Gumby Grit

Hey y’all it time to talk coaching,

For those of you who don’t know I went to Green Mountain Valley School, GMVS, in Waitsfield Vermont. GMVS is my home away from home.

GMVS was the ski academy in Waitsfield Vermont that I was lucky to be a part of the community. I was a student there for my senior year and a post graduate year, partly cause of covid. I loved the campus, teachers, staff and coaches so much that I was lucky enough to be asked to come and coach. Let me tell you that this was essentially a dream come true. So thank you Colin Rodgers, Kat Derrick, and GMVS for allowing me to come and coach.

On my way to VT, I stopped in Saranac again to see my friend Abhainn. I had some presents for her because she is going to the Adirondacks for the semester. We will have limited contact so I wanted her so have something of mine to remember me. So, I had finished a book and annotated it too. When I saw her earlier in July, she was flipping though it and she was interested. So, I gave her the book that is full of my notes and some letter to read on specific days. But to my surprise she gave me a book my one of her favorite authors. It was so sweet of her that I might of teared up. Because of the note she wrote in it was so sweet. Then i headed to VT which took a while because of the weather.

Day one was just me getting there to coach. I went to Jen White’s, my adoptive VT mom, for dinner and I got the pleasure to met her daughter Juliane! We had a lovely dinner and conversation. Then I drove to campus where I said hello to Bjorn, the Outthere Nordic coach, and then meet the dorm parent of the dorm I would be staying in, Clark House. Mikaela, the dorm parent, was super nice and her dog Blue was pretty handsome. Then after I got all my belonging’s into my room I went over to the library porch, where I say a more proper hello Bjorn and was surprised to see his son Per and some of the other coaches, Colin, Pat Casey of Holderness and Mikey, who came with Bjorn.

The next morning, I headed to Burlington to get some stuff I didn’t have prior to camp, like stuff for tie dye. I also got a bagel for breakfast and then headed back to campus to get ready for the arrival of campers. At lunch time we had a coaches meeting. It felt strange be with the coaches when it felt like coaches meeting were for coaches only, no athletes allowed. It felt like I was stepping into new territory for being at my first ever coaches meeting.

Once the meeting was over we started to check the athletes in. After everyone got checked in, we circled up and got ready for the first workout of the day, a hike to Lincoln peak and then depending on how one was feeling you could just turn around or head over to different peaks. The group I lead went to Castlerock then down to the vans. After mostly farming as training I was pleasantly surprised how my endurance was during the run. I didn’t bonk or feel terrible, which was great.

Day two started with morning sport, a 20ish minute run and some stretching. Then the best breakfast sandwiches ever! Melissa’s breakfast sandwiches are the absolute best things ever. I try to recreate them but mine are never quite as good.

After breakfast, I drove a van of athletes. Yes you read this right a Ford transit van full of athletes to our designated training location, the four corners. The four corners is a four way intersection that intersects Airport road, Roxbury Gap road, and East Warren road. This day was a skate technique focus day. So I skied with the athletes and got video while Mikey was van support and helping me at the end with technique work as the athletes were skiing by. That afternoon was the river run. Sadly no pictures because we were running and swimming in a river so wasn’t the smartest idea to have my phone.

The first group of athletes i ever drove in the van. Yes, we are all in matching shirts!

photo from Bjorn post river run. Left is Mikaela, middle: Niamh, and me on the right

Day two of camp, was a rainy classic focused day in the morning after morning sport. In the afternoon, we did some foot speeds. Then splitting up into the same groups and the morning roller ski technique groups where each group did similar workouts but with different variation depending on ability level.

Day three: Roller ski Agility!!! Not just any old agility course with cones and chalk. Our agility course had a slip and slide at the end. After the skiers rip around the course they take their skis and poles off they sprint into the slip and slide. I got a couple runs on the slip and slide and it was super fun! With games in afternoon. The games were Speedball, soccer, and volleyball.

After the games and dinner, Dedra Irwin, came to talk to athletes about her journey to biathlon and her journey as an athletes. She was a super cool speakers. I asked a question about what she likes to do when she doesn’t need to be training or doing other super cool things and she said she like to relax and knit socks!

During Soccer and Speedball one team needed to wear bibs so I grabbed my Birkie bib that I brought for some unknown reason but I guess i was smart to do so.

Day four: App Gap TT. And my first incident with the van. Mikaela and I were about half way at a good pull off spot and i had music playing and was cheering on the athletes. Then Mikey came in the sweeper van to let us know that the last races has passed. Now I had my friend Soley in the van with me and we started to meet everyone at the top. I saw that a couple are car were lining up behind me, I had my hazard lights on. So, I found a spot to pull over to let the other cars through and to be out of the way for the racers. Well, because of how much rain VT has gotten I got the van stuck. I want to make it clear that no one was hurt and the van was not damaged. But that was my first experience with a vehicle getting stuck so I freaked out. When Colin came to assess the situation he said everything was fine, but I was embarrassed and felt really bad about what happened so I didn’t drive for the rest of camp, which was fine. After the TT, I went down to my room and had a good cry with my mom on the phone (Thanks mom!) and changed my mindset and had a great lift. After leading strength for the athletes I got in my own lift in the RPC, one of the coolest gyms!

But before strength the camp had two guest speakers, Alayna Sonnesyn, and Lina Sutro from SMS T2. I asked a similar question to what I ask Dedra, and Lina’s response was getting her nails done and Alayna’s response was reading in bed.

I asked these question to the guest speakers because there have been time where I struggle to find ways to allow myself to be myself that is separate from being an student athlete.

That night we had a meeting with some awards and I got to say thank you to all the athletes for allowing me to be their coach for the week, and I asked them to sign my tie dye shirt for me to keep and a memory of my first big time coaching gig!

I know this is not the gym but i didn’t like the pictures so that is the campus. The building of the left is Clark house dorm and the one next to it is the DPC (Doug Parker Center) where the day students hang out during the school year.

Day five: What a great morning and a crappy afternoon. The morning as amazing because I did one of my favorite hikes in the Valley, App Gap to Burnt rock. I was cruising along having a great time with the athletes. When I got back I got to help with dish crew and was told by Josh, one of the cooks, “There are staff members that have been here longer that don’t even know where those go.” I got this comment because I told Josh that I wanted to quiz myself on where utensils go, even though I only worked dish crew for a year. After dish crew I was helping to check out athletes and then I had to say my goodbyes :( As I was driving out of the valley I started to cry because I was leaving my home away from home, and I believe I truly found my purpose in life. Which can be something people search for, for a long time and some might never find it. But to have found it at this camp was unbelievable.

two former Gumbies and two current gumbies!

Then I was driving back to the farm and got into an accident. I don’t want to get into it right now. But I will say that I am and the other driver is okay.

I know this post I a little late but I have been guys with the farm and packing up to go home!

Happy Trails y’all and #gumbygrit