Athletic competition is no longer high on the list of things I need to do. It used to be. When I was in my late 30’s and 40’s I discovered the excitement of testing myself in a racing situation and competed in running races several times a summer.
But, last summer when I learned that the Master’s Cross Country Ski races were to be held in the Twin Cities in February, I checked out the details. I was astounded to learn that in this sport you become a master athlete at age 30. That meant my daughter was old enough to compete too! We both decided we would get ourselves in shape so we could enter and be part of the fun.
Remembering we had not had good snow for the past two winters, my husband Hap bought me roller skis for my 60th birthday in October. Our son Reid, who is a cross country ski coach, assured us that roller skis weren’t dangerous for older bones and helped us get started. I took one massive fall while getting instructions from Reid and felt clumsy and foolish when his high school athletes sailed by me. But it didn’t bother me nearly as much as if I had been younger; I just assumed it was part of learning a new activity.
I made it a point to ski almost every day after work in January and felt more prepared than usual for the first of four events which were part of the master's series: a 20 kilometer race. The race started in heats with men going first by age division, followed by the women. While there were more than 50 men over 60, there were only eight women , 6 of us in the 60-64 division and 2 in the 65-69. I was disappointed there weren’t more women my age. Winning isn’t the point, challenging yourself and being a participant were the reasons I was there.
We stood chatting casually while waiting for the signal to start, but I could tell many of these women were excellent athletes. Indeed after we had gone about 100 yards I was second from the last. I stayed in that position most of the race, and I was skiing my best. Because the course was a huge loop I also got a thrill out of seeing some of the lead women, twenty or more years younger than I who showed me how fast it was possible to go.
Two nights later the event was a sprint relay where you chose a partner and skied a total of 6 kilometers, one at a time. This time, women skied first. Only 12 pairs were entered. My daughter, Wendy, despite not being fully recovered from the flu, was my partner. At the starting line, she yelled, “Go, Mom!” Again I was in last place rather quickly. Yet , I was having fun and felt wonderful when a couple of the skiers yelled, “Go, Mom” to me as they lapped me in the course of the event. Wendy, a good athlete who competed in high school and college, used her competitive spirit to catch one team on the last lap. No matter what our place, I had a great time, made more special by the chance to ski it with my daughter.
The last event I entered was a 10 kilometer skate race. Participants started at 30-second intervals, again those who were older started near the end giving us a chance to see speed in action. The small crowds had thinned further by the time I started, but their encouragement helped me ski faster than I thought possible and I felt very satisfied at the end.
I’ve been talking to friends who ski urging them to join me in future races. I admit cross-country ski competition intimidated me; it took years before I skied my first 25-kilometer Kortelopet, and that was only because my son entered me in the event as a birthday present. At first I wasn’t sure if I liked his present or not, but soon decided it was neat that my son thought I could complete the distance. It was a challenge I enjoyed, so I planned to ski it again for the third time this year. I was more disappointed than I could have imagined when it was cancelled at the last moment due to our sudden lack of snow. I missed the chance to try to beat my old personal record. More importantly, I missed the fun, the chance to test myself, feel strong, and yes, a bit younger as I joined lots of “kids” on a racing adventure.
Reprint permission granted by the Minnesota Women's Press March
15, 2000 - March 28, 2000
www.womenspress.com
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