Enabling Talent

Ben True: Winner at All Levels

Every now and then a kid comes along and, right off the bat, you (and everyone else) notices that he or she is better than their peers. You see it on the soccer pitch, the football field, the basketball court, the cross country course and, by extention, on the piano or in math. It's a wow thing as in "Wow! that kid's good" - an instant appreciation of talent. And when this kid comes onto the radar, it becomes fun to follow their career and see how it progresses against increasingly hard competition - college, minors, big leagues. A case in point in Maine is Ben True, the fabulously talented distance runner originally from North Yarmouth. Won in high school (Greely). Won in college (Dartmouth). Winning on the pro circuit. He's won because of natural talent, a love for his sport and scientifically applied training. One could also note the application of "hard work", but to these people the work is not "hard" but rather it is welcomed. Sitting at the piano for 4 hours straight? Ugh! to most people but pure joy to the gifted.  These guys wake up every morning and wonder "What can I do today to get better?". Consumed but happily so.

Benjamin Wolfe: Cycling Prodigy

We have these talent standouts in cycling, too. A young guy (age 19) who looks like his ticket is punched for bigger things is Cal-Giant's Benjamin Wolfe. We at Downeast Racing witnessed first hand his prowess while at the Beverley Crit this summer. The kid dominated against a national class gathering where he just rode away from the field - once again. However, and maybe unique to cycling in the USA, many talented riders blossum at a later age. A lot of talent comes to cycling AFTER their careers in other sports because opportunities for continuing in those sports ends. How many pro soccer openings are there a year? What do you do after a college rowing career (Eliot)? In cycling, the opportunity for advancement never ends and that's a gravitational pull to those who love to compete. Combine that competitive love & maturity with what the bike mysteriously does to the soul once you hop onto the saddle, and that "wow talent" emerges in surprisingly many people. Each year Downeast Racing looks to discover that latent Maine talent and provide these guys with an opportunity to discover just what lies within them. For our initial year we were heavily skewed toward proven talent with a sprinkling of latent. For 2015 we will bring on a few more latents where mixing them with the veterens will help to develop their potential. It's an exciting endeavor for us, so stay tuned and we will introduce you to our new members shortly.