Transcendental Ferociousness

(The author with her game face on.)

After racing my first cyclocross race of the year this afternoon, I did a self-assessment. What went well? What could use some work? Bike handling, general fitness . . . Eh, not so shabby. Barriers . . . Oy, not so hot.

But there is an additional skill set that they won’t teach you in the school of cross. I need to work on my cheering and my game face. I believe that these are areas that can be developed, just like dismounts and remounts.

CHEERING
My cheering is too cheerful. I am the de facto Energy Coach of the Super Relax Concept, yelling things like “Go EVERYBODY!” And “Good effort out there! Don’t be afraid to share you feelings!”. Offering positive reinforcement during Austin’s race, I stood next to the legendary John Howe of Team Beer and got a lesson in how it is really done. He bellows “Suck it up! This is a race, people – you paid money for this!”

Tough love was what this course called for. It was clear that racers grinding up a slick bumpy muddy incline needed to tap into agression not self-acceptance. They needed a heckling that they could bite into when the pain hit, not the verbal equivalent of Tension Tamer tea.

Next time I will do better. If you too need a refresher course in transcendental ferociousness, I invite you to join me as I revisit my two inspirations in this field of study.

First, blues singer Susan Tedeschi. I heard one of her live albums in which she boomed and growled the blues and finished every set by chirping a sweet bright “thank you :)” Her voice embodies such emotional range that I hear my own voice as a flat monotone by comparison.

Secondly, racer/writer/homey Heidi Swift. She is equally inspiring, perhaps more fierce. If after watching this video, you need further explanation, you can see me after class:

Her battle cries will wipe any goofy smile off my face and f-ing BRING IT.

Both have lurking just beneath the surface a raw power that they can tap into to get a job done that simply can’t get done sweetly. Next week I will roar “Get up that hill Princess! This isn’t a beauty contest!” And it will mean “I appreciate you for who you are.”

GAME FACE
My game face lacks game. (See above.) This is a tough one. It is just how my face looks.

Besides practicing in the mirror every morning, the only thing that might fix my grin into a proper soul-crushing grimace is more cowbell. And a bit more time in the blast radius of the lovely Miss Heidi Swift.