Lindsey: Cross-country Skiing
Meet Lindsey, an Alaskan whose idea of power is
putting on the cross-country skis and hitting the snow! She's nabbed ribbons,
medals, and trophies, kicked butt at Alaska's Besh Cup, and even takes time to
teach her sport to small-fry skiers. We caught up with Lindsey recently, where
we learned the finer points of roller-skiing, kickwax, and how to dress for
competition when it's well below zero.
A Day in the
Life
Bring on the Besh . . . "The Besh
Cup is a six-race cross-country skiing series through Alaska. You rank for
points and the first six people go on to the Junior Olympics and the next four
go to the Arctic Winter Games. [These are like mini-Olympic games held every 2
years with athletes from Alaska, Canada's Northwest and Yukon Territories,
Greenland, and Russia.] This year was really exciting - I tied for first place
in the class I race in with a girl from Anchorage! We were going back and forth
- first I was ahead, then she was ahead - and in the end, we tied with the same
number of points."
. . . and break out the map! "For the Besh Cup, we traveled to Anchorage and Eagle River, and Homer and Soldotna out on the Kenai Peninsula."
Watch and learn from Lindsey. "On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays after school is when I coach all the little kids on the team. There are about 38 of them, and they range from preschool to sixth grade. For me, working with them is the best part of the sport! Plus, teaching them makes me a better skier because I learn how to simplify explanations for them."
Expert Advice
Catching those ZZZs
before she skis. "To get ready for a competition, I eat lots of carbs and visualize
the race. I'm also sure to get to bed early the night before so I get enough
sleep."
Tooth-chattering challenge. "The coldest
weather I've ever competed in was 40 degrees below zero. When you do that, you
wear lots of layers."
Skiing for your body, mind, and soul. "Skiing makes you more physically fit. In P.E., you can definitely tell who skis and who doesn't. Plus, it teaches discipline and ski etiquette."
Getting Personal
Small skis, please. "I
joined my hometown ski club when I was in first grade,
just
to see how I would like it. I've been
skiing ever since."
Summertime and the roller-skiing is easy . . . "In the summertime, when there's no snow, you can still practice by going roller-skiing. A roller-ski is sort of like a short ski with tires at each end. You wear your ski boots and use ski poles with special tips. Last summer, I got to roller-ski with John Estle, a well-known coach who coaches high school and college-age cross-country skiers."
Get Dad on the scene, STAT. "I'm lucky because both of my parents are involved in my sport. My mom is on the club's board of directors and helps direct some of our events. And my dad is on the volunteer rescue service, so he volunteers his time as the club's medic."
And the gold goes to . . . "This is the first year that I can qualify for the Junior Olympics, so I am going to really try for that. After that, I want to go to the Olympics!"