If You Ain’t First, You’re Last
Tad Elliott
Gold Medal, standing on the top box, kissing pretty girls, spraying champagne – all things that might come to mind when winning the race. But that is not always where the happiest person of the day is. It takes a whole field to produce a winner. Podium positions don’t show who gave the most effort or relate to success. Those are just the athletes with the fastest times. It has been said that only a few people care how you race – you, your family, friends and teammates and they only care because you are much easier to be around if you race well. My magic races are not the ones that I have won but the ones where I finished way up from where I was usually placing or behind someone way better than me. (What up, Ivan.) Whoever you are, a master, that college kid, a fast local, or a pro, there is a young gun out there with your number, ready to take it. I remember one race where I got to race heads up against my idols. Before the race I was too scared to even talk to these guys let alone try and ski with them. They had a tougher day, and I had a magic one. I beat these pros for the first time. They had beat me plenty of times, too many to count, but after the race there was no griping, complaining, or excuses. They let me have my day, and gave me a high five and congratulated me. I now realize how tough that must have been for these guys, but I still remember it, and the class those pros showed. So if some dude who never finished up the hill before you, beats you in a race, lifted more than you, while you are far from stoked, remember how you felt when you accomplished something similar. Hook em up with a high five, MLB butt pat, congratulate them. Because when the next race comes around you need that guy to prove that you are good.
You’re truly right with this writing..