Duisburg, Computer stuff, and Preparation for Hagen

I heard from some readers that my original pictures never uploaded. They will be included at the end of the entry.

It's alive!! Computer has just come back to life, but my phone sadly has not. Duisburg was interesting this past Saturday. I had two good, steady rides with no mistakes on both of my ponies which was very good, but we did run into a little bit of politics! Because the show, the riders, and the judges were all local, the girl from the USA seemed very strange to them and maybe a little uncomfortable for them....this was to be expected. So girls with a lot of big mistakes got 5s and 6s on their big errors, I got 3s on my little errors. It was a little annoying, but that's the way of the game! It was a very good experience and a great warm up for Hagen. At least I know what my mistakes are, so I can prepare even more for Hagen. I am feeling confident, but honestly it did knock me down a little bit. I really want those straight 7s, and I really want to do well at Hagen. I have to focus this week before Hagen. I think that it's possible. I just have to work hard, focus, and stay relaxed at the same time. That's the hard part of preparing. You want to work so hard and really feel like your work is going to pay off, but sometimes you make yourself so crazy about it that maybe it's not worth it to think that way. Maybe the way to succeed is to not think of it as "work" but as an inch of "progress." This is what I am going to think about tomorrow, because today I made myself too intense and even though my work did get better...I wasn't satisfied in my head, and that's not good. I am really going to focus on being lose up until Hagen and putting myself into a zone of mental focus and relaxation. This is what will make things better. This is what will get me those straight 7s. I really thought that these feelings were important to share with all of you because we all know how hard it is to balance those feelings that you have while preparing for a show. The question is: "How do we take that winning/determined attitude and coat it with a little relaxation, focus, and fun?" How do we keep that winning drive, but take the edge off of the stress or the frustration? I think that every athlete must face this question many times in their life, as it is a very important question.