Balance

Wed, Nov  5, 2008 - By Morgan Arritola

Morgan Arritola writes an important article with some nice pics too...

BALANCE

 

 

No, I’m talking about the ability to stand on one ski better than anyone else, or your ability to squat large amounts of weight on a Bosu ball. I’m talking about equilibrium in life; your ability to balance being a skier and being a person.

 

 

It can become very easy, as an athlete, to become robotic; eat, train, eat, train, sleep, repeat. While this may sounds simple and even enticing for some, it is a recipe for disaster. There are very few who can pull it off but most of us need more. We need hobbies that pull us away from being a competitor and allow us to be “normal people” for a while. Some people have sports teams they religiously follow and even refer to the team as if they are a part of it. Some take classes, some skateboard, some draw, and some volunteer, but the one common thread is a developed passion for something aside from skiing. I truly believe that having something in your life that takes you away, even if for only a few hours a day, it is important in becoming the athlete and person you want to be.

 

 

“Nicole and Mo doing some volunteer work for Sun Valley Adaptive Sports, a great program that provides opportunities for people with disabilities)

 

Training is crucial and there is no denying that, but training should never feel like something you have to do. It should not be this daunting task you have to face every morning and if it becomes that; STOP. Take a day, a week, a month, however long it takes to make you realize why you do this sport. I love to train, I wake up in the morning and I can’t wait to get out the door, but I have felt the burden of training and it was simply because it was all I was doing. We may train a lot but there are many hours in a day where you can do other things, fun things that have nothing to do with skiing. Training should not be something you have to do, it’s something you get to do.

 

(Reid Pletcher bringing it home in whiffle ball via the slip and slide)

 

You can be the most physically fit person in the world, but if you don’t have the mental strength to support it you may miss out on your potential. That’s really why we do what we do, race, train, eat, sleep, and have fun; to reach our potential.

 

 

"I can accept failure. Everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying." - Michael Jordan

 

Morgan Arritola,
Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation www.svsef.org and US Ski Team www.usskiteam.org