Often times I am asked how I get involved in certain things. I read a fantastic book about a year ago by Shondra Rhimes called Year of Yes. I have written in my journal for over a year now that “I am surrounded by opportunity.” And today I embark on another adventure/opportunity as a result of this. As a fearless mentor once told me - “say yes, figure it out later!”
A step back to learn how I arrived at today:
As I was trolling through my Facebook news feed one evening at the beginning of April, I came across a post that a good friend had shared:
"Ladies, the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes needs female cyclists to pilot/captain a tandem at the May 9-15 camp in Colorado Springs. Funding available. Interested? Apply here:"
I reached out to the friend that posted to see if she knew anything else and had any pull to get my application through as I was considering applying. Her response was that she was passing it on from another post and that was all the info that she had. I looked through the post, the event and the application, checked my schedule to see if the logistics had a chance of working out with family activities, races, etc. and next thing I knew I had pressed submit.
In the next several days, the anticipation of whether or not I would be accepted was high. I checked my email box constantly and kept looking at the event to see if the details had changed within the event. And then, the email arrived confirming that I had been selected for the camp! As I looked through my acceptance, I suddenly panicked and sent an email to the facilitator to confirm that I had been accepted as a pilot. She politely responded that yes, I was in the right spot!!
This is what I knew about the camp at this point. It is the USABA Tandem Cycling Development Camp. The United States Association of Blind Athletes. The camp is being hosted at the United States Olympic Training Center from May 9th through May 15th. Camp participants will be staying at the USOC as registered athletes, eating and training on the facility. There will be a professional coaching staff and lots of riding.
Now, the questions started in my brain. Who will my partner at the camp be? Will I have the same partner the whole time? Will I be ok as lead on a tandem? What if I am not a good enough cyclist to keep up with my athlete? What if he/she unclips on the opposite side as me? The list gets crazier and more ridiculous the more time that I had to ponder. I would wake up in the morning with a new list of questions. Run scenarios by friends and more. Time to embrace the “say yes, figure it out later” mentality.
I worked for the next few weeks on controlling the controllables. Making arrangements for the girls while I am gone. Getting rides covered, activities taken care of etc. Thank you to my awesome husband and all of my friends for stepping up into these roles!
As the month went on, we started to receive some information. Checklist of items to pack, arrival information and more. We were then connected with our athletes and ultimately provided with a tentative schedule of activities.
I have had the opportunity to connect on many occasions with my Stoker now. She is arriving from Saint Louis today and coming with her guide dog Chandra. We will be staying together at the USOC and working together throughout the week. I am thrilled to meet them later today.
The schedule for camp is jam packed. The USABA is definitely providing a complete opportunity to all attending. I had the opportunity to connect with one of the coaches ahead of time and am excited for our adventure. We will be exploring all aspects of cycling and racing. Road riding, time trial, criterium and even stints in the velodrome. I have to say that seeing velodrome on the schedule definitely increased the pucker factor for me, but something on my bucket list that I will now have the opportunity to check off.
I am going into the camp a bit anxious, a bit nervous, really excited and eager to learn. I look forward to new friends, new connections and new opportunities. Stay tuned for updates. I will do my best to provide a play by play recap.
Here we go!!
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