Today was the annual (?) Alley Oop competition in Crested Butte, which is a cross country skiing race through the town. We were on baby sitting duty, so we went to check it out.
For those who don’t know, Cross Country Skiing, also know as Nordic Skiing, is done on flat-ish terrain, with a free heel and skis that can go up and down. A photo probably makes it easier to understand.
While watching, it reminded me of my first (and last!) Nordic ski race I competed in, 25 or so years ago.
In 2003, my family decamped to the Australian High Country for six months to live. We attended the local school, which had 26 students. Not in my year level; total.
Due to the small size and our proximity to the local ski fields, the Australian government felt it was necessary to a) provide all students with a heavily subsidized lift ticket and b) allow us to take every Friday off in 3rd term to go skiing. Honestly, it was the most educational experience we had while up there.
One week, it was the Interschools Competition, which was the annual state ski carnival. My sister ended up qualifying for nationals in the Moguls, the same event which caused me to wipe out and suffer a minor concussion. However, the most memorable event was the Nordic Skiing.
For some bizarre reason, whether you’re at the Olympics or the under-12s, everyone starts together. Imagine 50 odd kids, many of whom have done this activity once or twice, all crammed together waiting for the gun. Once it went off, it was pure chaos.
I’m fairly sure 90% of us all fell over within the first 10 seconds. The smartest and luckiest were at the back, skated around, and probably went on to win it. I wouldn’t know, I think it took me 5 minutes to get my skis back on!
It’s a fond memory, and one I haven’t thought of for many, many years. I’m so glad my parents took me out to these things, even when we had no idea what was going on. Life really is all about getting involved.