At our Spring BBQ this week, we awarded this year’s Chutzpah Award to Myra Aronson and Edward Dageforde.  As the name suggests, these two F4 athletes have demonstrated the true FastForward spirit with their determination to get the very most from each training season, workout, and across a range of races.  Congratulations to you both!

Here is an excerpt from Edward’s acceptance speech:

I want to thank you and your staff for selecting me for the male chutzpah award.

I am not sure what exactly I did to deserve the award other than follow all of your instructions, and then just press play in every race. This is after all what your program is all about.

I have been continually improving since joining F4, and based on the 10 year rule I can for a few years still. Can is the key word because you have to have the desire and put in the effort to actually achieve it. I have that desire to always do the best that I am capable of doing, knowing that each race will be what it will be and I can only give to it what my body is capable of on that particular day.

I guess I added my own quality, striving to gain insights into the art and science of racing so that I can do my best and improve my times, just because. I am after all just in the middle of the pack for my age group (8/16 in last Saturday’s duathlon) and so not likely to win any race awards. But that does not mean I don’t want to end a race feeling like I raced it well, I raced it right, and I ended with nothing left to give. I am ultimately competing against myself.

And then there was sharing what I have learned along the way with a few of my fellow athletes. Helping Jennifer think of a way to judge her races and effort that has worked well for me, monitoring my breathing. I think it helped her with the Bolder Boulder. Or Mike saying “What would Ed do?” when thinking about cadence or pace.

When you look at it though, it all comes back to you, your staff, and the program. Scott, you saw potential and offered me alternatives such as the Haystack Mountain TT. All of you celebrate the athlete in everyone in your program, from the fastest to the slowest, and that carries over to the individual athletes. It is a group that supports each other. Listens to what went right for an individual, and what went wrong. We are all just trying to do our best and celebrate that effort, and your program does just that. And together as part of the F4 family we continually strive to achieve our goals, whatever they may be.

So thank you for the award. I shall continue to keep doing what I have done to show that I truly deserved it.

-edward dageforde