The First Pitch

I love baseball. I enjoy going to baseball games. The sites, sounds, and smells enhance the experience. Have you ever wondered how the person throwing out the first pitch gets selected? As a kid when I attended games with my family I often wondered how people got to throw out the first pitch. I always wanted to be that person. Three weeks ago I was chosen to represent a group attending a baseball game by throwing out the first pitch. It was a complete honor! Three other people also got to throw out a pitch. But it didn't matter to me that I was one of four people....I WAS one of four! How cool was that? I arrived at the game early and checked in at customer service. When the time came to walk out onto the field the only thought I had was "throw it so the catcher can catch it". I was worried that I would bounce the ball up to the plate or worse yet throw it a mile over the catcher's head. I kept thinking I should have practiced all week to make that throw. I couldn't believe how nervious I was. While I played softball in college and for many years after, I had not thrown a ball in a couple of years since I tore my rotator cuff. I really hadn't given much thought to the idea that 10,000 plus people would be watching. See, I knew better. The only people who really focus on the first pitch is your family and friends and people like me who sit in the seats wishing it was them.

By the Number

It is Monday and the Inaugural Pan Hope Ride is history. The emotional high continues. I will run on adrenaline today as I go back to work. I live in the world of data and statistics; so lets look at a few. The Pan Ohio Hope Ride took me along 282.3 miles of roads and trails in four days during 20:31:28 hours. I burned 9880 calories while averaging about 13.5 MPH. During the past four days I consumed some 15 bottles of Gatorade, 12 bottles of water, 8 bananas, 4 power bars, 4 bags of energy beans and two servings of ice cream. All to raise about $3300.00 for the American Cancer Society Hope Houses. No matter how I present the numbers, all personal "records"; I could not possibly capture the magnitude of the personal achievement.

Becoming a Family

Fourth and last day of the Pan Hope Ride. We came to Cleveland as strangers but leave as a family. By today we had covered over 200 miles. We had tired legs, sore butts, and depleted energy. Evidence that we had become a family began early on and has been very evident the past two days. Last night we all waited by the finish line and refused to go to dinner until our last two riders had arrived. We had become a family. Today we were going to pull everyone through....no matter what. We grouped up, we cheered each other on and we waited two miles from our finish until everyone had arrived so we could all ride into the Hope Lodge as one. We had become a family! This experience was not unlike what my family faced on seven different occasions with cancer. When our family member was stricken with the battle for their life we all filled in and played various roles to pull everyone through. We did not leave each others' side. The last ten miles into Cincinnati included a number of hills that felt much worse given the 95 plus temperatures and legs that had 280 plus miles on them. But as I approached the meeting area I could hear the cheers of those who already arrived and that pulled me through. Once I arrived I joined the cheering riders waiting for the next set of riders to arrive. The paramedics who followed the last set of riders radioed to our group that the last two riders were on Erie street. We all stood and began waiting until we could see them crest the hill so we could cheer them on. We had become a group of riders not individuals riding in the Pan Ohio Hope Ride. Once everyone had arrived at the meeting spot we grouped up to ride into the Lodge together.
Arriving at the Hope lodge was a very emotional experience. Tears and hugs were abundant as we celebrated being pioneers for a cause that we all deeply believe in and have been touched by at least once in our life time. I leave on my ride back to Cleveland a different person than I was four days ago because I was able to ride farther and faster than I ever had before, but more so because of the people with whom I shared the journey.