My Time to Shine

We got a call from the High School Equestrian Team coaches today.....AHHHH! Drum roll please...

Nothing too exciting. They said they "weren't positive" if there was a place on the team for me, which I assume was either a polite way of saying I didn't make it. The coach did say, however, that there was going to be a Meet & Greet held at the Fairgrounds tomorrow evening, and I was invited to come, bring my horse, ride & hang out for the evening. I think it'll be a great opportunity to meet all the people associated with this WHSET team and the kids that have already made the team - who I may be competing with next year.
However, there is one worry on my mind. Tomorrow evening may be my chance to shine for the WHSET guys; my chance to show them what exactly I'm made of, equitation wise. In a vague way, this may be my last chance to show the Team that I'm capable of riding for them; if not this year, next. I don't know how much thought they put into who can make the team or not, but if I ride well tomorrow evening, it may give them a little confidence boost; they may feel better about having me on the Team if they see me ride before hand.
But the problem is, there is a HUGE chance that I WON'T ride well tomorrow. Why? Well, it's hard to look good on a lame horse.
My mom told the coach about Smokey and what was up as far as his limitations, and she said we were still welcome to come. I'm scared that, when I show up, she'll already have a scrutinizing image of me and Smokey in her head; "Oh, ya. This is the newbie on the lame horse." Or, maybe she'll be totally welcoming and not give a second thought to Smo's gimpy-ness. Who knows?
If nothing else, it'll be a good chance for me to school in the Fairgrounds' arena. On the off chance I get to show Smokey, this will be helpful in getting him used to the place he will be competing most the time. He'll probably scream and buck and throw a fit, but hey, rather him do it tomorrow than in the middle of a crowded warm-up ring, like last time.

So we'll see how this goes. I'm nervous, in an excited way...I can't wait to meet everyone and ride (of course), and I'm anticipating my time to shine; I've always been fond of riding in front of an audience, no matter what kind. But my nerves are a little unravled at the moment, because I don't know what the coaches and other team mates will think of me. I guess, until tomorrow, all I can do is pray for the best.
Fingers crossed!