The Child in Me

[Gary]

I was speaking to a friend yesterday....a solid technical skier with great feet. A skier that like myself likes to analyze good skiers to see what makes them perform well and try to work that into our skiing.
What I realized  after speaking with my friend is how important it is to never ever take the pure joy out of skiing. Regardless of what someone says about technique or the right or wrong of doing....never lose that inner child that brings joy and a smile to the face when skiing.

I was with a great instructor one day and he told me, if your not smiling, your not relaxed and your definitely not enjoying. It's not to say we're not always trying to improve, but maybe just lighten up a bit and enjoy the moment. Start feeling the snow rather than always working the snow.

Maybe a good way to start the season is to find that smile when you get on snow...find that playful side of skiing that makes it fun....find the inner child the lurks in all of us!
Wahooooo!   

Best,
G

[midwif]

Amen to that.

Let's try to remember this when the next discussion on technique starts up.

PMTS anyone?

[Gary]

And there it is....the little worm is on the hook!

Oh you Evil Woman!

Nice to be back Lynn...hope you had a great summer!!!
G

[LivingProof]

From my days on the slope with Gary, he exemplifies smiling and having fun. He goes out of his way to assure all skiing with him have a similar experience, with, the possible exception of being a little anal about being on the first chair on a powder day. No friends on powder days!

There is much written on how individuals perceive activities, like skiing or golf, as "think" vs. "feel". Do you feel the snow, or, think about technique? I'm a techni-crat by nature, tending to think, read over-think, and, not enjoy the whole experience. I get wrapped up in technique when going down the hill, but, riding chairs is much more a "feel" experience as I can just sit back and soak up the views and personal interaction. Skiing with others is a very positive aspect of our sport. I doubt very much, that I would enjoy just skiing by myself, day in and day out. There is a lot to be said about reaching out to the non-normal side of experiencing a situation, ie think vs feel. I ski with many who never give technique a second thought, it's just fun for them. I need to experience the feel side of skiing more. Just let it go and enjoy. We should all do a little report on the feel/fun side of skiing sometime this season.

I've played golf many times with people who are having a very bad day. I'm not sure the same is true in skiing, it's much closer to the "playing" we all did as kids. We all play together on the slopes, then go back home, to reality, at the end of the day.

[Liam]

Skiing is play.  A day of skiing is a day of playing.  High-end Ski racing is a sport, everything else is playtime.

Yes, play gets better with skill--but being playful on skis is the best part of skiing in my book. 

That's why I still Love Glenn Plake, he just gets the whole high-level of play possible on skis, even as a geezer. 

There's just something wonderful about trying to link as many consecutive 360's on a blue cruiser until you nearly topp;e from gettimg dizzy.  Or trying to squeeze into a space you weren't totally sure you could.  Or going really fast, or going really slow and noodling along the humps, bumps and jumps that outline the edges of every run on every ski resort in America.  Or jumping off of small ledges, or just jumping in the middle of a blue groomer because jumping in the air as you gain speed is fun anywhere on anything (bikes, sneakers, pogo sticks).

I like to play.  Skiing or Otherwise.

[jim-ratliff]

As Living Proof described, I am a thinker and an "over" thinker.  Interestingly, some of my best thinking is when I'm not thinking about it.  A solution to a problem just seems to pop into my head;  I guess my brain has been thinking about whatever without me directing the thinking.


Anyway, for me the "smile" is often AFTER the thinking/concentrating.  The Fairfax County Cross County bike trail has a section that crosses a little stream, about 80 feet across of water 6-10" deep.  First time Lynn didn't make it across, but I did.  That brought a HUGE smile to my face.  Riding through a section that has stymied me in the past also brings an "accomplishment smile."


Even in sports I was pretty good at, the correct behavior still becomes second nature, but you still think about where you need to be.  The smile comes that 1 in 20 times you back up a play, there is an overthrow, and you throw out the runner trying to advance to next base.  That combination of thinking and execution and opportunity always brought a huge (but only inwardly) smile to my face.


For me, I think that is also true of skiing.  It's still not like walking for me; I have to think about what various parts of my body should be doing.  But sometimes (not often enough) the feeling of knowing I did it well is itself a tremendous feeling.


And I definitely agree with LP about the whole other side of skiing, the feelings and the awe of the beauty of nature.  I always remind myself never to get to that point where the act of skiing gets in the way of the experience of skiing; and if I ever ski a whole day without stopping and just looking around, then someone should whack me in the head with their ski pole (gently, please, no concussions).

[Gary]

Hey Mike...you had me remembering that day and laughing so hard....even my son didn't recognize me! But thanks for the kind words.

I truly think of skiing as a great "team" sport where we are all winners!

There it is....skiing is and should be about fun and not beating Lynn in any event Jim...cause...she has control of your "ultimate" male smile!   

G

[jim-ratliff]

There it is....skiing is and should be about fun and not beating Lynn in any event Jim...cause...she has control of your "ultimate" male smile!   

G

Actually, it really isn't about beating Lynn.  But she does set the performance bar really high, and it is quite gratifying when I can achieve that level of performance.   
Control of my "ultimate" male smile???   Nawww, I'm the master of my own domain, and I think I have her permission to say that. 


Jim