Column by Tim Riley

A quick Internet search will reveal the meaning of the word ‘confident’ to be: “not liable to error in judgment or action.” Fifteen more seconds of intensive research will then reveal the word ‘cocky’ to mean: “overly self-confident.” This difference is extremely important to note since one is a key trait for success and the other is a means to a fall.

This is particularly true when it comes to the arena of athletics. Without confidence, a competitor has no hope, but if they are cocky, then they will likely make grave mistakes. Straddling the line between the two is key for achieving one’s desired goals. Don’t learn this lesson quickly enough and a world of hurt will come around. This is literally true in my case.

One of the beautiful things about being a college student is the amazing number of free trips available. While many of these involve going to places even less exciting than Lexington, sometimes one hits the jackpot. Luckily this semester, the powers that be were kind enough to decide January was the perfect time for me to spend a weekend in Florida talking about engineering. Sunny skies beat ice storms every time.

During this trip to the University of Florida in Gainesville, Fla., the prerequisite campus tour eventually came about. With Ben Hill Griffin Stadium — The Swamp — being directly on campus and open to the public, it only made sense for a big football fan such as myself to want to see the famous stadium. Unfortunately, I was unable to keep my mouth shut long enough to stop myself from convincing a fellow engineer to run its steps with me later that day.

The reality of the situation as I saw it was quite simple. The Swamp is quite famous and being able to run up and down the steps for a while would be fun and a good workout. Plus, I stay in decent shape, finishing far from first in my fair share of long-distance races. There was no chance that I would not put forth a good, if not dominant, effort.

Unfortunately, while perception can shape reality, a few thousand steps tend to prove the truth. Upon arriving for my “easy” run, nothing could break my confidence. So what if the person I was running with used to play soccer and run cross country? I was a man with the strong legs necessary to handle the grind of the stadium. She was a girl, who while obviously more experienced on the steps and in excellent shape, would be unable to outperform me.

At this point, my own idiocy very unclear to me, we began running. Up 30 steps, across the seating, down 30 steps, repeat until you return to the same place you began. A few repetitions into the process though, a bit of reality began creeping into my head. How much had I really been running over the winter? Was being out until 3 a.m. the night before the right preparation for this attempt? And, most importantly, how is she not nearly as tired as I am?

As the torture session continued, the leg pain was obviously very present, but it was nothing compared to the beating my ego was taking. If you ever want to lose your swagger, then overestimate your physical endurance. It really is a wonderful time.

Be overly cocky, and soon you won’t even have confidence. A journey of a thousand miles should never end on a downer though, and thankfully opting to continue the punishment after technically “finishing” running around the stadium actually saved the day. Ninety-two beyond-painful lunges to the very top of the stadium later, something beyond the gift of awkwardly walking around for the next four days was given to me.

At the point of exhaustion, thoughts crystallize. I reached the top of the stadium, and after finally managing to actually stand up and turn around, one of the rare sunsets, where the sky has turned so many colors it seems impossible, appeared. All the physical and mental anguish an overflow of hubris had given me, in the end, did not turn out so bad. Being confident, or possibly stupid, enough to attempt something new let me experience something a nap, that I really wanted to take back at the hotel, could have never given me.

A workout reminiscent of my worst memories of high school sports, a re-balancing of my ego, and a reward for putting up with it all and not giving up. Now that sounds like a vacation.