The First Hundred Years: Clearwater Yacht Club, 1911-2011

120 The First Hundred Years: Clearwater Yacht Club, 1911-2011 For me, on a more personal level, having Paige not reach her goal of winning the Trials, I was able to watch her (and I might add our entire family) experience the lowest of all disappointments. Sometimes there is no celebration, sometimes there is no feeling of satisfaction and sometimes there is…only disappointment to embrace. Even though many people allow that disappointment to douse their flame, a champion does not and to Emily, Paige, Brad and Kurt, thank you all for displaying given the privilege of representing the US in each of the handful of Olympic sailing classes. The decision all comes down to who wins in a grueling round of Olympic trials. To participate in the trials is a tremendous honor in itself. The ultimate goal, however, is to win the bid for a seat on the Olympic team. Zach made it. His sister Paige and his friends Emily Billing, Kurt Taulbee, and Brad Funk did not. Zach’s victory was bittersweet and in his speech that night, he humbly recognized that he was not the only champion in the room. When I think of a champion, I immediately think of three things. I think of someone who has taken on a task that challenges them to push beyond their own limits, overcome obstacles, or support a cause that they are passionate about… To me the process of pushing yourself to new limits and challenging yourself to “go beyond the regular expected limits” is only a fraction of what makes a champion. Champions also must be able to handle not only the thrill of winning but also… the agony of defeat...A champion never loses their drive for improvement. They are always setting new goals and levels to reach even though this may require taking one step back to go two steps forward … Overcoming obstacles is by far the most important of the three qualities that I think make up a champion. We all know that our little yacht club recently sent 5 sailors to the Olympic Trials which was unprecedented and a huge accomplishment for all the members. In the aftermath of the trials Emily, Paige, Brad and Kurt were faced with deciding what they would do with the disappointment of not winning the bid to China and knowing that they had until 2012 to try again for their Olympic dream… While I am sure they all handled their situation in different ways, the common denominator they all had was to “dust themselves off, pick themselves up, and get back on the horse again!!” They have shown their true champion spirit by continuing to compete at both local… and… international levels….They have also taken on new challenges such as a professional career, continuing with their university education… and moving on with their family life. They have all displayed great character and it proves to all of us what great champions they truly are…