Been a while...

It's been a while since I had the time or the brain to write something.  Mostly the brain.  I don't know what it is, but when the degrees go up, my IQ points go down.  Any extended amount of time over 100F and I will probably have to return my National Honor Society pin.  We're going on 3 weeks now, this may be my last post EVER.

It didn't help that during this recent chunk of "too damn" (in answer to the question "How hot is it?") I was finishing up my math class at KU.  Most of my brain cells went toward completing the square and remembering the quadratic formula.

Emily Sings the Quadratic Formula

Yeah.  I sang it when it came time to use it. Kind of like I sang the Preamble to the Constitution when I had to get up and recite it in class in 7th grade.

We the people...

 Anyway... I ramble.

I'm working up a new website, sort of a "one stop shop" for ocean sailing news and information, videos, photos, blog posts etc.  Trying to drum up interest in the sport here in the heartland.  As a matter of fact, I've gone and bought the URL "HeartlandOceanRacing" and made a logo and everything:

I'm pretty excited about it, there will be more info as Drew and I figure out just how to make it work.  I welcome any input.

That's it for now.  Supposed to hit 106F today, I'd better go find my pin.

I'm obsessed, why isn't everyone else?

As you may have noticed, I have an obsession.  Well, I prefer to call it a "passion" because obsession sounds so... stalkery.

My passion is the Volvo Ocean Race.  During the 2001-2002 VOR, I was working for an ASSA ABLOY Group company, and had the unenviable task of figuring out a way to convince die-hard NASCAR and NFL fans, living in Nevada, to be interested in a yacht race that didn't even come within 2,000 miles of us. I found the hook in the story of fellow ASSA ABLOY Group employees in Africa. In AIDS-ravaged areas, funerals were (and still are) a common occurrence. Weekly, ASSA ABLOY Group employees attended funerals of their coworkers, and to show their solidarity, they would wear the ASSA ABLOY Racing Team shirts all Group employees were given. 

My coworkers were shocked that the race that they took so lightly was being used as a rallying point for people who had lost so many. Our interest spread, and we began to take the race much more seriously, and learned about our far-flung partners. 

After we made that connection, I spent the time leading up to the North American stopovers being a cheerleader, following the race around the world from my desk while arranging housing, events and other activities in two ports for over 300 people from around the world.

When I got to Miami, I lived in the Hyatt for three weeks. Up every morning, walking down Biscayne Boulevard to the race venue, which at that time was behind the basketball arena. Full day of running around like a crazy person (The chef's baby daughter needs a playpen? OK.  I need to find a Swedish-speaking babysitter? OK.  Two dozen Easter baskets for the crew‘s kids?  Bring it on.) followed by festivities at night.

When ASSA ABLOY actually arrived, in first place, in the middle of the night, it was like rock stars showed up. Stinky, sweaty, scroungy looking men piled off our beautiful boat and onto a stage. They hugged their families and drank booze out of coconuts. Shortest night ever for those of us who had to go back the next day to meet & greet the throngs of people who showed up at the Race Village.

I got to work closely with some of the crew, and picked up a little Swedish, although I speak it with a Kiwi accent evidently. I brushed up on my French, took a sail on the twin boat, and spent time on South Beach in dive bars with sailors from all over the world (much to my mother's horror I suppose).  I worked three weeks straight, 16- to 20-hour days, with one afternoon off. I washed my clothes in the sink in my room, nearly wore through a pair of sport sandals, and lost 20lbs.  It was AWESOME.

There's a thing about the people that participate in this race. They're the best in the world at what they do. If they don't do their best, people die. Even if they do their best, people die. The great thing is, while it's an exclusive bunch, they're not exclusive. You're judged, of course, but if you pass, you're almost swept into it- brought up to their level and you too are inspired to excellence. 

The most recent edition of the Race wraps up today in Galway, Ireland, with the inshore race and the prizegiving.  If photos and mad tweets are to be believed, half of Ireland, a good chunk of New Zealand and much of Sweden has descended upon Galway this week, and it looks like they're all having a ball. Presidents, Princes, sailors, moms, dads, kids, Maori, Vikings, flamenco dancers, hula hoopers, punks... you name it, they're there and they're ripping it up.  It is indeed a fitting end to the race that some call "the Everest of sailing" and "the toughest sail race in the world."  

Here are a couple pictures I gleaned from Facebook.  

The first- American team PUMA Ocean Racing arrives in Galway in the middle of the night (no joke- it was about 3am):

The second- American team PUMA Ocean Racing arrives in Miami, mid-day:

WHAT THE HECK, USA?  IT'S YOUR OWN TEAM.

There was recently an article released about the media reach for the first half of the current race. "For what its worth, the cumulative TV audience as of February 19th was 880 million based on 1,200 hours of coverage across dedicated programming and news items. Those figures compare with a cumulative audience of 459 million at the corresponding stage of the last race, representing a 90 percent increase." The article goes on to explain why, but NINETY PERCENT INCREASE in just a few years. (http://www.yachtracing.biz/blog/2012/05/volvo-ocean-race-audience-numbers-1/)

Quite possibly the BIGGEST thing in the sporting world, with the BIGGEST audience.

So riddle me this, Batman.  Why barely a peep of this amazing race in the US?  This morning, I checked the tweets and the Facebook posts, so I knew who'd won today's inport, but when I looked at several US news outlets, there was nothing.  I even searched, and found a week-old article.  Nothing new, nothing about the closest finish ever, nothing.

SADNESS.  Sadness and frustration. 


I want this race to continue, and to thrive, which it's doing nicely thanks to inroads into China and the Middle East.  (Team Sanya was the 2nd Chinese/Irish syndicate and Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing made it's debut this year)  But, speaking as the Ugly American in the room- what about the US?  Sure- the US has entered teams- PUMA, Pirates of the Caribbean, but I'm pretty sure that 99.99% of people in the US have no idea.


And this presents a hurdle for the race.  Sure, I'm obsessed, and I have friends who are now casually interested because I've bludgeoned them with pictures and stories for the past 9 months, but how do we get the general public in the US even knowledgeable about the race, let alone interested?

The 45 million euro question.  (45 million being a high-end estimate for how much it costs to mount a syndicate)

The other question- how do I get to go along?

(photo courtesy of Leighton O'Connor)

Cheese moving. CHEESE. MOVING.

There's a very popular book called "Who Moved My Cheese?" that tells the story of how to deal with change.  I won't go into the whole thing, click on the link if you're interested.

Anyway, I'm much more the "MY CHEESE MOVED I'MMA PANIC" type of person.  I dislike routine, but I dislike surprises even more.  Once I get used to something, there had better be a really good reason for me to change my ways.

That being said, I always find it amusing when other people lose their minds at change.  So often they're lost in the same kind of morass I get into when confronted with something unexpected, new, different or weird, but it's funnier when they're in it than when I'm in it.  Why is that, I wonder? ;)

Case in point- yesterday, the Volvo Ocean Race moved the sail racing world's cheese by announcing  that for the next two races, every team would use the same boat.  Not the exact same craft, but all the boats would be built from the same model, no differentiation save paint scheme.  In the past there have been parameters that the designers and builders worked with, coming up with similar, but not identical boats.

This setup worked, but it favored the syndicates with deeper pockets.  More $ meant more research, design etc.  The new setup levels that playing field. 

Not surprisingly, some people are displeased with the change.  A few of the comments I've seen:

• Perhaps the clue that the Volvo Ocean Race would introduce a one-design format for the next two races lay in the brand persona of the title sponsor itself. Volvo is not a racing brand at heart.
• Unfortunately, future legends regattas will not feature a diverse fleet of boats that show different approaches to the design problem of racing around the world, but instead will include boats that are indistinguishable except for their sponsor brand decals and livery. This is a huge price to pay for the survival of the race.
• Volvo way to cow down and kill a good race. So you only had 6 boats this race.... with the world in the state it is in that's huge. Yea Southern Ocean breakages, its the Southern Ocean it is meant to break boats. Cost what type of racing doesn't? Go back to an open design and stop trying to screw up a good thing!!!!!
• A sad day for our entire sport. Monopoly never leads to something good... This is the end of the Whitbread/Volvo as we knew it.

Not everyone is crabbing though:

• love the new boat!!!! I think its the best thing they could have done for the race!
• How can you make something, so beautiful, even more sexy??? I love it!!!! Formula one car of sailboats.
• The argument about Farr vs JuanK is moot when it's a OD format. It's a format for the times we live in and puts the sailors front and centre. More teams racing, more sponsors involved, more live media off the boats - this is not OD in the Volvo forever - it's for the next two races... and with the economic climate the way it is we should be glad its going to exist at all!

Of course, I have my own thoughts.  To those that complain that the one boat format limits the race, I ask is the race about the boats or about the people who sail them?

With a one design field, it will be the skill of the sailors (combined with some luck) that determines the outcome, rather than the boat. We can see from this race alone how the boat developments help or hinder a team- Team Sanya has outstanding sailors, but with an older boat, they just don't have a chance to keep up with the newer generation.

I think that this can only HELP the Volvo, as it will become a true sailors' race.  They'll be competing against the sea and against each other, not against the other teams' designers and checkbooks.

I admit that this change does adversely effect the design houses, I'm guessing that the VOR was quite a budget booster for Juan K, Botin, and some others. But this change is only for two races, other houses will get a chance later. Maybe? I don't know.

But just as in my post "To Be A Great Commander" I talk about killing the Whitbread to save the Volvo, I'm all for this change.  Let's move this cheese!

Cross your fingers that I get to see it all move in person!

(Photo Credit: Farr Yacht Design)

 

To Be A Great Commander

In the movie "Gettysburg" which is based on the novel "The Killer Angels," General Robert E. Lee says to General James Longstreet; "General, soldiering has one great trap: to be a good solider you must love the army. To be a good commander, you must be willing to order the death of the thing you love."

I think of that quote often, both in my Drum and Bugle Corps dealings and in my Volvo Ocean Race dealings.  And interestingly enough, I'd only pass General Lee's "good commander" test in one.

I love Drum and Bugle Corps.  I love the thrill of the speed, the volume (MORE VOLUME) of the horns.  I love it when a corps teeters on the edge of chaos, loud and fast and crazy, but never falls over the edge.  I love old school corps- I love bugles, I love it all.

What I HATE though, is where drum corps seems to be going.  I was ok with the death of "march what you play" because it benefited me, in high school marching band.  I never would have been able to play xylophone and carry it at the same time, I just wasn't strong enough.  But I am soooo very NOT ok with amplification, electrification, the demise of the bugle (um- Drum and BUGLE CORPS MUCH??), the dancing hornlines, the seemingly forgotten basics of marching well, in step and in line when needed.  I hate the drive to be summer's version of Bands of America, and to wuss the old school right out. 

I cannot order the death of this thing I love.  By accepting the changes, I would accept something that is NOT drum corps, and is in my opinion, killing the thing I love.  So, sorry General.  I'm a lousy commander.

However, when it comes to the Volvo, I'm all for change, because I see that with change, the activity will survive.

I'm a member of a group on LinkedIn called "DARK BLUE BOOK - The Who's Who of Yacht Racing."  The Manager's Choice question this week was "In your opinion what should be the format and boat of Volvo Ocean Race in 2014-2015?"

I said: "I'd like to see longer stopovers- it just seems so rushed now between arrival, in-port and departure. I'd like to see a US west coast stopover, but I'm not sure how that would work.
As to the boats themselves, I like the 70s, but I worry about their suitability in hard conditions. From the first edition of the race that featured the 70s, and continuing to this race, there were just so many catastrophic failures. I'd like to see something that delivered the excitement of the potential speed of the 70, without the excitement of the potential damage." 

Well, that went over like a lead balloon.  That's ok though, I didn't expect my amateur opinion to weigh much with the pros, but at least I'm in there.  Once they got done either ignoring or picking my answer apart though, people started in on the "It should be the way it was" vs "We need to change or we'll die" argument.

I followed the back and forth for a while, and sent this to one of the discussion members: "It appears that you and I are on the same (pardon the pun) wavelength re: the VOR. While I understand the appeal of "let's go back to Maxi's" and "let's just go for speed not points" I fear that doing so would mean the death of the race. Like it or not, the VOR NEEDS the virtual race, it needs the corporate sponsors, it needs the casual interest generated by the plethora of non-sailing bits and bobs that are associated with the race now. Or it will die."

Would a return to the hale and hearty days of champagne, caviar and Irish hand knit sweaters be better?  It does have appeal.  The gentleman sailor, the "any yacht" aspect of it, no multimillion dollar corporate sponsors, no having to dog and pony during stop overs.  Just the men, the boats and the sea.  Mano a... um.  Mer?  Sure.  We'll say that.  Mano a Mer.

But that would kill it, you see?  That age has gone by, and even men who sailed in the early Whitbreads have embraced and raced in the Volvo.  If a syndicate is willing to drop millions of dollars to develop a state of the art boat, with the best team available, why not encourage it?  If there are tens of thousands of fans playing the VOR game online, why not expand that for the next race?


There was recently an article released about the media reach for HALF of this current race.  "For what its worth, the cumulative TV audience as of February 19th was 880 million based on 1,200 hours of coverage across dedicated programming and news items. Those figures compare with a cumulative audience of 459 million at the corresponding stage of the last race, representing a 90 percent increase."  The article goes on to explain why and all, but NINETY PERCENT INCREASE.  Why?  How?

Because of the extras- the dog and pony at stopovers, the online game, the increased exposure in China.  All these things are giving traditionalists heart attacks.  "100000 players online is great, 6 teams is not. Even if you have a million players it is irrelevant to what the race should be. The number of virtual sailors is a great tool for showing increased marketing numbers, but has no reflection on the success of the real race."  I would argue that perhaps the focus of the race is changing.

Would I like to see ten teams, a dozen teams, battling it out across the globe?  Sure.  As much as the next zealot I've decried the lack of syndicates, even to the point of pitching to Richard Branson's Virgin that THEY sponsor a team.  (to no avail...yet)  But look at the NUMBERS- even with the measly 6 entries (all of whom I love, don't get me wrong) the overall marketing numbers for this race are skyrocketing.  I believe that if we (and by we, I mean VOR) keep going the way we're going, we'll have players AND teams.  I'd say that with reports like this, 8 to 10 teams in 2014 is an achievable goal.

So yes, General Lee.  I would kill the Whitbread.  Long live the Volvo.

(I used this photo because I know Martin Sheen's General Lee said the line.  I'm not 100% sure the actual General Lee said the line.)

Wherein I Disclose My Fangirl Tendencies

Ok.  I'll admit it. Every time someone from the Volvo accepts my friend request, or follows me on Twitter, or connects on LinkedIn, I squee.

SQUEE!

I try hard to be blasé about it, "Oh, you worked the race too?  I never would have known." but inside I'm composing emails to friends that say things like "OMGOMGOMG!!  I KNOW HIM!  I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!"  Emails that, of course, I don't send, because as much as I love my friends, none of them are quite as obsessed as I am, and are probably soooo very over the VOR by now.  SHOCKER I KNOW.

So anyway- I have this incredible network of people now.  Sailors, both past and present, support team members, organizers, executives...  Now what do I do with it?  As much as I like to think I played a pivotal role in ASSA ABLOY's success, I know I was a bit part.  Sure- I can say I worked with Karl-Henric Svanberg, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't remember me.  Same with Helena, or Jason, or Mikey or any number of other people who graciously tolerate my mildly stalkerish attempts for contact.

I don't want to say I have to figure out how to "use these connections," because I don't think that's the right way to go about it.  A friend recently shared an article decrying networking because of the dehumanizing effect it has.  You "connect" with someone and immediately wonder "how can I GET something from this connection?"  According to the article:           

"Maybe it was just that we misheard the career advice. Somewhere along the line we thought that building relationships with other people meant simply getting their email address and guilting them into responding."

I don't think that's healthy, sustainable or what I'm going for.  What I want "from" these people (note: NOT from these "connections") is a true network.  A bunch of people, connected in a web, some who know each other, some who don't, but who can help one another reach their goals.  HELP.  Not GET, not USE, not WHEEDLE.  HELP.

So.  How can I help my incredible network, and how can they help me as well?

And the entire campus takes a breath.

As I said in my Facebook status: "Made it through another Move-Out. Successfully recycled from all residence halls and appeased the Housing Powers That Be. My God. College kids get rid of a lot of stuff. "

I'm becoming used to the rhythm of the university year.  January to December doesn't mean much any more- my year is August to December, January to May, May to August.  (With a little of December to January thrown in for good measure.)

"Next year" doesn't mean 2013, it means August.  Or perhaps July if I'm going by the University's fiscal calendar.  "Spring" is usually a new beginning, but in my world, it's the end of a phase.  I'm losing 5 students to graduation (how dare they grow up and leave?).  We cleaned out the dorms, and will spend the summer luxuriating in their emptiness.  Summer means dormancy, time to step back, to take a breath, to both recover and prepare.  The traditional time of harvest is my time to plant new seeds, if you can call reminders to recycle "seeds."  I'll have a whole new crop of freshmen to educate come fall.

So my year is over, time for the champagne and the balloons, the songs of memory and of hope.  Happy New Year!

One Degree of Separation

Other than my husband, my best friend is Drew.  We met in college, a hundred years ago, and have remained close ever since.

Drew graduated from college yesterday, and I couldn't be prouder of him.  I know it was difficult to go back after all these years, and he did it with a complete focus change- he was a history major originally, who went in to retail management.  Now he's the proud owner of a shiny new CIS degree, and is ready to wield it with a vengeance.

I'm also trying to get my degree, finally, I've mentioned it before.  I've always wanted to, but it wasn't ever a necessity until I moved to Kansas.  Well, more specifically- until I moved to Lawrence, KS, home of the University of Kansas and a pretty nice place to live.   Seems there's a glut of degree holders in the area, and those of us without... well...

It's very frustrating, why would anyone NEED a degree to do what I do? (executive/administrative assistant/secretary- not what I do now, but to be honest- IMO my current job doesn't need a degree either) If I did have a degree, I doubt I'd be a secretary. I'd be doing something IN MY FIELD. I don't know anybody who has a 4 year degree in secretary.  I have students right now who are graduating in a week who have NO clue what they're going to do and NO job prospects. But they're going to be able to go out and get a job that pays more than I get, simply because they have the paper.  It makes me question the value of a college degree.

So why am I proud of Drew?  Because I know he's going to USE his degree in the manner it's supposed to be used- as the starting point, not the end point.  That's my plan too, to use what I learn as a jumping off point in a career I choose, not just a job I can get.


Anyway- off to sign up for Algebra.  ;)

Toniiiiight... I'm Not Younnnng!

I work with college students. Well, I guess technically college students work FOR me, but we do a lot together during the week, I couldn't do it without them, they couldn't do it the same way without me.

Anyway- one of the things I hear over and over is that working with students "will keep you young!"

I call BS.

What it does is make me FEEL young, until it is obvious that I'm not. Once again- I beg your indulgence to stay with me.

I have some fairly hard partying employees, who aren't afraid to discuss their adventures with and around me. God help me- it sounds fun. "Let's do a Pedal Hopper!" "Let's go to martini night!" "Let's go out on a Wednesday night!" I want to go out on a Wednesday, without worrying about getting up at 5:45am on Thursday. I want to go to martini night without worrying about where Kate is while I'm at the Eldridge.

Heck yeah! Raise your glass!

But I can't. At least, I can't go out with my students. That would be frowned upon by the University, and it would probably skeeve people out.

So I sit at home and feel old. 9:00 on a Friday? BEDTIME. Crazy times on a Wednesday? Doing laundry. Never be never be anything but loud? Where are my earplugs??

Toniiiight... We're Not Younnnnng!

No. I refuse. I don't want to be old, I don't want to be stodgy. I want to be Magnus

Magnus is one of my favorite people, always at home in my heart, even though I haven't seen him in a decade. 10 years ago, Magnus was 53 (10 years older than I am now), and he sailed around the world with ASSA ABLOY. Four years ago, he sailed around the world with a crew so green they were practically fluorescent, and finished 4th overall, even after a disastrous run to Singapore.

After I got laid off (for the 5th time) in 2010, I was afraid. I've reached "an age" where one more layoff will effectively kill any career I've pursued. So I sold myself short, tried to get the "stable" job, the job that wouldn't challenge me, but wouldn't can me either. I got lucky with my gig, I am CONTINUALLY challenged. (Did I mention I work with college students??) and to be honest, I don't think I'm very good at it, but it is stable. I'm able to keep my feet under me, and look ahead.

Looking ahead now gives me hope. I may not be young, but contrary to popular opinion among my young coworkers, I'm far from old. I'm going places in my life.

But for now- anybody wanna go on a Pedal Hopper?

When I Grow Up

My future looks like a ball of yarn, post-kitten. Tangled and confusing, with the way through not always obvious from the outside.

But I think (I think) I might just maybe have found the actual string to follow.

Stay with me here.

My background is in administrative assisting. Basically, according to one boss, I'm "the duct tape and the super glue." I move, I groove, I shake, and hopefully when I'm done, the task at hand is complete to everyone's satisfaction. So there's one aspect.

My passion is the Volvo Ocean Race. (www.volvooceanrace.org) If you know me at all, you know about that, so I'm not going to go into it right now. If you have questions- please ask.

My current situation is recycling. I run the recycling chunk of the Environmental Stewardship Program at the University of Kansas. (recycle.ku.edu) I plan on using the tuition assistance program at KU to get a degree, and they offer Environmental Studies as a major. (esp.ku.edu)

OK!

So I have three things:

1. A background in making things work, administratively.
2. A passion for the VOR.
3. An opportunity to use my current position to advance my education, AND in a growing and exciting field.

What do y'all think of a "Sustainability Ambassador" or "Green" position within a VOR syndicate? The race is all about wind and water, there already is an emphasis on cleaning the oceans and saving the wildlife therein, I think it's a fit.

Now. How do I make it happen?