MW: the Journey (a Metaphor)

Last year I posted on Facebook that I was accepted to the Master of Wine (MW) program. For those of you following me for a while, you know this is the second time for me, and flooded that with words of support (thank you!) A couple folks, it appears, thought I was posting that I BECAME an MW. Oop, nope. Some people were confused, because they thought I’ve been in the program this whole time. Still others asked repeatedly for me to clarify the perplexing steps and stages. So, while on a break from working on an essay on nutrient excesses and deficiencies, I thought I’d share a metaphor - it's a little like being in elite sports.

There are not many spots on the team, so just to get invited to spring training is a big win.

You start Junior Varsity, to learn the plays and to run drills and train.

If you do well after a year, you get to play Varsity. Or, they may keep you in JV one more year to improve your skills. Or, they may cut you from the team.

If you don’t move to Varsity after your second year in JV, you are cut from the team, even if you were close. (That was me.)

If you’re cut, you have to wait a few years to try out again. So of course you keep training, scrimmaging with friends who are still on the team, getting advice from coaches, and so on.

So, I tried out again and got invited back on the team (hooray), starting JV from the beginning. Luckily, I have grown so much vs. when I joined the team the first time. My fitness is exponentially better, though I still have plenty of drills to run and training to do. But I scrimmage and work out every single day. My only hope is, after my JV year, to pass through to Varsity straightaway this time.

Once you get to Varsity, you aim for the Golden Circle. Only a few members of the team ever make it to the Golden Circle, and then they become coaches, idols, and mentors. The path to the Golden Circle can be long – you get evaluated on physical performance and mental performance; if you hit one of those to standard, you have six years to accomplish both. If not, you’re cut from the team. If you don’t meet either standard, after three years, you’re cut from the team. Sometimes life happens and you have to quit the team. Sometimes you get injured and can’t continue. A rare few are athletic marvels and pass from JV to Golden Circle quickly – the majority have a longer season.

Part of the difficulty is that there is no one correct way to run a play. And the coaches have a high standard for evaluation. But it’s a widespread team, they can’t work with you one-on-one, so you have to figure out how to meet the often vague high standards on your own. Plus, some teammates are excellent technical athletes, while others run slower but are genius at defense… and some put in hours and hours of training but may never become an MVP.

Oh, by the way – you have to pay the Front Office a lot of money every year to even BE on the team. And you have to pay for training, outside coaching, equipment, travel to games, and you have to organize and pay for scrimmages, and pay for body work and upkeep… being on the team is very expensive. And if you DO manage to reach the Golden Circle, there’s no guarantee of a particular position or bonus – some people have even quit the sport altogether! And you have to train and practice as an elite athlete while working a fulltime job or jobs, and handle personal and family matters as well.

There is a teeny tiny part of me that secretly wished they wouldn’t have invited me back on the team. Then I could have hung up my boots and focused on the rest of my life, with a lot more free time, way less stress, and way more cash in my pocket. But being on this team has been a pinnacle of my career. I have gotten close to teammates in Australia, Brazil, Austria, Greece, the UK, and Texas. I interact with leaders in our sport far better than I ever had. I see how our sport works on a cellular level. I love the commitment, drive, and talent of my teammates; they inspire me daily. Now that I have a far clearer vision of how difficult training is, it's taken me a long time to feel confident I will reach the Golden Circle… but I have no choice but to put on my uniform and head out to the field to try.

Hope this helped clarify! Now back to my skills drill… the MW "JV" exam is less than a month away. High Calcium locks up Boron, Iron, and Magnesium; the deficiency of the latter can lead to Bunch Stem Necrosis, didn’t you know?

Cheers.