A strength that wasn’t my own
It was race day. My skis were set, my poles were planted, and my anticipation was building. Despite the excited, nervous buzz, I felt a moment of stillness at the starting line.
Then came the thought that tuned everything else out: “Let go; let God.” With a few deep breaths and those four words, I became less anxious and remembered to trust God. This simple statement, which I had first heard from my mom and granddad years ago, has helped me to ground myself spiritually before every race. To me, it’s more than just a saying; it’s a reminder to release any feeling of personal pressure and lean on something much greater than myself: God.
Cross-country skiing is one of my greatest passions. I love the atmosphere of racing—and the challenge of it. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve competed at higher levels, and this past season had brought unexpected obstacles that disrupted my training and made me question how well I would be able to do during the rest of my season. During the lead-up to Junior Nationals—the most competitive and important race of the year—I felt uncertain. I worried constantly about whether I’d be able to perform on race day.
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