The Blue Slope

Last week, my girls had an extended weekend. Ergo, I took the big three skiing. For those who know my girls, it is no surprise that each of them have VERY different approaches, to the sport.

RILEY MAC: She is fearless and aims to be the best, at everything she does. She picked up skiing the very first slope she tackled, which was last year. She came back, this year, as if she has been skiing her entire life!

CAMPBELL: She is EXCELLENT, at skiing! Not because she has any real skill, but because she is short, low to the ground, and solid. Her body was built for skiing, so while she also picked it up with ease the first time, Campbell is still Campbell. She is cautious, thoughtful, and NEVER goes into something, without thinking it through. She likes her Green Slope and has zero desire to attempt more difficult ones.

CHARLESTON: LORD, HAVE MERCY! She is Charleston, even when skiing! She is a FORCE of nature! She has no fear and went down the slopes, last year, as if there was NO danger!! She was afraid of NOTHING and, due to her height, was easily able to balance herself on the skis. However, this year, she just had a day. She was all excited, til I clipped her into her skis. Then, she flat out decided she was NOT going to ski and was NOT going to have a good time! (Silly girl does not realize this is NOT Mommy's first rodeo, and she CANNOT break me!) So, I did what any good mother would do, in this situation. I dragged her ass up those slopes, over and over and OVER! I shoved her down and made her ski, until **I** decided we were done! (It mattered not to me that everyone could hear her wailing, as I gave her a "gentle" push and she swooshed down the mountainside - Every Single Time.)

That was the tone of the day. Riley Mac was excelling and begging to move, onto more adventurous slopes. Campbell was doing phenomenal, but was NOT interested in moving off her "safety" slope. Charleston cried the entire time, as I lugged her by her ski coat, and insisted she WAS having an EFFIN' BLAST!! (OH YES, YOU ARE, MY DEAR!!)

Somehow - some way - Riley Mac and I convinced Campbell to move to the moderate Blue Slope. (It truly is not that scary. Yes, it is steeper, which means you go faster, but the slope itself is not challenging.) She was ready! I had watched her ski all day, without once falling!

Due to the fact that I could not take Charlie on this advanced slope, I sent Mac and Cam on the lift alone. While they made their way up the slope, I helped Charlie ski over to my friend, who had decided to take a break. When I returned to the bottom, I saw Mac zooming down. She met me at the bottom, stopping about 15 feet in front of me. She skied over, and we stood side by side, watching Cam descent.

Cam was DOING it!! She was skiing, with grace and poise. (She looked FANTASTIC!) Mac and I were screaming, at the top of our lungs, "Go, Campbell, GOOOO!! You are doing AWESOME!! We are so PROUD! You are AHHH-MAZING! WHOOOAA!!!" She was nearing the bottom, heading a little more toward the orange fence (that lattice thing held up by ski poles) than I liked. I said to Mac, through the side of my mouth "She really needs to turn right." We both shouted, "TURN RIGHT, CAM!! RIIIIIGHT! YESSSSS! THAT IS IT! GO, CAMPB..." Mac and I, at the same time, "OOOOOOOOOOOOH!"

I was only 20 feet away, but somehow, two medics (from two different directions) beat me to her. Campbell had ran right into the very last pole. Her left ski got stuck in the fence, causing her to do a full aerial (on her head) and land face down! Both skis were ripped off, as Cam lie sobbing, in the snow.

As the Medics and I discovered, Cam was completely fine. As we were all helping her up and back into her skis, the male Medic asked, "Are you sure she is okay?" "Yes, Sir! It just scared the hell out of her!" "Well, If I am being honest, it scared the hell out of me, too," he said! *laughter*

Of course, Mac and I approached this circumstance the way the Windham/Gardner family handles this sort of thing - through humor and repetition. If you fall, you get back up. If you fail, you try again. And no matter what, you LAUGH! Therefore, while Cam was begging not to go, we grabbed her and said, "We are all going to try, again!"

While on the lift, Cam had stopped crying, but tears were still streaming down her cheeks. Naturally, Riley and I were trying to cheer her up. We were explaining how funny it was that we were both cheering for her, but at the EXACT SAME TIME said, "OOOOOOOOOH," upon the crash! We were telling her how proud Mrs. Leslie and Lori (her gymnastics coaches) would have been, as her aerial was a Perfect 10 (maybe an 11)! Cam was only half-way amused, but giggled at the Leslie/Lori comment.

After Riley Mac finished telling Campbell the story, of what we witnessed at the bottom of the slope (in ANIMATED, RILEY MAC detail), she said, "So, that is what we saw, Campbell! What about you? What did YOU see?!" Campbell, without missing a beat, said, "SNOW! Lots of snow!" The three of burst into hysterical laughter! We talked about how she was, now, a walking advertisement for the reasons why one must ALWAYS wear a helmet, and how gymnastics can (apparently) save your life. Then, we hopped off the lift and went down together, all three making it to the bottom, with ease.

While this story is meant for entertainment, a lot of things can be learned from it. Yes, safety is key! (WEAR YOUR HELMET, PEOPLE!!) However, it also shows that, sometimes, your first attempt may land you face first in the snow. Do not let that define your NEXT attempt. Furthermore, just because you are afraid, it does not mean you should back down. Fear often precedes success. Finally, more can be accomplished, with a good support system, than without. Surround yourself with people, who encourage you and who believe in you (...and who are always willing to make fun of you!!).