My favorite part of this particular weekend is the Indy 500.
I became fascinated with racing after attending my first Indy 500 years
ago. It is a spectacle like no other
event I’ve been to – including the Kentucky Derby, the Tournament of Roses and
the NCAA national championship football game.
With attendance of around 400,000 the track becomes its own city. The tradition, pomp and circumstance are
worthy of royalty. The military tributes
bring tears. So does the singing of
certain songs by Jim Nabors and Florence Henderson, although I’m usually not
crying because they’re good.
Hubby and I watched from home this year. Still fun, but not the same as being there in
person. For years the Indy 500 was part of my job, and we spent Memorial Day
weekends at the race. This year as I
watched the race, the memories came flooding back: strategy and planning would
start the year before the race, followed by campaign development, tactics,
on-site and finally execution. I had
great co-workers and we all had so much fun that I would pinch myself to make
sure that this was really my job and not a dream. We used to laugh so much it was hard to get
work done. And the stories I could tell!
Names would definitely have to be changed. Yep, what happens at Indy stays at Indy.
The biggest lesson I learned from the Indy 500 is to never
give up. These dedicated athletes – the drivers,
the crews and team owners – fight every week to make it to the winners
circle. With big bucks on the line, jobs
can be lost when things don’t go the right way.
The drivers are strapped into their cars for several hours or more, depending
on the number of incidents. They are
always thinking about how to improve their position on the course, and are in
constant communication with their crew as to how the car is handling. Even when they are in the final laps, the
drivers and teams never quit trying to win.
After all, anything can happen in a race. Leads change in hundredths of
a second.
I was watching two specific drivers this year, both of whom were
fighting for the win. Having worked with both of them in the past made it even
more special to watch. One is a
long-time veteran and knows that he has to win at Indy soon if he’s going to at
all. The other is equally deserving,
fighting for his family name. No pressure
there, huh?
As with many races, it came down to the wire. Both of my favorite drivers pushing and
working and strategizing until the last second.
Unfortunately neither won. But
after the race, they were already talking about next time. And both showed great poise in defeat.
I need to remember this when looking for new
opportunities. Never say never; never
give up. Don’t quit trying even when it
seems impossible, even when the job is a long-shot at best. You never know. At some point, the job will
be right for me and I’ll walk into victory lane.
© Tami Cannizzaro 2012 All Rights Reserved
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