Quotes/Motivation page

G Force

My motivation

My favorite poem:

IF
Rudyard Kipling's Verse

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream-and not make dreams your master;
If you can think-and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings-nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And-which is more-you'll be a Man, my son!

Some of my favorite quotes:

Erica M.

I like to think of Erica and myself as the dynamic duo. We were practically living at RIC over the summer, and even saw eachother on our days off. We're always trying to out do eachother, no matter what the sport. Most recently it's been wakeboarding. I wanted to learn a few simple tricks, 180s, 360s, clearing the wake, that kind of stuff. I was stoked because I'd FINALLY get to beat Erica in something. (She'd just made the Nationoal Sled Hockey Team) and just on a whim, she thought she'd try some 180s. Go figure, she landed 'em. I was sooo stoked for her, but o man, it was on! I wasn't about to go home without landing a 180 or better. Honestly, I don't even remember if I landed one or not that day because I slammed so hard, so many times trying land that damn trick. Who would've thought that water could hurt so much? But the cool thing is that we're always pushing eachother to do better. Neither of us want to "lose" so we always go all out. It's great. I can honestly say though, that I beat her when it comes to paddling. Yea she's got arms of steel, but I'm almost rolling :)

Now that it's winter, it's snow skiing. She kicks my ass in that too. I have to get her in the park, she's hit the jumps, but not the rails. Watch out Alpine Valley, We're coming through!

I think I'm the luckiest person having only one hand. I get to do so much awesome stuff, but I rely on my legs... a lot. So if I couldn't really use them, I'd probably just sit in a closet somewhere and mope. I've never once heard Erica complain about not being able to do something (then again, there's not much she can't do) but there's no way I could do even half the things Erica does, so I have to give her major props.

Michelle Z.
I remember the first time I met her, on the way to Pennsylvania for summer amp camp. We were flying from O'Hare, and you guessed it, we were delayed...7 HOURS! She'd just gotten her stitches out from her surgery, and was allready going to sleep-away camp. She wasn't really pumped about going to a gimp camp, since she'd only been a gimp a month, max. But that camp wasn't what inspired me. It was a few summers ago when she was learning to water ski.

Each summer the kids camp goes up to Wisc. for a day of water skiing, jet-skiing, boating and swimming. After waiting for what seemed like forever, it was finally Michelles turn to go. She was trying a deep water start (On the rope, off the back of the boat). I swear, we were out for three hours while she was trying to get up. I was starting to go crazy in the boat, but she would not quit. "This is it, I can feel it", nope, next time, "Ok this is really it." Still no skiing. I remember starting with the sun up, and still being on the boat watching the sun setting over the trees. I was getting tired just watching her try. After I don't know, half the day, she got up for maybe 200 yards. She was just sooo physically exhausted her body wouldn't let her go. "I'm a disgrace to all the one-legged people in the world!" No Michelle you're anything but a disgrace. That's what it's all about, pushing yourself till you blow up, and can't go any longer. When I'm riding and I don't think I can go any longer, I think about that day, and if she can get dragged behind a boat for three hours, I can ride my bike up whatever hill I'm climbing.