A man among GIANTS

  This past weekend at the CF North Central Regionals was amazing! I was honored to be a part of such an ELITE group of athletes. The competition was second to none, the judging was stellar, the coordination of the event was spot on, and the overall atmosphere of the entire weekend could never be duplicated except at an event like that one! Humbling and gratifying all at the same time, is the only way I can describe what I felt like being among all of the people I was around. Not only the athletes, but the friends that took the time and effort out of their already busy lives to come and support me in my endeavor,  was priceless.
   This little town that we live in is GREAT, with all of the amenities of home, but you truly have to go outside of the "normal" to test yourself, and all of your hard work from time to time. I ended up in 17th place in our 11 state Region, after what has felt like an eternity of competition. Am I happy with finish?...YES! Am I satisfied that 17th is all I can do?...HELL NO! I learned that I really need to submerge myself into a competitive atmosphere more often. I learned that I will lose sometimes, and that it is okay. I learned that the only time it is not okay is if you don't try again. I learned that there are people out there that really do want to see me succeed. I learned that no matter how good you are, or think you are, there is ALWAYS someone better. Someone that has put more effort into their goal. Someone who wants it more. Someone who is willing to put up with more pain to beat you, and then come over and cheer you on to finish.
   I have to give props to a guy that I got acquainted with through CrossFit. His name is Jeremy Mhire, and he is an outstanding athlete, and overall has one of the best attitudes of anyone I have ever met. He crushed the Regionals this past weekend, but it wasn't easy sailing for him at first. He had a pretty rocky start on the first WOD, and came back with authority to advance to the Final Day of competition, where he crushed the last 2 WODS. He has had a positive influence on me ever since I met him 3 years ago. We competed in Ft. Worth, TX together at the Regionals, when you did not have to qualify to get to Regionals. Boy times have changed in 3 short years as far as evolving the sport. Anyway, back to the subject, I want to say a huge thanks to Jeremy for the attitude that he presents and puts forth always, not just when he feels like it.
    So, things to focus on next year....get good enough to make top ten in my Region....or at least place 16th! I have more positive influence than I ever thought possible, and it is because of the people I surround myself with. If anyone reading this needs some of that influence, you should come and let me introduce you to a couple of my friends.