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Sunday, November 18, 2012

Racing Season comes to a close...or does it...

For those of you new to my forum, bare with me, I do not always talk about miniatures and wargaming on this blog, because I like to rant and rave about sports, that should be fairly obvious if you look around on my blog with all of the kart racing and the Czabe, who is currently part of the Yahoo Sports Radio Network in my blog list.  Sports for me is a huge part of life, it hardens you, it makes you focus.  It teaches you how to deal with the winning and the losing.  Its life lessons in an arena where its okay to lose once in awhile, as long as you learn from it and you come away with the knowledge of what it takes to succeed as an individual or as part of a team.

This weekend was not about football for me, it was racing, as Nascar comes to a season ending weekend with all 3 of the series, I did not watch a single football game this weekend, did get a couple Badger Hockey games in the evenings. 

I am certainly a fan of Brad Keselowski, the newest Sprint Cup Champion.  I like rooting for the Midwestern guys, I rooted for his dad years ago, and this is a guy I get.  He's calculating.  He has a huge chip on his shoulder and I'm glad he speaks mind, even if that means rubbing some people wrong being brutally honest.  I'm not brash like he is, but I certainly don't like backing down to anyone, anytime.  Its nice to see guys like Carl Edwards, the so-called poster-child, and others heads explode when this guy wins.  His Sports Center interview after the win is an instant classic. 

I don't know what its like to win at that level, I know what its like to win at a local level, so I can only imagine the exhilaration.  Until this year, my entire time in sports competition, all the ball sports, I have never been a part of or won a championship.  That's a long drought, now that I'm in my 40s and once again competing, I never thought that I would win a race in a racing kart.  I dreamed that I would one day with my father who I grew up watching race.  I wanted so much to be a part of that as a young kid being around it, but the cost in dollars to do so was so prohibitive back then.  Not to mention, that there is a certain amount of fear to overcome going that fast sitting a 1/2-inch off the ground.  The winning of races came often this past spring and summer and worked its way into a Championship at a local level, in equipment that we had built.  I know my old man was extremely excited to see, as I was also happy to see him at 65 still be able to beat guys that were 10-20 years younger than me even.  I know what that pride is about, I can only imagine would it would be like to be Brad or Ricky Stenhouse who won the Nationwide Championship, and to be a part of those organizations.  It's cool to see from the outside looking in. 

And now, the off season begins.  I'm going to be training, at my age, I need to stay fit to continue doing this.  And my dad and I will shortly begin the building of a new kart for next season.  Lighter, stronger, and hopefully faster than I can drive it.  As always persevere...

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