December 8th, 2007
Hey there. Since most of you probably don’t know who I am, I guess I’ll start you all off with a bit of background information. Well, if you haven’t already guessed it, I am more than just a Nordic skier. I am also a runner and I have been juggling the two sports ever since freshmen year in high school. It has been this conflict between sports, this dichotomy one could say, that has enabled me to improve and accomplish everything I have so far. You see, ever since I started becoming successful in my athletics, coaches and onlookers have advised me to give one of the sports up and focus on just one, claiming that with heightened specialization I could be just that much better. Well, I ignored them. I couldn’t (and still can’t) decide between the two sports, loving each for their own unique characteristics. Because of this, and deciding to do what many called the impossible, I must push myself harder than those around me to prove not only to the crowd, but also to myself that yes I can compete at the highest levels in multiple sports. Each season, for cross-country running in the fall, skiing when there is snow, and racing track in the spring, I must reinvent myself, continually setting the bar higher and higher, proving that I belong in each sport. I know I am young, and have much to improve on, but competing well is not enough. To settle for being decent across three sports is failure. One must excel. I strive to be the best in everything that I do, and because of this, I have been allowed to continue to race against competitors who specialize solely in one sport. And well, that’s me in a nutshell.
