My Amazing Teammates (Day 16)

When I joined the XC Ski team, I was lucky enough to have 4 people I knew join with me: 3 lovely teammates and friends from my very first TNT season, and one fabulous co-worker. I had no idea that by the end of the season, I would have made about 20 new friends (or more!), all of whom are wonderful people. It helped that the team was small, so there were more opportunities to get to know people. Then there were the hours and hours of car rides. I carpooled with at least 7 different people. Then there was downtime at the lodge, while everybody was getting ready or winding down to go home. And then the skiing! I skied with many different people, and ran into many others out on the trail. We shared a lot of laughs - and I helped provide many of them with my numerous but lovely falls.

This team faced a lot of adversity - mainly that there was virtually no snow this season. We did a lot of hiking, skied in a softball field, then skied in a parking lot. I think only the last three skis of the season did we actually get to go out on trails. Even then, conditions were not good. There were a lot of unmarked obstacles, icy patches, lakes, slush mountains, and so much more. We were fairly lucky with the weather - we had 40 degrees and sunshine on many of the skis and I only recall nasty conditions that day in the parking lot.

You would think that with this whole lack of snow thing, people would start dropping from the team like flies. Not so. We had an incredible retention rate! Instead of feeling sorry for themselves, my teammates took everything in good humor. There were incredible amounts of hugs, smiles, and laughter. Unlike my cycling ride group, which bonded through crashes and tears, our ski team seemed to bond through a sense of adventure and indomitable spirit. Much of this may be thanks to the wonderful coaches and volunteer staff, particularly our web and community captains.

The event weekend in Anchorage was a fabulous culmination of a season. I think we all had an amazing time, with the possible exception of the event itself... Everyone did an amazing job at the race, accomplishing wonderful goals for themselves. And so many teammates remained at the finish line to cheer in our other skiers until we were forced to get on the bus to return to the hotel. But the lack of snow and preparation definitely took a toll on us, and many of us struggled, declaring it one of our hardest events ever. But in the race and throughout the rest of the weekend, we continued to share good cheer and good laughs. We enjoyed plenty of tourism and sampled the local brews, and I honestly cannot remember the last time I laughed so hard so often. Or the last time there were so many fights over the bill.

So a huge shout-out to all my 2012 XC Ski teammates. You are all amazing, and I am so lucky to have shared this season with you. I look forward to seeing you on future teams and all sorts of other fun events. I love you guys!