This year marks the 28th year of Rachel and Christi’s coaching of UW Nordic Ski Team. Our days will be filled with training sessions, camps, races, and endless volunteer work. Though we scoop dried nacho cheese from stadium seats after football games and run gear swaps, among many other things, we still struggle to fund even basic travel expenses, equipment needs, and race entry fees. And this year, half of our team is comprised of new young members.
It is in the honor of this ski family and these traditions that we ask your support this year of the UW Nordic Ski Team. We particularly want to honor Evelyn Boggs, who unfortunately passed away earlier this year.
Your support will make all the difference this tenth anniversary of UW Giving Day!
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To better understand, read this letter lovingly written by Coach Rachel:
The hit felt hard. But as soon as I had control of my head, shoulders, and arms again, I perceived the ledge ahead and buried the steering wheel as deep to the right as I could. The van skidded and we stopped. The team was safe.
The truck that hit us was a ranch truck with a cow catcher and wench on the front. It sustained no damage. Unfortunately, our van, lovingly named Falkor, didn’t fare so well. However, it could still drive, and we were able to pull to the side of the Happy Jack dirt road to wait for the State Patrol.
In retrospect, I don’t know why I didn’t think about ensuing hardships—getting the damaged appraised, having the insurance decide to total the vehicle, being forced to buy a less-good van that was the best we could do with the insurance settlement. All I could think about was how much I love all our skiers, how beautiful Happy Jack is in the late summer, and how much I miss all our alumni.
Memories of running through Haunted Forest with Kyle, Sam, Elise, Ben, Sierra, Trevor, and so many alums flooded my head. Perhaps getting rear-ended had the power of closing space and time? I could almost taste the raspberries that I collect on Aspen trail to add to the Siegel Kombucha for the perfect secondary fermentation. Right next to Falkor’s indented bumper were bushes so heavy with ripe rose hips that the glistening berries weighted the thistled bushes to the ground. Ideal, I thought, for brewing the tea for JHP kombucha.
The skiers milled around the van, taking in the extent of the damage. Matthew explained to Christi that he thought it might be possible to fix it: “You’ll just need rear doors, a new tow package.” I tried to listen, but my mind returned to over 27 years of memories made coaching on the trails of Happy Jack. I thought about how Ella would always say, “If you’ve had a good day, celebrate by running at Happy Jack. If you’ve had a bad day, drowned your sorrows by running at Happy Jack.” I remember so many years of the first ski at Happy Jack. With just enough snow to freeze the grass and cover the rocks, we glide along with joy that could never be matched by the perfect groomed tracks of mid-season. Some of these early skis had been under the light of huge late fall harvest moons. Every year, for 27 years, I would fall in love again with my team, with each and every one of my skiers by the light of that Happy Jack moon.
The skiers all gather around the worst of Falkor’s damage, and Jack decides that a photo should be taken to document the moment. He crawls under the gnarled back bumper so that he can clearly point to the worst dents. The rest of the team gathers around him, and our last team outing with Falkor is documented.
The hit on Falkor is one of many hits that Christi and I have sustained in the last year. And just like this one, it is our love for the team and for our alumni that allow us to blossom when most would wither. Thank you for providing the water, the nutrients, the very sunshine that allows our team to bloom along with us.
*This Student Organization receives a de minimus level of base support from the University as noted in full in the About section of the Tier 2 Student Organization campaign tile.
