Since the start of the World Cup Season, on November 26th, things have been pretty darn exciting for the US Nordic Ski Team! Every weekend brings a highlight of joy with some new outstanding performances, new personal bests, another podium, another historical moment, etc., etc.... It has been, and will continue to be a wild ride, so you have to hold on tight with two hands, because it just keeps getting better! During interviews recently, the most common question is, "what is the magic". I have the same answer every time. Suddenly, every single person on this team has some true belief. With so much success, nobody wants to sit on the bench. Everyone is just itching for their turn, "put ME in coach!" You can see it, the fight is on, and it is no longer one person that thinks they can win; it is every single person. The belief is contagious, and the fight is the new way. Despite it seeming so, it isn't magic. It is just a lot of people working hard, and most importantly, embracing the little steps along the way!
As we head into the Olympics, I am trying to take some time to step back and truly "feel" this experience. It is an experience that is going so fast, and I am just clinging on tight, trying to live up every single second of it. Whether I am happy or disappointed with my own races during the weekend, there is always somebody to be happy for along the way. Between the race weekends, my sole goal is to recover, and be ready for the next weekend. The weekdays become projects, and parts of the puzzle I am putting together for each weekend. With such a specific goal every weekend, I think it is easy to lose track of this life, and feel all the emotions that come along. For that reason, I have been trying to work on embracing all the little things. Whether that is an emotion, or an experience… I have realized how important it is to not just numb myself to all the up, down's, and arounds that are going on. Instead, take the extra breath, and feel the experience before it passes by. Some of these things include:
1. Staying in touch with the outside World.
2. Finishing my first Tour de Ski healthy.
3. Watching my brother make an enormous jump.
4. Laughing about how much we have grown up.
5. Watching my teammates from back home do really well.
6. Spend some moments with my fiancé.
7. Accumulating enough Gruyére podium cheese to feed an army of Frenchmen. I believe we have won thirteen blocks of cheese, which means thirteen podiums this year!
8. Ski through the mountains, and take some time to look around.
9. Celebrate some birthdays, and feel thankful that our parents gave us life.
10. Stand inside the waxing truck, and watch the wax team work together, with so much passion and excitement. These are the guys behind the scenes… truly performing the magic, without ever getting to stand on the podium for their success at being some of the best waxers in the world.
11. Feel nervous. We never want to admit we are nervous, but the endorphin rush is one of the greatest high's in life!
12. Getting the first podium in a classic race in US Women's Cross Country Skiing history.
13. Make my first A-final in a skate sprint.
14. Be a team. Unfortunately, Ida Sargent fell on Saturday during her warm up for the sprint, and broke her thumb. To watch her pull her emotions together, and prepare her brain to keep fighting despite the need to fly home to Vail for a quick surgery, and be back at the Olympics in two weeks was incredible. What it made me realize is how important the people surrounding you are. This is something that could have easily derailed any athlete that was heading to the games with a big goal. Through the encouragement and support of this team, she has managed to stay positive and keep believing. It is amazing how positive energy can make any bump in the road nothing but a little time in the air on the way to the finish line.
We have now arrived at our final few days before jumping on an airplane to head to my second Olympic Games. Speaking of embracing the little things, I am pretty darn excited to pull on my stars and stripes uniform to represent my country for a second time! Despite having raced in the Olympics before, the buzz is just as high and exciting! This time around, I am headed there with a goal, and that is amazing in itself! First, I dreamed of being an Olympian, now I dream of winning an Olympic Medal! Let's see what we can do!
I will try to update my blog throughout the games, so check back! Cheers to the final preparation, and let the TEAM USA pride begin!