One contest left before the team is announced and I must admit I am getting excited.  My coach won't let me know where I stand with the team selection so I do not concentrate on the things that are out of my control.  Probably a very smart move, I have been known to get nervous about these things.

During a qualifier year it seems as though nothing is sacred. 

In October I missed my father's birthday and a whole family celebration at Disney World because I was at a training camp in New Zealand.  In November I didn't see my nieces (who are growing exponentially) when I was in Toronto because I had a heavy schedule meeting with various trainers.  And now I've gone through a very different Christmas without family and old friends because I have been training here in Colorado. 

I guess you can call them sacrifices, but I look at it more as opportunity costs.  I give up seeing family and friends, moments I can never get back, for an opportunity at one monumental moment.