You Can't Win if You Don't Turn Up

I recently took up BMX racing. It's an odd hobby to start at my age I know, but I desperately wanted to do it as a child and wasn't allowed. My mother thought I'd break my neck. After years of not thinking about it, I caught a bit of coverage on the TV and mentioned to my husband that I'd always wanted to try it. He said, "Then why don't you?" So I did.

Thing is, I'm not very good at it. My balance is bad, my foot speed is bad, my posture is bad, my mental intensity is bad, and every other aspect of my riding is bad. But despite all that, I'm currently top of the regional points table in my class. This is because I'm the only rider in my class. I won the first race of the summer simply by virtue of turning up.

What's this got to do with writing, you ask? Well, this week I put in my application for the BBC College of Comedy. I'll be absolutely shocked if I get anywhere. I briefly pondered not even bothering, but then I remembered how I'd won that BMX race. I'm not saying I'll get into the College of Comedy just by applying, but I know I most definitely won't get in by not applying. You can't win if you don't turn up.