After the holidays, I returned to Colorado from Seattle. Immediately, I was engulfed by a wave of emotions about riding. The passions that had driven me for so many years were now back and I wanted to ride again. I lost so much sleep thinking about the riding I probably only slept 3-5 hours a night (instead of the usually 8) for about a week.
I began contemplating what it would take for me to return to not only ride again, but to try to get back on track to be an FEI rider again. The logical option would be to return back to Seattle. The first reason being the quality of riding in the Northwest is much better than in Colorado. The second reason, and the most important, is the level of support that I would receive. I would obviously have the backing of my parents, have the guidance of my first trainer Wendy Meyers, and a network of old friends and colleagues from when I used to ride in Seattle.
This past weekend, I flew back to Seattle for a friend's funeral. By that point I was heavily leaning towards riding full-time again, and while I was in town I threw the idea out to some close friends and family. The idea received an emphatic YES!
Flying back on Sunday, my plan was to start telling my athletes of my change in direction within a week or two. This was the most agonizing part of this decision as I was leaving guys I have worked with for a couple of years and watched them develop into stellar athletes during that time. My hope was that I could continue working with them remotely (via email and phone) through at least the 2008 season. I did not want to abandon them as I feel I gave them my word to coach them for at least this season. Additionally, I wanted to help them achieve the goals we set out for this season and future season too.
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