The beginning of a roller-coaster journey.
Well, that's what I like to call it. It is that exciting moment, that first time you do well in a race and think, ''Hey, I'm going to be an Olympic champion.''
From there, the journey begins.
I started off as a swimmer at the age of 13, swimming under what I call a great, driven coach in Andy Adair.
I was competitive, and I knew then and there I was going to be a champion sportsman - I just didn't know which sport, really.
I dipped my hands into a lot of sports. By 17, I had moved from Southland Boys' High School to John McGlashan College for swimming. As a teenager, you don't think too much about what you're going to be, or about winning the regional or national championships. The consequences of winning and losing are still not high-risk, so you're not too worried. You just get on and do what you are told.
At 17, I gave triathlon a nudge. I had quit swimming for three months and the thought of doing nothing was killing me. I thought, ''Stuff this, this is boring.''
So Steve Prescott came along and told me to go into the Otago triathlon championships.
I managed to salvage a bike. It had two wheels and a few gears, so I was pretty happy, even more so when I won. That was the start of my career, the defining moment.
Triathlon is not a cheap sport. My parents would have been happy with me sticking with swimming as we only needed to buy Speedos (budgie-smugglers), but like all good parents, they also wanted to see me succeed, and since that day nine years ago, they have forked out a lot of money. They even reckon they have a little black book keeping tabs on what they have spent on me - I still haven't found it.
I can tell you it has taken six years for me to break even in this sport. It is not for the faint-hearted. If you really want it, you have to go out and get it. There can be no half-cocked option.
I have been through hell with this sport. I have been through the back windscreen of a car in Germany, suffered broken bones, been told I won't make it to Olympics, blew my appendix in France - and for what?The answer is simple: to achieve my goals. I know that when I come out the other side, it is going to taste that much sweeter knowing the things we go through as an athlete.
This is my journey. The ups, the downs and those sweet, sweet moments of success. I'll take you on my roller coaster ride as I prepare for the Commonwealth Games.
• Tony Dodds is a Wanaka triathlete who has been selected in the New Zealand team for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. He is also a member of the inaugural Sky Next group of athletes supported by Sky Television. Dodds will file a regular column leading up to the Commonwealth Games.
