Ridge

[Papasteeze]

The University of Delaware is one of our accounts and I was only aware of their ski/snowboard club that meets at Blue Mountain. I've shot their drunken outings four or five times for the yearbook. I didn't know they even had a ski team, or were you kidding?

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Jeez, my bad... I got skiing on the brain, I meant to type SKATING -- Ice skating, sorry for the confusion..

[Ski]

Bummer, I thought maybe they'd decided to go after those rich sissy skiers at UPenn...

[sibhusky]

We saw a lot of stressed out gymnasts when Siblet did that (she had to make a decision between the two around Sophomore year of high school as they were interfering with each other). Those kids have started competing right around the time they started walking. It's not surprising that they are burned out by college -- I would have expected it sooner. Ridge is just starting at ten, which is not that early. As long as you let him ramp up the interest level and don't get ahead of him, I wouldn't worry.

 

That being said, by the time he's in high school, you'll have to start making decisions about the commitment level as you'll either have to dive in full bore (ski academy) or settle for a permanent lower level of involvement. We waited too late for Siblet, not knowing any better. Now she's "out of runway". Which is fine as she wants to get her PhD, she says, before she is 30. The kids who go for a US Ski Team spot are not going to college when they finish high school, you see. They are saving that option for after their race career. The ones who are on the college teams may be good, but they've chosen to allow scholarship to take precedence. Now it's theoretically possible for the NCAA kid to make the US team later, but in reality it's rare.

[Papasteeze]

UPenn must be an inside joke.. Ok which one of you guys went there to ski?

 

Sib - I really appreciate your observations, insight and advice. I am starting to see more of path that makes sense for me/us. The next few years will be a balancing act with both my boys. Fortunatly my estranged is very helpful and supportive, well at least she is/was when the boys started proving thier talent. I think she hates skiing. I have to give her a lot of credit for supporting us boys and out fun stuff.

 

We'll do the USSA-PARA-CAT-NASTAR with the intent of keeping the skis wet for as long as possible next season. Last night, I explained to Ridge the point system, and that there isn't one until he is older. I suggested that we run around to as many various USSA races as we can and see how he does and then he determines whether he want to get into a more regimented program to train to be the best he can be. Otherwise, I told him, we will just run around the country collecting pins, looking for Nastar, off-piste, until they are not interested in that any more. I reminded him that his brother will also be competing and that it may mean changing away from Camelback the following years so don't get too comfortable at CB. Steeze needs a place that has a progressive park, BC and MC are the only ones that have any caliber to them, while Blue is coming up from behind and seemingly making an effort, the crowds are hard to deal with. BTW - Steven was in tears at first when we said we would make CB home next season - After he filmed his brother race at PC - I think he became more supportive, at least it appears so. He'll get a USSA number also and I'll try to find some events for him that fit with everything else.

 

Private school has always been an option since they were in Kindergarten, so that is also possible (academys) in the following years however, I may have some motherly problems/hurdles - thats a tough call at this point. My biggest concern is keeping a job in amongst this overall plan. Guess I'll go work at a ski slope somewhere. Can someone teach me how to tune skis?