Rounding up the Western Lady Ephs!

Howdy do Ephs!!

The purple cows have escaped the stable for the summer and are roaming free around the world!! Some have mysteriously landed in Alaska and Norway but I am doing my best to track down the lady Ephs out West.

First stop, Washington (my homeland) where I found former frosh and now sophomore Gretalicious Laesch for some backcountry skiing!

Me, skiing. After a few hours of skinning the blue sky came out and we made friends with a conspicuously chunky marmot who seemed to be dying to be friends with us and our snacks. 

After ditching the skis and pressing onward in socks Greta struck this pose at the highpoint of our tour. The frosh just get weirder and weirder these days, what can ya do. 

After leaving Washington I ventured down to Colorado where I am spending the summer and rounded up our other sophomore, Molly Blakslee. Today, Molly led us deep into the Colorado wilderness where we were pummeled with hail so we promptly turned around and headed for the barn. 

No layers, no problem. Molly came well equipped to face the hail with two thumbs up and a pack of sour gummy bears. 

Despite the weather, we found some great views! 

That's all for now, Ephs! Stay tuned for more and keep on rockin'💜

Moo-

Hadassah Lurbur

Winter Updates

 Hello everyone! It's your favourite Swiss team member here to break the many months of silence on the blog. I'm checking in from Bend, OR where I've been pretending to be a local and showing off the west coast to Jakin, Corban (the next eldest member of the Miller family), and Keelan (future Eph!). For the past few weeks, our days have consisted of a strict schedule of skiing, eating, view seeking, and general adventuring and tomfoolery. See photo evidence below.

Part I: Skiing!

Jakin and Corban continuing a long team tradition of tWINNING (and confusing me very much in the process)

 

A quick 6-ft-apart photo post L3 intervals with Williams alums Noel and Keith

Breaking out the onesie for a 30km classic race!

Part II: Food!

Delicious; even Keelan, a self-professed cinnamon roll hater, had four

Our resident expert dough-tosser showing off his skills

Part III: Views!

Crater Lake

Smith Rock

Part IV: Shenanigans!

East Lake Hot Springs: a 10km uphill ski from the car, ten minutes of shoveling to fit three of us in the pool, and some close calls with some very hot jets of water, but worth it for the soak.

Challenge ACCEPTED

Lotsa snow at Crater Lake - for context, Keelan is 6'3"

Yes, these biceps are 100% real

Jakin has gotten fed up with us and gone to live in a bear cave. Not sure if we'll hear from him, but he seems pretty happy.

That's all from us for now! Stay safe and stay tuned for more updates - it turns out blog writing is an excellent procrastination tool to avoid thesis writing...

Mountain Day/Fall Update/agility day

Hello all, Jakin Miller from Willytown Massachusetts signing on. The blog has been rather quiet this fall, so half the on-campus mens team has been voluntold for the fall update. As an avid blog fan myself, I can't say I was that sad. 

First off, mountain day. No general merrymaking was held on Stony Ledge (read "no cider donuts or people to be impressed by how far we've run), but a grand time was had by all. Woody came out of retirement and Liam defected from the swim team to join Jacob and me for the day.

The squad. Liam has yet to get the mask memo apparently. Marika has been stuck on the bike, but she came in clutch with a delivery of donuts to the top of Greylock. 

As for the rest of the fall, cows have been chased, and brunches have been devoured (outside), gummy bear sponsorships have been applied for (and denied), and freshman (including myself) have been edemicated in the ways of Williams. 

Whitman's and Lee's are now line space. Pro tip - cutting the line markers when the line is empty is highly efficient though frowned upon by dining services. 

Jacob admiring a floating leaf in Valhalla. Further research on this phenomenon pending. 

Outdoor lifting set up. Usually fantastic, although if a coach tells you to push a lifting plate across the turf, run the other way unless you want to reach max heart rate while moving slower than whitman's line on a sunday brunch.  

The road biking gang has been strong this fall. No phones were dropped in the making of these photos, though the photographer did almost ride off the road.

Reading philosophy in a tree is highly entertaining. Would recommend, though the sunbathing fellow on science quad lawn who watched me scramble around for a half hour trying to get comfortable would maybe question my productivity. 

Dining Services now serves alcoholic chicken. Must be good for warding off covid. 

As for training, that happened too. Today was the first day we got clearance to use vans (whoop whoop!) so Jay worked some local connections for some agility fun at Mt. Greylock High School. My dad apparently got bored when his beloved son left for college (you'd think his other five kids would be enough but apparently not), so he took it upon himself to build some rollerski ramps. 

Lilly, Marika, and Jacob ripping it up (feat. a Miller sibling in the background). 

Ramp-maker Jack Miller loading up the ramps. Not sure how this is road legal but certainly looks impressive. 

Other news, Jacob is currently in a strava war with the mysterious roller skier Win Goodbody for the local segments. . Jacob has begun withholding kudos on Win's workouts, so you know things are getting heated. 

It is supposed to snow Friday, so do your snow dances on Thursday!

-Jakin  "He who comes late to practice" Miller

 

Back in the Purple Valley

 Just an update on your favorite purple cows. Still wearing neon. Still skiing at the reservoir. Just staying at least one cow length apart at all times. #captainSafety

White Mountains with the Frosh!

Hi team,

I hope everyone is settling into a summer routine, staying safe, fighting for justice, and helping out those who might need it during these uncertain times. My sister and I were fortunate enough to "socially distantly" hike/run with the future ski freshman (Class of 2024) in the White Mountains this past weekend, and here are the pictures we have to show for it:

The "before" pic at the Glencliff Trailhead in Benton, NH. 

Introducing.... (from left to right) Keelan, Kennedy, Jakin, and Henry! 

Atop South Peak, our first summit. 

I seem to be the only one who broke a sweat on the ascent. This is a good sign :)

Mount Moosilauke, our second peak. 

Thanks to Jakin for planning the route!

After our last peak, Hurricane Mountain (not pictured), we descended fairly quickly. 

Sonya and I had to stop at Moose Scoops in Warren, NH on the way home ... a quality establishment.

Would highly recommend the mint choc chip!

These frosh showed some true grit out there, and I'm psyched to train with them for the next three years and hopefully long after that. They have so much potential, and I know they'll crush whatever kind of season we have this winter. Here's the exact route if anyone is interested; the hurricane trail on the descent was not entirely well maintained https://www.strava.com/activities/3616309472 although definitely passable. See you on the trails and hopefully in the fall!

 – Jacob Jampel

Williams Skiing for Racial Justice

Dear Williams Nordic community and beyond,

The recent murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, and Breonna Taylor, in addition to countless others, are horrifying and unacceptable, as is this nation's ongoing history of racial violence and oppression. We strongly condemn any form of racism, violence, or oppression and we want to express our solidarity in the fight against racial injustice.

We strongly support the college’s new plan to fight for racial and social justice as outlined by President Mandel, and we urge the college administration to continue to do as much as they can to contribute to this fight.

As Nordic skiers at Williams College, we participate in a sport that is both incredibly privileged and very homogenous. We recognize that our silence and our inaction are actively harmful and we want to use the privilege afforded to us to support this movement with more than just words. To that end, we have set up a GoFundMe page to raise money and awareness for the following organizations: 

• National Bail Fund Network: The National Bail Fund Network is part of the Community Justice Exchange which is committed to “organizing to end all forms of detention, criminalization, and surveillance.” The National Bail Fund Network is a series of community bail and bond funds that works to free people as well as fighting to abolish the money bail system and end pre-trial detention. This organization is led by women of color, has the ability to be matched by corporate donors (so your money goes twice as far!), and has particular relevance because of the high volume of protest-induced arrests recently. 

• Multicultural BRIDGE: BRIDGE is a grassroots organization centered in the Berkshire region. Their mission includes “promoting mutual understanding and respect among diverse groups serving as a resource to both local institutions and the community at large. We serve as catalysts for change and integration through collaboration, education, training, dialogue, fellowship and advocacy." The BRIDGE foundation is a local resource for Berkshire county and is also led by women of color.

• Ella Baker Center for Human Rights: The Ella Baker Center for Human Rights works to redirect funds from prisons and punishment towards building safer and stronger communities for Black, Brown, and low-income communities. Their program focuses on those communities most affected by mass incarceration and has transformed policies to redirect state funds for sentence enhancements towards community resources,such as firing racially-biased cops and abolishing youth prisons. The Ella Baker Center is based in Oakland, CA and is led by a man of color.

We have set a fundraising goal of $10,000. Access our GoFundMe page at the following link:

https://gf.me/u/x8cpf6

In addition, we feel that many organizations in the ski community, including US Ski and Snowboard, NENSA, and FIS, have not yet done enough with their platforms to condemn racial oppression and to join in this effort. FIS has remained completely silent and while US Ski and Snowboard and NENSA have taken steps in the right direction we would like to push them to do more. We are sending letters to each of these organizations, and we have composed a form letter that requests greater action on their part. We encourage any member of the nordic ski community to copy and submit the letter (or write your own) to:

https://usskiandsnowboard.org/about/contact-us [US Ski and Snowboard]

https://www.fis-ski.com/en/international-ski-federation/contact-fis [FIS]

https://nensa.net/contact-us/ [NENSA]:

Dear [FIS/NENSA/US Ski and Snowboard], 

My name is [Name], I am a [US Ski and Snowboard/FIS/NENSA member/member of the snowsports community] and I am reaching out to urge you, as an organization, to take a stand with the Black Lives Matter movement and to do more than you already have to contribute to the fight against racial injustice in this country. [for USSS/NENSA: I appreciate all that you have already done, and urge you to continue the work that you have started, including following through on the initiatives you have already proposed and amplifying and modifying them as necessary going forward.] [for FIS: This should come in the form of a public statement expressing your solidarity, providing immediate support to BLM organizations in need right now, and creating a plan for tangible steps to move your organization towards improving racial equality.]

I acknowledge that our sport, and snowsports as a whole, carry an incredible amount of racial and socioeconomic privilege. This immense privilege combined with the homogenous population of athletes, coaches, and leaders in our sports makes it easy for the snowsport community to look away at this time, to consider racial justice as “not our problem”, while continuing to perpetuate a culture of white privilege. The world is calling upon people of all colors, economic classes, and backgrounds to support the fight for racial justice. To be silent is to remain complicit in a system that most snowsports athletes have benefited and continue to benefit from. 

The murders of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Tony McDade, and Ahmaud Arbery, only a small part of our nation’s long history of racial injustice, police brutality, and violence against Black people, have forced us all to become deeply aware of our own privilege and racial biases. The immediate action needed, and any action you have already taken, is only the start of a prolonged fight for racial justice. I urge [US Ski and Snowboard/FIS/NENSA] to do all this and more to show their support for the Black Lives Matter movement and the fight for racial justice in America. 

Sincerely,

[Name]

If you are able, we hope you will contribute in any way you can. If you would like to donate to organizations other than those we have listed, please do so! If you can think of other organizations or individuals within or outside the ski community that can do more for this effort, please urge them to do so as well! Please share this page, the form letter, and the GoFundMe link with anyone that you can, both within and outside the nordic ski community.

Donating to these organizations, demanding action from organizations with platforms greater than ours, and expressing our support are small but vitally important steps we can take right now, and we hope you will join us in this effort. As a team, we are continuously searching for better ways to understand our own privilege and contribute to a more just world, and our ears and hearts are open to listen and learn. 

Thank you for reading and contributing as you can.

Sincerely,

The Williams College Nordic Ski Team

tWINNING

One thing I really love about this team and that I've been really proud to see grow over the past four years has been a strengthening of the relationship between the women's and men's teams. Yes, we race separate races and more often than not, do large portions of workouts apart, but the divisions often melt away in the round aura of Driscoll, the sweaty confines of vans (though persistent post-race flatulence has driven wedges back into this sphere (just ask Carmen about her ride home from the Bates Carnival)), the embrace-like huddle for rocking the cow, and many other situations.

(Cue nostalgic music.)

Occasionally, however, this melding of the teams can feel a little too real: I have been mistaken for members of the men's team more often than one might guess, from time to time, ending in some ~awkward~ situations. My apparent dopplegangers range from Grubby to Franky, but I have been most consistently and most memorably mistaken for Isaac, aka Sac-Man.

How I came to look like Isaac in the eyes of everyone and not the other way around remains confusing and a little ego-depleting to me, but I'll admit there are some similarities in choice of garments, notably our gray pants, the blue-gray Swix hats, the red buffs, our scuffed Blundstones, stylish clogs, tan Carhartt vests, choice of shades, striped sweatshirts, and even our earrings. Obviously, Isaac has great taste so I don't mind the comparison; I'm just not sure I'll be pouring buckets of baby blue paint over my workout clothes or cutting the collars off my sweatshirts anytime soon.

Anyway, I've compiled some pictures for comparison. You decide: just hype, or some real special tWinning going on?

The cowsuits are obvious, but Isaac and I seem to have a penchant for Hestra gloves, Williams headwear, and glasses that border on goggles. 

 

Bringing out the red buff+Williams hat combo in tandem at this year's chilly Williams Carnival

Occasionally we put a blue Bjorn Daehlie hat in the mix on race day.

Whether outdoors or indoors, same shoes, same pose. Dedication to the look.

 

Q. Who's who?

Yep.

Thanks for tuning in. I'd like to give a shout out to my top two Williams Nordic fashion icons that have influenced the formation of my own style, namely Sarah Becker '18 and Nick Gardner '19.

Circa 2017

{insert crocs here}

And I didn't ask Isaac who his style role model is, but I think we can safely assume it's his raison d'être, Jordanicus Fields, so praise be to him as well. 

-----

It's been real. Rock on.

Churr,
Ingrid

Ah-ah, ah-ah...