Race Day

It’s race day. It’s 4:30 AM when my alarm goes off. I quickly get ready and get in

the car with my mom. I fall back asleep fast. When we get to the mountain, there is excitement in the air. The first thing I do is get my bib and my number. Then I find friends on my team and get ready. First, snow pants, then boots, my neck warmer, my helmet, and finally, my gloves. When I’m all ready, I meet the coaches outside and warm up and stretch a little bit. They make us run a little. Once our whole team is there, we get on the chair lift.

When we get to the course we run a first course inspection. We go up again to inspect one more time a bit more carefully. The coaches stop the group at every other gate and explain how to take the turns just right so we can be as fast as possible on the course. When we are back at the top, we wait for the race to start.The race goes in order from 1to 88 because there are 88 racers today. I’m bib number 80 and my friends are 77 and 65 so we have a lot of time to warm up and get ready. We run up and down the hill three times to warm up our legs, then we do some push ups and stretches. While warming up we watch the other racers. When it’s close to ou turns, we get ready we give each other special pep-talks to hype us up before our runs. I get one of my coaches to clear my boots and skis so my skis don’t have snow or ice on them and so my boots are clear for the run. After, this I get my poles and find my spot in line. This is when the adrenaline starts to set in and I get butterflies in my stomach. As I get closer and closer to the front of the line, I get more and more anxious. When the racer in front of me leaves the gate, I take a bunch of deep breaths to calm the adrenaline, but it doesn’t help, I’m too excited.

It’s my turn, I stand in the gate looking at the course and imagining what it will be like- what gates are icy, which gates aren’t. The adrenaline, excitedness, nervousness is a lot to explain but it’s really cool what happens. My mind races thinking about every turn. “Racer ready” I shuffle back, get my poles situated. “ Three, two, one...” says the start time worker.

I push out of the gate as fast as I can. As soon as I leave the gate my mind goes blank, all I can hear are my coaches and teammates screaming “ Up, Up Up.” Then I go into an autopilot mode where my mind blanks and I don’t think at all. I just go. I tuck in between the last two gates and through the finish. When I get to the bottom I’m in a good mood because it was a good run. I make it to the timesheet to see my time, I try to beat my PR and another racer who I’m close with. Then I meet up with some of my teammates and eat lunch. When all the racers have finished, they reset the course for the afternoon and we do the whole thing again with a brand new course.I fall asleep on the long drive home because it’s an exhausting day.
 

Thetford Academy

VT

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