Life... so good!

First blog post... here goes!

This past weekend was a whirlwind! I flew out on Thursday for Kansas City for my first meeting with the Student Advisory Team.
I met my fellow SAT members that evening and immediately felt at ease among these bright, motivated, and often hilarious people. One thing that I love about Agriculture Future of America is it's ability to unite people across the Nation for agriculture. Sounds silly, but I've learned a lot from my yankee and western friends. As it turns out, sweet tea may not be the main ingredient for making nice people (of course, it does help!).
Saturday night my plane landed at the GSP airport where I was picked up by my sweet friend Alex Kellum. We promptly left for Macon, GA where we would be racing in the South Eastern Conference Championship. We arrived at 1 am (after nearly crashing into a deer that decided that he was just too good for the woods).
The road race Sunday morning was wild... and by wild, I mean that you could literally feel the tight nerves and tension in the air. As soon as the race official said "go" gears began grinding as each competitor began moving in to place. There is no doubt in my mind that everyone was nervous and questioning whether they really had what it takes to do their best.
Not surprisingly, there was an attack early on in the race on the first hill. I stayed with them for a little bit but soon realized that the break away group of five people would not stay together. Two of the girls were pro's and significantly better than the other three. I settled into the race and set up a pace line with Stephanie Bunnett from Mars Hill. We managed to keep a strong, steady pace and before long the slower members of the break away group began to drop back and join us. This placed Stephanie and I in the perfect position to beat them because we hadn't burnt all our matches on the attack.
2/3 into the race we attacked and managed to stayed away from the group. It was exhilarating! I love the rush that comes from breaking away from the group and racing down hills at 40 mph with pack of competitors trying to chase you down!
Although the two girls that I broke away with beat me in the final sprint, I finished the race in sheer exhaustion and with the satisfaction that I had given it my all.
Unfortunately Stephanie got a slow flat tire and was not able to keep up with the break away group. She still finished 7th despite her technical difficulties!

Nationals here I come!