cub Scout Pack 81 and 20 Scouts from Cub Scout Pack 105 from Jamesburg and Monroe Township, ages 6 to 11, participated in the event, which was held at Our Lady of Peace in North Brunswick on April 27.

Nick Farah, 10, of North Brunswick, said it was difficult to wear the goggles because “it was a big blur.” He said it is “hard” to have a disability but that kids “can help [other kids] if they need help.”

Sean Fitzgerald, 9, from Monroe Township, had a hard time putting on the jacket because “if your hands are already in, you have to reach to the other side of the jacket and pull your hand.”

He said using crutches and writing with his left hand were easy.

“They should be happy with who they are,” Fitzgerald said of people with disabilities, even though “they might feel different from other people.”

For more information about Glissen and his programs, visit onlyoneinspiration.com.