Chloe For The Win!

Spring soccer and karting season are getting into full swing, which means Matt and I often have to divide to conquer.

There was a club race Saturday in south Jersey and Oliver had a soccer game and team photos near home on the same day. The original plan was that Matt and Chloe would get up early Saturday morning and for the kart race and I would stay at home with Oliver and Emma Claire for the soccer game and photos.

But, an email late Friday afternoon changed all the plans. Thunderstorms were forecast for Saturday and the soccer game/team photos was pre-emptively canceled.

We would all head south in Nellie the RV for the kart race that night. That meant after the dinner clean-up we hastily packed clothes and the necessities, dressed the kids in their pjs and drove south. Since we wouldn't get to the track until after midnight and the gates would be locked, we slept in the "Wally-World" parking lot only a few miles from the track. As soon as the doors opened to Wally-World, we were inside to purchase breakfast, drinks and snack and lunch items for the day.

Essentially, the kids fell asleep, cozy in Nellie, shortly after we pulled out of the driveway and woke up with donuts and milk none the wiser to the 150 mile trip we had taken.

For every kart race Chloe drives in, the objective is for Chloe to do her best and have fun. Chloe also has the drive to win. But, a big hurdle for Chloe was to believe she was capable of winning against other racers that she had never been able to beat. At the start of this season she set a goal to win at the regional and club level and be competitive at national-level events. With that goal in mind, we set out to help her achieve it by planning out race events that were competitive and challenging. She has been working with Chris, her kart tuner and driving coach, to achieve her race goals.

Chloe and Oliver with some fellow race track pals.

Chris has really helped Chloe improve in her braking, passing and turns. He has also taught her race craft and strategy. He has also helped her believe in herself. She's had her parents, brother and family as her cheerleaders, but it as really helped her to have someone outside her everyday circle tell her she "could do this".

Team OVRP had two 1st place wins -- Micro and Junior.

So, Chris, Chloe and Matt set out a race plan and goal for the weekend and it paid off. Chloe was dominate at every practice session, in qualifying at pre-finals. In the final race, she hung to lead-kid, someone she has been unable to beat in previous races, and made a pass two laps before the finish for the win. She followed Chris' plan to the letter and made it look easy.

Chloe takes 1st place on the podium.