Injuries and Olympics

About a week and a half ago, I found out that I have a stress fracture in my foot. That means no more running for 6-8 weeks. Despite my somewhat love-hate relationship with running in the past, I miss it! There's nothing quite like being told you can't do something to make you want to do it!

So, this lovely boot is my latest accessory. I had a follow up appointment this morning and it looks like I'll be wearing it for another 2-4 weeks. At least it'll be ski season by the time I'm out of it!

This weekend, the 2013-14 season kicked off with the first alpine World Cup in Soelden, Austria. The U.S. did pretty well, with Ted Ligety winning for the men and Mikaela Shiffrin claiming a career-best sixth for the women. It's kind of crazy to think that it's already season again! We've been working our butts off all summer at work to prepare for this and it's here!

On a related note, I leave for Russia in 98 days.

I'm so excited to watch these athletes I work with every day compete in Russia! I'm also slightly terrified of all of the crazy things that will inevitable come up between now and then! Part of why I love working in sports so much is the crazy, terrifying lead up to these events. You work insane hours and pour your heart into everything, but it's all worth it. It's so cool to sit there watching athletes walking in during Opening Ceremony knowing that you played a role in getting them there. 

As one of my colleagues recently said at a conference, "We all work for the Olympics. How cool is that?!"

The answer? It's really, really cool.

Back to School for TEAM Academy

Another original story for you!

Back to School for TEAM Academy
By Riley Steinmetz

PARK CITY, UT (Sep. 10) – For most teenagers, August and September are filled with a mix of anticipation and anxiety as another school year begins. For the students of the USSA TEAM Academy, though, the thought of starting a new school year was a relief.

“Last year, I was unbelievably nervous and didn’t know what to expect,” sophomore and alpine athlete Storm Klomhaus said, “But this year, I knew exactly what to expect and it was fun to see everyone and catch up.”

The USSA TEAM Academy opened its doors in August 2012 to a group of elite skiers and snowboarders. In May 2013, it graduated its first students, four freestyle and freeskiing athletes. It offers student athletes an alternative to traditional public schools and snowsports academies with its blended learning program consisting of both traditional classroom education and Advanced Academics online classes.

“I was in public school and then I went to online school on my own and I didn’t have anyone to help me,” junior and alpine athlete Isabella Wright said, “Coming here and having a totally different school program that works with our skiing is just a great benefit to our sport. You can set your own pace but you still have online teachers to help you and you have live teachers here at the Center of Excellence. It’s nice to have both.”

Both Wright and Klomhaus were part of the Academy’s opening class. During the Academy’s inaugural semester, it enrolled 22 students, with one teacher in the classroom to help them. For its second year, it has increased enrollment to 27 and added a second teacher. While the majority of TEAM Academy students participate in the program at the Center of Excellence in Park City, UT, some students also participate from the Lake Placid Olympic Training Center. Regardless of which campus they are at, though, students have been very enthusiastic about having a classroom experience that works with their athletic careers.

“They’re not really normal friendships that we form at TEAM Academy because we’re teammates,” alpine athlete Delilah Cupp said, “It’s a deeper relationship. We all support each other.”

“People think you miss out on the classroom experience because of the online learning, but it’s still school,” Klomhaus said, “We have classes where we all sit down together and talk and read. We have papers we have to write for Elaine [Peterson, a TEAM Academy teacher] and not just for our online teachers. We have a SAT/ACT prep course. It’s really the best of both worlds.”

Despite the curriculum’s flexibility, the students stressed that flexible schedules do not make for easy classes.

“It is challenging,” freestyle skier Ryan McElmon, who transferred to the Academy from a public school in Massachusetts, said, “It’s not like you come in here and breeze through things—it’s real school. People sometimes think online school is just a joke, but you have to work. Try to balance skiing and school—it’s not easy. Everyone thinks we have these mellowed out lives, but it’s not like that at all. We’re 100 percent go-go-go all the time.”

Often, the students balance a heavier workload than students at traditional schools due to their schedules. In order to let students focus solely on athletics while training or competing, the TEAM Academy staff helps students squeeze in more work when they are at home.

“We’re all working so hard on our classes to try to get as much done before we leave for Colorado in five weeks,” alpine athlete Megan McGrew said, “When you’re in Colorado for training and you’re skiing all the time, it’s impossible to get work done. We have the ability to get so much done right now and not have as much during the winter when we’re really busy.”

The staff is confident about the student athletes, as well. In the Academy’s inaugural year, students experienced victory at every level from NorAm events to World Cups and the X Games. Headmaster Dan Kemp is confident that these student athletes will continue to see great results.

“Going into the second year of TEAM Academy gives us a lot of excitement and a lot of energy because we have the successes of the first year,” Kemp said, “We saw that this is successful in helping students be the Best in the World in both the academic realm and the athletic realm. We are motivated to top those successes and support our student-athletes to the best of our ability.”

To learn more about USSA TEAM Academy and the athletes, visit http://ussateamacademy.org.

Hurricane for Hope

I'm starting to write a series of original content for work, so I thought I would share on here, as well! Last weekend, I had the privilege of volunteering at Hurricane for Hope, a fundraising event for The Speedy Foundation and the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation. Jeret "Speedy" Peterson was one of the first athletes I worked with in my career, back when I was a nervous intern at the USOC who had no idea what I was doing (photos here). He was kind, patient and definitely a great person to work with. When I heard that he had lost his lifelong battle with depression, it was tough. However, The Speedy Foundation is doing great work to carry on his legacy and work towards ending the stigma of mental illness. I was very proud to be a part of a great event.

Athletes Join Forces at Hurricane for Hope
By Riley Steinmetz

PARK CITY, UT (August 26) - U.S. Ski Team athletes past and present came together at the second annual Hurricane for Hope fundraiser to honor 2010 Olympic freestyle aerials silver medalist Jeret “Speedy” Peterson. The event, hosted by The Speedy Foundation and the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation, raised funds for both mental health issues and youth sports initiatives. 

The Speedy Foundation was created to help eliminate the stigma of mental illness by increasing awareness, enabling discussions and creating a safe environment. The Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation works to increase youth involvement in winter sports. The two organizations joined forces for the evening’s events, which included a silent auction and Flying Ace All-Stars big air show. 

“We’re making sure to carry on his legacy and spread his message. He was very, very passionate about talking about mental health and mental wellness,” Emily Cook, a two-time Olympian and former teammate of Peterson’s, said, “It was very important to him that all of us come together and support each other and just talk.” 

And come together they did. Dozens of current and former U.S. Ski Team athletes came to Park City for the event, reuniting with teammates they hadn’t seen in years. Among the alumni athletes at the event were 1998 Olympic Champion Nikki Stone, 2009 World Champion Ryan St. Onge and two-time Olympic medalist Shannon Bahrke Happe. 

“I think when you lose somebody like that, you realize how many good people are in your life and you need to celebrate those people,” Happe said, “There are so many people that loved him and tonight brings everyone together to talk about the good times and the amazing things he did.” 

While the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team was well represented at the event, it wasn’t just aerialists coming out to support the cause. The missions of both the Speedy Foundation and the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation have resounded strongly among the athletes of a variety of sports. Speedskating Olympic Champion Derek Parra, snowboarder Graham Watanabe and cross country World Champion Kikkan Randall were all on hand, mingling with the event’s attendees and sharing their experiences with Peterson. 

“I had the pleasure of meeting Speedy at the Olympic Games and he was always such a positive spirit,” Randall said, “It’s great to see the sports community coming together to celebrate a great life and highlight such an important issue—getting kids involved in sports and supporting them through the many challenges they may experience.” 

Later in the evening, the Flying Ace All-Stars—a group Peterson was once a part of—performed for a large crowd. The big air show included trampoline stunts, fireworks and an impressive array of jumps. For Peterson’s friends and former teammates, the performance was the perfect conclusion to the evening. 

“Speedy was a wild man. He was never afraid to get up there and do his big tricks,” Peterson’s 2010 Olympic teammate Scotty Bahrke said, “We’re all here putting on a big show, doing some big jumps and remembering our friend.” 

“It’s been truly an honor for me to be part of something that is paying forward who Speedy was and how he lived his life,” Jana Lindsey, Peterson’s former teammate and current secretary for The Speedy Foundation, “He was always giving to other people and always really supportive of his teammates, so it’s fun see all of these people out here remembering Speedy, what he stood for and the champion that he was.” 

For more information or to get involved with The Speedy Foundation and the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation, visit www.thespeedyfoundation.org or www.utaholympiclegacyfoundation.org.

Half Marathon #2 Completed!

I finished my second half marathon (and the first one I actually trained for) this weekend! My dad was also along for the ride, coming out from Indiana to brave 13.1 miles at altitude. It was a small race, but it was a great course and a beautiful morning!

Dad and I left Park City around 5am. The race started and finished at different places, so you had to park at the finish and get shuttled to the start. We arrived before the sun came up in Draper City Park, hopped on a school bus and got taken to the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon. After watching the sun come up over the canyon, we were off!

The course was much more challenging than I was expecting. The website had emphasized the fact that it was a fast, downhill course, so I wasn't too terribly concerned about hills. I was very, very happy that I had trained on hills, though, because despite there being a net elevation loss, there were definitely a lot of hills! By mile eight, I was starting to get blisters on my right foot and it was heating up (it was a rather hot day in the Valley). I was definitely struggling as I hit mile 10 and then, at mile 12, I somehow managed to follow the wrong runner and go off course for about a half mile. Unfortunately, that means my official time is above my goal time (2:32:40), but my actual time was within it! I guess that means I'll just have to run another half marathon for my wounded pride's sake :)

After the race, Dad and I had a leisurely afternoon. I'll write more about his visit in my next post! Today, two days post-race, I'm still pretty sore, but I was back at the gym today. I'm hoping to be running again by Thursday or so. I've always been bad about not sticking with running after a race is over, so I'm determined to not do that this time around. It's never any fun to start over with running from square one!

Sochi-bound!

In case you hadn't already guessed it from the title - I'm headed to Sochi, Russia, for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games!

So, next February, I'll be boarding a plane in Salt Lake City, stopping at New York JFK and Moscow Sheremetyevo, then finally landing in Sochi-Adler, Russia, after a full 24 hours (well, 24 hours and 15 minutes according to my itinerary)!

I've been spending some time looking around online at the press facilities. I've been credentialed at some pretty cool events before, but this is a whole new level. I cannot wait to experience it!

Detox Just to Retox

Two Fridays ago, I took a little bit of a trip back to college. Fall Out Boy had a small venue show in Salt Lake City and I could not pass up attending for old time's sake! When I bought the tickets back in February (I think), the only one of their new songs out was "My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light 'Em Up)," so I had no clue if I'd actually like their new songs or not. Granted, as someone who has loved all of their albums, I wasn't too worried about it.

Originally, Julia was going to come with me, but she had to go out of town for the weekend, so Ashley joined. We had a very different concert-going experience than my Fall Out Boy days of my youth. There was no waiting in line for hours to make sure I could be on the barricade. I didn't even want to mess with trying to be in the pit and leaving covered in other people's sweat. Instead, we happily waved our IDs and went up to the 21+ upstairs. We were one row of people off the front of the balcony, but they were super nice and actually let us have their spots for the encore.

It was fantastic! I love their new album and haven't seen them live since before Folie a Deux was released, so about half of the show was songs I'd never heard them play live before.

Highlights

• The encore. Oh my goodness the encore! "Thnks fr th Mmrs," "Save Rock and Roll" and, of course, "Saturday." Probably the best encore performance I've ever experienced at a concert.
• The new music. Like I wrote above, I really like the album Save Rock and Roll. All of the songs sounded fantastic live.
• The music period. Every time they launched into another song, I got that feeling you get when your favorite song comes on. Over the course of ten years, somehow all of their music has stayed relevant to me and I enjoy it just as much (and more in some cases) as I did when I was a college fangirl.
• Energy. Despite being more than five years older than the last time I saw them live, these guys have not lost an ounce of their enthusiasm for performing. Joe was still spinning all over the place, Andy was a human tornado on the drums...hell, I'd even say that Patrick has more of a stage presence now than ever before.
• The little things. Ashley and I noticed Pete waving to his little four-year-old song offstage and making funny faces at him. The lick-lick salute. The guitar spins during "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race." Knowing all the places to clap and shout the background vocals. I suppose you could say knowing all of these things is the product of ten years of going to Fall Out Boy concerts.
• The crowd. It was by no means a perfect audience (does that exist?), but everyone there knew all the words to all the songs and (at least to me) appeared to truly be there for the music. The enthusiasm for "The Disloyal Order of Water Buffalos" was just as intense as it was for their hit singles.
• Being an adult. I know that sounds strange, but I feel like I was able to enjoy myself so much more as an adult than I did as a 20-year-old because I'm more confident in who I am. I was rocking out and couldn't care less what anyone thought about it. And that lack of inhibition made the concert all the more enjoyable for me on a personal level.

What a great time! They won't be coming to Salt Lake City on their arena tour (and it would be soooo strange to see them in an arena...definitely have not had that experience before!), so I'm not sure when I'll see another of their shows, but it will hopefully be sooner rather than later. 

XO.

Poets and PhDs

I recently decided to give online dating a shot. And, after regaling some friends with some of my stories, they insisted that I write about it. So, without further ado...my first awkward online dating meetup experience.

When you live in Park City and sign up for a dating website, most everyone else in your "area" is in Salt Lake City. Despite being a little old fashioned in my first date thoughts (and believing the guy should come to the girl), I figured since I was going to be in SLC anyways last weekend, I'd take someone up on their offer of an SLC date. So, I made plans to meet up with this guy at a coffee shop downtown.

His profile was promising: athletic-looking, cute academic in the middle of PhD studies at the University of Utah. In our messages we had exchanged, he seemed like a sharp, witty guy who would make for a great conversationalist. I was pretty excited for coffee with someone who wanted to share some intellectual banter!

So, I arrive at the coffee shop at 4:05. I was five minutes late because I am pretty much always five minutes late to everything. I walk in and there are only three people in the coffee shop. Two are female and the one guy in the shop looks nothing like the one in the photo online. So, I text him and say I'm standing in the entryway. A short, chubby guy (the one guy in the shop) stands up and, rather than exchanging a hug or handshake or whatever gesture you extend on a first date, waves me over to the table and says he already bought a coffee so if I want something, I can go get it.

Strike one. If you can't even offer to buy me a coffee (like...a black coffee that typically costs $1.50 but at this overpriced place YOU chose costs $3.50), that's not promising. I'm always going to offer to pay for my own things but you should at least make an effort.

So, I get my overpriced coffee and sit down at the table. I don't even remember what topic I brought up, but we start talking.

And he has a stutter.

Now, I'm not insensitive. I know that stuttering is a real thing and that's not make-or-break for me. But somehow, it seemed to select the most inopportune times to present itself. It didn't select simple sounds to get stuck on. It was the sounds that make you spit. So he's sitting here spitting all over me and I'm trying to maintain a poker face that I'm totally okay with it. Because I'm genuinely trying to give him a shot. I decide to forgo hearing every word in favor of adopting a distance that's a bit further out of the reach of the spit.

The topic turns to interests. He inquires about my run that morning because I had shared with him that I had a six-mile training run for my half-marathon that morning. I tell him that it wasn't great due to the heat, but running is getting easier for sure. He proceeds to explain to me in great detail how much he hates running. And sports. And basically everything that I like.

About the only thing we can agree on is the fact that it is currently hot as hell in Salt Lake City.

So I turn the conversation to him. He mentioned studying for his PhD at the U...what was he studying?

Poetry.

Somehow, I manage to squelch my immediate response of laughter and instead ask what kinds of things he does while working towards his PhD.

"Well, I write poems."

That's awesome! I've written songs before. Which are kind of like poems with a melody. Kind of. So, what kinds of classes do you have?

"We just write poems."

Don't you have a dissertation or something to defend before you get your degree?

"No, we just write poems."

Well, you must have classes where you like...discuss and dissect poems? Like workshop sort of classes?

"No. We pretty much just write poems."

At that point, I decided to stop asking leading questions because clearly there wasn't much going on in this program besides writing poems. The conversation stalled, so I glanced down at my watch and decided to become a senior citizen and announce that I had dinner plans at 5 p.m. for a belated birthday celebration (not entirely a lie...I did have plans for a belated birthday celebration with Korey and Ashley, but there wasn't a time attached to it).

He immediately stood and walked to the door, not really waiting for me or saying much else. At the door, no niceties were exchanged. Rather, he just pointed in one direction and said his car was that way. I nodded and said mine was, too, and he nodded and just kept walking.

So, I kind of took that as a sign that he realized the date was pretty much an epic failure.

But then, the next morning, I get a text message from him.

"Hey birthday girl. How was dinner? I'm still sweating it out in Salt Lake."

I'm sorry, poetry man, but there was absolutely nothing about that coffee "date" that made me the least bit interested in any additional contact with you. And I really don't have any idea how I could have possibly made you think otherwise. You're not an awful human being, but the fact that we couldn't find a single thing that we have in common other than being physically present in the same geographic area? That's not exactly a good sign.

I wish you the best in your online dating endeavors. But you might want to splurge for the coffee for the next girl.