channeling my inner cheerleader

So I was never a cheerleader. I'd much rather be behind the scenes rather than out in front of the crowd. But when it comes to cheering for people in triathlons or other races, I might be able to fool you. I'm willing to shout at the top of my lungs, sing show tunes to people, jump up and down, draw lots of attention to myself as I encourage others...my willingness to be loud, foolish, and silly knows no bounds when it comes to cheering for others.
Today was a great day to be part of a team. And particularly to be part of T3. We were all over the Cap Tex race course - racing, coaching, cheering, volunteering. I spent my morning in a kayak, which was a little (okay, a lot!) different than expected. Funny that I was all ready to be in "out there in front" cheerleader mode at the swim exit with the rest of my teammates and I ended up in total "behind the scenes" mode in the middle of Town Lake (er...Lady Bird Lake) on my own. Sort of ironic (incorrect use of that word, I know...but you know what I mean), isn't it? Anyway, I have discovered arm muscles that even Chrissie's core class have not touched yet and I have some great stories from being in the kayak. It was a bummer not to be able to pull teammates out of the water (or even to be able to spot them in the water) but I have to figure that I was out there for some other reason. Maybe it was to re-direct the sweet woman who was backstroking in circles before I suggested she flip over and breaststroke. Or maybe it was to splash water in the face of the man who was on his back resting for so long that the medical canoe and I both got worried. I'll take a land job next time but am glad to have done this once. And I somehow maneuvered my way out of the kayak for part of the Olympic distance race so that I could see some teammates finish...I didn't really get to serenade Amy since she was in the finishing chute when I saw her but I'll keep practicing my show tunes for her next race. I did get to see a lot of T3ers finish though and that was VERY fun. Everyone looked SUPER strong and happy - go team!
After a while the sun got to all of us and we hid out under the T3 tent...with beverages. It was a great way to kill a few hours - and then it was breakdown time for the tent. We loaded up the chairs, etc... in the T3 trailer and then Chrissie, Amy, and I made our way to Hyde Park Bar & Grill for lunch. YUM. Fries, turkey burger...you would have thought I had raced that morning. Nope. But my kayaking and the sun wore me out!
The folks at J&A's were breaking down their water stop when Amy dropped me off to get my car. Some were headed across the street to continue their fun...not this girl. I was tired and feeling the need to get laundry done, pack for the next day, cook, etc... But I did meet up with some gals later in the night for dinner and to toast the race! (And Liz's engagement!)
Another good day in the books...congrats to all my friends who raced (and PR'd!)...you inspire me. And to all of my friends who I cheered with...what a terrific team we have! Here's to another week - last one for school and nearing the last week of non-taper mode for IM training (where has that time gone?!)
P.S. The longer you leave your volunteer shirt on, the more race site places you can get into...but the more questions you can get asked, too. Learned this from experience today!