Building a Ski Team is a Marathon, Not a Sprint

SEELEY LAKE - The seeds for the Seeley Lake ski team we know today were unwittingly sown in 2009, when some Seeley moms who loved to ski wanted to get more local kids skiing on our local trails.

One of our first organized outings involved scraping together ski equipment and hosting a family cross-country ski day at The Lodges on Seeley Lake. To our amazement, we had more than 50 Seeley Lakers -- parents, grandparents, toddlers and kids of all ages, show up to ski on the lake, most for their very first time.

Little did we know what we had started! Fast-forward to 2018 and that simple idea has evolved into a Nordic ski program unlike any other in the state of Montana or even the region, consisting of winter ecology ski field trips for Seeley Lake Elementary classes, weekly after school recreational skiing for students through the 21st Century "Snow School" program, and the Nordic Ski Team for SLE and Seeley-Swan High School competitive racers.

The Seeley Lake Nordic Ski Team is one branch of the larger ski program. Like any sport, the interest in training and racing fluctuates from year to year. This year, in an effort to maintain the old regulars and recruit more young athletes, Ski Team coaches Mike McGrew, Karen Kovatch, Brie Guilmette and I decided to expand the skiing opportunities to include downhill skiing and weekly off trail ski adventures.

Three times this season, the ski team traded their skinny skis for fat boards and hit the slopes at Blacktail Mountain, Discovery and Snowbowl. The idea was to promote other types of skiing and to reward the team for their hard work and dedication.

The kids took ski and snowboard lessons at Discovery and a few of them chose to continue lessons at Blacktail and Snowbowl as well. Each week, we took a break from the groomed trails to explore other areas on classic skis and tromp through the charred trees of the Rice Ridge Fire.

Seasoned ski racer, Darren Zellman stepped in to coach the older SLE and SSHS skiers for the first time this season and provide a smooth transition from the elementary team to the high school team. Just four SSHS kids skied regularly on the team but Zellman is hopeful that the ski fever will take hold and spread to other kids in the coming years.

I always feel a little nostalgic at the end of a ski team season, both sad to see it end and excited to anticipate the next one. I could not be prouder of the program, the athletes, or the wonderful and generous parents and community members who have helped make Nordic ski racing available to any Seeley Lake kid, regardless of experience. To fund the program, we depend on grants from the Seeley Lake Community Foundation and the 21st Century Community Learning Center, generous donations from Seeley Lake ROCKS, and team fundraising activities. This summer we will also be having a few bake sales!

Coaches are always trying out ways to improve the program and inspire more kids to join the team. Anyone curious about ski team (or the larger ski program) or interested in joining next winter should contact me at 210-0012 or stop in at SLE to visit.

A number of years ago when we showed up at the Yellowstone Rendezvous Ski Race, suffice it to say we were incognito, skiing in the shadows with our ragtag, unmatched ski pants and shirts, starting to understand that V2 wasn't an airplane. No one had a clue where we were from or if we could ski. But things have changed over the years, thanks to our community, thanks to parents and guardians and especially thanks to inspiring, dedicated, tough-as-heck kids.

This past Saturday in West Yellowstone, a Park City coach, where the kids practice and race at an Olympic venue in Utah, pointed with her ski pole to a group of the Seeley Lake racers decked out in their black and gold racing suits. She asked a Bozeman coach, "What about these guys?"

The Bozeman coach didn't skip a beat. "Oh, they're from Seeley Lake outside of Missoula. They're actually pretty good."

As I type this, I'm riding back from West Yellowstone through a snowstorm and I thought I'd feel relieved that this ski season is over but the Seeley Lake Nordic Ski team collective spirit and inspiration is infectious. It's still snowing and I can't wait for next year!

Yup, we're 'actually pretty good' and getting a heck of a lot better. This Nordic marathon is just beginning and Seeley Lake is in it to win.