My husband and I took a trip out west to cheer on our daughter, Britty, who is a senior student-athlete at UCLA. This was to be a special weekend. UCLA competed against USC, their biggest rival. This weekend was also the weekend where the seniors were honored, senior speeches were creatively presented, and a scrumptious brunch was held. The Bruin pride was evidenced through all of the swimmers and divers' competitive performances and their fluent and teary-eyed speeches. As I flew out west, I gaped out of the passenger window still in awe with nature's beauty over the snow-capped mountains and the contrast of the New Mexico desert. At over 500 mph, we were flying somewhere out there where, in 8 weeks or so, I will be walking not more than a 3 mph pace on top of the country that separates two oceans, the Continental Divide. I immediately took out my CDT books and began to reference them as my body shook with emotion of what was to come. And then we landed and I had to back up and put myself in LA mode so that I could enjoy our daughter's accomplishments and our cherished time with her. Her speech could not have been more poignant, her poise would have made both of her grandmothers very proud. The meet against USC was a close loss, but in the end, we know that the Bruin Swimming and Diving program is top-notch. Just like any distance hiker, our daughter has learned lessons for life on and off the boards. The balancing act of a D1 student-athlete requires a commitment to a passion for which they developed. Bruce and I are so very proud of our daughter's commitment to her academics and to her sport. We kissed Britty good-bye until Pac 10's, and off we went again to the airport beaming with parental Bruin pride. It took us 12 hours to return home to Cincinnati and this time, I did not gape out the window. My mind was still occupied with my love for our baby daughter. As she evloves into her own world, mine will have to wait until springtime.