Dear Garnet Gauntleteers
A special message to all competing in the Garnet Gauntlet!
As you lay out your special outfit in preparation for tomorrow’s Garnet Gauntlet, go to bed envisioning the biggest, strongest, and fastest version of yourself you have ever been. You see, I do not have actual kids. I do not know what it looks like when your little 5 year old gets their first hit in baseball or catches their first wave. What I do have however, is all of you. Throughout the year I watch you train, get stronger, and hone in on the skills that make you awesome at fitness. You show up, work hard, and then go home not really seeing how much your life is changing on a daily basis. What I see is athletes developing confidence. Athletes, that never thought overhead squats were possible, performing them to their maximum ability in front of their peers.
Competition is very interesting thing. For some, the only reason to compete is to win. Yes, there will be winners tomorrow. For some, competition is about testing themselves regardless of what others are doing. And yes, I expect to see many PR’s tomorrow. For me, as your coach, this competition is a symbol of the confidence you have developed in yourself. No matter what the results are, you should all be incredibly proud of yourself for taking the risk to sign up, put your skills to the test, and doing it with the people you get to train with daily. I do not have kids, but I have you all, and you should know that I am incredibly proud of all of you. I know that competing can be stressful. I know that you feel the pressure to perform well and do your best. When you go to sleep tonight, envisioning yourself crushing every workout, know that the hard part is already over. All the training, workouts, and food have made you the best person you can be today. I am proud of the athlete you are, the confidence it takes to take a risk, and attitude that says, “This is me, my sweet outfit, my partner, and we came here to kill it.” No matter the outcome, know that you will leave the day a stronger person for taking a risk and putting all your cards on the table.
Sleep well team. I am so excited to see this thing tomorrow.
