Notes from a Senior: The Season of Our Lives

Well, I left Utah two weeks ago today, but I'm pretty sure I'm still up in the clouds somewhere, because I definitely haven't come back down to Earth yet. First off, I'd just like to acknowledge the fact that this entire season was a dream come true, and my experience at NCAAs was just the icing on the cake. It's nearly impossible to try to put this season (and my ski career at St. Olaf) into words, but I will try my best.

Honestly, it wasn't until Thanksgiving camp out at West Yellowstone that I felt mentally prepared for the racing season ahead of me.  Until that week, I had spent the fall going through the motions, showing up for the workouts, and following the routines I had created throughout three years of college training, all because it was what I was supposed to do.  After the lack of a racing season last year due to injury and illness, and a summer of putting training on the back burner for an absolutely amazing internship opportunity, I had legitimately no idea what to expect come competition time.  And then before I knew it, we were racing.  It's amazing how quickly my innate drive for competition can come out of hibernation.  Immediately after the quarterfinals of the SuperTour sprints at Yellowstone, I was ready for more.  The spark had been lit, and I was back into race mode.

Once we were into the season full swing, the weekends flew by, and the results kept getting better and better.  A lot of things about this season were different from previous ones in my life, but my favorite and possibly the largest one was my mentality toward racing.  As the weekends passed by, I noticed that instead of getting nervous to race and viewing it as something that "just had to be done", I was purely excited.  I couldn't wait to stand on the start line and push my body to its limits, I couldn't wait for the chance to make tactical racing decisions, and I couldn't wait to compete.  The distance and results didn't matter to me; I caught myself literally thinking about how much I loved skiing in the middle of racing. All I wanted was to see how well I could do.  And apparently this mentality worked, because by the time Regionals was over, I had managed to secure myself a qualifying position for NCAAs, a feat that has seemed genuinely impossible to me for the past three years, especially as a DIII skier and student in a region that only sends six women. I was on top of the world.

Tom and I flew out to Salt Lake City, UT the Friday before the NCAA Championship races, so I had about 6 days to acclimate to the altitude (and the atmosphere) before the races. The first day we arrived we headed up to the race course and it was pouring rain. We sat in the truck and kind of looked out at the race course (the only snow in sight) and for half a second I wondered if this was an omen for the rest of the week. Well, it wasn't. By the beginning of the week, the sun had come out and the skiing was amazing. 

I was so excited to be around skiers of that level for a week, who loved competition, the process, and the sport as much as I did. Our region did an amazing job at coming together and collaborating, so Tom and I truly felt as if we weren't alone out there.  Neither of us had ever experienced NCAA nationals before, but it wasn't hard to jump right in and enjoy it. Especially with so much support! My entire family made the trip out from Minnesota, my aunt and uncle surprised me and flew in from Hawaii, Brandon Piechowski (an Ole alum and former teammate) came out to watch, and my best friend and teammate Kelsey Cork made it out as well.  

So. The races.

As I was standing on the line for the individual start classic 5k I remember looking around and thinking "Oh yeah, this is nationals. Huh. Cool!" Even though the competition was all incredibly fierce, to me it seemed like just another race, another chance to go out and show myself how well I could ski. And I was excited.  I literally danced my way through the morning.  The race was a fast one, and I came through and the board read 15th. When I didn't drop below that, Tom and I realized how well the race had gone, and we were ecstatic.  Tom had nailed the wax, I raced my hardest, and things came together.  Central region had absolutely killed it; the girls put 5 in the top 20 and had three All-Americans (Rosie Frankowski, Nichole Bathe, and Mary Kate Cirelli).  Rosie, MK, and I went for a cool-down run and basically lost our voices with so much screaming and yelling. I felt so proud to be a part of our region.

Central Region girls - Rosie Frankowski, Hannah Boyer, Nichole Bathe, Alice Flanders, MK Cirelli, and me

Start of the classic 5k

Results board!

The Schember clan takes over Soldier Hollow

I headed into Saturday's 15k skate race riding the high from Thursday, and if possible, even more excited. I knew it was going to be a good day. As I was warming up, Kelsey told me to look over at my family by the timing building, and each and every one of them were sporting Superman t-shirts. I turned around and she and Tom were wearing them too. (Cue tears.) I wear Superman duct tape on my skate boots when I race because one of the buckles has fallen off, and it's somehow become my lucky charm. During the race I could pick out my family and friends because they were all in bright blue. It was pretty awesome.

I can replay every moment of that mass start race in my head, but for your sake, I won't.  I'll just say this:  everything clicked that day. Skis, training, coaching, wax, fitness, weather, and mentality.  In sports psychology class we're studying flow: a "mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity." If the pictures of my giant grin coming through at 10k don't exemplify "flow", I don't know what will.

I came in 7th; All-American and landed on the podium. It was a record breaking day for St. Olaf, and I have never been more proud to be an Ole and part of the Central region.  Once again both the men and women of the region killed it, and after all was said and done, 10 of our 13 central region athletes flew home from SoHo with an All-American title.

I think I can legitimately say that Saturday was one of the best days of my life.

It was all smiles at 10k. I had to tell myself, "Stop it, you still have 5k left!"

Racing with Alice Flanders, another Central region skier

Finish stretch

The lucky charm!

So lucky Kelsey could come cheer :)

Bringing home the hardware!

Women's 15k Skate Podium

My ski career at St. Olaf has officially ended, but I have made the decision to pursue full-time racing as a career post-college. This next step in my life will most likely be a crazy ride, but I am more than ready, and now is the time to do it. I want to see where I can take my potential and the chance to race and train with elite skiers will be an opportunity of a lifetime. I don't know who I'll be racing for yet, but no matter where I end up, I get to be a part of something bigger than racing; spreading the passion for skiing throughout the community.  The U.S. women's team has already demonstrated the positive and infectious energy that I want to be a part of.  If the U.S. is going to compete with the European powerhouses on the international racing circuit, the love for skiing has to run deep. 

I think I speak for all of the St. Olaf Nordic seniors when I say that this has been the best season we have been a part of during our career here, mostly in part to Tom.  This is only his second year coaching, but he has already taken the program to higher levels than it has seen in years. Our D-Team is deep, our travel team is focused, and our mentality is spot-on. I am so excited to see where he takes the program in his next years of coaching, because he is already an amazing leader.

To the young skiers out there, my experience at St. Olaf has proved to me that you don't have to let your school's NCAA division define your career. College skiing is what you make of it, and anything can be done.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your support. To my family, friends, coaches, teammates, and competitors, this season wouldn't have been possible without you.

- Paige Schember