January 21, 2005

Photos

The event is getting quite close- only 5 more days until the opening ceremonies. People are still working on getting their plan down, getting their routines finalized, choosing equipment, and more people are starting to get rested up.

The course and the encampments of each team are quite cool social areas. There are always about 20 people training at any given time, as well as teams having meetings, people hanging out and having breakfast, lunch, or dinner at the course, as well as just staying in the shade or even working on their tan.

Opening Ceremonies is step one, and then there is no turning back, the train will be on the tracks and heading for its final destination; closing ceremonies. By closing ceremonies, there will be a world champion in each class, and there will be a silver and bronze medal winner as well. Obviously everybody wants it to be them, some feel more strongly about their chances than others, and quite often the more strongly somebody feels they “should win” or “deserve to win” the more stressed they get during competition because they can lose something as well as win something. The more somebody treats the goal as something worth winning but considers themselves to have a clean slate and no equity invested, the more focused they can stay on the task at hand instead of the title that looms like a beacon trying to draw your focus away from the job to do. That is my opinion, and that of my wife, Kristine as well, that knows only too well how much I want to win. For her, her only advice to me before my rides is “have fun”. That is a goal that I am very good at achieving and it puts me at ease, releases my inner power to put my focus on the crowd, the show, and the spectacular moves, to achieve a state of being confident and happy with the physical evidence that the approach is viable in my scores. It is so against most sports psychology methods, but that is not my concern. My best slalom races included taking my hand off of my paddle to wave to my wife during the race (at an appropriate gearing down point in the course). My best freestyle rides always includes a wave and kiss to Kristine before I start. Seeing her smile and her mouthing, “have fun” is enough to help me keep from turning inwards on myself and losing that explosive confidence that comes from being outwardly focused and not questioning your reasoning for doing this.

Anyway,

5 days and counting, I’m ready!

:) EJ