Is It All Worth It?

As a bracket racer, we have to sacrifice a lot of different things in order to go racing every weekend, and the real question is: Is it all worth it?!

Hey BracketLifer’s, it’s Rachel here, and this week I’m talking about sacrifice. According to Google, sacrifice means “the act of giving up something valued for the sake of something else regarded as more important or worthy”. In our case that ‘something more important or worthy’ is racing.

So is it all worth it? The late-night driving and early morning starts? Missing concerts, festivals, or time with your friends? Choosing a career path that doesn’t interfere with the sport? Saving all your money to go spend it on entry fees? In my opinion, YES! It is worth it and for two reasons:

1) If you are trying to be the best of the best in the sport, then of course you need to give up things that are of less importance to focus on becoming a better racer and;

2) Because even if are making sacrifices to go racing, it doesn’t have to be an all or nothing approach. 

I think a lot of people think it’s all or nothing, either you dedicate your life to the sport and never miss a race weekend, or you quit and just don’t go at all. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Personally, I do make a lot of sacrifices when it comes to the career I’ve chosen, the way I spend my money, how often I see my friends and when I travel. But the reality is that I am only sacrificing those things for a certain period, and I CHOOSE to sacrifice those things. During the winter months when I can’t go racing, I make a much stronger effort to go back to the things I sacrificed during the season and make up for them. Even if that’s just catching up on my sleep, lol! 

As someone who bracket races mainly to have fun and spend time with my racing family – there is still a side of me that is competitive and wants to be great at the sport. One of my favourite quotes says “sacrifice is a part of every journey to become great. Sacrifice now for a better future.” I genuinely believe that the sacrifices I make in my life to go racing, will provide me with a better future. I may not be the greatest racer, but I’ll die trying.

Lastly, if you are a racer like me, I think you’ll probably agree that our non-racing friends don’t quite understand our sacrifices and why we choose them. But what’s important to acknowledge is that WE make those decisions, and it is almost always the best decision for us and our lives.

I’m curious to hear your thoughts on this topic. Do you think the sacrifices are worth it?

Catch you next-next week,

Rachel Ogilvie