The Chronicles of Team Jeph

 Greetings all,

 

Team Jeph reporting from Bozeman on the past 6 months of travels, training, and Montucky shenanigans.

After spending a long spring cooped up at home and tired of self-motivating to train, Jordan ’21 and Steph ’22 decided to join recent grad Lucy Hoch ’20 and Ingrid Thyr (Williams College skiing ’20) in Bozeman for the summer. Little did we know, the Bozone would quickly become our home away from home. Although Graham (’22) talks about his Montana hometown far too much, his exaggerations aren’t too far off—Bozeman is pretty rad. 

 

We joined Montana Endurance Academy (MEA) with several other skiers from the EISA. Bozeman drew quite the crowd; about 50 eastern skiers made the cross-country pilgrimage out west to log some high-altitude hours in the mountains, split between 3 major training groups. Thankfully ski training is a COVID-friendly activity, and we were able to get some seriously good fresh-air training in on rollerskis, mountain bikes, and running shoes. 

 

Unfortunately, our rent at the Ranch (Lucy, Ingrid, and our house) expired along with our gorgeous tans, and before we knew it Jordan was dropping Steph off at the airport with tears in her eyes and packing up the car for the drive back home to Minnesota mid-August. Team Jeph went their separate ways. Fate couldn’t keep us apart for too long, but Bozeman’s housing crisis certainly tried. 

 

Rather than returning to SLU for the fall, we decided to take the semester off (online school for Steph, ski bummin’ for Jordan) and try to get back to the Bozone ASAP. Thankfully our lovely Crosscut Elite athletes Lucy and Ingrid had room at their new home, the Chalet, for two. After spending an epic week visiting teammate Jaden ’23 at her home in Colorado, Steph and Jordan were back in action in Bozeman. While the snow hasn’t been plentiful in Bozeman, we’re lucky to be a mere 2-hour drive from the world-class Rendezvous Ski Trails in West Yellowstone. We’ve logged many hours in the car, but they’re well-worth the mid-winter ski conditions. Last week we got to spend a couple nights in West for a mini Thanksgiving camp (complete with a 20lb turkey), and even donned a race bib for a time trial with the other college skiers.

 

Instead of continuing to bore you all with words, we’ll keep this update rolling with a captioned photo essay. Everyone knows a picture is worth a thousand words.

Steph and Lucy severely oxygen-deprived on first long distance run at altitude

MEA girls squad, L to R: Steph, Jordan, Meredith (Bowdoin), Anna and Luci (UNH)

Choose-your-own-adventure day: Team Jeph takes on theMiddle Cottonwood trail

A classic MEA jumping picture taken by our coach Lina Hultin 

(look closely and you'll find Graham)

Jordan trying not to die while mountain biking at Copper City 

(biking tips greatly appreciated)

Jaden takes on Bozeman with the crew

Team Jeph recovers at the Ranch after a long day at the office

Steph on our rollerski in Frisco, CO with Jaden!

Steph, Jaden, and Jordan conquer a Colorado 14er, Quandary Peak elev. 14,217ft

Back on snow and soaking up the rays in West Yellowstone, timer selfies a plenty

What Lucy sees in the rearview mirror on our drives home from West

Best skiing ever?

A Team Jeph personality pic

            Alrighty folks, that's it for us. Thanks for tuning in, and we hope to see you on the trails soon!

Over and out,

Team Jeph

Changes, by David Bowie

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Turn and face the strange

Ch-ch-changes

Don't want to be a richer one

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Turn and face the strange

Ch-ch-changes

Just gonna have to be a different one

Time may change me

But I can't trace time

- DAVID BOWIE, vibes inspiring this Thanksgiving update from Tim Cunningham

Hello Saints and extended Saint units!

I’m still Tim, and its been a bit since I‘ve had the chance to shake anyone’s hand. These Covid era introductions have had me practicing the chicken dance to get better at shaking elbows with people, but alas, some things just aren’t the same anymore. Take for example that I’m currently sitting at the kitchen table in my home in NH while my cute cowlick of a dog, Rusty, licks my elbow to try and get attention while I procrastinate doing homework by writing a blog post. And for those nonbelievers, yes, I can feel the licking with my elbow; he’s not subtle.

In any case I digress, the point of this blog is to give you an update on how things are going in Tim Land (population: 1 very optimistic senior). So that is what will happen. I returned home after some bittersweet goodbyes at the Powerhouse (a theme house on campus full of people whose biggest personality traits are using their legs to go really far distances at o-dark butt 30 in the morning), on Tuesday the 24th. I’ve missed being home, and having the few days off from school because of Thanksgiving has been a huge relief. Getting to see my family during the big feast for the first time in three years was really special. (We usually miss break with family because the team goes to Canada for this week, but we were spared the “massive inconvenience” that is skiing on snow this year because of the global pandemic). There is no snow here yet, but this morning I went for a beautiful spri… winter run OD up a local mountain. While this isn’t what usually happens in late November in the state of NH, it was still a blast.

Without getting too deep, the run this morning gave my mind the space it needed to think. Google keeps showing us all photos of “this day last year,” photos I’ve seen and, to be fully honest, felt cheated looking at. Those photos are of the old normal, if you’ll allow me to be dramatic, a document of history telling of a time we won’t see again for a bit. If ever. But it raises an interesting opportunity, this rapid change all around us. As athletes we all wake up every day to make ourselves uncomfortable doing intervals in the rain, or roller skiing for 30 miles into a seemingly endless headwind. We push to grow our bodies so that they can do the hard work better, longer, faster. Dealing with Covid carries much more risk with it than ski training does, the danger of accidentally transmitting the virus to our family weighs heavy on everyone. So, I hope you’re all doing well as you read this!

Risks aside though, the changes to every part of this senior fall semester have made me challenge my mind, forcing me to adapt and grow as a human with character to better be able to live through hard times better, longer, and hopefully not faster. The point remains, I’ve taken my time at home to refocus myself and take a look at all the hard work I’ve put into growing as a skier, which is carrying over to growing me as a person who can wade in turbulent waters and be sure I’m still moving the way I want to be: forward.

To surmise: things are going well in Tim Land. I’m healthy, glad to have been around people who can make going to school during a pandemic fun, and getting totally fired up to destroy, erm, compete passionately with some Clarkson skiers every weekend this winter. That's all for me. Smash that email blog notification button and go check out the whole team update coming to the blog soon.

Tim Cunningham ‘21