“I really don’t know why I love skiing so much,” says my 13 year old son, Tyler, as we prepare for a day of skiing on the slopes of Stowe, Vermont, “but I just do!” I think I know the answer to his question. I believe that it’s all about sharing your love of a sport with your family. My husband and I are passionate about skiing and we have instilled that love in our children. In turn, it was my father who had an absolute zeal for skiing and taught me and my four siblings how to ski at an early age.
Any skier who is a parent knows how much work it takes to teach young children the how to’s of this daunting sport. It takes patience to endure years of skiing the bunny hills before your little protégé is ready to conquer black diamond runs with you! It is an indication that you are passionate about a sport when an average outing involves driving long distances, lugging heavy ski equipment, spending time in long line-ups and forking out your week’s wages to purchase your lift tickets and a cafeteria lunch! Oh, but I am failing to sell you on the merits of the sport!
There is little to compare with the rhythm of your skiis carving turns beneath you as you take in the fresh mountain air. It’s hard to describe the mix of adrenaline, excitement, fear and confidence that you feel standing at the top of a double black diamond run. Of course, there’s also the après-ski (my Mom’s favourite part!). The exercise, outdoors, family and friends combine to make skiing unequivocally my absolute favourite sport!
Skiing is also a uniquely family sport and it has been a real bonding experience for our family. Sharing a day together doing something that we all love is more and more difficult to find as the kids get older, but skiing is one of the few true common denominators that we all love to do. I love to watch my son play hockey, or my daughters dance, but watch is all we do, not participate. The same is true with the kids’ skating and swimming lessons, soccer and football games. What we need to find are more athletic activities that we can enjoy together as a family.
There’s certainly a place for organized sports; they are great for our kids and they create a wonderful environment for children to learn a new skill and to be with their peers, but are we perhaps over- relying on organized programming to entertain our kids? After a long day at work, we rush through dinner and then hustle our kids to the arena, dance studio or soccer field only to sit and wait. What we need to find is more balance between organized sports and things we can do together as a family that we are passionate about. Finding ways to share time together skiing, or taking a family yoga class or family bike ride is essential to bonding as a family and to being healthy and active.
Friends of mine, Carol and Dean, who had never skied or snowboarded until the age of 40, started from scratch, bought a season’s pass, lessons for themselves and their three kids and bravely took on the challenge of learning to ski. The effort paid off, because five years later, Carol and Dean and their kids love to ski and snowboard together and they are thrilled that they have found an activity that they all can enjoy as a family. What incredible role models they are! And what a positive investment in their family!
So, you see exercise and being active is not about grunting through a workout you don’t enjoy and “getting it over with.” It’s about finding something that you are passionate about. It’s about taking a step back from your busy, stressful, crazy scheduled life and carving out time for activities that you and your family can participate in together. So, get out there this spring and exercise your passion! Play tennis as a family, take a yoga class, go for a family nature walk or bike ride. Invest in something you love and watch the love grow!
