Starting Out

I am, by no standard, an athlete, but I do have an agile mind. I plan to put the latter use to becoming a memory athlete. Though the Brothers at my Lodge (I'm a Freemason) would probably say I have a very good memory because I am quick to memorize ritual, my wife would likely disagree. What I ama man of average intelligence, average memory, and above average curiosity. That's all it takes to become a memory athlete. Well, that and a willingness to train.
Just like any physical sport, memory athletes must train. If you plan to run a marathon, you have to learn how to breathe, get a correct stride, and much more. Memory sports also require techniques to maximize potential. And training for a memory competition is as demanding mentally as training for a marathon is demanding physically. Just as someone training for a marathon might keep a log, I have decided to do the same. This is why the title is MEmory Athlete: this journey is for ME. Though I invite you to come along.
Before we begin any complex task, we need to define our goal. We need to ensure it is specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, and timely. SMART. This means we need to be able to control it. I could make my goal to win the US Memory Championship, but that is not in my control fully. I could aim to place in the top ten, but this varies every year. And I may never be able to attend the event, which means I would never succeed. Rather, it is best to simply to set goals in each event which I can measure. However, I have chosen goals that should place me in the top ten. The events are: names and faces, speed cards, speed numbers, poetry memorization (four qualifying events), words to remember, three strikes you're out, and double deck o' cards. As for timely, I am giving myself one year. Johnathan Foer won after only a year of training, which he relates in his book "Moonwalking with Einstein".
My specific goals are:
120 faces and names in 15 minutes
1 deck of cards in 2 minutes
200 points in speed numbers
140 points in poetry
120 words ten minutes
40 facts in three strikes
And two decks in 5 minutes
I have chosen to begin with faces and names and developing my own Dominic System first. I have a very long way to go. Check back, or follow this blog, to track my progress.