I'm not naïve enough to think everyone in our sport is happy. But I will point out that, just as the rest of us did, she earned her position in the field through the rules ESPN created. She qualified. ESPN has done fantastic things to grow our sport, and I believe this will certainly draw great attention to the Classic - and attention to the sport is a good thing.
What I believe this means to Kim is that she will be crippled by media coverage. She'll have what seems like a million people following her everywhere she goes. I'm a former Classic champion, but she'll get far, far more coverage than I will. In fact, she'll get more coverage Kevin VanDam and Skeet Reese combined.
My message to Kim would be this. Enjoy the event. Take it all in. Be competitive, but try to savor it. And I'd like to say that I wish her luck, but I don't know if I wish Kim luck any more than I wish KVD or any other competitor good luck. When the whistle blows February 20 and we launch our boats for the start of the Classic, my intention is to win. At that point, she's just another competitor.
