Now that was FUN!!!

I think I made the right choice.

Many years ago, I started competitive swimming at the age of 7. I don't think I could actually swim until I was 8 but I was on the team when I was 7. At my first practice I think I almost drown. I was flailing, got a mouth full of water and one of the older kids had to push me over to the gutter. I was terrified but managed to stick with it. In second grade, when I was 8, I raced at my first swim meet. I don't remember the events or how many kids I swam against but I do remember I 'won' two 4th place ribbons. I was floating on cloud 9. I remember taking them to school and showing them to my class. I'm pretty sure my classmates were wondering why I was so happy. I mean, dude, you got 4th. But from that day on I was hooked.

Today, Ms. K and I headed down to Hellyer with our neighbor, DDT, for the first of the 'Get Ready For Summer' series. On the drive down there was a substantive discussion about what field I should race: the B field or the C field. Ms. K didn't want me to race in her field but I've only done two mass start races on the track, both points races. Also, the omnium today included two types of races that I had no clue how to race: the Keirin and the Miss & Out. I was worried the B's would be over my head but decided to defer to the promoter. At the track, our friendly promoter Rick, suggested I try the B's and said my lack of experience shouldn't get in the way. I also had an experienced teammate, RC, to lend advice so I decided to try the B field.

Keirin: The first race was the Keirin, a race I had little or no clue how to approach. I'd seen a few YouTube videos but didn't really have much of a clue about strategy. The moto wound us up to 31 mph and pulled off with 1.5 laps to go. I happily let myself sit pinned in the sprinter's lane all the way to the 3rd turn. I crossed the line last....no advancing for you. Hmmmm...maybe racing the B's wasn't such a good idea.

Scratch Race: This race I can grasp...it's like a short crit on the track. Webcor had a big contingent and I'd already experienced their team tactics earlier this year so I suspected they would be working together. We started and there were a few attacks in the first few laps but they didn't stick. Then Rob from Webcor got off the front with another rider from Kovarus and they created a big gap quickly. Webcor was at the front disrupting the chase. I found a little daylight and jumped to try to bridge. I made it...woohooo!!! We managed to stay away for 15 laps. The photo finish picked me second. Well, ok, maybe I can do this.

Miss & Out: The third race was another I wasn't really sure how to approach. Luckily, I was able to watch the C's race and figured out where I didn't want to be. Teamie RC told me we had to work to keep me in as long as possible and spent more than a few laps shielding me from the wind. As we got down to the final 8 I decided I was happier on the front. I lasted until the final 3 but didn't have the legs to contest the sprint so I had to be content with 3rd. Wait a second...I'm actually in this thing.

Points Race: The finale was the points race. As the day was running long, Rick decided to combine the A's and B's for a 40 lap points race with sprints every 10th lap. Oooo, I knew this was going to hurt but I thought if I could get just a few points I might improve my standing in the Omnium. I also thought my best bet was to get some points early as my legs were starting to complain about all I had asked of them earlier in the day. The attacks started almost from the whistle. I hoped I could get away with another Webcor rider and we might stay away until at least the first sprint. No such luck. I was out of the points for the first two sprints but so were the rest of the B's. Then there was a crash in turn 4. Luckily I had an out onto the apron. Three or Four other riders weren't so lucky. While most came away with scrapes there was at least one broken bone in the crowd. We restarted with 18 laps to go. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to sneak into the points and at least one of the B's scored on the last sprint. Ouch...that one hurt.

Omnium: Well, I managed to eek out a 4th in the overall. It was a really fun day of racing and I learned a bunch. I think I might be hooked.