Thursday, December 6, 2007

Opening Ceremonies

Breathe...Enjoy the ride. I get this advice a lot. At the World Cup in Sydney, I definitely was so focused on the outcome that I may not have appreciated the experience as much as I should have. But now, with some space between the racing, I'm able to reflect on a lot of great memories.

It was super cool to have witnessed the speed of Theo Bos while he was launching his flying 200. I was riding behind him before his twin turbos kicked into overdrive. It's the ultimate image of speed. I enjoyed the Kilo the best, since I was able to sit up on the starting gate and take in the moment. The stands were packed with cheering Aussie's, the infield was a vibrant color of all the national federations. And there were so many top riders present, who I only saw prior to Sydney on DVDs. And most of all, the opportunity to meet many good interesting people with different backgrounds was priceless.

Last night, I was fortunate enough to experience the SEA Games opening ceremony. It was simply magical. It was unlike any sporting experience I've had. My heart skipped a few beats as we entered the stadium. I did not expect the event to be so grand. As I walked into the stadium, from the silent staging tunnel, we were greeted by an overwhelming applause accompanied by the sounds of a beating drum. Images of Gladiator came to mind. For a moment, lost in my imagination, it felt as though all the thousands of fans, cameras, media, TV coverage, the Prince, were focused on me. And like Maximus, I held my arms high and thought, "Are you not entertained?"

We all marched in dressed in our respective team outfits waving our flags. I wanted to break formation and run up to the stands and give everyone a high five. I was simply and completely overjoyed to be part of this. It would have been perfect had my family and friends been here to enjoy the festivities with me.

The evening was like a Superbowl spectacle of fire works, music, and dancing, but with a very special spicy Thai flavor. The night was just as Maggy would say, "OOOsome." Breathe and enjoy the ride - Absolutely!

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

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