Strucknwords

Sometimes, I loathe the journey, and appreciate the destination much more. This is particularly true with something like skate skiing. Every year, my skate ski season starts off the same: I watch these YouTube skate ski drill videos that my friend gave me years ago and then I go out for my first skate ski to attempt to master those drills because unlike a lot of skiers, I can’t just put my skate skis on, and go off into the wilderness with glory; my first skate ski is about getting my skate legs back, and typically, that involves me working to remember the techniques that make skate skiing fun. It doesn’t matter if I’ve done a bunch of other snow sports prior because there is nothing like skate skiing for my body.

Today’s drill was no different except Mother Earth threw in some wind, lumpy conditions, and quite a few falls that involved me thinking my skate skis could glide over pine cones. It wasn’t pretty; however, as long as I reach the destination, I’m ok with the fact that I don’t particularly enjoy doing the drills. I try to focus on the other things that I do enjoy such as being outside, and having the ability to be on my skis again. I think about how lucky I am to even be able to go skiing in the first place. Through each drill, I concentrate on the purpose of them which is to get to that feeling of head to toe skating motion-smooth, rhythmic, and graceful. And then I fall again.

By the end of it, I always gain my skate legs back and that is the goal. I repeat this journey every year, and every year, I am thankful because the next time I go out, maybe I won’t skate off into the wilderness in a blaze of glory, but I will certainly have my skate legs on, and then, I’ll be able to enjoy both the journey as well as the destination.