Before I get into the meat of the blog for tonight - Results: Porto (1st place), Queens (2nd place) and Kaiserslautern (3rd place). Needless to say, I was VERY surprised as to the results, but I say it again and again and again and again, that is Molson judging for you!
I would be remiss if, all through this process, I didn't say a few words about our coaches, Paul Myer, Jason Harkins and John Mahon. We were incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to work with all of them in different areas, and I feel very thankful to have been able to work with them. They have pushed us all in very different ways, but the resounding theme for all has been "Tough Love." They coach us voluntarily, giving up their own personal time to work with us. (So thank you to their families as well for understanding, as I know it's not easy!)
If not for Paul, I'm not sure we would've made it to Montreal. He handled the thousands of details prior to our arrival and handled all the correspondence between the competition organizers. He worked tirelessly with us on our presentation skills to best prepare us for the level of competition - for me, I know when I was feeling frustrated either during the semester or at the competition, he was always available to listen and provide feedback. As he would say, sometimes the most important teaching moments don't necessarily happen in the classroom. He put up with a lot from us, that's for certain, and we are glad he has a great sense of humor (and expansive wardrobe :)).
John was our other coach and driver on the team for the week. I think I can speak for my teammates, as to the level of depth and expertise he can get to when teaching us how to look and understand a case. His feedback was immediate and helpful - I have said in the past that while his feedback may not be comfortable, it is delivered in a way that you know #1, it comes from a good place, and #2 he wouldn't say it if he didn't think you could learn from it. I appreciate his honesty and his willingness to share his life lessons. (And for bringing along his sweet sister whose prayers we couldn't have done without!)
As Jason is a new proud father and had committed to a conference the week following the Molson competition, it was great that he could join us on Thursday. It was great to see his familiar face as we walked into the presentation for the live case. He has also worked with us tirelessly over the semester to develop our analytical skills and build confidence when we go into a Q&A session. He is such a great spirit to have around, and we really enjoyed having him with us.
I'll post final thoughts tomorrow, but for now...still digesting and absorbing - both literally and figuratively...good night to all, and again, a huge thank you to the work of our coaches - we couldn't have done it without you!
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