My Other Life in the Pits

The alarm went off too early that day. I thought I had it perfectly planned how to get to the airport on time, but it still became a rush to get to the gate to Seattle. This is the intro to my other life.

For the last six years, my other life has revolved around racing. My wife Adriann and I have had the challenge of supporting our son’s efforts on the pathway to the IndyCar race series. This has involved many trips and many sacrifices. Most families would consider us nuts! It’s all my fault really, as I raced cars for a short five-year span in my early forties.

We’ve always believed in supporting our children’s passions. As with any professional sport, auto racing is no different, very few make it to the pinnacle. For us the plan was to go as far up the pathway to IndyCar as possible, as it’s considered the most difficult ladder to follow in the U. S. This year we found ourselves with Scott, our son, at the last level before IndyCar, the Indy lights series, starting his third year at that level.

I could argue that to go up to IndyCar from this level is more a matter of money, and lots of it. Most racers at this level have been vetted by the time they get here, so they’re all very talented. So, here’s the story of this family with little financial means or support to continue in Indy lights, or go up to IndyCar.

We made the decision to do a partial season in Indy lights and then change the plan. For now, we are going to where the opportunity and commercial money is, and for us that’s Red Bull Global Rally Cross. Scott recently completed his first weekend in Seattle and then his last race was in Los Angeles. It’s a different racing culture for us; younger, more TV exposure, and different cars.

We’ve been very blessed with an excellent race team, and with a man who believes in Scott and is branding him as his sports ambassador for his firm. Scott also has a team of people to brand him with other companies who fit in with his other passions: skiing, mountain biking, and mountain climbing.

So, the journey continues.  For me the benefits have been enormous despite the sacrifices. To see a young man grow and develop, and to have time on planes to write my book and blog in the meantime have been huge blessings.

I like to think we are never given challenges we can’t see our way through. We never know what will be there. For me personally its pushed my creative mind to think bigger about my professional passions. It was through Scott’s racing and the pathway to seek financial support for our son that led me to another opportunity: the chance to bring my knowledge and research in the treatment of neuropathy and restless legs to other countries.

We never know what our pathways will bring. For now, I’ll appreciate those quiet hours on a plane going and coming to each event. It’s time for me to continue writing and blogging. I hope to improve my ability to speak to you, and to understand what you want and need from each blog I write.

So, if you’re a parent maybe you can relate to what I want to finish by saying: the greatest rewards may come on our pathways to provide for the development of another person, like our children, and not all those things that society seems to think we need.