Dear Riana,
When you look back on today, your very first athletic competition, I hope you remember this feeling:
You wore your favorite red and green striped Christmas socks, your Mama’s blue bike gloves, and the biggest smile. You also wore your serious bike face, which I also find adorable. I told you we could go watch a kids bike race, but of course, you wanted to participate. As your Mama, I want to protect you: from the heat, from bikes double your tire size, from potential spills and disappointment… but I also remembered our mantra: say yes! as often as possible. So we said yes! Papa will show you the video and maybe you will see the things this proud Mama sees: you were the only three or four year old without training wheels, you were focused and speedy, you pushed out past to the front with ease… When you got to the finish line, you were disappointed, though you were first. You wanted to ride the entire course, like the big kids. So we said yes! And you kept going, faster than I could run of course, until you made it back to the start.
Right now you are asleep upstairs with your medal in hand and I wonder just what you will remember from today or from other competitions. But I hope, that win or lose, you will remember that with this pure smile, on this sunny day, you rode as fast as your could, and you had fun.
