Dear Friends,
To say it’s been too long would be the understatement of the year. On that note, let me say HAPPY NEW YEAR and also apologize for my lengthy absence. I can’t express too much remorse, however, as doing so would indicate that I regret the things that I was doing, other than connecting with all of you. Suspending the newsletter was not a conscious choice at first. It was simply the case that vivid life experiences were coming at me so rapidly that if I had any prayer of absorbing them, I had better commit my time to doing so, rather than trying to report on them.
The summer was full, beyond capacity, with rich happenings, along with the usual hustle of travel, tournaments, teaching lessons and kickin’ it Bumpass-style. From lights out skiing at the Bum Pass Water Ski Club TO the VA Championships and Jr. Development Clinics to “Skistock” Regionals at Pangaea TO the very emotional Malibu Open with our hero Dana Reed TO Calgary Canada and the wildest game of blackjack I ever played TO SOAKED Orlando, where I qualified in in first place, Buoy Wonder retired from pro skiing and Sparta got lost for an eternal 25 hours TO a remarkable September day, teaching a Maryland girl scout troop about the meaning of life, through skiing TO disappointment at Diablo Shores and then finally to a strong season’s finish in the south and my first but certainly not last Beaver Lake tournament, the profound life experiences just began to pile on top of one another. To try to explain any of the events, beginning with SOAKED, in any detail, could fill an entire book alone. Couple that with the constant travel and the extra attention that my wingman both needed and deserved, and there was no time to share these tales with everyone (especially through the amazingly frustrating medium of “MailChimp”). Yes, I’ll be sticking to these blog posts from now on…
With the onset of the offseason, Granddad and I began to catch up on all non-skiing matters. It’s amazing how much more there is to life! Fortunately, we have been catching up quite well. We have been spending a lot of time with family, getting our bodies healthy and strong and having some great times together. I am proud to share that I met a wonderful and beautiful gal. We met briefly, right before nationals and Calgary. It took two months to get together again, but since that encounter on October 11 – well, let’s just say life has been good. Granddad was initially disappointed that he could no longer provide his wingman services but that’s when I explained that now it was I who would be his wingman. I think I’m doing pretty well…
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year. We got to enjoy all of these holidays to the tune of Redskins’ victories. RG3 is going to be back and better than ever. He is the man and I’m just glad he’s into football not waterskiing. My goal for this season is to channel my inner RG3 and become to waterskiing what he was to the Redskins this year. Thus, I’ll need to be a superhero, even if I don’t dress up as one (as often).
To say that I’m excited for the 2013 season would be the understatement of the NEW YEAR. I am fired up beyond measure. You can say you heard it here; THIS IS MY YEAR. I have many exciting changes to announce and I promise to do so as the winter bows to spring. I am going to kick of the new season and take my first sets of 2013 tomorrow! It is going to hit 70 in Bumpass this weekend and that means it is GAME ON! Then I’m going to keep things rolling, as Granddad and I road trip to Florida and then jet-set to Waterski! Costa Rica. From there Granddad will return to Vegas to look for those show girls and I will continue to Ski Paradise Acapulco. If the skiing goes as well as I’m feeling, I will book a ticket to Australia and continue the ski-a-thon to the other side of the world!
Paul and Corey in the Most Intense Race Ever
Thank you, great friends, for making this past year so wonderful and rich. I think I have finally, fully absorbed all of the remarkable events of the past half year. When I step back and look at these experiences as a collective whole, I am left with nothing but pure exuberance for 2013. If you aren’t planning for this to be the best year of your life: CHANGE YOUR PLANS IMMEDIATELY! I can’t wait to see all of you and share the three greatest things we know:
PEACE, LOVE & WATERSKIING!
Core
