Good, Better, Best

Our great blog has not been updated since the ever-accurate Max Millslagle told the world what the Nordic team is up to based on Facebook, Snapchat, and Google Images (I’m thinking “mountain in California,” Max). Lucky for us, Max is usually right so most of the things he wrote are true. We’ve been scattered around the country doing what we do in the summer, but were all hit hard with the news of Coach Flynn’s passing. Whether it was Coach’s pre-race speeches, him yelling some rendition of “get your ass in gear” during a race, or having a conversation with him while in Becky’s office, Coach has affected all of our experiences at Bates and will be remembered in a myriad of ways. More than anything, perhaps, the Good, Better, Best speech will be resonating with us for the rest of our lives.

In the end, this post isn’t about Bates or Coach really, as I don’t want to attempt to speak for all of us. This is about bettering yourself and never giving up. This is about the commitment to excellence that Coach embodied and that Bates Nordic works towards on a daily basis. Right now, for me, this is about a boy who weighs about 100 pounds and is going into his sophomore year in high school (which really is hell). This is about Lucas.

When I first heard that we were adopting new kids into the dryland program for Mammoth Nordic Racing Team, I was skeptical. It wasn’t just dreading once again teaching kids how to rollerski, but I was particularly worried about the liability of one kid. For the past two summers I have assistant coached this program. We have a great group of kids who have, over many summers, learned how to train for Nordic skiing. I didn’t want to lessen the challenge of our hikes for the new kids or break them into two separate groups for workouts. In the end, I had nothing to worry about. The two new kids are crushing in every way possible. And Lucas is not a liability.

Lucas made the transition from alpine to Nordic last winter and enjoyed it enough to join the competition program this summer. Lucas has more “problems” than any kid I know. He has an autoimmune disease causing him to have rheumatoid arthritis, tendinitis, Raynaud’s disease, and ulcerative colitis. He goes to San Francisco periodically to get treatment, often which makes him very sick. His mom assured us that the training had been good for his health, both mental and physical. I had to see it to believe it.

Lucas often shows up to practice shivering since he has trouble regulating his body temperature, but always with a huge smile on his face. On his first day rollerskiing, I had to let him borrow my new skis, which he proceeded to break within the first two minutes. I used a pair of skis that was probably made in the 80s for three weeks after that, but it was all worth it. Lucas has impressed me again and again. He is getting stronger in strength, more skilled on his rollerskis, and is making some major health improvements. With strength work his tendonitis is improving and he is going in for treatment less frequently. Last week we did running intervals on a tough forest loop. One of our older boys, who has been with the program for four years, gave up mentally as his times dropped. For all of his experience, he blew the workout. Lucas ran each of his repeats faster, beating the older boy in his last one, all with a huge smile across his face.

What does something like excellence mean if you are Lucas? I once thought that the exercise was simply good for his health, but now I see a drive that might be greater than every athlete I coach. No one on our team complains anymore because they know that if Lucas doesn’t complain, then they shouldn’t either.

If Lucas wasn’t proactive about his issues, he would be in a wheelchair. We did our last hike of the summer last weekend- a double peak challenge. As I neared the top of the second peak, I looked up and saw Lucas leading the charge to the top. And he wasn’t doing it for his health, but for something much greater.

So today, I am inspired by the kid whose best, against all odds, is pretty darn good. Lucas is, as Coach would say, “biting the wicked bullet.” This, in itself, is excellent.

Looking forward to having the Bates Nordic gang back together very very soon!

Snorel 

Most stoked kid I know (after Henry of course)!