National Academy 2024
We had a great week in Big Sky. This was the first time I was leading a National Academy and the very next week I would be trying out again to make the PSIA National Team for a second term.
I was nervous. I was stressed. Having a group was a pleasant distraction because it forced me to focus on others versus myself. Normally, when I was trying out, I would come a few days early and do my own thing. I didn’t want to participate in National Academy right before a tryout or selection because I felt like I was trying out twice.
My group was awesome and diverse at the National Academy 2024. I experimented with them on a couple of topics that I was thinking about using in the selection the next week. All the participants were very kind and encouraging.
We had some different personalities and a group that could ski! They may have rated themselves a little lower than they actually were because - we.skied.hard!
One morning, I was skiing with my group and I saw Michael Rogan (our current coach) hold up his hands and scream, “Yes, KJ, yes!” Then he said thank you and that I gave his group an image of exactly what he was talking about. Add a point in the confidence column because in less than a week, I would be putting myself out there on the line…again. I had this weird sense of confidence, nervousness, and excitement.
One of the coolest moments, okay, okay, I actually have a few, were:
Michael Rogan FaceTimed with my kids and due to a funny text message he had sent the prior team, my kids think he is one of the funniest people on the planet when he is doing an Austrian/German accent.
I got the opportunity to ski with my Teacher Assistant from my time at the University of Vermont. Dr. Peter Newman was the department head at Penn State University. He was also my T.A. for Natural Resources 2 - a course I took 22 years ago! It was so cool. So cool.
I also got a tremendous compliment from a member. She said that I was the “glue” that holds the team together. She said when they watch people around the room, they try to see which members go to which team members most often. I was one of three names that she mentioned saying I was the glue that holds the team together. I was honored. I had never thought about it like that. It really helped set me up for the next week.
National Academy was a great opportunity to hone my craft, get set up for the next week and remember that regardless of the outcome, at one point in my life, I had made it as a National Team Member and no one could take that away from me.