Clubhouse Chronicles: AVSC senior spotlight with Nordic athletes
Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club
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As the 2022-23 winter season comes to an end, the Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club wants to congratulate and celebrate all of our graduating seniors. To recognize their careers and dedication to AVSC, we asked each of them a few questions about their time with the club and what lifelong values they will carry with them.
Below are a few responses from our graduating Nordic athletes Elsie Weiss, Eske Roennau and Corbin Carpenter:
Question: What is your favorite memory from your time at AVSC?
Elsie: I have so many great memories from AVSC, but one of my favorites was my time in the Bill Koch program. Hailey Swirbul (a 2022 Olympian) joined us for the afternoon and skiing with her really had a huge impact on me. She showed me how far a girl could go in the sport and her love for Nordic skiing was contagious! It has been so much fun watching her have so much success on the World Cup, Super Tours and U.S. Nationals!
Eske: My favorite memory in all my years at AVSC has got to be the hut trip I went on with my peers during my junior year. As a team, we hiked into the mountains and came to the Fritz and Fabi huts. There we spent a couple of days working maintenance on the huts, getting them in tip-top shape for the winter. This recurring trip is something I continually look forward to as it is a team bonding event as well as getting to put in some hard satisfying work for the betterment of the huts.
Corbin: I have countless great memories with AVSC, but my favorite one was the second Bend (Oregon) camp we did. It was so fun to do some team building with some of the people who are new to the program and ski and bike or run in the same day! It’s really fun to ski in shorts and a T-shirt with some of my favorite people in the world.
Q: What skills did AVSC provide that you will carry with you?
Elsie: I have learned so many skills from my coaches and teammates. I think a big one that I will use for the rest of my life is taking control of my training to think critically about why I do certain workouts. I’ve learned how to be a more independent athlete and to take control of my training. These will be super important skills for skiing in college.
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Eske: One thing AVSC has taught me that I will bring into the rest of my life beyond is sportsmanship. While becoming a good athlete is super important for me, I have learned over the years that it is just as vital to become a good human being, as well.
Corbin: AVSC has given me the skill of teamwork, which I will take into the rest of my life. Before AVSC, I was always more of a quiet person, but since AVSC, I have learned how to work well with others and be a little bit more of a leader. Although I still may be quiet sometimes, I know how to contribute where I am needed.
Q: What AVSC core value most resonates with you and why? (Commitment, Integrity, Teamwork)
Elsie: The core value that resonates the most with me is commitment. Commitment is one of the key building blocks of a successful, happy, and healthy athlete and it is one of the values that I feel like I have exemplified the most through my years with the national comp team.
Eske: The core value that sticks with me the most this year would be commitment. Through some tough times that I have had over these years, I learned the value of this word. Staying committed through hard times yields results as well as satisfaction.
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Corbin: Again, I have to say that AVSC’s core value of teamwork resonates the most with me. AVSC has truly given me a group of people who I love and I’m not sure what I would’ve done throughout high school without them. I have even earned the name “Soccer Mom” from my contribution to giving some of my younger teammates rides. Teamwork resonates the most with me mostly because it’s the one that I have improved the most in since joining AVSC.
Q: What’s next for you?
Elsie: I will be skiing and taking classes at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and I’m so excited about it!
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Eske: Next year I will be traveling across and up to Maine where I will attend Bates College. I am going in undecided but I am interested in things like sports science and biology, but we will see what captures my liking when I get there. As well as attending the school, I will be skiing D1 for their Nordic team.
Corbin: Next year, I will be heading to the University of Alaska Anchorage to be a part of the ski team! It will be very different, but I’m excited to further my love for skiing in a completely new place.
Q: If you could tell the community one thing about AVSC, what would it be?
Elsie: AVSC is a huge asset to the community. Especially the Bill Koch program. It’s so cool to see so many kids out on skis having fun! I think AVSC Nordic does a really good job incorporating all levels of the program together to inspire each other and create a strong sense of community. But if I could see one thing change in the future and with this column, it would be encouraging girls to continue skiing with AVSC through high school. Nordic skiing is a really special sport because it turns athletes into good people and community members. So, I think it can be a really valuable part of growing up for girls, especially because it teaches you to be a strong role model for younger girls. It empowers you to have a lifelong love not only for skiing, but for enjoying the outdoors and athletics.
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To current Devo girls: Nordic skiing is your opportunity to experience our valley and our country in a way that is found in no other sport. The Nordic community is one that will stick with you and support you through anything. Being a member of the comp team has made me a better person, athlete, student and community member. The team you will find on the comp team is unlike any other. We are supportive, welcoming and encouraging. Our coaches are some of the best in the country and will meet you where you are to support your goals. Comp doesn’t have to be intimidating and you are so welcome here! Come in ready to learn, be challenged and have so much fun!
Corbin: The one thing that I would tell the community about AVSC is that AVSC has changed my life. When I was younger, I thought that I would never race because I didn’t really want to. Once I decided to race and started racing, I never thought I would get anything except dead last because I was small and had less experience than everyone else. Then I thought I would never join the comp program because I thought that I wasn’t fast enough. When I decided to, I slowly began to finish in places other than dead last. I still never thought I would ski at a college level.
Last year, when I decided I wanted to, it was a huge step in my life. Now next year I’m going all the way to Alaska, one of the skiing meccas of the world, to go ski. AVSC has completely changed the course of my life and I’m so glad it did. AVSC has taught me to follow my heart and has put me in a place I feel I belong. I also met most of my best friends and some other amazing people through skiing. Joining AVSC Nordic was hands down the best decision I’ve ever made.
Clubhouse Chronicles is a behind-the-scenes column written by the Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club that runs periodically in the Aspen Times sports section.
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