Not everything went wrong on this trip, but it seemed like a lot did in the moment. Having this being my first year on the Husky Ski Team, it has been a wild ride from the beginning to this regionals race in Red Lodge, Montana. Everyone on the team hyped up regionals and I knew that was the race I wanted to go on from the moment I joined the team. It definitely lived up to what I expected. Getting the opportunity to bond to the limited team that also took the trip to Montana along with getting to know more people from both our conference and neighboring conferences was an awesome time that I won’t forget. Nevertheless, we need to start from the beginning and tell this story from the moment we hopped in the car. I feel as though I did in my last post, I need to go over the people who made this trip as special as it did.
Mackenzie
Along with many others on this trip, Mack I first really go to know her at Revelstoke at the beginning of the season. The dryland trainings she ran got us to know of each other, but not really that deeper connection that you get from a small trip like Revelsoke and this one. To put it simply, Mackenzie is a badass in pretty much every way. Skiing? Causally won our conference for the girls as our points leader. But outside of skiing is where I really got to know Mack both through her personality and outgoing nature. Being one of the first people I knew on the team that was not a freshman allowed me to build a friendship that I’m excited to see grow next year!
Jack
One of my best friends on the team. Coming onto a collegiate club team having never done the sport is intimidating, especially not knowing anybody around you. When I joined the team I was internally nervous about everything I did wondering how others would react. With Jack though I felt an instant connection and an ability to just be open and say my mind. Once we really got to know each other at Revelstoke, our friendship has still remained one of the strongest I have on the team and I am BEYOND thrilled that he is going to be there with me for another 2 years of ski team.
Grant
The first time I met Grant was at dryland where we played Ultimate Frisbee and lets just say it was very annoying trying to defend him (Ready for Ski Team Intramural though this spring). Following the common theme of Revelstoke, Grant and I got to really know each other on that trip. With the endless problems that stemmed from Nick’s car helped me get to know Grant. I don’t think I will ever forget the car ride home where for 2 hours straight Grant and I discovered that we have a similar sense of music, bouncing off each other to the point where Alex and Nick were dumbfounded by this connection. Also, shoutout for being the best guy skier on our team. We are going to definitely miss you racing for UW next year.
Alex (Lexi)
Oh Lexi. It honestly scares me sometimes how many similarities Alex and I have together. Business Majors? Check. Blond Blue Eyed Skiers? Check. PNW? Check. The list just goes on and on and we instantly built that connection throughout the season, one that I am excited to see develop as the years go on after ski team. The memories we made together throughout the whole season being in the same car for every race (I attended oops) won’t ever be forgotten. Can’t wait to see how he transitions into a “coach” next year :).
Kyle
I think one of the best parts about regionals was getting to know so much more about Kyle. Obviously we had been close through drylands, but this trip we were especially able to bond, especially through the shitshow that is explained later on our way to Red Lodge and the rest of the trip. As we were the only Freshman on the trip, it was nice getting to know him even deeper than before, and I cannot be more excited about 3 more years of ski team with him!
Nick (Babushka)
Can I just copy and paste what I said about Lexi? But seriously, Nick is also one of those people I made an instant connection with. The amount of time we spent together in ski team this year is something I definitely took for granted this year and the memories we made will never be forgotten. He is one of the most genuine and fun guys I could have met on the team and I can’t wait to make even more memories with him and going forward with the them (Since we all know Nick will be on ski team forever).
Tom, Robo, and Jim
Last but most definitely not least are our incredible coaches and volunteers. These 3 resemble and define what ski team is all about. The amount of gratitude we have for not only these 3 coaches but all of our coaches is through the roof and we cannot be more thankful for their dedication to both helping us improve as skiers and allowing us to race. The amount of time they give up is beyond belief and we can’t thank them enough. Specifically, Tom, Robo, and Jim made this trip even more special. Having Tom proctor my psych of sex test with a beer cracked open, Robo for exposing me during the team meeting saying how funny it was to all the coaches when I said “Oh boy” at the starting gate, and Jim for the best free run of the weekend. These coaches made this trip possible and their constant positive attitude and motivation make trips like this possible.
Thank you all for being the best teammates and making this trip memorable. Now, to what actually happened.
Wednesday, 4:30 AM
This is the time I was up and getting ready to leave for regionals. We had packed the car and just needed to pick up Kyle, Alex and Nick to begin our 14 hour car trip. Having the Acura MDX was awesome as this was the first ever race that I actually could stretch a little bit without hitting someone else, and getting to sleep while Alex took the wheel was something I did not realize I would desperately need until I started driving later. The only thing that wasn’t working at this point was Nick’s back, who had a slipped disk and decided to be unbearably painful the entire car trip there.
Wednesday, 7 PM
At this point we were cruising and were estimated to get to Red Lodge at around 9PM, about a half hour earlier than expected. Sadly the fact that I was cruising did bite me in the ass with a speeding ticket as I was going 96MPH (It was in an 80 so it was okay). But, we were going smooth and dandy until the light on the front screen goes “Tire Pressure Low”. Oh boy. Coincidentally we had just filled up our tires 2 hours before because the pressure was low but this time when I looked at the number it kept dropping and dropping. So, I pulled over to the next exit with a sign that read “NO SERVICES” and opened the door only to hear a hissing sound from our rear left tire. Fantastic. It was 3 degrees outside and we were 45 miles outside of Bozeman, Montana with limited cell service and low batteries. Luckily, we were able to call AAA and we got towed after 2 hrs of being in the cold. Being towed was actually fun as we sat in our car while on top of the tow truck which was an interesting experience. That night, I called my old friend Bradley who lives in Bozeman and he picked us up from the local Firestone and we stayedy with him that night. The Bendzaks were as awesome as always and seeing Steve and Carrie at the end of the long day was a welcome as it had been around 3 years before that. They couldn’t have been better hosts and the team is eternally grateful to them.
Thursday
We were finally on the road around 7 with a new set of tires and we headed to Red Lodge. We arrived around noon and the rest of them headed to ski where I stayed back and studied for my exam the next day. Finally getting to Red Lodge was a relief and seeing Grant, Jack and Mack walk in the door 4 hours later was also amazing as we had finally had the entire group safely in Red Lodge, Montana. That night we hosted a party which resulted in a little bit of a chaos and issues with the neighbor that night, which had us kick everybody out and fall asleep ready for our GS race the next day. To recap the night as best I can, everyone knew Jack after he did 8 rounds of hugs with everybody in the house, Denver University goes hard, the basement is freezing and Spencer of WSU is a great person on AUX.
Friday
Let’s just say Friday morning was a little rough. My car left right before 9AM which was the latest I think I will ever leave the house for a race in college. We missed inspection and got up there just in time for our own GS races. For the team, GS was naturally going to be a struggle due to the lack of races and training we had for GS because of cancellations and schedules not lining up. Yet in the end we did MUCH better in GS than Slalom simply because everyone (besides Kyle. Damn you gate 6) finished. We placed in the middle of the pack for Men’s GS which we were simply content about, but it could have resulted in a lot worse. Shoutout to Mack for being a trooper and carrying coats down.
Julia Masur and Alyssa Hilb from the University of Puget Sound Team
As we headed back to the house, we got a call from the owner from the rental telling us that they would be sending a person to check up on the condition of the house following the reports of our party. This caused for MAJOR panic and resulted in me being dropped off at a local tea shop in downtown Red Lodge so they would not see the extra person we had. Lets just say tea guy (Who I later found out is named Cahden) and I bonded for 3 hours while everybody else cleaned (Again, props to my team). We got the house cleaned and sorted out and I came back with raving reviews of the tea place with Alex, causing a need for tea within the team.
Fridays team meeting was memorable as I was preparing for my Sex Ed test (which Jack had a time with) and just laughs all around. Team meetings may be my favorite part of Ski Team races. You would think that with all the others fun things we do as a team on the mountain that meetings would be immensely boring comparatively, but being able to recap your day with a small group of people really makes the team feel more like a family. I think the most special part is the traditional high’s and low’s. It’s such a simple part of a meeting yet always results in laughs and good stories that come from across the team. Especially with only 6 fellow racers and 3 coaches, this regionals meeting was both hilarious and a good time for us to get close to each other.
Saturday
HAPPY 21 LEXI!
The definition of how high the spirits were on Saturday.
Waking up this morning was a lot better for the team with moods beaming and ready for Slalom, something we were all looking forward to all week. As we got off to an earlier start (not that much earlier because Alex needed to make a necessary stop for champagne at the grocery store) but we got to the mountain and the sun was still out like the previous day, keeping moods high and excitement through the roof. One of the most special parts about regionals compared to every other race is the deeper connection you get to make with people both in and outside your conference. As Jack said, “I got to know people rather than know of them”. That was evident on Saturday as everyone was saying high to everyone from meeting people the day/night before. It felt like everyone was booming that day, with Alex celebrating his 21st and everyone just being thankful for the opportunity to be in Montana for bluebird days. Sadly, Slalom didn’t turn put the exact way as we hoped with 3 of our racers not being able to finish leaving us with a ghost time, aka two of Nick’s times as he finished last of the ranked racers. Sko Dawgs? It was a rough race and not one that we will remember with excitement, yet it didn’t take away too much from the rest of our day.
Robo defining the coaches reaction to our race results. Not so hot.
At night we had the banquet, a tradition which the entire Husky Ski Team dresses up and all the teams in both conferences come to celebrate the teams going to Nationals and individual awards throughout the season. Macky P killed it being the points leader for our conference this year and was recognized, along with Men’s team for WSU and UBC qualifying for nationals, an exciting moment shared between all the teams in our conference. The banquet was a memorable event with CU’s buffoonery and the DU people who were caught “fornicating” in the bathroom downstairs, who’s announcement was followed by major cheers from the teams.
Nighttime was a fun night as all the teams went and celebrated the conclusion of regionals just how you would expect college students to celebrate. Being the DD, it was a stressful night in some aspects with a cop threatening to ticket and tow me since we apparently parked on the side of a freeway, giving me limited time to tell the others, along with my mirror being hit and scratching the entire side of the car earlier in the day (Probably looking at around 3-4k in damages). Yet, it was a fun night and I enjoyed it a ton helping people get from place to place. The only struggle that arose was the difficulty of getting good sleep. Which, to be fair, wasn’t to be expected but was a struggle in the morning as we needed to start the drive, capping the end of regionals.
If I was to sum up regionals, it would a trip defined by getting to know others. Myself and my teammates not only got to have a deeper connection between each other, but also others from our conference. As a freshman who still has no idea what he is doing, this opportunity is one that I will cherish forever. Getting to go on the last race with graduating seniors and ski on an incredible mountain in bluebird conditions is what ski team is all about.
To the new faces who I got to meet and the teammates who I got to know even better, thank you for such a memorable trip.
Never forget:
”I already gave you the notes”
Killer Breakfast burritos
Mr. and Mrs. Hands
DU’s Fornicaiton
Finding the Great Wolf Lodge
Cahden
Sko Dawgs and #rushhuskyskiteam
