Bode Miller teaches new wife to ski

[marymack]

Woke up this morning to see on twitter: @MillerBode: "Teaching my wife how to ski today #relationshiptester"

My thoughts:
1) I'm surprised that his new wife, Morgan, has never skied before.
2) Doesn't this go against the "never teach your significant other/child how to ski" rule?
3) Do you think it would be easier or harder to learn from an olympian when you are just learning the sport?
4) They sound like a cute couple and I hope they post some pictures!

Questions for the Divas:
1) How important is it to you that your significant other participates in the sports that you are interested in?
2) If he or she didn't when you met, did you teach them? (or did they teach you?)
3) Have any of you skied with an olympian? What was the situation (clinic, demonstration, training, etc.)? Did you find that they were as observant/could explain things as well as a high level instructor?

 

[marymack]

Some quotes from @MorganEBeck (from this morning):
"Hooooollllyyyy Craps. This is really happening #sasquatchfeet instagr.am/p/RKQICUpFhQ/ "
"@MillerBode is teaching me how to ski today #Ahhh I hear this is the best way to get into a fight with your spouse"

some earlier tweets:
(2 days ago) "Spent our 2 week wedding anniversary beating each other up on the volleyball court and then 2 hours down in the spa....it's a beautiful life"
(5 days ago) "And last wedding pic for the night! Can't wait for the rest. Night from Sölden xo instagr.am/p/Q8C8PLpFhx/ " , "This makes me laugh pretty hard. Happiest day of my life #partyof3 instagr.am/p/Q8CggrJFhQ/ "

 

[marymack]

An update: @MorganEBeck: "We still have smiles! Not to toot my own horn or anything but I'm kind of kicking ass #toottoot instagr.am/p/RKbac3pFlG/ "

 

[ski diva]

I can't even imagine learning to ski from Bode Miller.

 

[bounceswoosh]

That's not the only thing I imagine would be fun doing with Bode Miller!

 

[MaineSkiLady]

Questions for the Divas:
1) How important is it to you that your significant other participates in the sports that you are interested in?
2) If he or she didn't when you met, did you teach them? (or did they teach you?)
3) Have any of you skied with an olympian? What was the situation (clinic, demonstration, training, etc.)? Did you find that they were as observant/could explain things as well as a high level instructor?

1. Skiing is Priority #1. That will (hopefully!) never change. #2 used to be waterskiing, but we have (<sigh>>regrettably) aged away from that in recent years. He does 2 other sports - biking and scuba - in which I can’t participate. I deal.

2. We were strangers when he was instructor and I was never-ever. Took years for him to get me “up to speed.” We are thus able, decades (almost 4!) later, able to click back into instructor-student mode whenever I need assistance. He is *infinitely* patient (why he was an instructor!).

3. Twice - briefly. Billy Kidd @ Steamboat, years ago. Seth Wescott @ Sugarloaf, several years before his first gold medal, en route to SBX, before he and my son vaporized “into the sunset” at blazing speed.

 

[marzNC]

I talked about skiing when dating my husband 20+ years ago. He talked about going with friends while in college. I was not skiing at the time. Fast forward a dozen years, ten years after we got married. Saw him struggling on the bunny slope during a extended family trip to Heavenly set up by his brother. Next time he gave skis a try was the week our then 4yo first got on skis. She was going faster than he was on the bunny hill. Really not his thing because he worries a lot about a knee that needed surgery back in high school. We find other ways to have fun with him. For ski trips, he stays home and takes care of the dog and cat.

When we were younger, he and I did other sports together. Although golf worked best because he can play his way and I can play mine. Not so easy to do with something like tennis. We are the type of couple where "opposites attract."

 

[Jilly]

1. We have different summer sports, but that's a good thing sometimes
2. We met in a ski club, so......We were both instructors
3. Yes, but she wasn't an Olympian skiing, but pistol shooting. Linda Thom. Gold in 84. She carries her medal with her to events like our CSIA Fall Convention. They're pretty heavy. I've met many at functions with the CSIA and RBC. Having breakfast next Wednesday with Jeff Bean from the Freestyle team.

 

[Christy]

Marymack, thanks for those instagram links. I don't have a Twitter account so I didn't know about this. The most interesting thing to me was that Bode is racing at Soelden this weekend! Last I heard he said he might not ski at the beginning of the season.

THIS photo...sigh. Gorgeous:
https://instagram.com/p/Q8C8PLpFhx/

Getting my husband to even give me a tip is like pulling teeth. He tried to teach an ex how to golf and learned his lesson. He now won't teach anything to anyone who's not afraid of telling him to f*ck off.

 

[litterbug]

That man doesn't smile nearly enough! He's such a cutie when he relaxes and just lets himself be happy. Damned introverts...

As for teaching, he's made some instructional videos about turning basics in which he's very patient and seems to want to get the teaching and demonstration right. Besides, she sounds athletic, and if you're going to take on something troublesome like teaching a skill, the honeymoon phase is the time to do it, no?

As for skiing being some kind of litmus test, well, I'm into an odd variety of stuff, and there's pretty much zero chance of finding a partner who'd relate to all of them. And having lived on my own for 53 years, I'd need someone flexible in all those daily life things that can drive you crazy. That means my criteria is that we have the important things like ethics and values, open-mindedness, some kind of life of the mind, and some kind of outdoors pleasures in common, and that neither of are or clingy or jealous so as to resent the other's activities.

 

[Sarah_82]

Questions for the Divas:
1) How important is it to you that your significant other participates in the sports that you are interested in?
2) If he or she didn't when you met, did you teach them? (or did they teach you?)

1) I'd really love to end up with someone who skis or snowboards, but there are other things that are more important, so it wouldn't be a deal breaker. I think the big thing if I were dating a non-skier/boarder would be that they didn't resent me spending half of most ski season weekends skiing rather than with them. My other main outdoorsy/ athletic interest is hiking, which at least doesn't require much in the way of skills or special equipment, so going for a short/ easy hike once in awhile doesn't require the investment of time, money, or effort for someone not that into it that even the easiest skiing does. If they had no interest in ever going outside or enjoying nature, that might be a problem.

2) Last summer/ early fall I was dating a guy who was new to Colorado and had expressed some interest in learning to ski or snowboard, but had never tried before. If things had turned out better and we hadn't ended up breaking up in October, coincidentally just in time for ski season, I'd been thinking of buying him a lesson/ rental package for a day or two as a Christmas or birthday gift, and as a way of nudging without attempting to teach him myself. Though after an initial lesson I suppose I would have tried giving some pointers if he'd been interested in continuing.

I imagine learning from an Olympic skier might be a bit intimidating, but on the other hand, I guess at least I wouldn't feel bad if I could never catch up with them, because who could? And they'd probably be a better teacher than sort of skier who isn't afraid of any terrain but never had any instruction or coaching.

I think dating an expert skier and learning a bit from him would be fine now, since I'm already hooked and wanting to try tougher terrain, as long he was patient enough with me. I think I'd prefer that over a longtime casual skier content to stick to the blues, since I want to keep improving and get to where I can ski anything except maybe the really crazy extreme stuff. Going through the frustrating beginner stages while learning from a significant other would be different, though, and would probably depend a lot on the personalities of both people involved.

 

[Pequenita]

At some point, the answer as to whether it's a dealbreaker if a significant other doesn't ski/share similar interests/activities comes down to priorities, lifestyle, and how much couple time is available, right?

 

[bounceswoosh]

DH and I look forward to ski season in part because it *is* one of the few activities we're both good at and excited about. During the summer, our activities diverge quite a bit. Skiing together, along with the time together on the drive up and a smaller number of electronic distractions in the mountains, gives us the amount of together time we need.

So, yeah - it wouldn't have to be skiing, but it would have to be something.

 

[marzNC]

At some point, the answer as to whether it's a dealbreaker if a significant other doesn't ski/share similar interests/activities comes down to priorities, lifestyle, and how much couple time is available, right?

Definitely. The fact that I am a ski nut and want to go off and do ski trips without my husband has never been an issue. Presumably he figured out when we were dating that I'm rather independent. He likes sports enough to understand what it means to enjoy a sport a lot. Also means it's not an issue when he wants to go do things with friends without me. For us, time apart makes time together that much better.

 

[Celestron2000]

Bode Miller taught me how to ski!
Just kidding, but he does have some instructional videos on line that I've watched a few times. They're pretty decent, so I'll bet he's doing a pretty good job.

 

[braveskimom]

So many comments to make here: 1) How new is this wife? I don't follow Bode gossip, but two years ago I saw him with his wife and adorable daughter at the World Cup in Beaver Creek. Say it ain't so-- he didn't jettison the family did he? 2) I think it is incredibly important that spouses enjoy at least some of the same pursuits. Maybe not all -- I have no patience for golf and my husband doesn't understand my addiction to running, but otherwise, we share many of the same passions. 3) I'm sure it can be done, but I think it doesn't matter how great a skier one spouse is, or even if they're certified ski instructors or World Cup racers, one spouse teaching the other spouse anything doesn't seem to work out very often. Maybe that's just a problem at my home?

 

[mustski]

I wasn't picky about other activities, but I didn't even date guys who didn't ski or board regularly. I have always enjoyed it too much and consider it more of a lifestyle than a hobby. I pretty much revolve our winter calendar around skiing. I've never taught an adult to ski but I have taught kids. I have never skied with an Olympian though I would like to. Hopefully, Bode's wife falls in love with skiing because it's a pretty big focus of his life.

 

[gr8outdoors]

Just over the last few months, I had seen something about Bode getting married. I hadn't realized he was married previously.

 

[ski diva]

Just over the last few months, I had seen something about Bode getting married. I hadn't realized he was married previously.

I don't think he was married before, though he did have a child from a previous relationship.

He married pro beach vollyeball player, Morgan Beck, in September or October.

 

[Christy]

Yeah, the mother of his child was his girlfriend. His world seems to revolve around his daughter so I don't think she's been jettisoned.