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What Makes an Athlete?

kingsbridgedr — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 02:02:23 +0000

Vicki here with some thoughts from the bike….

As I was pedaling along the grass this morning recovering from a set of barrier dismounts/mounts, this very thought floated through my brain: What Makes an Athlete? I’m not sure where this question/idea came from. Perhaps from some recent events that have happened in my life recently (all good stuff that I can tell you about soon enough!). Anyway, never one to shy away from a potentially controversial or unanswerable question, I thought I’d try to answer my own question… What Makes an Athlete?

There is the standard, athletes come in all shapes, sizes, and abilities. But for my purposes, I’m going to write about elite athletes. What Makes an Elite Athlete?

Passion. Drive. Skill. Tenacity. Support. Luck.

These are the attributes/factors that in my opinion make an elite athlete. No elite athletes are born overnight. It might seem that this is the case, but typically if you dig a bit deeper and start talking to or really paying attention to the athlete, you’ll learn pretty quickly that “overnight sensation” really is not a reality. This is a comforting piece of knowledge. It is an incredible combination of attributes along with some luck with knowing/meeting the right people.

Passion. Every single person has a passion for something. For elite athletes this by-and-large is their sport. If there is an elite athlete who is not passionate about their sport, then I truly do feel sorry for this person. There are to many sacrifices, tough decisions, and low moments to not be fully passionate and consumed with one’s sport. I can’t prove that passion is a key component. But if I look at myself as an example, I do believe that my passion has brought me a long way. I’m not naturally talented. I have a basic level of athletic skill that gifts me with being pretty good at most sports (except basketball and volleyball…). But to get to the elite level, it has taken a lot of digging deep, really asking myself what I want, and making the tough sacrifices to get to this level. There are days when I don’t want to train – the weather is rotten, my legs are tired, or I’d really just rather flake out on the couch. But I still train. I have this thing inside me that makes me want to get out and do the work-out, sweat it out, go through the tough moments because I know this all results in progress. Passion.

Drive. Ask any elite athlete, even a World Champion – chances are this athlete still has goals and dreams to accomplish in his/her sport. Every elite athlete wants more. To break the world record again. To win the race more easily. To hit the highest of highs. This is drive. To accept that where I am right now is good, but I really want to be at that next level. And then when I reach that level, to aim for the next level. To truly believe that there are no limits. This makes me approach my training with a special focus. There is no backing off on intervals or even skipping a recovery ride. These rides and efforts need to be done so I can get where I want to be. Complacency is not an option. Drive.

Skill. Each elite athlete demonstrates some basic skill and ability in his/her chosen sport at the outset. This usually results in early success. Thereby sparking the passion and drive to push harder and move forward. This is an attribute that I grapple with often. I know I have skills. I sometimes though overlook them because I like to believe that anyone can set goals and achieve them. But I suppose the difference is that for some, their skills are a limiter. For me, well I have a big engine, the ability to push myself and ignore that ache in my legs, and well I’m developing some pretty good technical skills as well. All elite athletes need to refine their skills as the goals and dreams get higher. This is a good thing. Skill.

Tenacity. Lets be honest, there are lots of setbacks and lows on the road to achieving elite athlete goals and dreams. There are naysayers. There are doubters. There are injuries. There is sickness. There are lots and lots of reasons to not pursue athletic dreams. I know. I’ve run through them more times than I like to admit. But darn it, I’ve set goals and I’m going to accomplish them. There is no quit. There are times when my head falls off. But I’m a different athlete now. I’ve got confidence. I’ve got the inner fire to keep me floating about the obstacles. Tenacity.

Support. No elite athlete has made it alone. This simply is not possible. From the parents who drove to hockey games. To the coach who spent the extra time. To the sponsors who believe in the athlete enough to provide product, money, and assistance. I for one could not do this alone. My biggest supporter is Marc. He is my number one fan. He motivates me to better – everyday. He spends his days at an office so I can focus on my training and work only part-time. He makes it possible. Of course I have an overwhelming number of sponsors who really make the dreams come true. I’m so well supported with bikes, clothing, helmets, glasses, nutrition, money, coaching, shoes, wheels – you name it – it is covered. So overwhelming. Support.

Luck. Yes, luck. It takes a little bit and sometimes a lot of luck to get to an elite level. The pieces have to fall into place just perfectly. Training has to go well. Sickness and injury have to be avoided. Races and competitions have to work out just the way you picture them. You have to meet the correct people who can help out and believe in you. This has been my situation. I’ve been so very lucky to have such an amazing confluence of events/circumstances and people in my life. Without these, I wouldn’t be able to train, race, and recover at such a high level. I always say I’m super lucky. And I truly believe it. Luck.

What Makes an Elite Athlete?
Passion. Drive. Skill. Tenacity. Support. Luck.

Going for it. Can’t stop me now. Look Mom – no brakes!. Ulcerative Colitis be damned. Marc and my Sponsors. Thank-you So Very Much.

Bike Love

kingsbridgedr — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 13:25:23 +0000

It’s Vicki with some words of appreciation for the bike. Here’s hoping you have a something similar in your life…

Maybe love is too strong of a word? I don’t know. All I know is that I awoke this morning with a great and deep appreciation for the bike. For some reason this morning, the enormity of what the bike means to me, hit me hard. I can’t really explain it, and I don’t know why it happened this morning. Regardless, all this to say that I “heart” the bike.

For some reason that I can’t explain, I just feel so grateful to have the bike in my life. Probably these feelings come from having a pretty darn good week of riding, training, and life. I had some excellent training rides. I had a blast at the local training crit. I connected with friends over the bike. I escaped from my day-to-day worries thanks to my bike. I talked travel plans that will take me to San Diego, Las Vegas, Switzerland, Czech Republic and Belgium – all these destinations thanks to the bike. I spent time simply pedaling and smiling alongside my best friend and favorite guy. The bike has brought a young lad into our home – a young guy who has the chance to see the world and discover life – all thanks to the bike.

I’ve had time this morning to think about all the things the bike has done for me over my short life so far. From starting as a toy, then growing to be a method of escape with rides around the block, to transportation to school and park, to a method of escape from the troubles of teenagehood, to helping me discover this my new city, to introducing to my husband and favorite guy, to bringing fantastic people into my life, to taking me all over the world, to helping me escape my life troubles, and to now – giving me a chance to be a kid again – racing around the park, around the block, and getting to know you.

Thanks bike. I’m really glad you’re in my life. I really do think it is love. Thanks for being in my life. I owe you one.

Training, Racing, Smiling

kingsbridgedr — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:34:33 +0000

Hi it’s Vicki with a mid-week update for you….

I guess you can sort of figure out from the title of this post what I’ve been up to these last couple of days. Suffice it to say, I’ve had a couple of really good days – both on and off the bike.

Off the bike, things are coming together for the upcoming season. Received the clothing proofs from Champion Systems – the racing and training kit for the 2010 – 2011 season is going to look good. Same basic design as in past years, but with some new logos. I’m stoked to be racing in this smooth red, white, and black skinsuit, showing off my sponsors.

I’ve been tweaking my race calendar again, added some races and took a couple out. Definitely a jam-packed season ahead. You might notice that the Belgium/European side is not that full yet – this is because I’ve only added the World Cups and elite UCI races – I will be also local races and races in Holland.

Some logistics starting to come together. Looks like the Catamount race weekend – ‘Cross Vegas connection is getting sorted out. Thanks to KingsBridge for helping me out with the travel, logistics and race day support.

Bikes are coming together as well. I’m stoked to be once again racing on the Stevens cyclo-cross bikes. New for me this year, is that I’m making the move from the aluminum frame to the carbon frame. Many thanks to Stevens Bikes for the continued support and for setting me up with some fast and sweet rides. Can’t wait to get out on the new bikes – I’m sure I’ll be turning some heads!

On the training front? Well, Tuesday was a big day. I kicked off the day with a 60 minute ‘cross skills session. Pretty normal stuff – barrier work, tight turns, wide turns, momentum, and confidence building. Got in this early morning session and then back home to work, relax and get ready for the Tuesday night training crit. This week was an “A” race… I’ve not had good luck with the “A” races so far this season. But yesterday I told myself the race would be different. I know I have the fitness. I know I have the cornering skills. I just had to let go, relax and let the bike do its job. Well, happily, with the exception of a mistake on the first lap on corner four… (sorry about this if you were on my wheel and had to close the massive gap….) – the race went well. I rode the race comfortably, at times on the ropes, other times in a good position, all in all a great race. I didn’t make the break (not that I tried) but I still had a great race – most importantly I achieved a goal and built some confidence as well. I rode to the crit, raced the crit, and then rode home with Shaun (who thankfully sheltered me from the wind and bought us some tasty cream soda to help us get out to Barrhaven). In total, Tuesday turned into a four hour training day. Pretty darn good.

Today, has been about recovery. Fine with me. Admittedly I often have trouble sleeping on big training days – my body is tired but I somehow can’t calm my body down enough to get into a deep sleep. I let myself sleep in this morning – made it to 7:30… For my recovery ride I decided to hit up my favorite training grounds and wind around the singletrack and doubletrack on my ‘cross bike. I had a fantastic ride. Hit up a massive sand section and put together a couple loops there that involve singletrack, pavement, a big sand section, some running, and a bit more singletrack. Then on the “Slack” side of the road I put together a really complete ‘cross loop – sand, singletrack, doubletrack, pavement, more sand, and back into the singletrack. All in all, a great session of riding and learning. This summer I’ve really been working on my cadence. I have the tendency to let my legs slow down and slog through the heavy gears. This doesn’t work so well for riding in the sand, mud, reacting to accelerations, climbing, or sprinting…. So a big focus has been on a high cadence. Well, let me tell you, I noticed the difference today – the sand was more manageable and I was able to relax more on the bike since I wasn’t fighting to keep my speed and momentum.

So from all this, I presume you can guess why I’ve been smiling. Really life is just good right now. I’m feeling good. Training is going well. Plans for the season are coming together. I’m lucky to be supported by a great group of sponsors.

If I haven’t said it before, I’ll say it again: I’m lucky – very lucky – some days I feel like pinching myself because everything is just working out so well.

I received an email from a friend of mine today, telling me what she would get tattooed on her arm: One Life. I like this – really like it. I think if I was to get a tattoo, I might just borrow this phrase from my friend…

24 Hours of Summer Solstice Pre-Ride

kingsbridgedr — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 20:52:35 +0000

The rest of the KingsBridge crew arrived last night and we’re now well set up with it seems like a billion tents, gazebos and an RV. We had a pretty chilled out morning while the guys put their bikes together and then it was riding time!

We did a full lap at a pretty chilled pace just to check out the course. I have to say the course is in super condition – especially considering all the rain that hit us earlier in the week. This course really has it all. It is not uber-technical but it is challenging. Flow is the word. It is all about maintaining momentum and really let the bike do its thing. Easier said than done.

There is lots of twisty climbing followed by twisty descending. There is a decent mix of singletrack and doubletrack – giving some relief from the twist and turns. The doubletrack does have some steepish climbs. But when you put it all together it makes for a solid race course. Perhaps the most challenging climb is just before the 1 kilometer to go sign.

But once you hit the top you’re rewarded by some flowy singletrack and the finish line/transition zone….

So all in all it will be a fun day of riding tomorrow. The campground is starting to fill up with riders, supporters, and sponsors. Looking forward to experiencing the atmosphere here this weekend with 3,000 people. Racing kicks off at noon tomorrow so send team KingsBridge some fast vibes and keep your fingers crossed for dry conditions.

Here is a shot of the crew sporting our new KingsBridge kits – thanks to Champion Systems.

Big or Small? They are all disasters

kingsbridgedr — Wed, 12 May 2010 15:00:10 +0000

When you think of disaster what do you think of? Chances are you put flood, massive power outage, fire, and pandemic at the top of your list. These are all events that really we can’t control – the hurricanes are going to happen, the power does go out, fires happen sometimes due to human error, and health crisis are still one of the large mysteries of life. So for these events that may or may not happen, you understand the need to have a disaster recovery and business continuity plan. Since you’re reading this blog post, I assume you have such a DR/BCP in place to keep your business working efficiently when “disaster” strikes.

But what about smaller seemingly less risk business interruptions? One that comes to mind and is in the news again – disrupted travel plans. The impact from the April 13 eruption of a volcano on Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull glacier was felt worldwide. We all know someone, perhaps even you, who had to shuffle travel plans or worse yet was stranded in an airport with no chance of making it home or to that all-important business meeting. For the first few days of airport closures, people were taking things in stride, you adjusted your meetings pushing them ahead a few days, convinced that you’d be on your way soon enough.

Then the delays continued. Airports through-out Europe remained closed. You or your business partners were trapped. Slowly but surely, things are getting a bit stressful. Meetings have been canceled. Potential business deals are falling through. There is only so much business you can conduct over Skype and with your laptop in an airport…

So after considering this, would you now add airport closures and flight delays to your list of disasters? The impacts are pretty darn similar to a hurricane or fire – you can’t travel, you’ve missed meetings, business deals are getting pushed aside, there is a slight level of chaos in you office. All this to say that when you think about DR/BCP you need to think beyond the big picture. You need to really look at your business – how do you make your money? What technologies (yes air travel is part of the technology sphere) do you rely on? How are you going to keep running making money and closing deals when these technologies are impaired?

All this to say that when it comes time to do your semi-annual analysis of your DR/BCP strategy – be sure to remember April and May 2010. The lessons learned during these two months can come in very handy when making adjustments to your plans and working with qualified DR/BCP consultants to ensure that when disaster strikes, you’re ready.

About KingsBridge

KingsBridge offers private businesses and government organizations a unique combination of industry knowledge and cost-effective disaster recovery / business continuity solutions. KingsBridge products and seminars provide the tools to assess possible threats and create tailored plans which mitigate risks and minimize losses in the event of a disruption to business. Kingsbridge is headquartered in Ogdensburg, New York, with offices in Ottawa, Canada and Burlington, Vermont. For more information visit us at www.DisasterRecovery.com

Tagged: business continuity, business continuity software, business disaster, business impact analysis, Continuity of Operations, COOP, disaster, disaster preparation, disaster recovery, disaster recovery software, KingsBridge Disaster Recovery, phoenix foundation, Phoenix software, sharepoint, software

How much is “Snowmageddon” impacting your business?

kingsbridgedr — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 17:05:44 +0000

The current weather that has gripped Washington and most of the North East is a perfect example of what we try to impart to our clients. It doesn’t take a major event such as hurricane, flood, earthquake, etc. to cause a significant impact to your bottom line. Let’s take a quick look.

We are constantly asked about the Return on Investment (ROI) of Business Continuity (BC) and Disaster Recovery (DR). Unfortunately, it is very much like insurance (car, life, house, etc.) it doesn’t do you any good until you need it! For the most part BC/DR are money losers, in other words you aren’t making money from doing Recovery Planning. But, those days when you need some guidance or what to do in the event of “Snowmageddon” (for example), it will save you tons of money.

So if BC/DR planning doesn’t save me money until an incident occurs, how do I get budget for the planning before an incident occurs?

This question goes back to our previous post “I cant get budget for my planning…” and in there we recommended the use of our ROI tool. If you haven’t used the tool, I would really recommend giving it a try. It takes seconds to scare years off your life!

Let’s take a look at what I mean:

Very simple process, take the annual gross income for your company, divide it by the work hours in a year (we’ll use 1717 as per Wikipedia) This calculation will give you a cost of dollars revenue lost per hour of downtime. For example: A company with a gross income of $20 million dollars value works out to:

Lost Revenue = $20,000,000 / 1717 hours = $11,648.22 per hour.

So that means for every hour Snowmageddon slows your ability to get to work, you are looking at loosing almost $12,000 an hour! Obviously, this is a very simple calculation, but it gets the idea across.

If this number doesn’t get you some budget, add in the cost of the not working employees! Say the same company has 75 employees with an average annual income of $80,000 each. What is their cost per hour?

We know the lost revenue is $11,648.22 per hour

Their cost per hour is the number of employees multiplied by their average income divided by the number of work hours. So…

Employee Cost = (75 employees x $80,000) / 1717 hours = $3,494.47 per hour.

Getting back to Snowmageddon, each hour your company is delayed due to snow, power failure, delayed transit… what is the cost of not being open? Add the Employee Cost (because you don’t stop paying them due to snow) and the Lost Revenue, your small $20 million company is now losing $15,142.69 per hour!!

If you company matches these stats bang on, well you don’t have to get to the ROI tool, but if your company is larger (or smaller), run your numbers through the tool and find out how much each hour is costing you!

If these numbers don’t get you budget to do your planning, you might want to polish your resume. Not because you are leaving right now, but when the next incident occurs and there is no plan, you will need you resume!!

KingsBridge is a Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity company specializing in Software, Seminars and Consulting. If you are looking for a Microsoft Office integrated recovery planning tool, Phoenix is not only an excellent tool, but the only completely integrated planning tool. Our seminars (online and in-house) are some of the longest running seminars in the recovery business. KingsBridge uses turn-key consulting for those who need the plan done, right the first time. For more information about KingsBridge, checkout www.disasterrecovery.com

Tagged: business continuity, business continuity software, business disaster, business impact analysis, Continuity of Operations, COOP, disaster preparation, disaster recovery, disaster recovery software, KingsBridge Disaster Recovery, nyc snow, Phoenix software, snowmageddon, washington snow

We are so proud!

kingsbridgedr — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 20:32:29 +0000

Over the past couple of years, KingsBridge Disaster Recovery has sponsored one of our contractors in their dream of racing on a world level. We are very proud to congratulate Vicki in reaching her 2009 goal of racing at the Cyclo-Cross World Championships!

To get an idea of what Vicki has been up to over the past months, check out her blog at www.ottawa.cx! It really is an amazing story of someone setting a goal and doing absolutely everything possible to reach that goal. From weekend flights to Italy to spending the entire winter in Belgium, Vicki has made the commitment I am sure every one of us wishes we could!

Her race in Tabor, Czech Republic (photos posted here) this past weekend was the culmination of her efforts in 2009 (and early 2010), but she has already set her goals for next year and we look forward to sharing them with Vicki throughout the year!

If you get a chance, drop her a comment on her blog to say hello or give her encouragement (not that she needs much) to continue to chase her dreams and push her limits next year. We are still working out the details, but if you attend the Disaster Recovery Journal’s Spring World in Orlando, you might just get to meet her and wish her luck in person!

Thanks for the great year Vicki and we look forward to cheering you on again next season (and hopefully keeping up with you on our group rides)!

Sincerely,

Skip Williams

KingsBridge Disaster Recovery

Tagged: canada, cyclo-cross, KingsBridge Disaster Recovery, tabor, uci, vicki thomas, world championships

Happy New Year!!

kingsbridgedr — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 17:39:11 +0000

Every year, we close our offices between Dec 25th and Jan 1st. While this seems like a long break, we’ve found it gives everyone time to take a break, visit with family and enjoy some down time without their iPhone going nuts due to missed calls/emails. Each year, I try to use this time to plan for the upcoming year and how to make things better; in our processes, deliverables and customer service. While this year was no different, I did find some time to reflect on the year that was…

First, we expanded our sales team. I know it sounds strange to be growing during a down economy, but that is what happened! 2009 has been our best year to date and we are hoping to continue that momentum into 2010! By adding Steve Rogers at our sales office in Ottawa (whom most of you have met – on the phone at least), we’ve been able to reach new people and spend more time with each person to ensure they are getting the best service possible! In addition to Steve, we added Rich Bender in St. Louis. Rich comes from a retirement planning/financial services background and has brought some excellent experience to the table!

Second, we wanted to make a difference, so we started some fund raising activities. Most of you will have heard of the +3 Network by now, through our newsletters, but for those who haven’t, check them out here. Our goal is to get people off the couch and on their bike, feet, hiking boots, etc. As with all new programs, this is getting off to a slow start, but we are looking forward to 2010 being a big year! Our benefactor is the Nevada Cancer Institute in Las Vegas. Everyone has a cancer related story (my mom is a survivor of almost 20 years) and we want to be part of finding a solution!

Third, we are sponsoring a bunch of cycling events in 2010. Most everyone in the office is a cycling fan and we thought it would be fun to have company jerseys and shorts. Early in 2009 we ordered a bunch of jerseys and shorts and have been riding in them since! This has grown into a KingsBridge sponsored rider (Vicki Thomas – who is in Belgium right now) and an increasingly busy riding schedule for 2010. We’ll post a calendar of events early in 2010, so if we are near by, you can come out and say hello.

Finally, we have to give thanks to YOU. Without you, all of this wouldn’t be possible. You continued support makes it a joy to come to work, allows us to sponsor cancer research and cyclists chasing their dreams. Some have been Binomial/KingsBridge clients for years and other are just coming on board, but each of you found us to offer the best service/product for the best price. With each new product we release, we try to build it with one goal in mind… Make our client’s lives easier and less confusing. So… Thank you!

We look forward to working with you in 2010 and many more years to come! Our doors are always open for comments, requests or just a simple hello. See you in the New Year!!

Sincerely,

Skip Williams

KingsBridge Disaster Recovery

Tagged: business, business continuity, business continuity software, business disaster, business impact analysis, Continuity of Operations, KingsBridge Disaster Recovery, Phoenix software, plus 3 networks

the Media is mean

kingsbridgedr — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 02:08:40 +0000

During our Disaster Recovery classes, we always tell the clients that the media, with the unlimited airtime to fill, will create the news if you don’t give it to them. So, for all our clients, we work with them to build a set of press releases and strongly encourage their management to go to media training to learn the basics of dealing with the media. If you are in a highly visible position, even having a media firm do your press releases and media relations is absolutely critical.

If you don’t believe me, look at one very costly example going on right now… Can you guess it? In two words “Tiger Woods transgressions”. Ok… you got me… that’s three words, but anytime anyone says “Tiger” I always think of Woods first and the animal second.

How does the predicament Tiger finds himself in right now have anything to do with your company?

First, what does he have to sell? His image. What do you have to sell? Your product or your image… Your image is extremely critical when it comes to attracting new customers or keeping existing ones. How would it look if your company were suffering the same scrutiny that Tiger is under right now? Could your business survive the intensive digging by groups that are trying to create news, even if it isn’t there?

What could Tiger have done differently?

Make a serious statement, not something ambiguous on your website. Face the music! Pay the piper! David Letterman had the same “transgressions – caught on film!” and he hasn’t suffered the same trouble Tiger has , if you don’t believe me, check out what the Wall Street Journal has to say! The hardest part to take in this entire news blitz on Tiger… Currently, there is no hard proof! There is a lot of conjecture and speculation, but to date, there is no smoking gun. To make matters worse, now ESPN reports the police believe he was driving under the influence! Again, no proof, just people trying to get their 15 minutes of fame…

I guarantee there will be someone who stands in a golf store this year and buys Callaway (endorsed by Phil Mickelson who’s wife is fighting cancer) golf balls instead of Nike (endorsed by Tiger Woods.. enough said). Please make sure when someone is trying to decide if they should buy your product, they aren’t swayed by bad press and make the wrong decision. Have your recovery plan up to date with press releases and media statements ready to go! The camera lights are bright and unforgiving!

Tagged: business, business continuity, business continuity software, business disaster, Continuity of Operations, david letterman, disaster preparation, disaster recovery, disaster recovery software, image trouble, KingsBridge Disaster Recovery, Phoenix software, tiger woods

Phoenix online!

kingsbridgedr — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 19:17:40 +0000

In addition to an online Threat Risk and Business Impact Analysis tool, we are working on a repository for your Phoenix generated plans online!! Side Note: We have been asked for a hosted planning tool for several years, but due to technical restrictions with the internet and Microsoft, we aren’t able to integrate Microsoft Office with an online tool. To date, our customers (you) have told us they would rather have the ability to edit in Microsoft Word, than have a hosted solution. But we have also been asked to make the plans available online (once they are completed) and we have responded. Currently this feature is in Beta, if you would like to have an input on how it works, please let us know and we’ll be in touch. We are very excited about this new feature as it will make accessing your plan anywhere that much easier and faster.

Tagged: business, business continuity, business continuity software, business disaster, business impact analysis, Continuity of Operations, disaster preparation, KingsBridge Disaster Recovery, Phoenix online, Phoenix software, Saas, software, swine flu education