Tyler Takes the WIN!!!!

You all remember the saying, "This hurts me more than it does you."  What's the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear that saying?  Often times that phrase is uttered by a parent dealing with something related to their children.  As kids we thought our parents were nuts for saying something like that.  We thought to ourselves, "That's crazy, how could this possibly hurt you more than me!"  As kids we just didn't understand and it would take years until we fully appreciated what that saying really meant.


Well, much the same thing can be said about joyous moments in the lives of our children as well.  Seeing one of your own children experience success is a joyous thing to behold and I think I can finally say that I understand the true meaning behind, "This hurts me more that it does you."  Well actually I understood the saying long before this past weekend but let's just say the meaning was solidified more this weekend.

Years ago, when I was a kid, I was playing baseball and I really wasn't very good at all.  It certainly wasn't my sport and it showed.  I tried but it just wasn't going to be my sport.  My parents were working really hard at fixing up our new house and on this particular weekend my Dad took me to my game.  It was the bottom of the 9th, we were winning the game but I don't recall what the score was.  The other team was up to bat and we just needed one more out to win the game.  A kid I went to school with was on the other team, he was a year older than me, and he always picked on me in school.  His Dad was somewhat of a pompous jerk and his son was following in his footsteps at a rapid rate.  I could see his Dad pat his son on the back and point at me in the outfield.  I knew what that meant...  The ball was coming at me!  Remember when I said I wasn't that great at baseball, well there's another saying too...  "Every Dog has his day".  This was my day!!!  Just as I expected the ball was hit directly to me in the outfield.  I had a bad habit of running at the ball and misjudging it and the ball would fly past me, but I remembered what my Dad told me and stayed put until I could get my bearings on the ball.  My Mom would always remind me to use both hands to catch the ball so I did what my parents taught me and then it happened....  I actually caught it!  The final out of the game.  WE WON!  I could see my Dad jumping up and down excited about what I had just accomplished and he was more excited than I was....  At that time I couldn't understand why he was more excited than me.  Well, this weekend I got the chance to experience the same emotion.  Personal success is a great thing, but being there to witness the success of your child is AWESOME!!!!

Fast forward some 30 years and Tyler and I are at the go kart races on Sunday and Tyler gets his very first win!!!  Suddenly I was the Dad on the sidelines cheering for my son as I watched him take the Checkered Flag for the very first time!!!  It was a feeling I'll never forget.  I quite literally had tears in my eyes as he crossed the finish line in 1st place!

 

Tyler has been racing since he's been 5 years old and he started in those little battery operated "Power Wheels".  I've always been a big race fan and during our go kart races they thought it would be fun to have "Power Wheels" races for the younger kids.  I asked Tyler if he wanted to try it and he jumped at the chance! 

By the second race another kid showed up with a "Modified Power Wheels" and he destroyed all of us.  Tyler and I had our work cut out for us but eventually we beat the other boy and Tyler won the "Power Wheels Championship".   Tyler only got one season in the "Power Wheels" and then we had to move up to the kid karts.  

Yesterday was the second race for "The Mazda Heartland Sprint Series" here in Kansas City (Mazda Heartland Sprint Series ) and Tyler ran the perfect race!  He and his nearest competition, Henry Williams, must have swapped the lead at least 4 or 5 times during a 12 lap race.  Tyler had been in the lead for the last two laps but on the final lap of the race Henry had taken the lead away from Tyler.  It started to look like we were going to get 2nd place, but Henry drove too deep into the corner and spun his kart and Tyler saw an opportunity and without hesitation he took it.  The two came out of the corner side by side and it was drag race down the straight away.  By the next corner Tyler completed the pass and there were only two turns left and 300 feet to the finish line.  Tyler crossed the line first and took the checkered flag!  It was the single most exciting race I've ever watched and I can honestly say that I can fully appreciate the meaning behind the saying, "This hurts me more than it does you."  While the words of the saying don't apply to this particular situation the loving meaning behind them does.  The total joy of seeing your child succeed is a feeling that can't be matched!!!  Congratulations Son!  I couldn't be more proud of you!!!!

Tyler takes the #26 Kid Kart to Victory Lane May 22, 2011 in "The Mazda Heartland Sprint Series"

Just this morning I got an e-mail from another kart racer which made Tyler's victory even more meaningful.  I have been trying to instill in Tyler how important it is to have good sportsmanship while racing and it was exciting enough to win the race, but to get compliments about your Son and how he conducted himself during that race made the victory even more meaningful.

Chris, So who was more excited about Tyler's win, him or you? You need to nickname that kid "the iceman." He drove a VERY consistent and smart race. It was fun to watch. Its not often that the better driver gets to beat the better kart. Watching how engrossed in his Mychron that he was on Saturday and how well he drove Sunday, you might have the makings of a real race car driver there. I was blown away at how he never got rattled.

 
While writing this another saying came to mind that is totally appropriate...  It's the saying that you'll find on that Successories photo:

PRIORITIES

A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove...but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.