Rebecca Dussalt races for the Saab-Salomon Factory Team. More information on the Saab-Salomon Factory Team can be found at http://www.enjoywinter.com This article first appeared in Ski Post – http://www.skipost.com
To be inspired is somewhat a gift, especially if inspiration comes form the heart. For several weeks during fall training I had a recurring inspiration. I worked it over in my head while mountain biking, roller skiing, and once in a while in the weight room if I wasn’t lifting too hard. Though the initial inspiration stayed the same throughout, the manifestation changed over and over until it became a tangible reality. What was born of these many thoughts was the desire to reach out with my ability to teach and convey fitness and it’s many functions to the average Joe or Jane in my valley.
Having grown up in this same place my whole life I have become well acquainted with the athletes of the valley. There are those who’ve pushed the limits and attended three successive Olympics. Some of those Olympians have medaled, and there are those who get a real benefit from working out at Curves once a week. But most of the valley fits somewhere in the middle, they love being “outdoorsy†and view recreation as a unique feature of the Gunnison Valley – something to partake in on a regular basis. Some choose to hang it out there and sign up for the plethora of local races, to have a goal and to test themselves.
My inspiration lead me to develop the group W.I.S.E. Gals (as opposed to wise guys!) – W.I.S.E. being, Women Improving Sport Endurance. From this small group of dedicated gals will be born a greater ability to know what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. Within the groups of the masses I see a tendency for redundancy. They click into their bindings for the same 1 hour skate ski at level 2-3 about 4 times a week. At the end of the season they look back and wonder why nothing has changed much, if at all, from all the other season that have come and gone.
