First off, let me tell you how proud I am of my three kids. Tyson is in his last year of college at Fontbonne on a 100% baseball scholarship. Hanna has moved to Dallas for an amazing marketing job at WileyX Sunglasses, her first job straight of college. And the youngest, Eli, has set his sights on becoming a great mountain bike racer. It's not their accomplishments exactly that I'm proud of. It's their drive. It's their tenacity. It's the idea that their lives are going to be better because of things they've worked hard for.
This weekend was the kickoff of the Missouri NICA race season for 2022 at St. Joe State Park. The school-age mountain bike racing organization keeps growing and growing. The Beautiful Mrs. K and I tagged along to watch Eli race in his first Varsity class race. At the end of last year's NICA season, Eli vowed that he would make the podium in 2022. He's worked hard at this goal and has made incredible improvements in his riding.
As we've come to expect from NICA races, Sunday morning was buzzing with excitement and the crowds were huge. 400-ish kids, more teams than ever, and a big, big group of people hovering over the start line to see the Varsity kids take off. So encouraging to see this many people at 9am, when the racing would go on for the different classes for 6 more hours!
I actually struggled to get a shot of Eli in the starting chute, as the spectators lined the snow fencing. He had a third row start, which is not bad for him as he is a very fast starter. I held my breath for 18 minutes, waiting for his first lap to be over and he came through in great position. Two to go. After the second lap, he still had great position and was looking strong when I handed him a water bottle. One to go.
If there is anything I've learned about having kids, it's that hoping for the best for them is the most painful and glorious thing in life. My hope for my kids is that they reach whatever it is that they want the most. I stopped breathing again when I saw Eli swing out of the woods and onto the pavement for the run-in to the finish. He had a very good rider just a few feet from his back wheel. Eli is a super strong sprinter so when he flew onto the grass toward the finish, I yelled LIGHT IT UP ELI!!! and that's exactly what he did. His huge effort was enough for a solid 4th place. I could breathe again.
No words.
There are moments in life I won't forget. This podium shot is one of them.
Great job, Eli!
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