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Tuesday, 22 Apr 08
I just came across what Claire Smallwood recently wrote on SheJumps, and it stirred something in me, largely because I can completely relate to her words. I think this is the beauty of your site; women sharing their experiences, and finding others who are right there next to them feeling the same thing. We are never alone in this world, no matter how lonely we may feel at times.
The world of competitive freeskiing is certainly one of ups and downs, joy and pain, excitement and fear. One minute you feel as though you are on top of the world, skiing your best, feeling strong, and the next you find yourself amidst an out of control very scary fall, questioning why you even have skis on your feet in the first place. In this respect, I have found skiing to be the perfect metaphor for life. Skiing (or any sport), weather, jobs, relationships, feelings, it all ebbs and flows, it is all a part of jumping. Sometimes, you’re going to jump too high, or maybe just a little off balance, causing you to fall on the way down. However, the strength, joy, and growth come from what you do after you’ve fallen, and how you get yourself back up on on your feet, ready to jump again.
From my personal experience, getting back on your feet after a fall (both literally on skis, or figuratively in life), is the most rewarding experience. In the end you’ll find yourself standing much stronger on those feet, ready to jump that much higher the next time around. It is during those moments after a fall, when we find ourselves lying on the ground, that you can gain a lot of insight to your true self. Those moments bring up the questions we don’t often ask ourselves; does this really make me happy? why am I doing this? What are my goals with this? Those questions while challenging, when answered, bring so much personal growth and true happiness.
I have been competing on the freeskiing tour for about 4 years now. My first year I was living in Chamonix, France, and fell into a group of skiers who were competing on the IFSA European Tour. They convinced me to give the competitions a shot, and after placing well in two I was hooked. Not only was I doing the thing I loved and getting recognized for it, but I was surrounded by many others who loved it just as much as I did. Over the course of the winter, my skills grew, and along with it, my ego. Towards the end of my season in France I had a near death fall that forced me to stop, take a look at my life, see where I had come, where I was going, and why. It wasn’t easy, but sometimes it takes a fall for us to open our eyes and see the truth. The next two years were spent rehabbing from that fall with the goal of getting back on my feet, stronger this time, ready to give it another shot. Give ‘er again I did, resulting in a successful 2007 season. However another fall snuck it’s way in between jumps and I found myself lying on the ground again, asking the same questions. This time I had hit my head on a tree, so those answers took a bit longer to find, but yet again, once I was back up, I found I was standing even stronger on my feet.
As I came into 2008 I had a very different perspective on the world of competitive freeskiing than I had ever had before. Because of my falls in the past, and the insight that came from picking myself up off the ground, I now looked at competing as simply experience. No longer was it something to be won or lost, now I saw that it could be everything every time. What I had learned from experiencing both winning, loosing, and the middle, was that it’s all the same. Whether you win or loose, it’s all an incredible experience that can contribute to your life in a positive way if choose to let it. You don’t have to be afraid of the falls because they might set you back. It’s the opposite. They help you grow, they get you further, they are just as rewarding as winning in the end, and oftentimes even more.
As I write you this, I am recuperating from yet another fall, unfortunately a season ender. Ironically, I couldn’t be more grateful at this moment for all the falls in my life. Not one has set me back or kept me from my goals. Instead, each one has enriched my life’s experiences, made me grow as a person, given me compassion for everyone else who has taken a fall, and the strength to jump as high as the sky because now, I’m not afraid to fall. I love it just as much as I love jumping!
It is a beautiful thing that we can be connected through our incredible jumps in life, but sometimes the deepest connections are made through our falls. Thanks for your story. Don’t forget to be proud and thankful for your falls, Claire, cause from the sound of your story they’re only making you stronger!
Love, Kate
www.katekolson.com
Kate Olson 'checks in'
Comment on this PostI just came across what Claire Smallwood recently wrote on SheJumps, and it stirred something in me, largely because I can completely relate to her words. I think this is the beauty of your site; women sharing their experiences, and finding others who are right there next to them feeling the same thing. We are never alone in this world, no matter how lonely we may feel at times.
The world of competitive freeskiing is certainly one of ups and downs, joy and pain, excitement and fear. One minute you feel as though you are on top of the world, skiing your best, feeling strong, and the next you find yourself amidst an out of control very scary fall, questioning why you even have skis on your feet in the first place. In this respect, I have found skiing to be the perfect metaphor for life. Skiing (or any sport), weather, jobs, relationships, feelings, it all ebbs and flows, it is all a part of jumping. Sometimes, you’re going to jump too high, or maybe just a little off balance, causing you to fall on the way down. However, the strength, joy, and growth come from what you do after you’ve fallen, and how you get yourself back up on on your feet, ready to jump again.
From my personal experience, getting back on your feet after a fall (both literally on skis, or figuratively in life), is the most rewarding experience. In the end you’ll find yourself standing much stronger on those feet, ready to jump that much higher the next time around. It is during those moments after a fall, when we find ourselves lying on the ground, that you can gain a lot of insight to your true self. Those moments bring up the questions we don’t often ask ourselves; does this really make me happy? why am I doing this? What are my goals with this? Those questions while challenging, when answered, bring so much personal growth and true happiness.
I have been competing on the freeskiing tour for about 4 years now. My first year I was living in Chamonix, France, and fell into a group of skiers who were competing on the IFSA European Tour. They convinced me to give the competitions a shot, and after placing well in two I was hooked. Not only was I doing the thing I loved and getting recognized for it, but I was surrounded by many others who loved it just as much as I did. Over the course of the winter, my skills grew, and along with it, my ego. Towards the end of my season in France I had a near death fall that forced me to stop, take a look at my life, see where I had come, where I was going, and why. It wasn’t easy, but sometimes it takes a fall for us to open our eyes and see the truth. The next two years were spent rehabbing from that fall with the goal of getting back on my feet, stronger this time, ready to give it another shot. Give ‘er again I did, resulting in a successful 2007 season. However another fall snuck it’s way in between jumps and I found myself lying on the ground again, asking the same questions. This time I had hit my head on a tree, so those answers took a bit longer to find, but yet again, once I was back up, I found I was standing even stronger on my feet.
As I came into 2008 I had a very different perspective on the world of competitive freeskiing than I had ever had before. Because of my falls in the past, and the insight that came from picking myself up off the ground, I now looked at competing as simply experience. No longer was it something to be won or lost, now I saw that it could be everything every time. What I had learned from experiencing both winning, loosing, and the middle, was that it’s all the same. Whether you win or loose, it’s all an incredible experience that can contribute to your life in a positive way if choose to let it. You don’t have to be afraid of the falls because they might set you back. It’s the opposite. They help you grow, they get you further, they are just as rewarding as winning in the end, and oftentimes even more.
As I write you this, I am recuperating from yet another fall, unfortunately a season ender. Ironically, I couldn’t be more grateful at this moment for all the falls in my life. Not one has set me back or kept me from my goals. Instead, each one has enriched my life’s experiences, made me grow as a person, given me compassion for everyone else who has taken a fall, and the strength to jump as high as the sky because now, I’m not afraid to fall. I love it just as much as I love jumping!
It is a beautiful thing that we can be connected through our incredible jumps in life, but sometimes the deepest connections are made through our falls. Thanks for your story. Don’t forget to be proud and thankful for your falls, Claire, cause from the sound of your story they’re only making you stronger!
Love, Kate
www.katekolson.com
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