I participated in the 2010 Rosenquist Vala Memorial Giant Slalom alpine skiing competition over the weekend.

It was held at Crystal Mountain, WA.  http://www.psna.org  I had a really great time, met some great people and I got a really nice hat for competing in my Division (Div. III) on Saturday.  You get 2 runs one run in the morning then everyone breaks for lunch while they reset the course for the second run.  The divisions are broken out into men’s and women’s age brackets, I was the youngest born in 1970, the eldest racer was born in 1937, yeah that’s right I was racing women and senior citizens.

But seriously these guys and gals can ski ‘fast’, really fast, I learned pretty quick that some of these racers are always club favorites for fast times down the course:

·         Willi Schmidt in the Men’s Division 10

·         Kanut Olberg in Men’s Division 9

·         Todd & Grant Haugen in Men’s Division 4

·         Craig Reninger Men’s Division 7

The ladies are fast as well some were fasters than me, including:

·         Tracy Gibbons Women’s Division 4

·         Tamara Lauba Women’s Division 6

·         Robin White in Women’s Division 3 (not faster than me :)

These are just a few of the racers who ripped down the mountain all told 60 racers  showed up on Saturday according to my calculations I finished 19^th overall.  Not too shabby for my first time in a race course in 25 years.  We were up on the mountain as 7am to start setting the course, those of us that showed up early got a lift on a sled driven by Tom one of the many volunteers who make this happen, much thanks to everyone who volunteered.

Sunday was the second day of competition and Darren Postforoosh who didn’t get a full weekend pass from the boss (read wife) showed up and beat me on both GS runs, props to Darren and his buddy Sam who was also very quick in Men’s Division 2.

The USSA Sanctioned Masters program is open to anyone and is newly expanded to include younger skiers, masters from ages 18 to over 80 compete on the same runs used for World Cup events. Slalom, giant slalom, super G and downhill are all included in the 200-plus races in this seasons schedule. Masters series are conducted within each of the eight geographic divisions of USSA including Alaska, Central, Eastern, Far West, Intermountain, Northern, Pacific Northwest and Rocky Mountain.  In addition to divisional competition, there are opportunities to compete on a regional, national, and international level. The USSA Alpine Masters Program is just one of the participants in the International Ski Federation’s (FIS) International Masters Cup (IMC) in the U.S., Canada, and Europe.  The highlight of the race season in the USA concludes with the USSA Masters National Championships.  This year it is being held at Sun Valley Resort in beautiful Ketchum, ID.

I am not sure how many races I will be able to attend, balancing work and family around skiing weekends isn’t easy.  I do know that it’s well worth the time spent for me it is a great release and it puts me in my favorite place on the mountain going fast.  The camaraderie is excellent and CMAC is a great family organization plus you can’t beat the feeling of speeding through the gates its exhilarating, especially if you haven’t done it in a long, long time.  The competition is good and everyone wants to win, but the feeling of just being at the mountain and going through the process of setting the course, slipping the run and pushing yourself is the best part.  There are clubs peppered all over the US, Canada and Europe, I joined the local club Crystal Mountain Alpine Club ,CMAC for short.  If you have ever raced in your youth or are just interested in pushing your skiing skills I recommend checking into a local club in your area.

Planning and goal setting is a popular activity this time of year.  Personal resolutions and career planning are important activities that most successful people do regularly.  First it is important to define the ‘I’ and the ‘BE’.  Is your ‘I’ just you or does it include those around you who would be affected by your planning and goal setting.  For instance immediate or extended family, coworkers, friends, employees, employers, etc.  Second you must define your ‘BE’.  Is it emotional, physical, psychological, financial, geographical, etc.  Both depend on what your current state of being is.  You could be planning to get in shape, have a more fulfilling job or personal life, generate more business, work less hours, take a vacation, buy a new car, go to school, graduate, etc.

Whatever or wherever your planning and goal setting take you it will start by committing to the tasks and work that it will take to get there.  There is a tremendous amount of opportunity out there, if you really want to take advantage of it.  My planning and goal setting for where I want to be in 2015 revolves around my family, my business, my personal well being both physical and mental and my financial future.  I will turn 45 in 2015, my kids will be 16 and 10 and I know better than to say my wife’s age.  Five years goes by fast, if I want to reach my goals I better get to it.  Good luck to all of you out there planning the days, weeks, months and years to your NYE 2015.  I plan to #CRUSHIT

I did not know the Officers or their families personally.  It seems though that each of us in the South Puget Sound and around Western Washington had a connection to the officers through mutual friends or family.  Conversations on the subject with coworkers and friends usually turn a leaf or two that holds a connection.  My thoughts and prayers have rested on the children that will spend their first Christmas without a loving parent, not knowing why bad things sometimes happen to good people.

I encourage anyone who can to donate to the Lakewood Police Independent Guild http://www.lpig.us/

O Gentle Presence, peace and joy and power

O Life divine that owns each waiting hour,

Thou Love that guards the nestlings faltering flight!

Keep Thou my child on upward wing tonight.

Love is our refuge; only with mine eye

Can I behold the snare, the pit, the fall:

His Habitation high is here and high,

His arm encircles me, and mine, and all.

Science and Health, by Mary Baker Eddy

We had our first snowball fight, what a blast. Laughter and Love, lots of it.