Melodina had been training in Quebec, at Mt. Ste. Anne, just before Christmas in 2005. She was upset that her coaches thought she was being lazy. She came home for Christmas and did seem tired. After Christmas she continued to train. We were aware that something was wrong. I remember saying to my wife, Indira, that our daughter needed a rest. Because ski racing was akin to breathing in importance for Melodina we knew she would not rest until April.
Slight fevers in the evenings did not deter the determined young woman from skiing the next day. Every morning Melodina would carry two pairs of skiis and her heavy ski boots to the hill and hours of intensive technical development would begin again. She was expecting to do well that year. Goals included medals in K2 individual racing. She was skiing exceptionally well. Melodina had had some success within her own team during practice races but she wanted to be ranked with the best in her age in Canada.
The first race for national points was held at Osler Bluffs Ski Club in Collingwood, Ontario the Thursday before the end of Christmas Break. Parents were quietly waiting in nervous anticipation as our teenage charges prepared, with their coahes, for the season opener. At this stage a parent becomes useless. Interference is frowned upon by both coaches and atheletes alike. All one can do is watch and hope that the daughter you love survives this one event with her lofty goals and high spirits both in tact.
This is serious stuff to many of the racers. Some parents are also rabid promoters of their own childen. I always tried to remain focused on the fact that at the end of the day it's just skiing. Never the less for Melodina it was her life and the goals for her future were and still are tied up in ski racing. I admit that I get intense, perhaps too intense, sometimes, trying to support her in reaching her goals.
Melodina has developed greatly as a person through sport - both skiing and karate, her main cross training activity. While developing as a racer the athelete needs will power and focus. Home work must be done even when training means you miss classes. You learn to do activities that you may not otherwise choose to do. Waking up at five in the morning and being on the hill ready to train by seven is not what teens normally look forward to in the morning. Running up and down hills, focused training on snow for five hours, followed by intensive exercise makes for a long day. These kids learn to do what is necessary to reach the goals they've set.
I have also noticed that the kids that work hardest at sports also do well in school. This has little to do with talent. Some are natural athletes and some are natural students. Still there seems to be a co-relationship between working hard at sports and working hard at studies. There is also the team aspect, even in the individual sports like skiing and karate. The kids learn to learn from their teammates and they learn to help each other. They learn to cheer for others on their team and be happy when they are successful.
Athletes live and train in close proximity with other kids. Sometimes these are kids they might not normally associate with. Learning to get along in work, at play and in social situations is a great bonus. Pity the coaches. They have to deal with the sport, which most are experts at, but there is also dealling with a diverse group of teens and all that goes along with that.
Back to the race. This first contest was a Giant Slalom. It consists of two runs down a prescribed course with lots of gates or turns. Giant Slalom is considered a technical event because of the number of turns in the course. On the first run Melodina skied very well. She looked magnificent. Each turn was perfect and beautiful. She literally flowed from gate to gate and she was slow.
In between runs Melodina sat with me in the chalet. This was unusual. Often she sits with her teammates. I noticed that she was shivering and asked if she was cold. The answer was no so I felt her forehead - she was burning up. Melodina insisted on racing the second run, an effort that proved even slower than the first. At home we discovered that the local doctor was away until Monday. The fever was gone so we made an appointment.
Friday and Saturday Melodina trained with her team. The coach told her she was too tired and to take Sunday off. Monday morning her mother took Melodina to the doctor.
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