28
|
WINTER
2016
I think thatpartof the loveofMasters racingcomes frombeingable to
get totally away from everyday life. It is a stress relief from the daily
drudgeof thatA-holeboss.Or, if youhappen tobe thatA-holeboss, it is
relief from thosedifficult employeesorpartners.Asyou lookaround the
lodgeearlySaturdaymorning, you seedoctors,dentists, lawyers, couri-
ers, tradesmen, businesspeople, teachersanda few lazybum retirees.
Theplaying field isequal. Everyone isout todo thebest theycan. Every-
one is friendlyandsupportseachother— thecareersandprofessionsare
set aside for theday. Weareall here to squeeze thebestwecanout of
ourownbodies. There isa lot of painandwhat Ibuprofencan’t handle,
we set aside and push through it. The competition is both fierce and
friendlyat the same time. Pushingourselveshard isoneof those
really satisfying feelings that saysweare still aliveand still
young—and, youcanbe likeyoungRolfHaugeat 96—the
oldest racer on the planet. I had lunchwith himat Sun Peaks last year
and felt like I was in thepresenceof royalty.While there, I also hada
brief chatwithNancyGreeneandAl Raine,who trulyare royalty.
What is the thrill that drives thepassion?Riding right on theedgeof
control of aperfectlycarved turn. And, if youcan linka fewof those to-
gether it isexhilaratingbeyondwords.On raceday there isacomplete
rushof excitement startinga fewminutesbeforeyour run.Asweallwait
up top for the start, it is amix of bodies ranging from svelte youngath-
letes, tooverweight oldtimers inone-piece spandexwithbulgespushed
intounnatural places. Funny thing is that someof theseold folks can still
blow thedoorsoffmostof thecrowdon thehill.And tinywomenwillalso
kickyourchauvinisticbutt,but rather than feelinghumiliated itmakesyou
feel alive to seeagreat runandbepart of theexperience.Manyof the
hottest racers are our children andwe are proud towatch them. We
alsoget toenjoyagreatwipeoutwhich isextra special if it is caught on
video—just like theoneshowingmyheaddanglingdownhillwithmyskis
caughtbetween twoGSpolesacoupleyearsbackat thePeaks. “Haha,
who is that loser?” I joked in thebaraswegot towatch itoverandover,
pretending itwasn’tme.
Racing isabout friendship, competitionand innerdrive.
It isabout breathing life intoyourdustybody that endures
the nine to five. It is about rejecting that soremeniscus or
lowerback just forawhile. EverySaturday Idriveup from
the citywithmy racingbuddy,Wally andwe spend the
two hours gettingpumpedabout the techniqueswe are
going to try to focuson thatday. Then spend twohourson
theway back beatingourselves up for doing something
stupid in thecourse. It is fourhoursof inner reflection,a few
laughsanda regular coffee inOrangeville. That isoures-
cape from reality. I get towatch Jeff Sutherland,whohas
his race number right aheadof mine, go through his pre-
race routine of grunts, stomps and swearing at himself.
Thenafter settingablistering time, ispoliteenough tocom-
pliment my slow runandmakeme feel goodabout it—if I
need insurance I knowwho tocall. So, it isaboutnetwork-
ing too.
Asweare suitingup in the lodgeonabright, crispand
coldSaturdaymorning,wearechildren fullofexcitement,
eager toget out on the hill andmake those perfect, fast
turns. Everyone iswelcome to comealongbut nobody is
going towait foryou towasteperfect conditions.Getyour
butt out there fast and keep up because… there are no
friendsona sunnyday.
|E|
ESCARPMENT
®
|
athletes
Hell, I only lostbysix
seconds today. Imustbe
gettingbetter.
SKIER | NICOLE BURGESS
Occasionallywe
get to ride the
liftwitha few
demi-gods from
International
circles.
