This past weekend I took part in a number of great events for the Speedways Children’s Charity in Texas.  The SCC is an amazing organization that has spent the past twenty years making sure children live productive lives.  I am just happy to have played a very small part in growing the organization these last two years.

First up was the clay shoot out at Ross Perot’s Circle T Ranch.  Last year I surprised myself and many around me by breaking my fair share of clays.  I am not known for my shooting skills, but I held my own.  This year was no different.  I did end up holding back my strong team, but not by much.  Out of the twenty-five teams of five shooters we came out close to the top of the standings.

The day of shooting was finished off with the Annie Oakley competition.  If you are not familiar with the Annie Oakley format, I am sorry, it would take far too long to explain.  But let’s just say that, not only did I make it to the final round, I actually won the thing outright.  That was until everyone bought there way back in and I was soon out.  But at least the charity made out well!

The rest of the weekend, which is geared around the NASCAR racing, was more of a culinary experience for me.  On Saturday night, Mario Batali, Guy Fieri and Tim love battled it out in the kitchen to raise over $100,000 for the children.  Then the next morning Courtney, her aunt Bobbie and husband Bill and I were lucky enough to have Guy and Mario cook us breakfast in the infield of the Texas Speedway.  An amazing morning all made better by the fact that the children of the Texas SCC chapter were benefiting from it all.

Are we halfway through November already?  When I think of the off-season, I think of a time where I am basically doing nothing.  Just recharging the body, the mind and catching up on a lot of missed time on the couch.  Yet, each year I seem to pack more and more into the winter months and this year I seem to have over stretched myself.  There has not been one dull moment and I feel about as tired as if I was coming home from a race.

When I am home, I am cooking, cleaning, shopping, running, riding and playing some tennis here and there.  On my trips so far it has felt like a stage race, with hotel transfers and with activities planned from sun up to sun down.  Unfortunately, during the winter months I can’t use my “I need to rest and recover for my next race” card and my wife knows it!  Guess it’s payback for the rest of the year when she is taking care of me.

If I looked back to the summer months I was already looking towards the off-season and making plans to do this and that.  Trying to pack in as many fun things that I could.  The possibilities seem endless at that point.  Once the off-season finally arrives you realize that the more you have planned, the faster it goes, and that is the case for me this year.   But I can’t say that I would do anything different.

I really have had a great time so far.  I was able to be part of so many cool experiences in Texas, our annual tennis tournament is coming up this weekend, which will be a great chance to catch up with some friends and then on Sunday I am off to Peru for a week with Right To Play (www.righttoplay.com).  I can only assume the Peru trip will be a huge eye opener.  We will be touring different villages and schools, giving talks and playing games and other activities with the children. I have no idea of what to expect, but I am sure it will be something I will always remember.  After Peru, it will already be Thanksgiving and then off to the first Team Columbia-HTC training camp.  It really does go so fast, but you only live once…

The main reason Courtney and I were in Texas was to be part of the Beretta Clay Shoot.  It benefits Bobbie’s Speedway Children’s Charity, and a number of “celebrities” got together to help raise money.  There were around fifteen celebrities, ranging from baseball players to bass fishermen.  It was quite the crowd, “The Bass Assassin” himself even showed up.  Each of us were joined by five “common folk” to make up a team of six and then we headed to the shooting stations.  There were ten stations in all, with each person shooting eight clays.  The goal is, of course, to break all eight, and then add up all of your totals at the end of all ten stations to get your overall team’s score.  My team, made up mostly of my family, did pretty well in the end.  Out of eighteen teams we came in eighth.  Very respectable considering we hardly ever get any practice.  The charity also had a very successful week, with this event, along with a few others, raising over half a million dollars!

The week was rounded out with NASCAR three ways.  On Friday night we toured the garage, very cool, and then watched the truck race from a suite overlooking the finish line.  On Saturday we watched the Nationwide Series from a condominium overlooking turn two, a great spot to watch all of the crashes.  Bill and I snuck out early and went for a bike ride with NASCAR driver and huge cycling fan, Bobby Labonte.  We really enjoyed riding with him and learning all about his sport.  It also made watching his race the next day a lot more interesting having that connection.  And finally on Sunday we watched the big race from the stands and had an awesome view over the finish line.  The cars were so loud you had to wear ear protection the whole time, and you could forget about trying to have a conversation.  Overall, I was blown away by how big this sport is.  Thousands of campers were parked there the whole week, and the fans are as diehard as they come.

Courtney and I have been going non-stop since we landed in Dallas. Courney’s aunt and uncle, Bobbie and Bill, invited us out to be part of a charity clay shoot and to attend the NASCAR events at the Texas Motor Speedway this week. We have been on a few trips with Bobbie and Bill this year and they have all been amazing, and this trip has lived up to that standard so far.

From the airport we headed straight to The Mansion, a very nice spot in the city, for pre-dinner drinks, then off to Charlie Palmer for our actual dinner.  I have never been to any of Charlie’s restaurants, but have heard great things about them and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Charlie was even there, greeting us and even signing bottles of his own wine. That really made it such a cool experience.

Then next morning, after a quick run with Courtney, it was off to the Rough Creek Lodge for some more activates. As soon as we check in it was time to go horseback riding, then Bill and I headed to the shooting range while the ladies checked in at the spa.  After hundred shots and, for me, a pretty sore shoulder we all met back at the lodge for a great dinner to close out the night.

Now we are all driving back to Fort Worth to try to squeeze in a quick ride while my parents and Courtney’s are flying in for the rest of the week’s events. Should be some good family vaca times ahead.