Athlete’s Voices: Dina Parise-episode 1; it’s About Mental Preparation, but Don’t Forget The Stilettos!
I have been asked to write for the Athletes Voices Column on Double G Sports! I love that more peeps want to know about this amazing sport of Drag Racing and this DPR team! I hope they are ready!
A bit about me joining Double G Sports.com :
http://us1.campaign-archive2.com/?u=6e5b39a9f82a1e9d6bb5b9be4&id=1deb3c5512
**I will be posting on the 20th of each month.**
My Athlete’s Voices Archive: http://doublegsports.com/category/other/athletes-voices/dina-parise/
Here is the first installment…..
Athlete’s Voices: Dina Parise, Episode 1. It’s About Mental Preparation, But Don’t Forget the Stilettos!
“I don’t mind living in a man’s world as long as I can be a woman in it.” That is one of my favorite expressions by Marilyn Monroe. Now, I’m not piloting a 3,000 Horse Power 63 Corvette Pro Mod in a pair of stilettos or anything, but you get the point!
Since this is my first blog here on DoubleG Sports let me catch you up to speed! I’m Dina Parise. President of Dina Parise Racing A two car Pro Modified Drag Racing team. In Drag Racing we Race two cars side by side. We either race ¼ mile or 1/8 mile depending on the event we are attending. In ¼ mile for example a ‘run’ ET (Elapsed Time) is usually 6 seconds or less at speeds of over 240MPH. And… Yes, I said two car team. I pilot a 1963 Corvette and my husband Andrew (my team mate and fiercest rival) pilots our 1953 Corvette. Each car has 3,000 Horsepower and can pull in excess of 3 G’s when leaving the line. Cool stuff right?
Please note, I am writing this between races…. Welcome to my world! As I write, I have to then step away and later return to the lap top with more info! So, try to keep up!
Piloting a Pro Mod can be a tough gig. But, not for reasons you may think. I’m not referring to my competitors or to the fact that I’m a chick. The tough part in many instances can just be the car itself. Take for instance my outing at Capitol Raceway. If it was not bubbling over, spilling out or shutting off….. then, it was not happening! AAAHHH, Drag Racing! Some days just go that way! You can’t win for losing!
It’s days like that , you cannot let those issues in your head. I am an athlete by nature. As a former figure skater amateur competitive and later professional for the Ice Capades , I know the importance of concentration. Now especially, concentration and focus is a matter of safety. The game has changed but the mindset remains. My mental preparation has not strayed much though. In years past I used a Walkman, now I use an IPod. My music choices have probably not strayed much either! Def Leppard, Queen, AC/DC, Bret Michaels, Bon Jovi I guess you get my drift.
I often wonder about other athletes. How do they get their heads in the game? Do they use music? Do they jog? Do they do crossword puzzles? I think we all have a way to get in the zone and it is personal preference.
As I said, mental preparation is key. I must be prepared for what may happen in an instant. Take my latest outing at Atco Raceway. I pulled up to the starting line, as I do for any typical run. This run became anything other than typical. Mental Preparation…. Here is where it becomes key. Late into the run, the rear of the car began to bounce in the air. That is not typical of this type of race car. My crew member noticed that my Chutes (Parachutes) did not deploy as they usually do. He calmly repeated the word ‘chutes’ to me in my ear. In my head I was screaming, “UM, yes… I’m aware of that, but they are not coming out!” But my hands were fighting a different battle. One I was feverishly losing. When a Pro Mod is bouncing in the air at over 200 MPH chances are, things will not go in your favor. Of course, what goes up must come down. When she did, she was not facing in the same direction as she was initially. So, up on the two driver’s side wheels she went! Feeling as if she was going to roll, the best I could do was wheel her easy enough to calm her down. All things considered the damage was minimal. The chutes did decide to make a guest appearance after all was said and done. Better late than never? I think not!
This DPR team will now move forward and continue to work harder than ever! I hope you all will check us out at https://dinapariseventures.com/ ! Be sure to follow DPR on FaceBook, Twitter and Google Plus to see what we are up to and where we are! Don’t forget to check out our amazing Marketing Partners when you visit our website https://dinapariseventures.com/marketing-partners . People always ask how DPR can get out there to do what they do. The Advertising Partners are the key to DPR’s success! This team works hard to keep their Advertisers happy! So check out the Advertisers and go ahead and try their products and services! DPR uses them all!
Thanks for reading! See you at the races!
‘Till next time!
Dina
