Grubby at the Olympics - Part Tres

Went to Malone's after my Thursday night driving session. Got to watch Grubby in the final heat and he was crashed out by the South African racer. I drove home with my eyes brimming....

Even writing this right now, my eyes water. He has been so close to world championships and Olympic gold but has yet been able to make it through the final stretch. His misses have been mechanical or being crashed out, he has not had the opportunity to race it all the way to the tape.

And as he has said, "That's racing."

On another note, Jill did pull off a medal run in her final heat and took home the Bronze!

Grubby at the Olympics - Part Deux

Apparently the BMX has been postponed (rain?). I'm doing my best to stay calm and be patient for the reschedule. Perhaps Friday?

Go Grubby!

edit: Additionally, for those of you who have never seen a bmx race, here is the Olympic coverage of the quarterfinals.

http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/share.html?videoid=0820_hd_cbb_en154

Just another day in the office

I saw a really cool thing yesterday afternoon.

We had a group of children and their parents, numbering around 40, take a tour of our factory at the end of the day. They are all on a cycling team which runs criterium practices on the road loop here in our business park. As they returned to the front office after touring the factory, Jared Graves happened to be hanging out working on his laptop.

The throng was introduced to Grubby (Yeti's nickname for Jared) and he began fielding questions from adults and children. This is nothing special or unusual (to us). Grubby is here at the factory every few months. He is a friend of ours and has stayed at my house for extended periods of time. He has been on the Yeti Factory Race team for several years and is always a contender for the podium in DH, 4X and Dual Slalom events. In August, he heads off to China to represent Austrailia during the inaugural Olympic BMX race.

Wait.

The Olympics.

Grubby, to us, is just another one of the guys. He rides faster than all of us but we laugh, kid around, talk trash and wrestle with him. We forget that he is one of the elite few who has the opportunity to compete at the highest level. In the eyes of this tour group, Grubby is a demigod.

I stood at the back of the group to listen and watch. When they finished and went on their way, I walked over to Grubby and thanked him for being so friendly and accessible. We talked about how even he forgets what being an Olympian means to so many people.

As I left our office, I was reflecting on how incredible it is to have an Olympian in our midst. And I overheard parents who were still outside our office effusively gushing over what an incredible experience they were just witness to. I was left with the thought that while it was just another day in the office for me, it was a day that may define the athletic aspirations for the children who had a chance to sit and talk with a young man who has Olympic gold within his reach.