Or so says one of my old rugby coaches.
For those unfamiliar with the sport, rugby is a kind of mash up between soccer and football, though it's really an over simplification, but the point is it is a full contact sport, and really outside of mouth guards and taping your ears down, the average player doesn't wear a lot of protection. Motocross and off road are different were is we wear quite a bit of (very necessary!!!!) safety equipment, helmets, knee guards/braces, chest protectors, neck braces, goggles, gloves, etc.
But, I think the point is still valid. Bruises, bumps and minor scrapes are not only common, but they're kind of seen as a badge of pride, aren't they? A bruise meant you fell, and if you fell, well first you were trying something new, something you weren't sure of, or you were pushing, or there was some sort of adverse condition you needed to overcome and you didn't. And two: You got back up.
That second part is really the important part. Who cares if you fall? Everyone falls. It's just a matter of getting back up.
Getting back up is the key to success in any sport, and really in life. If you can finish, you should.
I just finished my first cross country and got third. I'm pretty happy with the way I rode; I was pretty consistent after the first lap. I had a horrible start, but ended up leading a lap at the half way point.
I didn't get any bruises, but my handle bars knocked into a few hardwoods sending some jarring shocks into my wrist. It's sore, and it was sore during the race, but it wasn't bad enough to quit.
Again, I didn't make a speech, but my thank you's are pretty much the same: Machine Racing, LGS, SRS, IMX (A lot of acronyms, eh?) - B, Bryan Marshall and family, Shelley, Curtis and Devin; the Head girls, Kathleen, Melissa and Emily; my competition and the organizers and land owners.
Next week is another race, and I'll be hoping to make it 3 for 3 on the podium at Mansfield.
