It's March. Are You Still Racing?

Ayrton Senna was one of the most talented race car drivers of all time.  He was insanely aggressive, often to his own detriment, as well as to that of his competitors.  He once famously tested the laws of quantum physics in the first turn at a world championship race, trying to fit 2 cars into the space of one, with the result that he quickly and completely eliminated himself (the favorite) and Alain Prost (the other favorite) from the race about 3 seconds after the start.  Neither of the drivers would give way to the other, and as a result they ripped each others wheels off.

Senna also once made a point that should resonate with anyone who competes.  When asked by Jackie Stewart, in the least comprehensible way possible, to explain the frequent contact between Senna's own race car and the others on the track, his response was simple, if a little indignant.  Addressing his interviewer directly by last name, he answered:

"If you no longer go for the gap that exists, you are no longer a racing driver."

So as we approach the final competition phase for the season, ask yourself whether or not you're still racing.  Are you still in the game, or are you simply at the game?  Some of you have made the ski team you wanted to make, others haven't.  Some have scored the points they wanted to and achieved the results they were looking for, and others have not.  But that doesn't matter.  What matters is what happens when you show up at the race.  Are you still racing?

Whether you've won or lost so far this year is largely irrelevant.  What you are doing now is still the only thing that matters as to whether or not you have a successful season.  Remember: "If you no longer go for the gaps..."

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