Greetings from the Real World
Greetings from the real world. I have left bobsled world and come back to real life.
I know it's been ages since the last post. I kept putting off writing until it seemed like there was too much to say. Typical Nicole. Well, I've decided I need to get back on the proverbial writing horse and ride like the wind. My goal is to write something every day this week. That's right, you heard it folks. I'm going to exercise those writing muscles again by writing every day this week. I figure if I'm going to spend the time in the gym working on all these muscles for bobsled, it's high time I flexed those writing brain muscles too.
I guess I'll start with is the whole reason I started this blog, sharing my bobsled life with y'all. What a crazy season this was! My last post was about making my first national team (still makes me grin like a fool when I say it). USA-3 is still a self-funded position, even as a member of the national team. Because I didn't have the funds to race in Europe on the World Cup circuit, I raced in Calgary and Whistler in November on North America's Cup, trained in Utah and New York in December, competed in my first 3 World Cup races in January, and settled in Utah for a few weeks of training in February. The end of February and beginning of March brought 4 more NAC races to round out my season. It doesn't seem like a long time when you write it in such a short summary like that. Those 6 months from October to March felt both long and short, as they do every season. Time flies by when you live in 1 to 3 week chunks. New locations, new faces, new experiences. I love this adventurous life, but at the end of another season, I was definitely ready to spend time at home for the summer.
Last year I spent the last February and March studying hard during my season so that I would be prepared to sit for the professional engineering exam, which was right after the season. Thank heavens I passed so I didn't have to go through that again this year! Hallelujah! This year was more stressful and filled with craziness, and I honestly don't know if I could have handled both. So as my season came to an end, I needed a little time off before getting back in the 8-5 work mode. I just have to say that my family is amazing! Love you Mom & Dad! I flew into Dallas, spent a day at home doing laundry and unpacking, then drove to Kansas and spent a week with my parents. Funny how my recovery from a vagabond bobsled life was to travel more, but I love a good road trip. I didn't realize how exhausted I was until I got in the car and was all by myself. Bobsled is amazing, don't get me wrong, but there aspects that are so taxing. I am constantly rooming with the people I compete against, often times also living in the same place as my coaches who make you feel like you're under constant scrutiny, and there's all the politics. I'm a pretty positive person, but it can wear you down after months and months. My parents house was so peaceful. I could let down the shields and just relax without having to be "on" all the time. I could just be me. I pushed through with that break last year, but I am so very grateful for that time to decompress before starting back at work.
I just have to stop and smile when I think about all the experiences I was privileged to be a part of this year. I've never gotten to compete in a full race season before because people ranked above me always got some of the NAC races typically allotted for development pilots. This year I competed in all 8 North American Cup races plus the 3 World Cup races. So crazy! What a difference a year makes. I've learned so much about myself, my driving style, sliding, my coaches and bobsled in general. It's amazing to look back and see how much I grow each year and how much that affects my capacity to take in more information and grow the next season. I'm so glad God brought bobsled into my life. It has been challenging spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically. I also know it's given me an amazing platform to share life with so many people I never would have met otherwise. I don't know where God is taking me on this crazy journey, but I'm excited to see what happens.
I know it's been ages since the last post. I kept putting off writing until it seemed like there was too much to say. Typical Nicole. Well, I've decided I need to get back on the proverbial writing horse and ride like the wind. My goal is to write something every day this week. That's right, you heard it folks. I'm going to exercise those writing muscles again by writing every day this week. I figure if I'm going to spend the time in the gym working on all these muscles for bobsled, it's high time I flexed those writing brain muscles too.
I guess I'll start with is the whole reason I started this blog, sharing my bobsled life with y'all. What a crazy season this was! My last post was about making my first national team (still makes me grin like a fool when I say it). USA-3 is still a self-funded position, even as a member of the national team. Because I didn't have the funds to race in Europe on the World Cup circuit, I raced in Calgary and Whistler in November on North America's Cup, trained in Utah and New York in December, competed in my first 3 World Cup races in January, and settled in Utah for a few weeks of training in February. The end of February and beginning of March brought 4 more NAC races to round out my season. It doesn't seem like a long time when you write it in such a short summary like that. Those 6 months from October to March felt both long and short, as they do every season. Time flies by when you live in 1 to 3 week chunks. New locations, new faces, new experiences. I love this adventurous life, but at the end of another season, I was definitely ready to spend time at home for the summer.
Last year I spent the last February and March studying hard during my season so that I would be prepared to sit for the professional engineering exam, which was right after the season. Thank heavens I passed so I didn't have to go through that again this year! Hallelujah! This year was more stressful and filled with craziness, and I honestly don't know if I could have handled both. So as my season came to an end, I needed a little time off before getting back in the 8-5 work mode. I just have to say that my family is amazing! Love you Mom & Dad! I flew into Dallas, spent a day at home doing laundry and unpacking, then drove to Kansas and spent a week with my parents. Funny how my recovery from a vagabond bobsled life was to travel more, but I love a good road trip. I didn't realize how exhausted I was until I got in the car and was all by myself. Bobsled is amazing, don't get me wrong, but there aspects that are so taxing. I am constantly rooming with the people I compete against, often times also living in the same place as my coaches who make you feel like you're under constant scrutiny, and there's all the politics. I'm a pretty positive person, but it can wear you down after months and months. My parents house was so peaceful. I could let down the shields and just relax without having to be "on" all the time. I could just be me. I pushed through with that break last year, but I am so very grateful for that time to decompress before starting back at work.
I just have to stop and smile when I think about all the experiences I was privileged to be a part of this year. I've never gotten to compete in a full race season before because people ranked above me always got some of the NAC races typically allotted for development pilots. This year I competed in all 8 North American Cup races plus the 3 World Cup races. So crazy! What a difference a year makes. I've learned so much about myself, my driving style, sliding, my coaches and bobsled in general. It's amazing to look back and see how much I grow each year and how much that affects my capacity to take in more information and grow the next season. I'm so glad God brought bobsled into my life. It has been challenging spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically. I also know it's given me an amazing platform to share life with so many people I never would have met otherwise. I don't know where God is taking me on this crazy journey, but I'm excited to see what happens.
