Moral victory???

After I was done posting last night, I looked up who was going to be in my heat the next day. Once I saw who my competition was, I knew that I was not going to make it to round 3. There are 4 people in each heat. Now of the 3 others in my heat, Two of the poeple live and train at the Volcom house year around, and the other guy is this Australian surfer that I have read multiple articles about in a plethora of surfing mags! I didn't have a chance of moving on, and I felt bad for the other three guys, because they all deserved to go onto the next round, but only 2 of them were going to make it. SHOCKER! I came in last! It wasn't a disapointment though, because I actually put on a pretty decent performance. I caught some awesome waves, I tried out a couple of things that I have been kinda sort of working on for a while, and I had fun! I definitely feel like the other guys I was out there with, were totally pushing me to surf better and harder than I would have if I were on a different heat. What lost this competition for me was the fact that I was against people that were dedicated to this sport, heart and soul. They sacrifice every waking moment of thier lives gaining the technical skills and grace that no one can fake, no matter how much raw talent they might have. I was in awe just being out there with guys that have so much drive and dedication . It was a great day and I am proud to be a surfer.