Last weekend I went to Anchorage for a VERY quick trip for a cross country ski lesson and to see friends and family. The trip in to Anchorage had some extreme turbulence--I was thankful the plane safely landed! And I"m not normally a powder puff about flying conditions...
On Saturday morning I woke up and met with Lili, a cross country ski coach in Anchorage. I found her name on the Nordic Ski Association Website under the "lessons" category. For the past several years, I have felt STUCK with my classic ski form. Patrick hasn't ever been able to articulate to me what I should do to change my form, so I go the same pace. I must admit--I was a little intimidated meeting Lili, as she used to be on the French National Ski team...but from her first warm smile, I knew things would be A-OK.
3/4 of the lesson was without poles. The whole lesson was in the stadium area at kincaid park--we didn't go on the trails at all. She took cross country skiing right down to the basics of kicking, balancing, arm swing timing, weight shifting, etc...I found that I got the feel of it then once I added the poles back in, my good form got lost.
By the end of the two hours, I was having so much fun cross country skiing! A smile formed across my face. Don't get me wrong..I've always enjoyed skiing, as its outdoors, with Patrick and a good workout. But have I always enjoyed it? Maybe not so much. This weekend helped add some spring to my form and I really started having a good time with it! Every time I fell, Lili would say, "good,good! That means you're really testing your balance and going over your ski enough!"
Can't wait for some snow in Kodiak to try my new skills on!
Zoya
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