Reflections on starting ski racing
Every year Elver Park in Madison is host to a weeknight ski race series in January and February sponsored by the Madison Nordic Ski Club. For a number of years Dave was the race director and I assisted him with registration. However, my relationship with the Elver Park series started long before that. Back in 2004 I decided to give skiing a try by which I mean I bought skate skis, took one hour lesson and decided to sign up for the Kortie.
As luck would have it most years the midweek race series offers a 3k First Timer’s race that takes you on part of the normal race course. You do just the ball diamond loop as well as one daunting hill up to above the soccer fields area and right back down. I figured that since I had skied many a loop around the ball diamond and even though I always found that particular hill quite daunting that it still would be a good place to kick off my racing career. It was just one hill after all. I checked in with the race director who I knew well and made sure that the First Timer race was not actually a kid’s race. He assured me that was not the case. So I arrived at Elver Park at the appointed time, registered, got my bib and lined up. I looked around and noticed an interesting detail about the race . . . it was just me and about 4 middle school kids. False advertising for sure!
At the start line all the kids are getting a little pep talk and their pictures taken by excited parents. At this point it is too late to turn back so what can you do but try to ignore the fact that everyone else is a kid. The gun goes off and it’s on (well, in a not that fast but ski poles flying with little control sort of way). One of the middle school kids is out fast and puts a gap on me immediately. I am flailing away like crazy trying to separate myself from the rest of the kids. It’s not pretty but I’m doing okay on the flats. Of course, it’s only 3k so we hit the hill way too soon and I’ve got a gap on all but the star racer (probably a ringer). The hill is where the troubles begin as now I’m like a gangly foal with out of control of limbs with no idea what to do with my appendages.
The good part is that I didn’t know enough about skiing to know just how bad this was going. I finally flail my way to the top of the hill gasping desperately for breath but determined to keep those other little pip squeaks behind me. At the top you make an immediate 180 and zip back down the hill. Zipping down the hill sounds great but is fairly terrifying for the new skier as keeping those little skinny boards with no metal edges together is quite a challenge in the beginning. I don’t totally recall the downhill but there is no way that I wasn’t snowplowing to avoid the kind of increase in speed that would send me flying into the snow bank along the edge of the trail. Sure, speed is your friend but it can also bite you in the ass (literally!).
Once down the hill you are headed back towards the start line and I know I’m not going to beat the one middle schooler but I’m psyched to be putting it to the other little kids. Finally I reach the end of my 3k of race torture where all the parents are waiting to snap even more photos of their budding ski race progeny. Of course now I’m feeling a little shamed to be so proud of trouncing little kids. That’s when the inevitable peer pressure starts flowing to do the “real” race. Not shockingly I succumb and I end up signed up for the 5k race. I figure now that I’m experienced it’s time to jump into the big kid field.
That’s a shock to the system as that race is bigger, there’s an even longer hill and worse downhill. At the start people are flying out at warp speed and the poles are deadly and there is etiquette that I don’t even understand. Luckily and not unexpectedly I get dropped very quickly so I don’t have to worry about these details anymore. Well, I guess that’s not entirely true. I didn’t have to worry until the 10k racers (who do 2 laps) came flying by me but I just got the heck out of the way as that etiquette seems to work in any sport.
I can’t say that I did the Elver Park Race Series every week in my lead up to the Kortie but I did it a number of times. Upon reflection I’m kind of impressed that I did that as I was so slow that I would get lapped by the leaders of the 10k race every single week. I think not knowing what you’re doing in some ways makes it easier. No expectations – just going for it.
As luck would have it most years the midweek race series offers a 3k First Timer’s race that takes you on part of the normal race course. You do just the ball diamond loop as well as one daunting hill up to above the soccer fields area and right back down. I figured that since I had skied many a loop around the ball diamond and even though I always found that particular hill quite daunting that it still would be a good place to kick off my racing career. It was just one hill after all. I checked in with the race director who I knew well and made sure that the First Timer race was not actually a kid’s race. He assured me that was not the case. So I arrived at Elver Park at the appointed time, registered, got my bib and lined up. I looked around and noticed an interesting detail about the race . . . it was just me and about 4 middle school kids. False advertising for sure!
At the start line all the kids are getting a little pep talk and their pictures taken by excited parents. At this point it is too late to turn back so what can you do but try to ignore the fact that everyone else is a kid. The gun goes off and it’s on (well, in a not that fast but ski poles flying with little control sort of way). One of the middle school kids is out fast and puts a gap on me immediately. I am flailing away like crazy trying to separate myself from the rest of the kids. It’s not pretty but I’m doing okay on the flats. Of course, it’s only 3k so we hit the hill way too soon and I’ve got a gap on all but the star racer (probably a ringer). The hill is where the troubles begin as now I’m like a gangly foal with out of control of limbs with no idea what to do with my appendages.
The good part is that I didn’t know enough about skiing to know just how bad this was going. I finally flail my way to the top of the hill gasping desperately for breath but determined to keep those other little pip squeaks behind me. At the top you make an immediate 180 and zip back down the hill. Zipping down the hill sounds great but is fairly terrifying for the new skier as keeping those little skinny boards with no metal edges together is quite a challenge in the beginning. I don’t totally recall the downhill but there is no way that I wasn’t snowplowing to avoid the kind of increase in speed that would send me flying into the snow bank along the edge of the trail. Sure, speed is your friend but it can also bite you in the ass (literally!).
Once down the hill you are headed back towards the start line and I know I’m not going to beat the one middle schooler but I’m psyched to be putting it to the other little kids. Finally I reach the end of my 3k of race torture where all the parents are waiting to snap even more photos of their budding ski race progeny. Of course now I’m feeling a little shamed to be so proud of trouncing little kids. That’s when the inevitable peer pressure starts flowing to do the “real” race. Not shockingly I succumb and I end up signed up for the 5k race. I figure now that I’m experienced it’s time to jump into the big kid field.
That’s a shock to the system as that race is bigger, there’s an even longer hill and worse downhill. At the start people are flying out at warp speed and the poles are deadly and there is etiquette that I don’t even understand. Luckily and not unexpectedly I get dropped very quickly so I don’t have to worry about these details anymore. Well, I guess that’s not entirely true. I didn’t have to worry until the 10k racers (who do 2 laps) came flying by me but I just got the heck out of the way as that etiquette seems to work in any sport.
I can’t say that I did the Elver Park Race Series every week in my lead up to the Kortie but I did it a number of times. Upon reflection I’m kind of impressed that I did that as I was so slow that I would get lapped by the leaders of the 10k race every single week. I think not knowing what you’re doing in some ways makes it easier. No expectations – just going for it.
posted by MadCross at 8:48 PM
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