At the Bill Koch Festival in Ripton, Vermont, the grand finale of an incredible season of snow and fun, the spirits were high and the sense of community were strong
Under snow-frosted trees skiers, parents, and volunteers of all ages in woodland creature-themed attire, athletes aged 5 to 13 descended upon Rikert Ski Touring Center in Ripton, Vermont for the annual Bill Koch Cross-Country Ski Festival. The annual event brings youth skiers in New England a weekend of championship races as well as non-competitive open activities for families and festival-goers. With the close of the opening day’s events, 515 registered racers had competed in a mixed-age relay race and an adventurous tour around Rikert’s beautiful trail network, making for the most attended BKYL Festival to date.
The festival is rooted in the philosophy that cross-country ski racing with friends is both competitive and fun, explained Bill Koch, the 1978 Olympic silver medalist from Peru, Vermont-namesake and inspiration for the youth league. “Racing comes and goes, but skiing stays forever.” This year’s BKL Festival brings a unique theme and the tradition of over 100 volunteers and organizers coming together to encourage courteous competition – faster racers that call “track” are given the right of way – and an event that celebrates the participation of all – from Olympic hopefuls to first-year participants.
To embody this year’s theme, “Skiing by the Woods on a Snowy Day,” racers and festival goers alike will be greeted all weekend with activities ranging from an opening parade to event videos at the local high-school awards banquet, a ski terrain park, a ‘mini-marathon’ by poet Robert Frost’s former summer residence, an animal-costume themed ski loop, and over 30 attending ski clubs from Madawasaka, Maine, to Rochester, New York, to Bedford, Massachusetts. There were the Berkshire Trails ‘Beavers’ from western Massachusetts, a family of skunks, bears, moose, birds, canines and critters of all kinds.
The weekend began with a heavy snowfall on Friday that left many families, including ours, slogging along route 89 and 93 for hours to reach the charming town of Middlebury, Vermont. While our dedicated waxing team set up shop next to the dining room of the Middlebury Inn, our team wandered through powdery sidewalks to a wonderfully charming local restaurant called Fire and Ice.
While young XC racers got to bed early, parents got into prep mode–waxing skiis, laying out layers, filling water bottles, packing extra layers and reviewing the daily schedule. One of the lessons both parents and children learn from cross country skiing is that readiness is everything. Unlike most sports where showing up for the game a bit early for warm up time is sufficient, in cross country skiing, in addition to regular skill and fitness training, there is a huge level of dedication by parents and skiers to “behind the scenes” training and preparation or as coach Jim Stock calls them “process goals”. In XC skiing at the younger level (5-12), this requires children and parents ensuring that kids eat, drink, sleep, dress and prepare their skiis and equipment properly in advance. When faced with cold, snow, getting families dressed and out the door in time for a race start, parents and children must have their ducks in a row hours before a race in order to ensure that kid’s simply have a good race and enjoy themselves.
Luckily great snow and the fantastic and spirited organization of this year’s festival made parent’s job easier. After a 7:00 AM breakfast we were off to the races. Upon arrival we were greeted with friendly smiles, gorgeous fresh track, upbeat music, detailed signage, colorful team tents, with waxers in full swing and sunshine peeking out through sparkling snow flakes. Little by little families descended upon the venue with their bags of skis, clothes and food. Luca and I skied the course but his toes were so frozen and he was suffering so that we had to stop, take his socks off and apply a foot warmer. Note to self: Tomorrow have him wear two pairs of socks then have him sit by the fire in the AM to ensure warm toes.
By 10:00 it was time for the parade of teams with many of the kids and adults dressed as woodland animals. While this is certainly a serious bunch of athletes, they also know how to lighten up and be playful. After the parade, the races were in full swing starting with Luca’s 1st/2nd day 1K skate relay.
It was cold and he was frozen and it was hard to watch his face grimace in pain but I knew that once he hit the track that all his thoughts would be on moving forward fast. We took our place in the sidelines and watched all these cute skiers go by. The biggest challenge for this age group is to not collide or, in their almost instinctual desire to plow forward, ski over other kid’s skiis. Within minutes, Luca made it to the finish tagged his partner Jackson and beamed a huge smile of personal victory.
The races ran back to back and on time. By noon it was time for Valentina’s skate race. Up to the start line, this age group takes a on a very different look than the small kids. Fancier and tighter outfits, nerves running higher and looks of determination. All at once the gazelles were off. Within 30 minutes the race was over and Valentina and her partner Ginelle did beautifully winning second place.
By late afternoon the races were over and families could relax with their racers on the Mini Marathon course, a delightful 6KM loop through the woods that included hand drawn signage indicating woodland trivia such as bear claws on a tree, a hawk’s nest and birch tree identification. The highlight of the route was a group stop at Robert Frost’s cabin. Skiers that were able to recite his “Stopping By the Woods on a Snow evening” poem earned a fresh brownie and hot chocolate.
The sun was out, the powder reached our knees and the smiles on rosy cheeks was simply infectious. One of the aspects of the Bill Koch cross country league that I love is that it is not a sideline sport where kids compete (and have all the fun) and parents sit or stand for hours on the sideline enduring small talk and IPHONE distractions. It’s a community of ski loving enthusiasts who want to share outdoor experiences with their family and friends. What other sports tournament concludes with a all inclusive family outdoor activity that combines learning, exercise, socializing, eating and a glorious immersion in a state park?
The highs continued on Sunday when we returned to Rikerts for Day two of the festival. More perfect snow, delicious food, dedicated coaches, waxers and other parents running around and going above beyond what most parents would do for a sport. The payoff was simply watching hundreds of kids confronting a physical challenge with determination, passion and confidence. Just seeing them double pole and stride with all their mental and physical power across the finish line was not only incredibly inspiring but it is exciting to know that the lessons that children learn here on the snow will be with them for life.
We can feed our children information but what will really make the difference for them in today’s world is if they have the inner compass and confidence in themselves to believe that, if they stay focused and on track towards a goal, then their dreams are possible. Cross country skiing has created a foundation, to make this dream a reality. One of my daughter Valentina’s goals this year was to come in top three at the BKL Festival. All the ingredients were there to nurture that dream–She loves to ski and she enjoys the challenge and process of improving her skills and endurance and she feels the support and love from the community of skiers, both friends and family, that surround her.
This goal, that she set after last year’s 2010 festival, inspired her to stay fit all summer, to go to XC ski camp in Vermont, to join the cross country running team in the fall and then of course to begin training early for skiing. This goal and the fitness milestones needed to get there, also helped her focus on keeping strong and healthy by eating well and getting enough sleep. In other words it helped her develop habits that she has already applied to other parts of her life.
Finally on Sunday her moment arrived to ski hard in the 3.1K classic race. She was nervous but the snow was right, her coaches, family and friends were by her side, the wax miesters had prepped her skiis perfectly and her endurance would serve her well. Now all we had to do was to stand on the sidelines and watch all the gazelles sprint into the woods and wait for them to come home!
One by one they dashed toward the finish, each girl looking so colorful, beautiful, strong and determined. Valentina finished well, despite the flop she took at the finish line. After she finished rather than wait around for the results I took a final long ski through the glorious soft snow and open woods to the Robert Frost Cabin. By the time I returned, the results were in and to my complete elation, I discovered that Valentina had won the Classic XC race, a gold medal and her moment of glory on top of the podium to look out and beam out at her community of friends and family. While this confident glow will keep her steady for many weeks to come, it’s of course less about the victory than the process that gets all these wonderful kids and their families outside, supporting each other, doing their best and discovering the simple joy that skiing brings. Thank you Bill Koch.
