August 27, 2007 - Tipping Point

Well, I've just come from lunch and our daily team meeting.  In another two hours, my boat will push off the docks to prepare for our first race.  I'm excited and edgy and ready to get started.

I hate dealing with the energy before a race.  I can't stop moving, my stomach can't stop tingling.  It's not a fear sensation, but it's similar.  We use positive words to describe our excitement about races, but others might say that they are a little nervous.

Once off the dock, I know I'll calm down and focus up.  When we are rowing, there is a sense of purpose and direction that is absent while waiting.  The edge of the dock is a sort of mental precipice.  Once you've stepped off into the shell, there is no turning back and all the adrenaline in the body starts to flow in the right direction.

Until then, I'm going to try to have a normal few hours.  I'm going to get Priscilla set up at the luggage check in station, eat a snack, cheer on the small boats, go to the bathroom about 5 times, and stay out of the sun.  As John Hyman of my WFU crew always used to say, "Just another day at the office."