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Blog. . . blog. . . blog

. . . so for anyone who stumbles upon this . . . this is basically a blog I created to share my junior year english class assignments. . . .

Journal 6 -High Plains

This ski season I am trying out to make Wyoming's national ski team, High Plains, and go to the Junior Olympics in Maine. The Junior Olympics is a chance for all the best high school aged skiers around the country to compete against each other. Teams are formed for several geographical regions, including: Rocky Mountain, Inter Mountain, Far West, Alaska, New England, Mid West, and High Plains. The High Plains team includes skiers from all across Wyoming, with the exception of Jackson. In order to make the team, you must attend several high school meets, which also count as High Plains qualifying races. This year the team will take any where from 23 to 28 skiers, so in order to qualify I have to be in one of the top 23, or top 28 spots, depending upon the teams size. Making the team also depends upon your percent backs from the top skier in your division. There are three different age groups of skiers trying out for high plains: J2's J1's and OJ's. This year I will be a J1, which is the age group for people born in 1993 and 1992. Hopefully, if I work hard all season, I will make the team, and head to Maine this spring to ski in the Junior Olympics! 

Journal 5- Friday ski pratice

Last Friday for ski practice we took a bus up sinks canyon and then ran up to the falls. It was the perfect temperature outside for running, not to hot, and not to cold. I started out running close behind Shelby, and after awhile Alison passed us and I took up the third place position amongst the girls on our team. We worked our way up to the falls, running on the downhills and flats and ski walking on the uphills. Eventually, we made it up to the falls and took in the beautiful view. From there, we continued up a little ways to the next pool and took a moment to stretch our muscles. Soon Annikki and Kara caught up, and I began the run down with them. On the way down, Kara, Annikki, and I took a moment, to stop at "meditation rock" a huge cliff, off the trail overlooking the river, the falls, and the rest of the canyon. It's our tradition to meditate on this rock when ever we pass by, so we sat down and spent a good 30 seconds meditating at the top of the world. To finish up our meditating, we did some yoga, a quick salute to the moon, and turned back towards the trail to head down to the bus. Once on the trail the rest of the run was a breeze. It was all downhill, so all you had to do was let your legs fall in front of you and you went flying down the canyon. After a few short adventures with ice patches, and lost gloves, Annikki and I made it down the canyon and back to the bus. Soon after, every one else made it back and we headed off towards home. 

Journal 4-ski swap

        This past Saturday morning the ski team held the ski swap and the Kiwanis pancake breakfast, as a fundraiser, so I started out my day by going to the school to wax some skis, buy some ski gear, and eat some pancakes!!!! The ski swap is an annual event in Lander where community members can sell, trade and buy skis, and other winter out door gear. Then, 30 percent of all the sales go to the Lander ski team. Also, the Kiwanis club serves a pancake breakfast, where the proceeds go to the ski team too. During the swap, which lasts from about 7:30 to 11:00, the ski team waxes skis for people at a price of ten dollars a pair. This is a great fundraiser for both the school, and the high plains team, but it is also a lot of fun. This year I spent most of my time waxing skies for other people. It is not the most exciting of jobs, but when you’re with your friends, and have a little music playing it can actually be pretty fun. When I was not waxing skis, I was either eating pancakes (yummy) or looking around the ski swap for gear. I managed to find a good pair of classic boots for only $40; which was perfect because I needed a new pair of classic boots. Finally, after a great day of waxing skies, eating pancakes, and the selling and buying of skies, the ski swap started wrapping up, and I headed home.  

Journal 3-Tree House

        If I could live any kind of house I wanted, I would want to live in a tree house. I love climbing trees, and being surrounded by canopy of leaves, so a tree house would be perfect for me. To get up to my house you would have to climb up a rope ladder that would lead you on to a huge porch. Or, for the people who didn't like climbing rope ladders, there would be a spiral stair case wrapping its way around a tree up to my house. From there you could make your way to and from different rooms in my house using slides, zip-lines, ladders, bridges, and swings. Each room would be full of huge, wide windows with gorgeous views to the world below, and they would all have sunroofs so you could crawl outside and into the branches above. Some rooms would be situated securely in between sturdy branches, however, other rooms would simply hang suspended in the air, so when the wind blew they would rock back and forth. Also, to help bring things up into the tree house I would have a series of pulleys. Hammocks and swings would hang around every where to relax in through out the day, and, when night finally came, I would fall asleep swaying back and forth amongst the trees.