TrekNorth Nordic and West Yellowstone

Oh boy, last week was truly an awesome awesome week! Just one week into my first season coaching at high school skiing, I partook in my first training camp that was not at Giant's Ridge. The TrekNorth team, myself included, drove out to West Yellowstone and spent the week learning how to ski and enjoying the trails and the crazy ski atmosphere at 6700 feet. All in all, the only word that I can use to describe it is fantastic.

Let's start with the drive out there. We left at 5:30am on the Saturday before Thanksgiving from a snowless Bemidji and began our trek towards West Yellowstone. The drive was pretty interesting especially since it was so long, but it would have been a few hours longer if we hadn't hit a blizzard when we got into Montana. Everything was going fine until suddenly out of nowhere the freeway was covered in a solid layer of ice. Two spinouts later, the first nearly getting us hit by a semi, and we decided that the night was going to be spent in Billings instead of trucking it to West Yellowstone. All in all it was a good decision, as we found out the freeways were actually closed around Billings and people had died due to accidents, luckily we weren't one of them.

The next morning we got back in the vehicles and made our way through the mountains and finally into West Yellowstone. We stayed at the Stage Coach inn for the week which was a really great hotel full of other skiers. As soon as we settled in, we decided to hit the trails and begin some technique work with the skiers. Many of the kids that went along with us had never before been on skis, much less skied on snow, so the first time on snow was definitely an adventure for them. It was tough conditions to learn under, especially since it snowed heavily the first two days and was technically a blizzard on Tuesday, but by the end of the week I was really proud of how the kids were starting to get it and having a lot of fun.

The days consisted of a lot of skiing in both the morning and afternoon, averaging about four hours a day of skiing. Besides skiing with the kids, I also got a chance to go skiing with Ethan and Alice, as well as see Caitlin out on the ski trails. It's just awesome to think that this little town in the western US could unite so many skiers including a bunch of friends from high school. Furthermore, it seemed more like West Minnesota as opposed to West Yellowstone due to the massive amount of skiers who were out there for the week. It was also a lot of fun to say hi to people and ask where they were from, and truly get an idea of how big skiing is across the country.

I can't speak enough about the kids though, they really are an amazing group. I couldn't ask for a better group to start coaching with. Anything you asked of them they would do, whether it be to work on their ski technique or to go out and ski for a certain amount of time. The other coaches are amazing too, as I'm learning a lot of new ways to teach students and getting new perspectives on how to love the sport. There are still some parts of coaching at TrekNorth that make me realize how lucky I was at Irondale to have access to so many things, like a full wax room, extra skis, etc, that TrekNorth doesn't have yet, but at the same time I'm learning how to get around those issues and help build a program from the ground up.

All in all it was an amazing week that I was sad to see end. I felt that all the kids really helped to grow in the sport and discovered something that they can continue after high school is over. I can't believe how lucky I am to be doing what I love at the moment, and because of it I know that this is just going to be an awesome season and an amazing journey.

The Adventure

Finally started a blog thanks to James. I was a little nervous about doing one of these again, as the last time I did this was on Xanga with a bunch of cross country friends. It turned quickly into a high school drama posting that got really intense at times. This time should be different though.

I've been having a weird feeling these past few weeks. It's truly dawning on me that this is my last year as an undergrad, not including student teaching, and just all that I've done in college so far. There's been plenty of ups, downs, and a lot of growing up, but I couldn't be happier where I am now and what I'm doing.

I keep thinking about this year and not only all that there is to accomplish, but also experiencing as much of this as possible. Student Senate comes to my mind first. One comment that bugs me is how people will often tell me that I "deserved" to win the Co-President. In the past, I've always had those defeats that strengthened me. In Boy Scouts after losing Senior Patrol Leader a few times, I buckled down and got my Eagle. For Nordic captain, I doubled my summer work and got 2nd on the team. Finally, I felt losing the election sophomore year helped forge me into a better leader to give it a try junior year. Now there's no defeat to push me, I have to push myself because students are counting on me. It's an unfamiliar feeling, but it is a new challenge I gladly accept. I can't wait to get to work.

There's just a new feeling all around the town. From all the students returning to the start of a new year, to getting out of my "break" phase of training to get back into rollerskiing and running, to maybe even a new possibility of love. Things are really looking up, and as hectic as they are I'm really excited for what the future holds.

Looking forward to next summer, it looks like it's going to be quite the adventure. After talking briefly to my mom about hooking up with James for an Alaskan cruise, it sounds like I'd be able to pull it off. A Boundary Waters trip is in the planning stages, as is a jaunt out west to visit family and hopefully finally getting to experience DC. As much as I like to dream, it's time to focus on this year first.

Monday's the start of a new adventure. As I told all the freshmen and their parents on Friday, it's a new chapter in our journey through life, and it's time to go out there and make the most of it.