Bumble Bees

There's a popular urban legend that scientists can't find a reason why bumble bees fly. Aerodynamically, they shouldn't be able to. But, through brute force, they somehow find a way.

I don't know if that's actually true, but I do know that we've all been bumble bees at some point in our lives, whether its academically, physically, or professionally.

We don't know our limitations so we just go for it anyway, sometimes through sheer force.

As a former youth coach I've seen every aspect of athleticism. From the kid who doesn't need to try hard to perform well, to the one who works hard and tries his best, but remains in the bottom third of the lineup. Or, the kid (my son) who was told he wouldn't amount to much on the field but defies that. (insert proud dad moment)

As Meredith mentioned in her last post, there are a lot more competitors on the water these days and the competition and will to win is fierce.

It can be discouraging and intimidating to line up at the start with those kinds of people.

Now, as an an ambassador and instructor of this sport, I take my job of fostering the community very seriously. And there's always one thing I tell every student who's approached me about participating in the race circuit: The SUP race community is like none other.

[A note to new paddlers: If a paddler in first place came across another paddler in distress, that competitor would give up their place on the podium to help out their fellow waterman/woman. In my opinion, there's simply no other competitive community where that would happen.]

My point is that it doesn't matter if you're a bumble bee and you feel out of place at your race. Find a way to get to that start line and go when the gun fires.

Sure, a lot of training goes into winning but that shouldn't deter the weekend warriors from getting out on the water and being a part of the community. And those weekend warriors should still be respected for what they bring to each race they can attend.

Do you want to set a personal record for yourself? Do you want to simply get from the start line to the finish line? Do you want to stand on the podium as a first, second, or third place finisher?

It doesn't matter what kind of person you are or where you place in a race. It matters that you show up.

And, maybe most importantly, it matters that we continue to foster an inclusive, encouraging community so that people can continue to show up and don't feel intimidated.

Aloha,

Scott