"We're at Panorama at the Nor-Am this week. I'm here to gate judge and cook for the BC Ladies Ski team. It's entertaining every night! One night we ate roast beef and mashed potatoes while watching a WC race. You would have thought they had had enough of ski racing by the end of the day. Another night we watched a hockey game while chowing down on fish and then the TV accompaniment went downhill (pardon the pun) to watching America's Top Model showing their stuff in a Victoria Secret gig.
We have a few men, one being my lovely and talented clean-up assistant, Jim as well as Blake and Yori from WMSC, who say they are coming for the food! Conversation is always pretty funny with us all laughing at Blake and Yori's start numbers being in the 120's. Really, how can you possibly go fast after 119 guys tear the course up? Hat's off to them for being there every day with a big smile on their faces and determination to ski a Nor-Am.
For the parents who haven't had the opportunity to be around the BC Team athletes and wonder why they don't call home more often, I have witnessed it first hand and now I get it. These girls are non-stop busy and sometimes we had stragglers to the dinner table (actually it's the couch or floor because we can only sit 5 at the table) as late as 8:30, after everyone else has eaten because they've been in the tuning room. Other than waxing and scraping skis, they have a meeting every night with the coaches to get their bibs for the next day, those that raced have to sit with the coaches and go over their videos (all the races are video'd) and there is always dryland. There is a stationary bike sitting in the living room, reminding them of that.
It seems that not everyone is ever in the room at the same time prior to dinner and often many leave right after dinner to scrape or wax. …and they are tired, did I mention that? Well, so am I but I wouldn't have missed this opportunity to be around these lovely girls (plus Blake and Yori) in a million years. They are so very grateful. I can't imagine how they could have cooked for themselves on top of everything else.
The racing has been first class with the tireless course workers and coaches making the courses challenging for even the best of the athletes. The slalom course is set up on a run called 'hay fever' and I think I'd rather have hay fever than ski down it. The surface is actually blue and the run has one of the steepest pitches in the Nor-Am circuit.
We've had some successes in the group and some tears. I think the girls like having a mom nearby to give them a hug. On Thursday, Jocelyn put out two good runs on the GS course and came 18th. Bravo to her as the field is tough! The younger girls should take pride in the fact that they are finishing and representing their team with style. They are out there helping with teardown and thanking the volunteers. I'm amazed at how many of the volunteers seem to really get to know all the athletes and know their race history and preferences.
I must run for now, off to gate judge and cook for our last day. I can honestly say that I can't recall sleeping so well as I have here after being on the hill all day and enjoying being warm in the kitchen in the evening. I highly recommend any parent getting to a race and supporting this fine young athletes!"
~ submitted by Karen Gardner, WMSC