Dude, congrats! :D I remember that feeling of getting your first and it’s awesome isn’t it? Just keep hold of that confidence to know you DO have what it takes to win races now :). It’ll help in those pressure situations down the line.
I, alas, have had a mix of fortune and fail lately. My most recent Skip Premiere race at Watkins Glen went great and I snagged my third podium out of the first 5 races in the season (I even beat Flavien Vidal for it!). Then, I forgot to re-qualify for the regular skip series and hopped into a race only to find myself starting 7th of 14 when I probably could have started 4th. I buckled down to fight my way up and had some good battles when the tussle for 4th ended in just the lightest of touches that sent me into the wall in the last corner. Watching the replay, I decided it’s simply a racing incident, so there were no hard feelings, but 4th versus my 8th place finish left me disappointed.
Then to top it off, my CESCS race was also having similar intense battles that were very fair and fun when I pushed too hard to catch 5th and put my wheels on the grass in the penultimate corner. An attempt at a save meant the car flicked too hard and I went broadside into the tires with all of 10 minutes left in the race. What was going to be a 6th place finish at the least turned into a 12th. Again, disappointed in myself. So a real mixed bag for me at the start of this season.
EDIT: Redemption! Snuck in one more regular Skip series race this evening and snagged a 4th place finish in the top split of 3. Wasn’t flawless, but I at least made it through the damn thing this time. Plus, at 2600+ SOF I got myself a cool 130 some odd points. Better than the 50 or so I got for 12th in the first race!