friday was the last day i could ski at Purg on my weekday-only season pass…
What better way to end my formal ski season than to take a Last Dance upon those shimmering slopes with my precious daughter, our Rinpoche Dewachen? so, we did…just Daddy and Daughter…cranking the last few turns of a Heaven of a season…here are a few Heart Hits, both photographically and in verse of what felt to me to be a space and a time far suspended above the the comings and goings of the outer world…enjoy…
There is a saying where i come from, “There’s no waiting for friends on a powder day.” Come dance with me on the alpine hills where gravity is love and every turn is a leap of faith…if you seek the feeling of Freedom, yogi…ski…
FLAGSTAFF NORDIC CENTER, Arizona –
Sunday, March 6, 2001
{more photos follow story}
With track conditions in the fast and furious category (truth be told: insanely icy), the 15k Classic skiers launched into a pandemonium of double-poling to start this final FNC race of the 2010/2011 season. The front line included Scott “The Terminator” Oberbreckling – formerly of Boulder, Colorado now living in Flagstaff. Scott has torn the legs off of every racer here this season including Karl Granoth of the US National Military Biathlon Team and current AZ State Champion. Next to Scott was 2x AZ State Champion, Steve Ilg a former Flagstaff resident who has had another stellar winter season now racing from his native Durango, Colorado home….
Riding the glide, baby! if you woulda asked me 20, 30 years ago if i’d be still be winning Overall victories at age 48? I probably woulda replied with youthful chi-fire in my eyes, “Hell Yeah!” and dat’s precisely what is still happening! THANK YOU, Wholistic Fitness™ for imparting such longevity to national class fitness across the physiological spectrum! photo of ilg during last weekend’s 10k Freestyle Pursuit courtesy; Durango Nordic Club. Each time the pain grew more intense, i relaxed into it…
Each time the Voices in my head screamed to ‘back off,’ i saw your face (yes, YOU!) and ventured deeper into the Voices until the Voices lost their voice and i found myself in a Higher Realm…
There is a saying…”Judge not a Teacher save by the nobility of his or her Students…” Ready to be inspired once again by one of your fellow Wholistic Fitness™ Warriors? Maybe next February, YOU could do what it takes to yogi squat on the summit of this Sacred Pilgrimage of Wholistic Fitness™…. WF Shishya PY halfway through her recent solo 75-kilometer, 4-sport Sacred Pilgrimage at the one and only; Mt. Taylor Winter Quadrathlon…here is her own Race Report…buckle up! photo courtesy of Julie “PY” Mueller. Coming up next; my own Race Report!
…skiing first into the Start/Finish area where i had to answer two mandatory Trivia Questions…i got one, failed the next. off to the Penalty Loop area. During the Penalty ski, i crushed the Loop reflecting back on consecutive Teacher Report Card inputs from my chi-ldhood which ALWAYS – for years – expressed the same observation:
“Steven is a very bright child. He consistently demonstrates a remarkably agile and creative mind yet is failing because he is simply not applying himself to the lessons.”
“The only thing we really have is nowness, is now…” “The most effective ski wax i know is Mantra sync’d up with Elbow Grease…” – Coach Ilg breaks out the Wooden Planks for today’s “Wooden Ski Classic” at Vallecito Nordic Area… “I’ll be channeling Snowshoe Thompson for today’s race!”
Pratyahara Time; i was isolated in 3rd place overall. it was windy and snowing. legs and lungs felt seared like chunks of ahi tuna at sushi happy hour. time to hit the ‘force quit’ button on egoic chattering… it was time for yoga; time to bathe within the holy waters of nordic endurance sweat. so, i began to revolve my mental waves like a lazy susan around the only things that mattered most if i wanted to climb onto my second Overall Podium in the young year of 2011… Here is what i focused on…
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Photo of Coach and daughter Dewachen, living the Path (upside down!) by www.jamesqmartin.com
