Does skiing come as naturally to you as other sports?

[lucine]

Well.
I've hestitated to get into this discussion, but I too have embraced my mediocracy.
In fact, skiing was very hard for me, everything is. I am known as the slowest hiker, the most nervous (in traffic) cyclist, I'm afraid of heights, don't like whitewater. I don't jump high or run fast and was always picked last for any team. I swim like I walk, slowly. I can fall over my own two feet in any exersize class.- don't get me started on those darn benches.
Whether by nature or lack of ability, I am not competetive, never winning or even making a good showing can do that to a person.

However..... I still hike--slowly, kayak --on flat water and mild rapids. I'll never carreen down class IV rapids with a smile on my face. Ride my bike on routes I feel comfortable on, even join into the training for a sprint triathlon,- I finished and had a great day. and oh yea, ski.

I work hard at these outdoor pursuits and enjoy the time spent doing them. by this hard work , and many days and hours, I can get down any run on my Mt. and most of the time I can do it with joy and enthusiasm.
Trying to improve skills and speed is a process, for me it takes a lot longer than others. In group lessons, many will speed past me and move up more quickly, but should I then just give up, or perhaps feel frustrated because everyone learns faster than me?
By embracing mediocracy I can have fun and try new things. Setting attainable goals that many would scoff at make it possible to, with time and work, see changes -however minute.
This year my goals are to get angles while skiing and to plummet down a cornice with more than a 2 foot drop. (the cornice thing was last years goal as well, and I almost made it.)
Our styles may vary, but don't we all want to enjoy ourselves? And that enjoyment may come in different ways. Somedays, to stand at the top of the world and gaze at the scenery, somedays, a redemption run on an easy slope, some days, I'll try stuff that last year would have left me shaking and/or crying. All of those days are a victory for someone like me. Mediocre, and pretty darn proud of it, for me mediocre is a big step up!

 

[Swamp Dog]

Well.
I've hestitated to get into this discussion, but I too have embraced my mediocracy.
In fact, skiing was very hard for me, everything is. I am known as the slowest hiker, the most nervous (in traffic) cyclist, I'm afraid of heights, don't like whitewater. I don't jump high or run fast and was always picked last for any team. I swim like I walk, slowly. I can fall over my own two feet in any exersize class.- don't get me started on those darn benches.
Whether by nature or lack of ability, I am not competetive, never winning or even making a good showing can do that to a person.

"embraced my mediocracy." First off, I'd like to say that I am going to Trademark this phrase I've used it for a long time and it so adequately sums up where I am. And that's not a bad place!

Lucine, the fact that you get out there and do all those activities is what makes you a winner, not where you finish in a race. If winning the race was what I thought it meant to be a winner, I would never have entered any of the events I've done. I've always been a middle-of-the-pack to a back-of-the-pack finisher in everything I've done, my competitiveness is with myself, not anyone else.

My abilities are the same with skiing as with everything else. This does not stop me from trying harder, going faster, or going further. But that's judging against MY abilities, not anyone else's.

Are you having fun? Is it a good-for-the-soul kind of fun? Then it's all good

 

[Kimmyt]

I was not athletic as a child. However, the few physical activities I did do tend towards a similar activity I enjoy today.

I danced ballet for several years and as such am generally very flexible and have a decent sense of balance. I also was very into music and band and things so have a highly developed sense of rhythm. My favorite bits about all my sports involve some of those things... Climbing is every bit as poetic and balanced and controlled as ballet ever was, and there are points in time when I feel like I can hear the strains of a song playing in my head as I move. Skiing is the same, the rhythm of the turns is my favorite thing, and getting that rhythm is sheer joy. Swimming is like one big long dance, especially in that like ballet you dance from the tips of your fingers to the tips of your toes, every part is doing it's job. Cycling is a very quiet sport to me, but as a kid the one thing I did do was spend endless hours on my bike riding all around. I love the joy of going fast, the flexing of the feet, the precise core moves that you need to do to perform simple skills like grabbing a water bottle. When I run I feel like my feet carry their own rhythm, and the best runs are those when my feet are striking the ground and my upper body feels like it's floating.

I never did any ball sports as a kid, although my dad and brother are both very into sports and coaching and stuff. It just wasn't something the parents pushed. I think I might have a little bitterness about that, but then I'm pretty happy with my flexible rhythmic body, and I can't say I really miss having not played on a sports team when I was younger.

 

[G Hoodie]

This is a fascinating discussion.

Skiing did not come naturally to me... it still doesn't. I've been an athlete my whole life almost, so I see skiing as my next big athletic challenge. But learning late in life has made me attack it much slower I think... I too get nervous around heights, and I've had to get over that on skis. I push myself very hard because I want to be a good, confident skiier who can get down anything. That said, I also want to keep up with DH, so I have an excuse to work harder. I get frustrated some days when I feel like I don't do well. But I really relish the challenge that skiing has offered me. But I fight to advance every step of the way!


But I also believe that everyone is different and has different motivations. And I completely respect and love that. For example, I really admire the people that have never run a day in their lives, and at age 40, decide to finish a marathon... you know? They come from a much different place, but I still respect their will to get outside and work hard and do it for the love of it. Hope that makes sense? So KUDOS to anyone who feels skiing does not come naturally, but still goes out and works at it anyways!

 

[MaryLou]

I never did any ball sports as a kid, although my dad and brother are both very into sports and coaching and stuff. It just wasn't something the parents pushed. I think I might have a little bitterness about that, but then I'm pretty happy with my flexible rhythmic body, and I can't say I really miss having not played on a sports team when I was younger.

You just brought back a memory. Not sure my parents pushed me, but probably suggested - and with an older brother into all sports, I wanted to be like him. Right after Title IX was enacted I wanted to play basketball, with the town rec league. I was the only girl to sign up, so I was put on a team of all boys (obviously). The concession the coach made was that I would always be on the shirt team during practice lol... That's all I remember...but don't ever remember feeling akward, out of place or a 'girl'...the coach was great about it all. Still sucked at the sport though...no matter how much I loved it. (edited: I didn't totally suck...good at defense and being a guard, just couldn't get the basket in the hoop no matter how much I tried or practiced!).

 

[MaryLou]

This is a fascinating discussion.

Skiing did not come naturally to me... it still doesn't. I've been an athlete my whole life almost, so I see skiing as my next big athletic challenge. But learning late in life has made me attack it much slower I think... I too get nervous around heights, and I've had to get over that on skis. I push myself very hard because I want to be a good, confident skiier who can get down anything. That said, I also want to keep up with DH, so I have an excuse to work harder. I get frustrated some days when I feel like I don't do well. But I really relish the challenge that skiing has offered me. But I fight to advance every step of the way!


But I also believe that everyone is different and has different motivations. And I completely respect and love that. For example, I really admire the people that have never run a day in their lives, and at age 40, decide to finish a marathon... you know? They come from a much different place, but I still respect their will to get outside and work hard and do it for the love of it. Hope that makes sense? So KUDOS to anyone who feels skiing does not come naturally, but still goes out and works at it anyways!

Great post. Doesn't matter what your level, there are just some days when it doesn't click. And those days where everything clicks make up for it - it's an amazing rush. The WORST is when it's perfect day, conditions and everything...yet you just can't get it together. HATE that... I found I can usually step it back a notch, regroup and reconsider conditions and my stance/balance and start again. Sometimes it's a break in the lodge, or a mental process on the next life ride up, but sometimes it's just giving up totally and enjoying the excercise, sunshine and views.

Oh...I've also learned to take the first run or two on cruisers and try to figure out my balance/stance based on conditions for the day. THey can be dramatically different day to day in NE, so this is key for me, but takes patience to not just attack what I've been dreaming about all week!

 

[toughgirl]

It's good to hear other embracing mediocracy (as I called earlier in the post "average"). We know who we are and our ability and have hope and goals we can achieve more.. but we are darn proud of where we are now.

Lucine your description of your self in sports made me laugh.. I share your thoughts exactly

 

[Jenny]

You just brought back a memory. Not sure my parents pushed me, but probably suggested - and with an older brother into all sports, I wanted to be like him. Right after Title IX was enacted I wanted to play basketball, with the town rec league. I was the only girl to sign up, so I was put on a team of all boys (obviously). The concession the coach made was that I would always be on the shirt team during practice lol... That's all I remember...but don't ever remember feeling akward, out of place or a 'girl'...the coach was great about it all. Still sucked at the sport though...no matter how much I loved it. (edited: I didn't totally suck...good at defense and being a guard, just couldn't get the basket in the hoop no matter how much I tried or practiced!).

Hey - I was the only girl (out of 4 who started) who stuck out the whole basketball season in 7th grade, when they only had a boys team for us to play on! For games, everyone else went in the locker room and I changed in the bathroom. The boys wanted us to quit and told us that if we didn't, they wouldn't ask us out when we were older. Even at 12 they think they're soooooo hot . . .

At the first game, my mom was sitting by a woman who was going on and on and on about her Brad, and look at her Brad, and wasn't he great, blah, blah, blah. AND she had comments to make about how wrong it was that there were girls on the team. When she thought to ask mom "which one was hers" mom replied, "The one with the long blond ponytails."

Brad's mommy changed seats. He always was a little twerp, too.

Basketball did NOT come naturally to me - I took one shot that year and missed it. But I got a lot better, except at dribbling the ball - could never do that very well for more than a few steps. Definitely not point guard material.

Track, on the other hand, came easily.

 

[Snowflower]

I can certainly relate to being the only girl on the team. Right before high school we moved from a state and school with lots of sports for girls to a state and school with virtually NO sports for girls. The only sport at the high school level was basketball which was played with 6 players. 3 forwards, 3 guards and you couldn't cross the half court line! I had grown up playing softball so since there was no team at my school I decided to go out for the h.s. baseball team. I only played a few outs on the JV team (I was a sophmore), but I stuck it out the whole season. Once year was enough to make my point though and after that I went back to club softball and soccer.

I'm so very happy to see the sports that are available for girls now. And also how much the attitude about girls playing sports has changed. In my era, only "tomboy" girls played sports, it just wasn't done by other girls. Now it's possible to be seen as feminine and still be an athlete rather than having to choose between the two. Yay for Title IX!

I do think that the eye hand discussion is interesting. I grew up playing ball sports with the boys, so I'm much better at those than sports that require speed, which I have none of! I'm always on of the slowest hikers or runners! Skiing falls somewhere in the middle for me, I've become a decent skier, but it was through hard work and desire, rather than natural ability.

 

[Quiver Queen]

I agree, YAY for Title IX!! In the last year or so I've really come to appreciate what it's done for women and women-to-be.

That appreciation started last fall when I was visiting my home town and helped at a cross country meet. When I was growing up, the only thing for us girls was track, so I ran. Liked it so much I ran year round for years, long before running was fashionable; people were convinced I was crazy and didn't hesitate to voice their opinions. My junior year of high school, due to Title IX, suddenly fall sports were available to girls so I went out for cross country and excelled at it. My old high school now has soccer (I would've loved playing soccer!), field hockey, swimming, and about 25 other sports for women, all the events are attended as well as the boys', and they even have letterman's jackets for the girls, too. (I wanted a letterman's jacket so badly, but was told they weren't allowed for girls.) After the meet I was introduced to the girls' cross country coach and had a flash of pride as we realized I was the first one in school history to earn a letter in girls' cross country, and now the team has been top ranked in the state for many years.

Because of hard work by a lot of people for us, and President Nixon signing it into law, girls now don't have to apologize for being athletic. They can wear their letterman's jacket with pride, they are encouraged to get out of their comfort zones, and when they're old ladies like me they'll have a reserve of skills to call on when trying something new. They'll have a confidence in attempting new or scarey things that I'll never have. They won't have to worry about what people with think if they look sweaty and flushed after a hard work out.

As far as skiing being more difficult than other sports, I don't think so. Other than running, none of it comes naturally to me. But what I am learning is that the more sports I become involved in, the more I see how they're related, and I am then able to pull bits and pieces from different sports I already know and fit them into the new one so each successive new sport becomes easier to pick up. But I also see how much of the basics of sports I missed out on as a pre-Title IX child, like learning how to fall, like balance training, like being comfortable at a height, like the proper mechanics of throwing, and others. I feel slighted in a way that those basics aren't yet second nature (as they are in men my age), but I'm still working on them so my skiing, and other sports, can continue to improve.

 

[dloveski]

I think all of us have an inner athlete. But I do think that there are factors that inhibit women from discovering their potential:

1) societal barriers (don't want to look foolish, lack of institutional or familial support or opportunities to nurture athletic skills).

2) personal barriers: setting our own limits---thinking that we are not athletic and can't possibly ski/run/____ as well as the others and always comparing ourselves to the best and convincing ourselves if we can't be perfect, then why try?

3) physical barriers: body and/or health limitations (including age).

A good friend of mine (and a beautiful skier) convinced me a few years ago that no one is 'born' a naturally-great skier. He stresses it's just good old fashioned TITS. (Time in the saddle). It makes sense. Think about learning any skill at work---the more we do, the more competent we become. Setting realistic goals, working at it day after day, and suddenly you get it.

And my role models are these 60, 70, 80 year old skiers who ski everyday. And the blind skier to travels annually, by himself, to Utah to ski the blacks. All of these folks do this for the sheer love of skiing---despite physical and other challenges. They are the most inspirational athletes of all.

 

[pinto]

....
But what I am learning is that the more sports I become involved in, the more I see how they're related, and I am then able to pull bits and pieces from different sports I already know and fit them into the new one so each successive new sport becomes easier to pick up. But I also see how much of the basics of sports I missed out on as a pre-Title IX child, like learning how to fall, like balance training, like being comfortable at a height, like the proper mechanics of throwing, and others. I feel slighted in a way that those basics aren't yet second nature (as they are in men my age), but I'm still working on them so my skiing, and other sports, can continue to improve.

YES. Yes, yes, yes. That's what I was trying to get at in my last post. I am barely post Title IX: born in 1968, so it was in effect by the time I was in school.

I did start out playing on boys teams, baseball and soccer, but by the time I was in 5th grade, I had quit baseball and was able to play on a girls soccer team. I imagine I would have continued playing even if I had to play with boys, but as you pass through middle school, who knows.

Here in Colorado, girls sports were adopted pretty early. The first girls state soccer championship was played in 1978, only 3 years after the boys' first one. Yet I went to college with a lot of girls who never even had the chance to play on a team, anywhere.

For those of you with daughters, teach them to throw "like a guy." It does help in other sports. For instance, I have a good tennis serve because it's the same motion as a throw. I actually think has to do with kicking a soccer ball, too: so much in sports comes from body and hip rotation, and a "girl throw" is flat across, instead of rotating. A soccer kick is the same: it isn't the strength of the kicking leg, it's the strength of the body pulling that leg into the ball. All that core stuff is en vogue now, of course, but it is where strength and power come from ... and we women definitely have hips!

We've had the individual-vs-team sports discussion before, and I know many don't want to do team sports -- which is fine, but somehow find a way to incorporate those skills, and it can't hurt future athletic endeavors.

 

[skidaup]

I seem pretty good at most sports but I think I am better as skiing just because my Dad was a big skier and I started at a young age. Another thing is that I'm not a very fearful person so most things my friends think are scary are not very scary to me, especially speed. I have heard people say "what if I break a leg" but I never gave that a thought.

 

[SnowHot]

I seem pretty good at most sports but I think I am better as skiing just because my Dad was a big skier and I started at a young age. Another thing is that I'm not a very fearful person so most things my friends think are scary are not very scary to me, especially speed. I have heard people say "what if I break a leg" but I never gave that a thought.

I wish I were that fearless.

I was talking with my sister about this topic, yesterday, when she observed that my fear factor is less today than it was in the past. It seems that I reached an age where I decided that I let fear hold me back from doing things I wanted to do, and its high time I just do it!

Don't get me wrong, I still have a lot of those gremlins holding me back, but they are not as dominant as they were in years past.

As far as skiing, I still say its more of a natural thing for me than most anything else I do.
Now that the snow is here, lets get this party started!!!

 

[ski diva]

I don't know if I'm a "natural" skier. To me, that's kind of like saying that skiing is a natural activity for you, like walking or breathing. And that it took almost no effort to achieve a very high level of excellence.

I guess I'm better at skiing than I am at other things because I put a lot more time into it than anything else. Malcolm Galdwell, the fellow who wrote "Blink," has a book out now called "Outliers, The Story of Success," where he explores what makes successful people successful. And one of the things he talks about (I haven't read the book, but I've heard him interviewed) is what he calls the "10,000 Hour Rule." Which is basically this: You have to put 10,000 hours into something before you get really good at it. That's essentially 10 years. As dloveski said, it's "time in the saddle." So if skiing is at all natural to me, it's only because I've done a lot to ingrain it into my muscle memory.

I've always been a fairly natural athlete in that things involving large motor skills came pretty easily. I have good balance, always picked up things quickly, and am a fairly adept imitator. I was a cheerleader in high school (you mean you couldn't guess???), and I've always enjoyed things that required quite a bit of coordination. But even though I consider myself pretty good at that sort of thing, I've never been able to break into the zone where people are truly outstanding -- where you look at them and go, "Whew. That's amazing." Then again, the people who achieve those heights are few and far between. I guess that's why we admire them so.

 

[BackCountryGirl]

Skiing, like all the other sports, didn't come naturally. There are traits that I have, I think, both physical and mental, that make skiing a good fit for me -- I like speed, the outdoors, I am totally lacking a sensible gene for fear, I have enough body fat to withstand cold, I have broad shoulders, good fast twitch muscles, and a low center of gravity. All those things make it more "natural" for me to exceed at skiing instead of distance running, for example. Does that mean I'm a natural skier? No, just one whose found the sport that fits best. Do I still like distance running, sure. But, it isn't as good a "fit" for me, so I'll never achieve the high degree of success there, and that's okay.

 

[altagirl]

I think all of us have an inner athlete. But I do think that there are factors that inhibit women from discovering their potential:

1) societal barriers (don't want to look foolish, lack of institutional or familial support or opportunities to nurture athletic skills).

2) personal barriers: setting our own limits---thinking that we are not athletic and can't possibly ski/run/____ as well as the others and always comparing ourselves to the best and convincing ourselves if we can't be perfect, then why try?

3) physical barriers: body and/or health limitations (including age).

A good friend of mine (and a beautiful skier) convinced me a few years ago that no one is 'born' a naturally-great skier. He stresses it's just good old fashioned TITS. (Time in the saddle). It makes sense. Think about learning any skill at work---the more we do, the more competent we become. Setting realistic goals, working at it day after day, and suddenly you get it.

And my role models are these 60, 70, 80 year old skiers who ski everyday. And the blind skier to travels annually, by himself, to Utah to ski the blacks. All of these folks do this for the sheer love of skiing---despite physical and other challenges. They are the most inspirational athletes of all.

I totally agree with you. I think that #1 and #2 are the biggest things that hold us back (mentally, in particular), and are often intertwined.

#3 there isn't much you can do about... but the most inspirational people are the ones who manage to ignore it and push on in spite of it all. The 80 year olds who are out skiing every single day all season long... the people skiing gnarly terrain in their sit-ski, or the guy with one leg who absolutely rips... They don't let anything get to them, and their determination truly inspires me!

 

[MaryLou]

A funny reverse Title IX story. I was on the field hockey team of my small Jr. High team. A foster kid (boy) came to my town in 7th grade or so - he was a football player, but we didn't offer it in school. Rather than join the boy's soccer team, he joined girls field hockey. So funny. He was an awesome kid, and was great to have on our team. Also turned out to be an incredible field hockey player, we beat the pants off every team and were undefeated that year. Sort of an unfair advantage...lol, but we all enjoyed the winning.

 

[MaryLou]

Skiing, like all the other sports, didn't come naturally. There are traits that I have, I think, both physical and mental, that make skiing a good fit for me -- I like speed, the outdoors, I am totally lacking a sensible gene for fear, I have enough body fat to withstand cold, I have broad shoulders, good fast twitch muscles, and a low center of gravity. All those things make it more "natural" for me to exceed at skiing instead of distance running, for example. Does that mean I'm a natural skier? No, just one whose found the sport that fits best. Do I still like distance running, sure. But, it isn't as good a "fit" for me, so I'll never achieve the high degree of success there, and that's okay.

I could have written this post. Same here. It's a joke in my family - I'll stand and everyone will try to hip-check me to get me off balance. Poor hubby...he can't even try, or he'll get injured (I've got a good 10-20 pds on him). It's interesting to see my kid's grow - we always said we hoped the girls would get DH's build, the boy mine. So far...seems to be happening, although they are all very solid. Genetically I was built to pick potatoes in cool dank weather lol...seems to fit skiing.

 

[bklyn]

Interesting discussion.

Out of all the sports I began before I was 18, I excelled in track, skiing, gymnastics, roller skating and ice skating. These are all basically 'solo' sports. Something about sports that combine speed and balance have always appealed to me and may be why I picked up mtn biking and inline skating later. I probably would have stayed with the mtn biking more if I didn't separate my shoulder at a crucial time in my skills development.

Golf and tennis - similar in terms of no real team participation, but the requisite hand/eye coordination was frustrating to me as a kid. Tennis I might try again but there is 0 interest for golf and I don't think I will ever like it.

Team sports were the worst for me - basketball, football, hockey... I lost interest before I could achieve any level of skill. Softball/baseball... the interest was there, and I had to systematically teach myself how to hit and throw effectively - it was not natural at all. Volleyball was the same, I taught myself because there was great interest and I believe it was the potential for co-ed fun that made softball/baseball/volleyball interesting enough to continue. You can argue that basketball, football and hockey could also be co-ed but there is something about the physical competition in these sports that made it less fun for me.