Yeah BABY!

Yes, a lot of days a good workout will make me say those words!  But, on any weekend from December until March they come out of my mouth at least 20 times a day on the weekend!  You guessed it, the method to all my madenesses, a wicked day of skiing!  A terrible day on a ski hill beats the best day in the world at work!  Today was another one of those Yeah BABY days!
Although a little cold it was amazing!  I love teaching and seeing people make changes and today as showtime for me.  The start of  a new season of for me represents so many awesome new challenges.  New goals for myself, an opportunity to reset where I left off last season and set myself to reach new heights.  This season is my first official year of training to reach my Level 4 CSIA certification.  It is a huge commitment, one that is equal to KONA or the Superbowl in the ski world.  Each year 100-150 people in Canada attempt it, each year about 5-10 may pass it.  Only 2-3 will be successful on the entire exam, most are back after 3-4 attempts having passed some part of it in the past and get the second half.  Many people train 100+ days over the season for 3-4 years to get to the level that is required.  Others visit sports psychologist in order to get to a head space to even allow them to get to the exam.   Needless to say it is like doing an IM but with 10 people watching you telling you that you are not doing right and you need to repeat it again.  Imagine doing IM and Mike Ridley only calls your name after the 5th time because you have finally done it right.  This winter is the start of that process for me, one that will ideally bring me as much pleasure and challenge as IM did and lead me to some new opportunities and possibilities.
As well as my own selfish intent on the ski hill is the joy of hearing and seeing people make changes on their own skis.  As an instructor I feel a great responsibility and take great pride is knowing that I did my job well.  This weekend is the first weekend of the next 9 that I am out with new students.  They are all adults and all have high expectations as members of a private club.  I must perform to make 100% that they meet the goals that they have set in a safe fun and entertaining manner.  Today I skied with my first group which is 7 women of varying skill.  Although they are very social as part of the program, they also expect to learn how to ski better.  My first day proved to be a success!~  Skied for 2 hours and created a memorable and challenging experience for all of them.  It actually created such a positive experience that there are new ladies coming to join the group next week.  That can only be a good thing, word of mouth spreading in 2-3 hours to get new customers.  I love knowing that the time I have spent with them was impactful and that they will incorporate the lesson into their skiing to improve themselves and come better athletes.
The day was nearly perfect, great snow, great people and great new beginnings.  I had an awesome time and consider a great mental training day. As well as being a great day on snow, I skied like a madman.  My legs are smoked if you can believe that, I can ride 200k but my legs are sore after a day of skiing.  It was amazing., skied like the wind, fast, powerful and crazy.  Loved every minute!
So, as I said, Yeah BABY!  Another day of it after a few hours sleep.
See you on the hill!  Cheers!