"Success isn't always about greatness. It's about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come."
I put the Winter Triathlon National Championship in Anchorage on my schedule as soon as registration opened.
I take every race seriously and always want to do my best. That meant looking at my current skill level in all three of the disciples of Winter Triathlon. The race would have a 6 K run, a 12 K fat time bike, and a 5K Nordic ski.
I am confident in my running since I have been competing as a runner since my college days. I have a fat tire bike and have had clinics in bike skills. My real focus for improvement has been lessons and camps to improve my Nordic skiing.
I saw from competing at past Winter Triathlons that the best athletes were skate skiers. If I wanted to be competitive I would need to master skate skiing. Besides, it just looked like fun and more of a workout. I have been working on my skating technique for the last six years. I took a two-prong approach this season. I signed up for the Hartford Ski Spectacular in Breckenridge in December. They run Nordic a ski camp for physically challenged athletes. The second approach was to sign up for group ski lessons with the Lapham Peak ski club.
I had high hopes for the Nordic ski camp since it is for athletes with challenges. I went once before the year before COVID. I was excited to go back because the coaching was so great. I got one on one coaching to improve my technique and I needed it. Plus I got feedback during group activities. The coaches all have Olympic-level experience. My skiing improved so much. I had so much fun meeting the other athletes. The Nordic center is beautiful and Gene the owner makes us feel so welcome. He often serenades us during breaks on his accordion.
The experience this year was completely different. There was a mix-up with my registration and I found out at check-in I was not signed up for the clinic. My registration was to come out for a day to try Nordic, not the race camp. I was told there was room for me in the camp. I read over the description for camp activities on the Ski Spec web page. It talked about videotaping and coaching. So I signed up.
I was put in a group of four skiers on the first day. The instructor called me by the wrong name until the last day of the clinic. I was the only one in the group that was a skate skier. One day our instructor got pulled away and we had to attach ourselves to another instructor. One of the women in the group had no experience with skis and could barely stand. It was understandable the instructor was fully occupied with her.
When doing group activities I only got feedback a couple of times. This experience was totally different from my last experience. At first, I thought I was being snubbed. It sometimes happens at clinics or races for physically challenged athletes because my impairment is not obvious.
But when I talked to a couple of other athletes, they also felt they were getting no coaching. One of the athletes is a para-nordic skier. So you would think they would pay attention to him. We both felt there were just too many athletes for the number of skiers. We just were not a high priority because of the number of beginner skiers at the clinic.
Still, even though it was disappointing to go to a ski camp and get little coaching, the venue was beautiful. I met some really great athletes and enjoyed visiting with them. I also got a chance to get on snow for five days. Snow has been a scare in my part of Wisconsin. I am not sure I will go back again to the clinic. I think the Hartford Ski Spectacular does great work. They also run an Alpine ski camp the same week. They benefit a lot of athletes. I did not have a great experience, but they do great work.
My second effort kicked off with a group lesson given by my local ski club. The Lapham Peak Ski Club runs the lessons with volunteer instructors. The lesson fees go to support the youth skiing team.
We were asked to self-select into one of three groups; beginner, intermediate, or advanced. I was selected for the intermediate group. It seemed right since the beginners could barely stand on skis and the advanced group was for experienced racers.
There were about 20 skiers in my group. One admitted she had only been on skis a few times. I could see she struggled with balance. The instructor gave us a few pointers, and we skied the straight section of an oval loop. It is maybe 150 yards. He joined after everyone had completed the short ski. Then he addresses the group. "Everyone did well, except you." He then pointed at me. He went on to say. " You would better off joining the beginner group so they can teach you to stand on your skis" He did this in front of the entire group. Those people in the beginner group were struggling to stand on their skis. I was really mad. If he really thought I was in the wrong group, then he should have talked to me privately. Anyone with CMT generally has struggled with coordination and looks terrible doing anything active their whole lives. To be spotted out in public is just a nightmare.
I looked at the instructor and informed him I was not going to the beginner group. Later during another skiing activity, he complimented my skiing. I shouted to him; " Yeah I am the skier you told to go to the beginner group. I am no beginner."
After that lesson, I am not sure if I will go back for the rest of the sessions. I skipped the next one due to icy conditions. I did not want to risk slipping and falling before my upcoming race in Alaska. I am still mulling over whether to say something about what he did to the sponsoring club. He is a volunteer so I do think about that. I do not think he meant to be rude, but it could have been handled better. Maybe he should have reserved judgment until after he saw me ski a bit more.
I think my best bet is going to be to sign up for private lessons. There is a local instructor I have used before. I may go back to the group lesson because I wanted to meet other club members.
In any case, I will keep working on my skiing. I have more races coming up.
**********************
Chris Wodke
Founder & Manager Team CMT
www.run4cmt.com
Chris is a triathlete Nordic skier and long-distance runner. She
is a three-time participant in the Boston Marathon. In 2012 she
finished 2nd at Boston in the Mobility Impaired Division. She was on the
course in 2013 when the bombs exploded.
She has appeared three times at the Para triathlon National
Triathlon Sprint Championship. She was the 2012 and 2014 National Champion Para
triathlon Open Division Champion.
In 2014 she was the PC Open Champion at the Duathlon National Championship and
at the Aqua bike National Championship in 2016. She represented
Team USA at the Aquathon ITU World Championship
in Chicago in 2015i, Cozumel in 2016, and Denmark in 2018.
In 2018 finishing 5th in the 60 to 64 age group.
In 2014 she represented the U.S. as a Para
triathlete at the Pan-American Triathlon Championship
in Dallas, Texas. She has won state championships in
cycling and triathlon as a senior Olympian. In 2017 she placed 2nd in
her age group at the Winter Triathlon National Championship, earning a spot on
Team USA for the World Championship.
In 2020 she was named a National Ski Patrol Subaru Ambassador and
a USA Triathlon Foundation Ambassador.
She travels around the country raising awareness of CMT.
She is the author of the book, “Running for My Life” which details
her experience as a CMT-affected athlete, and the book “Soup Sundays, A Journey
Toward Healthy Eating”.
You may visit her author page at:
http://www.amazon.com/Christine-Wodke/e/B00IJ02HX6
Team CMT is a group of athletes and supporters working to raise
awareness and find a cure for CMT. We currently have 250 athletes in 42
states. We also have members in Australia, Canada, England, Finland, Vietnam,
Iran, Scotland, France, Turkey, Poland, Norway, Mexico, Wales, Ireland, and
Sweden! If you wish to join us visit our website; www.run4cmt.com or www.hnf-cure.org
CMT or Charcot-Marie-Tooth is the most commonly inherited
peripheral neuropathy. It affects over 155,000 Americans (as many as MS).
It is a disease of the nerves that control the muscles. It is slowly
progressive, causing loss of normal function and or sensation in the lower
legs/feet and arms/hands.
Symptoms include; muscle wasting in the lower legs and feet
leading to foot drop, poor balance, and gait problems Atrophy in the hands
causes difficulty with manual dexterity.
Structural foot deformities such as high arches and hammer toes
are common.
Poor tolerance for cool or cold temperatures and many people have
chronically cold hands and feet.
Additional symptoms may include fatigue, sleep apnea, breathing
difficulties, and hearing loss.
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