A Taste of Coaching

Yesterday, a calm windless day with a biting briskness in the air from the cold temperatures. At 6:30a.m. the alarm sounds, body full of weariness. With the window cracked, the crisp cool air has permeated the room throughout the night, creating what I believe to be the perfect sleeping conditions; cold enough to set in a nice chill on your nose, while maintaining a perfectly radiant heat under the blankets. Feeling the effects of a perfect night sleep, my body is not ready to get out of the warm cocoon I have made out of the bed sheets. One last breath to soak up the growing sense of relaxation.

It was an early morning because I had been asked to help test wax for the women’s 5k and the men’s 10k classic races. It is the toughest race to wax out of all our races during our time at the games. With 12 athletes, this means at least one pair of skis per person, and some have multiple pairs, not to mention trying to find the perfect combination of binder and topper, plus 1^st and 2^nd base layers of glide wax, including a high fluorinated topper with endless varieties of structure. Needless to say, getting the skis to perform perfectly is a daunting task. Interestingly enough, all of this seems completely effortless with the infinite knowledge of Christi and Rachel supplementing the hard work of Willie and Anna while myself and Ben are cruising around as the on-snow testers. With such precision and flow, the process of testing wax and preparing skis becomes a highly enjoyable experience.

After getting breakfast and gearing up for the much anticipated long day ahead by acquiring the usual warm weather clothing needed for standing cheering on skiers on the trails, I worked my way out the front door of the hotel, down the stairs and to the wax room, all the while enjoying the views of the area. Venue shops selling anything from gyro’s and pizza to WUG paraphernalia and tourist trinkets all setting the centerpiece for both the cross-country and alpine ski areas. Two lingering towers of the ski jumps loom over these venues and buildings, yet compare nothing to the massive peaks and ridges of the mountains that surround the area. Thoroughly enjoying the intricate details of each, I found myself in the wax room where I was greeted by all of the coaches with warm smiles and an unprecedented cheerfulness. Only moments later, Rachel, Ben, Christi and myself are laced up in boots with skis and poles in hand ready to hit the trails for testing. Like a well oiled machine, the four of us work our way around the best testing spots of the nearest trails, perfectly striding each hill, trading skis at the top of each, promptly determining our favorite combinations of kick wax to use for the race which is now coming closer and closer. With a short burst of pristine striding up the last hill, we work our way back to the wax room where Anna and Willie eagerly await the results of the “fab four’s” meticulous testing. With one short conversation the wax room explodes into full preparation mode. Klister binder on as a base, the next step is applying hard wax as a topper, all of this happening around me seemed to blur into a rhythmic flow of application and corking. The wax is perfect, kicking strong without any interference with the glide. Everything is set and ready to go. Moments later we heard something over the radio. It’s Christi, now out on the course doing further tests on different types of snow to ensure quality throughout the entire course in case of varying snow conditions. “The topper is not sticking” we hear over the radio. Everything seems to stop. A moment of panic hits us all. Not sure what to do, Rachel asks to clarify the details of her statement that has caused us concern. 

According to Christi the wax is not working on the largest climb of the entire course, a monster of a hill reaching 50 meters in the sky in the short distance I would guess to be less than 100 meters. Basically going from one end of a football field to the other, the only difference is in that distance you would be going to the top of a 15-story building all covered in snow. Needless to say this is a critical point on the course for being able to grip properly, without it, it could mean the difference between being in the top 20 to the back of the results list.

To ensure the wax we are using for the race is working, I frantically threw myself out the door with test skis and onto the course with radio and other waxes. A kilometer away from the wax room I arrived at the base of the hill where I found Christi. As if I were racing, I hit the hill with the best tempo and technique possible. Each and every kick seemed to get stronger and stronger without any loss of grip. Thankfully, the wax is working.

It turns out Christi was on a completely different binder than what was applied to the race skis, the skis that the athletes will be on in roughly ten minutes. With a sigh of relief I tell Christi the skis are working as we marched our way up the hill. At the top of the hill where the best radio reception would be is where I chose to relay the good news back to headquarters. With spotty crackling in the radio I was able to get the message through, receiving further instruction to test one of the waxes I had manages to stash in the waistband of my spandex before I bolted out door of the wax room. As I watched Christi head out to the furthest point on the course I managed to lay an evenly coated layer of Swix VR45 on my kick zone. The only problem is the course has now been closed all around me, essentially trapping me without any way of getting back down to HQ. With this in mind, about half a kilometer away I managed to find one short hill further down the course that was not closed perfect for testing the new combination of kicker. After skiing up the hill vigorously multiple times, I ran my way back to the top of the massive climb. With only minutes to spare I was able to send a radio message confirming our best option. Back at the wax room Rachel has already had Ben testing the same combinations I was, only further reinforcing the data.

Finally, a moment to breathe. Now that the chaos had finally subsided, I was able to take a moment to enjoy the spectacular morning it had turned out to be. After days of thick fog, the sun was finally visible and the ominous precipitation now gave way to reveal the valley below, fully exposing the high and low Tatra mountain ranges. Vast forests covering miles and miles of the mountains, the sight was breathtaking. The more I stared the more I noticed the scars that were ever so present with the sun beaming on them, scars natural and manmade alike. Swathes of trees either killed by avalanches or beetles, or clear-cut for industrial use or to make way for recreational alpine areas, it was ever so evident the trials and tribulation these mountains have been through. With recent books, articles, and compelling statistics from our sustainability class in mind, my thoughts began to pace through the delicate balance of the natural world with our industrial world. As many of you may know, we have been reading a book that discusses the effects of carbon emissions on the atmosphere. Because of our reading, I started seeing things that I would not have otherwise seen, and have been thinking about things I would not have otherwise thought of. This was one time that this held particularly true. Contemplating what our effects might be on the natural world through having our competitions, wondering how much more snow there might be without some of the effects carbon emissions have had on the atmosphere, wondering what might be different about the view I was gazing upon if some of these same effects weren’t occurring. 

Snapping out of my coma-like thoughts, the first of the girls were coming up the hill. Catherine, Yara, Britta, Sierra, and Elise, each one passing with their own unique gracefulness. Getting to cheer for them on top of the hill will forever endure in my memory. Unfortunately the women’s race was only one lap of the 5k loop, thus I was only able to watch them once on the course, but after our fine representative women of the US had passed, Christi was on the far end of the course sending splits to me wherein I relayed those splits to HQ all via our “walkie-talkies”. Hearing the splits I was almost able to imagine exactly how each of them were skiing at any given point on the course. One the last girl had passed, the course officials were able to let myself and a handful of coaches from other countries past the cameras and down onto the stadium/waxing areas. Back at the wax room smiles had not left any of its occupants, news of strong finishes was still lingering.

With time to spare, I grabbed extra warm clothes and my camera before heading out to the course to stand in what was becoming yet another overcast foggy day. Unfortunately because I was not anticipating not being able to come back to the wax room before the women’s start, I was unable to get my camera to take pictures of the ladies during their race. I was, however, going to be prepared this time. Back up to the top of the hill I went. With 15 minutes until the start of the men’s two-lap, 10-kilometer race, I decided that would be a good time to snap a few pictures (seen below). Before long I was starting to see the first of the men work their way up the hill. Nathan taking the first strides up the hill for the Americans made it clear that we were here to compete, with Sindre, Pat, Sam and Will following in suite, in the same robust and confident fashion. Of the 5-6 coaches on the hill, I was the only person cheering for each and every skier, in true American style. To the Italians who later thanked me for my cheering, I encouraged each of them with a quick “bene, bene, bene!” (translated “good, good, good!”). After two laps of skiing, the men were finally back across the finish line and it was time for me to head back.

Tired, cold, and hungry, I now had a new appreciation for coaching, but had thoroughly enjoyed my time helping and seeing my favorite sport from an entirely different angle than I had before. But as much as I enjoyed it, it was time for a warm shower, warm food, and preparation for my time to be wearing the race bib.

Tomorrow will be the men’s and women’s relay races. I have the proud honor of skiing behind Nathan, and in front of Pat and Ben in this year’s relay. I am hopeful for us to have good experiences and to ski as strong as I know we can. Tomorrow will bring yet another grand adventure that I anticipate many unforgettable memories will come from. Until then, goodnight from Slovakia ;)