Errata:
Bill Fleig was the '98 Rookie of the Year. I stand corrected.
Last comments...
This was a fantastic year at Nationals for SFR, boys and girls. I'm almost
sorry I missed it, but you know, I did get to visit St. Petersburg - a
worthy substitute, probably.
Was there heartache? You bet. I can see many, many names on the results of
people who didn't do as well as hoped. Of COURSE it's frustrating. When you
go in with such high hopes and expectations after working so hard all year,
and you make that first run, and you're not where you thought you'd be, it's
like blammo, okay, what just happened? Then you spend the rest of the time
trying to figure out, "Okay, what can I do, what can I do?" And you've only
got two runs left, and there's already so much tension. You start to panic.
Sometimes, you find the strength to turn it around, and other times, it's as
if it's somebody else driving the car. The comments from your peers can cut
you in half, such as, "What the hell happened?" "Where were you out there?"
You know they're trying to help, but this is the moment where you either
turn it around, or it just slips out of your hands.
One of the most shocking fears ever expressed to me was from John Thomas,
who holds the record for consecutive national championships. It really took
me by surprise, that he would admit that he is, indeed, human. "I'm so
afraid they're going to find out," he told me one time, "that it's really
the car, and that I've really tricked them all."
I just want everyone to know that even when you do reach that "national"
level, whatever that really is (I think it's when you go to a national
event), it's not like autocross is suddenly easy. It's not like you pass
this gate and suddenly winning is second nature. You are always presented
with new challenges, and new discouragements. I read all the time on the
national team.net questions to the "national elite," such as, "So, when did
you start winning all the time?"
Nobody answered. Nobody wins all the time. Even those who we think are so
talented and so gifted go through their own shares of frustration and
discouragement. They probably don't view themselves in the same light as we
view them. They know their weaknesses. The reason why you sometimes think
that those national level drivers are snobby or whatever is because they
know that they're not invincible. They deep down believe that what they
possess is probably something almost anyone could possess, and they are
afraid. They're afraid of being *found out.*
It's their *fear* that they're showing you, not their superiority. Remember
that. It's a fear that limits them. Remember that, too.
So, with that, I would just like to congratulate everyone who made the trek
to Topeka, all 68 of you brave beings (of course like maybe five people will
read this). You've put it all on the line. We are all so proud of you for
trying and for representing SFR. It's too bad you're going to have to miss
the party tonight that starts at 8:00 tonight at the Club Mallard. We shall
all drink a toast in your honor.
If you haven't gone to Nationals yet, and you're thinking about it, I think
you should do more than think about it. Imagine it's you walking across that
stage to the screams and applause. Maybe that's a crazy idea, you're
thinking. Well, what's wrong with crazy? Don't let your fears keep you from
reaching the impossible. You might not reach it, but if you don't even try,
then you surely won't. And you can always try again. Don't listen to those
who talk down to you, or tell you you're not good enough. Just completely
wipe their comments from your knowledge base. Focus on all the things you
can do to get closer to your goal, as lofty as it may be. It's the only
thing that matters.
It's like this slogan that I saw on my roommate's track workout schedule:
The road to success is always under construction.
Here's a poem written by Marianne Williamson from her book "A Return to
Love."
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure,
It is our Light, not our darkness, that frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small doesn't serve the world.
There's nothing enlightened about shrinking
So that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are born to make manifest the Glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.
And as we let our own Light shine,
We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our fears,
Our presence automatically liberates others.
This is Katie Kelly, your friendly Ace Reporter, signing off. Over and out.
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