Asher Baron

Eat, workout, talk, dream, play sports.

A racer is going through a course on a nice sunny Thursday. The snow was firm in the beginning of the day but then, towards the end of training, it became soft and it was hard to edge. We had just reset a course. It was our first run. In the middle of the course, the snow gives out on the racer and he explodes. He catches his outside edge and slams his head. When he gets back to school he goes to see the trainer. He had hit his head really hard and has a minor concussion. He will need a week off.
This doesn't just happen sometimes. Almost every week a story goes around the school about a huge crash that happened and they either have a concussion, broken bone, or something else. Half the time they say “the snow gave out on me,” “my skis slipped out” or “I could not edge.” Yes, that could be user error but a lot of the time it is really hard to ski when the snow is super soft. When a crash results, they can either be out for a week to the whole entire season. We miss races and my fall behind while others improve. The snow conditions could ruin someone's season or even their career.
Our solution can be many things and fix many problems. One solution is that we could free-ski for half of the training block and then go back to school. This could prevent injuries in the course when the snow is starting to soften up. Also, this could provide time for us to work out more. We don't work out as much during the winter as we do during the fall, spring, and summer. So this will make us stronger and more flexible so we are less injury-prone. Or, we could fix the problem by either salting the course or putting water on it the night before. This will create a better surface to train on so it will be more beneficial and fewer people would have serious injuries. We all love to train more than anything else; it will benefit everyone to put in a little more work so we can prevent injuries.
If we do more to keep the snow in good shape we would have a much more productive environment. Kids would do better because they would not be scared of the snow conditions and could work on things without thinking they will not finish or crash. There would be a lot of improvement. Also, instead of kids complaining about the snow all the time you would be free of that so you would also be less stressed. Another thing that will lower your stress is knowing your kids will be fine when they go through the course. Imagine everyone being happy, not scared to run the course and having a safe, productive day. There would be fewer injuries so you can have the whole team together. When a kid gets hurt for the season, they are left out of their team and can't do much. But with my idea, the injuries will hopefully be minor and the whole team will be together.
Yes I know what you're going to say. “We need to learn how to ski on all snow just in case we have a race on it,” or “just ski its user error.” First I agree we should ski in all snow but the argument that I am saying is when the snow is dangerous we should try to find an alternative. Bad snow is fine but dangerous needs to be dealt with. Second, yes people can make mistakes on all types of snow but those mistakes are more likely to happen when the snow conditions are fighting against you.
Coaches, we need to do something when the snow is dangerous instead of crossing our fingers and saying I hope they don't fall. I am not saying every time when the snow is bad we do something but when it gets dangerous something needs to happen. Many times, we are barely hanging into the course and crashing and when we tell you, nothing happens. Usually on those days there is a crash that makes some end early. We either need to salt so the snow is firm and not sliding out on us, or we can freeski and work on fundamentals or go to the gym and workout which we barely do during the winter. Skiing is great but, to thoroughly enjoy the skiing we need to be set up for success and not worry about injuries.

Every day before a race is more or less the same, but not all my preparation happens on that day. In order to perform well I need to be well rested, not be rushed before the race, and have absolutely zero stress about anything else so I can focus on the race. When I have all of these things completed, I will perform at my highest level. If these things do not happen, I might not finish or not perform to standards I would like to perform to. Having a good schedule before a race and being prepared could make or break my race.
On race day I have an almost identical routine. But my preparation happens the day before. In order to have no stress along without being rushed I can't be scrambling to pack my bag or when I’m in the start I can't be worrying about homework the next day or wondering what I got on a test.
On the night before a race, I pack my bag so I don't have to worry about it. Usually I wear my GS suit, snow pants, and coat to the van so I don't have to pack them up. I usually pack a small coat to go under my bigger one then I pack extra snow pants and a coat to put on after my run. Then I pack my gloves with hand warmers so I don't get cold. I pack my ski socks that I put on at the mountain so my feet don't sweat because then my sweat freezes and I get cold. Then I pack my lunch with a couple of snacks that I usually only eat half of. Also I bring a thermos filled with hot chocolate so when I am done and cold it will warm me up. After that, I go to my skis to make sure that I have scraped the wax off them. After that, I strap them up.
After this I need to not be stressed out about homework. I get all my homework done the day before the race. Then I double check and scroll through the portal to see if there are any new assignments. Then I think about either a test I just took or an up and coming test. I worry for five minutes then I forget about the test so my mind is fully on the race the next day. After I have finished doing that and packing my bag, the preparation is over and I can chill for the rest of the day and usually relax.
Every race morning for the past two years, I have had the same breakfast -- a breakfast sandwich with cheese, egg, and bacon, my favorite breakfast. Then I run upstairs, brush my teeth and put on my thermals. I go downstairs and throw on my back protector, then my GS suit, then my snowpants, and finally my coat. After this, I grab my bag along with my skis and poles. I throw them in the car and then we drive to school. When I get there, I put my equipment in the vans and hop in as we drive to the mountain where we are racing.
Then I put my mind in a good place and think positively. If I think negatively, it will mess everything up. Just like in math, if I multiply by a negative, everything goes negative. So when I think and I think, and it’s negative, everything will be negative. If I say I will do badly, I will do badly so that is why positive thoughts improve my performance.
This doesn't just apply for skiing or sports. Being prepared in life and having a schedule sets me up for success. If I am always stressed out and my mind is in a different place, I won't be happy or be able to pay attention to the world around me, which is not healthy. Having a plan and sticking to it will let me be myselfs insteading of being crazy and always stressed out. Preparation is key in life. If I am always rushing and not slowing down and thinking I will never be successful. If I am prepared before the important events in life I can enjoy them and behave the way I want to. If I am disorganized and thinking about other things I won't be able to live in the moment and enjoy myself properly.

Someone will find you
And take you home
It might be ruff at first
But then it will start to feel like home
You will go on long walks
You will make lots of friends
You will eat lots of treats
And you will always be their best friend
Make sure to follow the rules
You might not agree if something is good
But you will always make up and never stay in a mood
You will go through a fraction of their life but it will mean a lot to them
No matter how much you fight you will always be friends
Because they will always be sad when you're gone.

I was at a birthday party where all the kids were playing tag. They were running around and having a blast. It was so fun that it started to get competitive. We ran around like our lives depended on it… until I dove to tag someone. Looking back, I don't remember why I did it. I just remember doing it. I shot up and said “you're it.”
But my friend just pointed. I asked him what was up and he said, “your knee.” I looked down not to see my knee but my bone. I just sat down and started crying.
One day later, I opened the door to my friend’s house whose birthday party I had been at. I hobbled to the door with ten of the huge stitches in my knee. I was really sad. I was not going to be able to do much on my upcoming family vacation which I had been so excited about. And not only that, there was a ski camp where it would be my first time not being with my parents for that long, I was very nervous.
Everything worked out though; the vacation was great along with the skiing. Even with the stitches, it was still one of the best two weeks of my life.
This moment was eye opening. First, I realized that I am going to get injured in life. And I have. The other realization was that I can push through anything and still make it fun, and I know now that when I am injured I will always get better and life will go on. Knowing this as I first got injured was helpful -- no matter how sad I got, or how many things I was missing out on, I would tell myself this won't last forever, which has since helped me through a lot of injuries.
Since then, throughout my injuries I have thought positively. I did the most I could do during the injury and never really complained that much. I have had a lot of injuries from then to now. And I would not have survived without this mindset.
I have had two broken hands, a broken toe, frostbite, stitches in my calf on my birthday, a concussion, a dislocated knee, and without my outlook on life I would not have been able to improve in my sports. I believe that without a positive mindset, I would have just quit on the sports that I did. Having those stitches at a young age made it so that as I got older and more committed to my sports, I knew I could move beyond my injuries. If my first injury had not happened until I was older, I would have been a lot more mad and just always thought people are getting better while I was just sitting here. But with my mindset, I try to workout and do things during my injuries. This makes it so I have a lot more of a positive outlook on life.
My outlook on life really helps with improving in sports and becoming a better person. I am never super negative. Sometimes, I don't like the ski course or get frustrated but I always think I can improve and the next day will be better -- I just stick through it. Also when someone gets hurt and they are down, I can cheer them up because I know what they have gone through and will go through. This has strengthened my friendships a lot. Dealing with injuries is a part of sports and it is really helpful to know how to handle myself when I am going through an injury.

“Uuuuuh,” Nathan complained.
Nathan slowly woke in his family’s little house near Yellowstone. The sun blinded him as he opened his eyes. It was a beautiful sunrise so as soon as he saw it, he shot up and peered out his window to watch it. He saw a bison in the distance. That is beautiful. I would take a photo if we could afford a camera. He went down their very short hallway to peek into his parents’ room which wasn't that hard because they had no doors. He dodged whiskey bottles and crushed up beer cans, trying not to make too much noise. He hated when he made his dad mad. They were both sleeping still. He looked down to the floor and spotted the one electronic thing in the house: the clock which was solar powered, said it was already 9:30. His parents had a long day the day before so they must be sleepy. I could probably go catch a look at the bison grazing before it’s time for breakfast.
As Nathan walked out the door, he took a second to inhale deeply and breathe in the fresh air. He loved the outdoors; they just made him happy. He smelled a faint smell of skunk. But he smelled that every morning.
He started walking to the hill about a quarter of a mile from his house where it is beautiful to watch the bison. He walked past the garden with tons of different plants. Nathan loved the bisons’ big necks and all their fur. It made him want to hug one of them just to feel how soft they are. But he knew he couldn't because the bison get really angry easily. The only time he was within ten feet of a bison was when they were hunting and one snuck up on them by accident. It scared them a ton. As he approached the hill he got the same feeling; he always got the sheer joy of being by himself with his thoughts and watching the elegant bison roam around.
What if I was like every normal kid, going to school, worrying about grades and not living off the land hunting and gardening to get our food. I will never get a job because I can't read a single word but I love my life and all the surprises that I’ve had, he realized.
As he thought and thought, he lost track of time. Hours had passed until he saw the bison start to slowly go out of vision. Why go so early? Usually you're here till noon. He did not know how much time had passed. Sad about how short he could sit on his hill, he started following them; this was the first time he had ever gone farther than that hill.
He walked and walked and the bison never seemed to stop, so Nathan just kept on walking with them. How much farther can you guys go? You must take a break eventually. We have been going for hours. I am so thirsty and my legs feel like boulders that I have to pick up each step. He went over rolling hills and eventually he got to this mountain. By looking at this mountain it brought him back to reality. I have been gone for way too long. I can’t even see my hill. He looked up to the sky to see the time by the sun and realized it was about to set. Oh no! I was supposed to help dad today. My parents are going to kill me. He turned around and started walking back. He had been traveling down hill so he realized it would take a while to get back.
As he was walking back, it was almost dark, and having had no water or food all day had finally taken a toll. I am going to die out here, and my parents will think I ran away. He got lightheaded and sat down to take a rest. At least that was his plan. His eyelids felt heavy and finally he could not resist sleeping any longer and as soon as he lay down, he fell right to sleep.
He dreamt of waking up and going out to sit on his hill to watch the bison. He felt pure joy again at being alone with his thoughts. But then there was a rude awakening. The sun hit his eyes and brought him to his harsh reality. He was alone, lost, and confused.
As he slowly stood up his legs felt like rusty gears trying to turn. They barely moved, they were so sore from all the walking he did.
“Owww, this stinks,” he moaned
As he got walking again he realized that he would walk past the bison because they always moved this way from morning to afternoon. Why are there always bison, it's like there is a never ending stream of bison moving in the same direction.
He started walking back again with his stomach grumbling. I must be close. He recalled yesterday sitting on the hill for a couple of hours, which meant he was walking for at least 6 hours. Then he had walked back at least two hours so hopefully he will be home to eat lunch if he is fast.
Everystep felt like he was picking up a five hundred pound weight. His legs were so tired. He realized how big of a mistake he made. But he realized he was almost there. You can do it, just a little longer. And just then he thought that he saw the bison coming towards him. They were so elegant; he wanted to feel one and this would be his only chance. It felt like a good idea until he got close to them. They were so big. He felt very intimidated. He realized he would never be brave enough... one of those could easily trample or ram into him to death. He decided to give them a wide berth.
But then he saw one of the bison limping. What's that? He looked closely and saw that the bison had a wire around its leg. It was so tight it was giving it a very bad cut. He decided he would help him. He went over and bent down. He realized the bison was towering over him. He started untangling the wire. It was really hard because the bison kept on moving. He got it mostly untied, but he just needed to get the wire out of the cut. Easy buddy. It was deep in the bison's skin. Just as he went to pull, the bison got really upset. Nathan ran away not wanting to get rammed. But the bison wasn't done. It came running at him. He put his hands up to protect himself, but in one second he learned that that was not a good idea. The bison went right through his arm. He could feel the bone snap like someone taking a bite of a carrot. The bison knocked him over and then he fell. He looked up to see the bison was gone.
As he slowly tried to stand up by putting his weight in his arm, a sharp pain vibrated through his arm. He tried again to get up, this time on his other arm. He got up. He looked down. That is for sure broken. My parents are going to kill me. He slowly walked back, crying.
Why do I like bison? They hurt me and scare me, so why do they intrigue me? Maybe because I envy them. Because they have free lives, where I always get bossed around. Maybe because no one will mess with them because of their size. All I know is that I really like them and I wish I was one.
As he pondered, he kept on walking. Until he found his hill. My hill. Im back. Yes. Forgetting how sore his legs were, he sprinted up the hill and back to his hill. He stormed inside his house and yelled for his parents.
“I’m home.''
When he got to their room they were lying there motionless.