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August 13, 2004
Emily, Dane, and I were schedule for three pool
sessions for Lotus and are paddling our Jackson Kayak models, the
Fun 1, Fun 1.5, and All-Star. Yesterday Emily was in the pool with
Tanya Shuman, Dixie Marie-Pricket, and Whitney Londsdale showing
off the women’s line of Lotus gear. See photos- Lisa Beckstead
and the rest of the design team made great looking stuff that women
should be very happy to paddle in. Well, I got sidelined by an organizer
of the show who said that the two big manufacturers complained to
them and asked that Dane, Emily, and I not be allowed to paddle
in the pool with Jackson Kayak boats, since we don’t have
a booth here. Well, if you know me, or if they know me (and they
certainly should by now), you would know that failure is not an
option and I won’t let somebody take away such an opportunity
for my kids. This is their first time being able to paddle in the
pool and for people to actually see them in action. It is an opportunity
for them to really see what is behind the scenes in this business,
as well as for their sponsors to get some good exposure, particularly
Lotus. Luckily for me, all of the people involved in this thing
were understanding and willing to help me find a solution, not just
shut the door on it. Well, it didn’t occur to me right away,
because spending more money wasn’t something I was prepared
to do, but getting a booth suddenly became the goal. Thanks to the
nice people who run the show, I was able to secure a booth. I don’t
have a display to put in the booth (which is REALLY little), but
I do have some boats, Clay Wright has some boats too. At the last
minute, after I had already put in my credit card to pay for the
thing, Sid (who I now report to at Lotus as an ambassador), paid
for the booth for me!!! This was something that was totally unexpected
and was a great gesture.
So now, not only will Emily, Dane, and I be able
to paddle in the pool to represent Lotus, we will get some pool
time for Jackson Kayak!!!! So, it comes right back to my general
philosophy on life, and my two golden rules, passed down to me by
my dad.
Rule Number One: “No complaining, because
nobody likes a complainer.
Rule Number One: “No arguing, because you
can’t win an argument”
Yes, all of my rules are rule number one, just
like my dad. It makes it harder to know which rule you are talking
about, but, hey, at least you know it is important.
So, instead of seeing Jackson Kayak boats in
the pool during Lotus time and not hearing a single word mentioned
about them, I will be on the microphone while Emily, Dane, Clay
Wright, and hopefully Hotrod from Sierra South get to paddle in
the pool. I will be able to truly show the Fun 1.5, and All-Star
to all of the dealers who haven’t seen it yet, even though
they have it on order, at least now they can see them first hand.
Life doesn’t always work out this way,
and it can’t be expected, but I truly believe that the second
you take your eye off the ball and start watching what the other
people are doing, and then try to slow their progress, you will
get lost and make enemies, instead of getting closer to what you
are trying to achieve.
So, what am I hoping to achieve? Well, my hand
can get wet now (remember the 10 stitches, still in!), and I haven’t
paddled in 7 days. I want to train for team trails the best way
I can at this moment, and that is to stay comfortable with my boat,
super clean cartwheels, flatwater loops, etc. etc. and the pool
is my best option. I also want to see Emily do some more flatwater
loops like she did yesterday for the first time, very cool!
I will wrap this up and go to the pool to show
you Lotus Women’s gear!!
EJ
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