I used to love to ski. I went a few times with my high school friend and her family, and also during our senior trip to New York State. Something about the fluid movements and the challenge of staying upright really thrilled me. Plus I enjoyed the snow. I remember feeling so proud when I advanced to the intermediate slopes (although I’d watch young whippersnappers — some looked like they were only four years old! —race past me with NO poles. Crazy.) I was happy and felt accomplished on the intermediate slopes considering I didn’t take up the sport until I was 15 years old. My high school buddy, on the other hand, was a pro on the advanced slopes because she had been downhill skiing since SHE was about four years old.
Now I look at cross-country skiing as maybe a new option. I’ve been off the downhill slopes for too long and my balance is sub-par, but I think the flat trails could offer some needed exercise and a way to improve my balance/stamina. When I recently read about an MS skiing fundraiser at my local NMSS website, I was intrigued. Here’s what’s happening in Wisconsin this week:
From February 19 – 21, the 36th annual American Birkebeiner cross-country races will be in full swing. Birkie Skiers for Cures, in collaboration with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, have created a fundraiser similar to the NMSS’s biking and walking events, with participants raising pledges. There are four races including the 50K American Birkebeiner, the 54K Birkie Classic, the 23K Kortelopet, and the Johnson Bank Prince Haakon 8K. Participants raising a minimum of $2,500 will receive an invitation to meet and ski with Norwegian ski Olympian Bjorn Daehlie. Those raising $250 or more will be entered into a drawing to meet the skier. Of note: Daehlie’s mother suffers from multiple sclerosis and has been the source for his quest to find the cure.
****To learn more about this event, visit the American Berkebeiner website.
