Professional Fan for Alonso??

Yup, I got back from my trip to a beautiful secluded beach on an even more beautiful island - so, am all burnt to a crisp now. Well, yes, there are things called sunblock - but, I had also forgotten how much fun body surfing is, and doing it all day for 3 straight days has to be counter productive to ANY amount of sunblock applied. No complaints though.. it is so worth it!

Anyway, yes... just before I left for holidays, I came across the advertisement by Aficionado regarding the search for Alonso's Professional Fan. Yes, I was excited. In fact, so excited that I actually wrote to the ING sponsorship department regarding the Spanish content of the advertisement, and why it appears that only Spanish people were allowed to apply. (Yes, they replied saying that their counterparts in London would let me know why, but I never heard from London...)

So I wrote to Flavio's (Briatore) email address (from his website,) and again.. Nada. Nothing. (OK, OK.. that was a bit of a long shot, even I know that!)

Today, I got back and saw in Planet F1 Forum that the applicants were supposed to submit a video of themselves on YouTube. Just out of curiosity, I decided to check out some of the submissions. What's my personal take of the process? More power to those who submitted, but certainly not something that I would do, no matter how big a fan of Fernando Alonso I am - (though this certainly pains me, as the free F1 passes and access to the pit etc is like A DREAM come true for an F1 nut like me!)

So, why not? If it meant that much to me, why not send a video, after all, who is going to see it? The following are my most honest reasons:

1. It matters to me because I guess my self-esteem is not strong enough to withstand the potential ridicule by any Tom, Dick or Harry who has access to You Tube. (Oh, and videos posted on public domain has a tendency to come back and bite you in the butt in future...)
2. Am confused as regards to the role. I thought the role of the fan is to bring the fans closer to Alonso and vice versa. How is doing public commentary on You Tube going to show the person's aptitude for the role? Surely the role of the Professional fan is supposed to be more strategic rather than public?
3. The whole process sounds too much like a three-ring circus...

So, I will concentrate on my strengths and focus on what I am actually willing to do... I will continue working on this blog privately, doing the research that I need to do quietly, posting logical and objective comments on F1 forums in defence of one of the most talented and complete F1 drivers of this generation when needed. And to all the applicants, Good Luck! God Speed! May the best fan win!