Wimpy Skiers vs. Not-Wimpy Skiers

Friday night, I wussed out of my ski workout because I was too tired; Saturday afternoon, I traded my ski for a gym workout because it was raining. It’s true that I am a wimp, but I’m especially a wimp compared to two Canadian skiers just named to their Olympic team.

Brian McKeever suffers from Stargard’s disease, an irreversible and degenerative eye disorder that’s made him essentially blind. Nonetheless, he did very well in several key races in Canada this winter to qualify for the team, and will probably race in all of the distance races. He’ll be the first athlete to compete in the Winter Games and in the Paralympic Winter Games.

Undersized for a skier (5’7″ and 150 pounds), Ivan Babikov is had little luck as a racer in his native Russia (which is stocked with top-notch skiers) and faced poor job prospects there, so he moved to Canada to start a new life for himself and his wife and child (who stayed back in Canada). But he kept skiing as a Canadian citizen, winning everything there is to win in North America and even winning a World Cup race last year. Now he too is on the Canadian Olympic team, and will race in all the distance races.

I have to remember all this next time it’s less than ideal outside.

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