I don’t know if there’s ever going to be a way for a single email or note to reach all of the Juniors (despite our various social medias, email chains, Google Docs, etc) so this is at least one avenue for me to send a note of appreciation.
On Christmas Eve we held training at Sleepy Hollow, and despite the 8F temperatures and blustery wind, a pretty sizeable group of athletes showed up. It was really nice to see, and a great reminder that there’s motivation and excitement to get out on the trails no matter what mother nature is doing; some had been without power the whole night before on account of the storm, and plenty could’ve been at home in warmth dreaming of the holidays. But instead we were skiing!
We went inside to get warm and I was greeted with a large wrapped box on the lodge table. Opening gifts in front of a lot of people is pretty awkward and it certainly felt strange to do so right in the lodge, but there weren’t too many patrons or anything. Inside the box was an espresso machine…and I don’t mean a department store brand machine, or a portable version, or a pod device…I mean a legitimate espresso machine with all of the bells and whistles you’d expect from the highest quality caffeination stations of the world.
I couldn’t really believe it: I mean, I’d received coaching gifts in the past, but this went all the way back to a conversation a few of us had on hour 6 of a long hike in Utah over the summer. Many months later, this group of athletes had come together to pool their resources to get me a Christmas gift based on that chat.
This meant a whole lot, and I didn’t/still don’t know exactly what to say! I’m just very grateful to get to work with a really fun, energetic, and especially thoughtful group of people. I often end training camps, trips, race weekends, and seasons thinking of how much everyone (coaches included) have grown and learned over the course of a year. Over time all of these little lessons, adventures, races, camps, flights, drives, and meetings really add up to connections that make our team stronger beyond just the racecourse.
So, THANK YOU to all of the awesome athletes that got me such a nice gift, and here’s to a great 2023!
-Adam
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