So the winter is here, by definition, but not really by nature. As the short-days' schedule comes into play, Mondays have become my weekends. The past two weekends I have traveled to Summit County with the team. Talk about a crazy organizational task, we had close to 50 kids over there. Five condos, five vehicles, and ten coaches. We have been getting used to working together as a group because there are so many new coaches and kids. The programs are doing really well - especially the snowboard and freeride teams. It is going to get crazier having more and more kids signed up. Already we have 30 snowboarders on the roster. Crested Butte opens its lifts next weekend, so we are almost into our six day a week program.
There is natural snow on the highest peaks, but all the snow we are riding on is man-made. Our teams have riden at Loveland, Arapahoe Basin, Keystone, and Copper Mountain so far this year - plus a crew in Europe in October. It is an exciting and interesting time of year. We are getting to see the kids on the snow for the first time and are able to see what kind of work we will need to put into each rider. It is cool to see the payoff from all the dryland work. The kids who have been with us since the beginning are strong and resilient. The new kids are doing well, too. Overall, it is a good time to be in this game. I miss Kai and Katie while I am on the road, but we have an understanding about the challenge of my vocation.
The accommodations on the road were pretty classic last weekend. One of the new kids, Oli, has turned out to be the road clown. He is the gassiest, most hyper, quickest to do something dumb for attention, and smelliest. Between wrestling matches and snowboarding all day I thought the kids would want to go to sleep early - I should know better by now. Snowboard videos, movies, and lots of ripping each other apart keep the crew up until late. The weekends are tiring but energizing at the same time. Feels good to get home, but it still feels good to hit the road, too.
Katie is showing more and more. Our conversations about our expanding family are more tangible. Kai continues to be a total joy/handful. He is very quick, running everywhere with his hands up for balance. He's got the great little guy waddle going on. He is very expressive but doesn't use English yet. Eating is still his favorite thing - that and his dalmation's tail. He is mischievious and loves to eat the toilet paper whenever he can outmaneuver Katie or I to get to it. Watching him grow and learn is so profound. Preparing for a second child while watching Kai become his own little man fills me with excitement and an understanding that Katie and I are facing more challenges than we have ever had before. So it is.
