The story behind the Superman duct-tape

So I've had my fair share of equipment problems, as every skier will. During one workout toward the end of this past season, the side clip on my skate boot caught on my pole and snapped right off, so the support strap that leads across my foot was just hanging out flapping around in the wind, acting pretty useless.

My dad and I are both pretty stubborn.
We had differing opinions on the solution to the boot-astrophe.

Dad: "Well, does the boot work without the strap?"
Me [sassy]: "I mean yeahhh, it's just obnoxious and looks dumb." (Which it was, and did.)
Dad: "Okay well go buy a new boot then!"
Me: "Are you kidding me, do you realize how much these things cost?" (Ski equipment is NOT cheap people.)
Dad: "I'll pay for it."
Me: "That's ridiculous. I'll fix it with duct tape or something. Innovation at its finest."
Dad: "I don't want equipment malfunctioning to be the reason something goes wrong in a race. It's my money. I choose how I spend it. Go buy the boots."
Me: "I only  have like, 5 skate races left in the season, Dad. I'm not going to buy new boots for 5 races. I already had to buy a pair of boots this season anyway."
Dad: "Paige Elizabeth, just go buy the damn boots."
Me: "Ugh, fine, I'll figure it out, BYE."
("click", this was a phone conversation)

So.  Little sassy stubborn me heads off to Target to run some errands, and what do I stumble upon but the duct tape aisle. I don't know if you've ever bought duct tape at Target but oh my gosh they have like 15 different colors and patterns. It's so overwhelming.  So I pick up this awesome flowery roll and then I see the Superman duct tape.  And I think, well Superman is fierce, and flashy, and has attitude (cough, BeFAST), AND he's a superhero so he basically flies. Perfect for racing!

After proudly showing off the tape to my mother and heading off to ski for the afternoon, my dad calls.

Dad: "So did she go get the boots?"
Mom: "Well, she fixed the problem, that's for sure."
Dad: "Cool, how much did it cost me?"
Mom: ".... Only $12.50!"

Needless to say, Dad was a little skeptical that the tape would hold up in the snow and ice. But it did, and before each and every skate race I would wrap two layers of Superman tape around the arch of my boot to hold the strap down.  It quickly became my pre-race ritual and my lucky charm, and when I raced at NCAA's my entire family showed up in bright blue superman t-shirts to channel the luck.

As I order my boots for next season, I'm thinking of ways to keep the tape in the race, because although I'm hoping these boots are a bit sturdier, the tape IS my lucky charm...

Caution: sentimental feelings ahead

(Recommend reading to slightly sappy music, I'm a personal fan of "Welcome Home" by Radical Face)

Not gonna lie, the prospect of graduation is absolutely terrifying (fully deserved of bolded text). During the past four years, St. Olaf has become my rock. The people here are my family, the campus is my home, and skiing is what keeps me sane. Routines that are a result of my years here have slowly emerged: my favorite spots in the library, the roads I've pounded/skied/biked/crawled down day after day, grilled cheese sandwiches in the caf, taking over Cage tables and pretending to do homework while actually wasting time, malt nights after ski team dinners, Sunday morning Tandem bagels, soaking up sun on the quad, and spending far more time than I actually should down at Skoglund (the gym).

When you're a freshman, everyone tells you that college flies by, so you should enjoy every moment.  But nobody actually realizes just how fast it goes until there are only a few weeks left of senior year, and with the rest of our lives stretching ahead of us, the realization that what was supposedly the "best four years" are coming to a close hits fast and hard. We question if we did the "right" things with our time here. Did we make the right friends? Did we get involved in what we wanted to? Did we create the right statement, presence, or legacy for ourselves? Did we get the grades we wanted/achieve the athletic goals we set out for? Did we set ourselves up for the life we want once we leave? Did we go to Frog's enough?

Each and every one of us seniors is finding ourselves caught between nostalgia for what "was" and excitement for what "will be". We're left acknowledging (and sometimes regretting) our wrong choices and reminiscing on the right ones, but we're also bouncing on our toes in anticipation for this next big adventure in our lives. We'll finally be on our own and responsible for ourselves, out in the real world where daily decisions can actually affect us in the long run and food can't be found in a cafeteria with the mere swipe of an ID card.

Graduation is a bit like standing on the start line of a race. We have no idea what could happen in the next few minutes/days/months/years, but we know how much hard work we've put in to get here and what has shaped us to be resilient and ready. We're probably a little nervous, but mostly we're waiting for the gun to go off, the hats to fly, and our adventure to begin.

But basically, while making major life decisions seems absolutely horrifying (just like racing does sometimes), I think it's important to look at it as another exciting challenge. Leaving college and the life you've known for four years is intimidating, but it's also a chance to succeed and prove how much you have learned and grown in the past four years. It's a chance to surprise everyone, but most importantly, it's a chance to surprise yourself.

Challenge accepted.

Here We Go!

Well hi! My name is Paige. I'm a nordic skier, and this is my blog.

This week, I officially accepted a spot on the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation's Gold Team, which means that in June, I'll be moving out to Sun Valley, Idaho to live, train, and race for an incredible program full of talented and dynamic skiers and coaches.

In case you don't know what Sun Valley looks like, here's a sneak peek.

"Excited" is a massive understatement.

A few people have asked me why I'm choosing to take the leap and move across the country and throw my entire being into becoming a professional skier.  This is definitely not a decision I've taken lightly, trust me.  Skiing itself comes with commitment, risks, and sacrifices, and to be completely honest, I've spent a lot of my college career feeling torn and caught between the ski world and "real" world. And I'm not going to lie, at a few points in the past four years I definitely found myself waiting for the day when I didn't have to put training over friends, classes, and college.

But sometime around the beginning of the season this year, I realized just how much skiing is ingrained into who I have become as a person. I realized I wasn't ready to leave the ski world, but I also wasn't ready to take another role in it either. The sport wouldn't be able to function without coaches, wax techs, supporters, and sponsors and all of the work they do, but being a ski racer is what I love. It's what drives me. I thrive on the hard work, the atmosphere, the competition, the pressure, and the racing itself.  I love pushing myself to the mental and physical limits and being able to see what I can do. The ability to challenge myself each and every day and yet come out brilliantly happy afterward proves to me that the sacrifices are worth it. Now is the time to see where I can take this sport.

The chance to ski for Sun Valley's Gold Team is, in my opinion, the opportunity of the lifetime. They are everything I want in a program and team. The entire community's love for skiing runs deep, and I cannot wait to work with them.

Graduation is quickly sneaking up on us at St. Olaf, and it will be a bittersweet few weeks left here in Minnesota. It's going to be hard to leave my friends and family, but this is going to be a crazy adventure, and I couldn't be happier.

"Anything that gets your blood racing is probably worth doing."

[Hunter S. Thompson]