Sierra in Amsterdam

Things are pretty quiet with the team now that exams have started.  Instead of ski stuff, here's a post from Sierra Frisbie, who's wrapping up a semester in Amsterdam:

Goedemiddag from Amsterdam!

I hope this post finds you all doing well. I just caught up on team happenings from camp to the surprise storm last week. Very jealous that you all are on snow! Not only is it exceedingly flat here, it’s also entirely snow-free. The closest thing I’ve experienced was brief and painful hailstorm on my bike ride home from class.

But here’s a phrase I never thought I’d say being in the below-sea-level-flatland that is the Holland: “Shoot, I really wish I had brought my ski boots!”

As most of you know, I decided to take a hiatus from racing this year due to health issues. That said, I still want to maintain a certain level of fitness and proper ski technique. Which is why I’ve been “cross training” so to speak:
Yup. I’ve been learning how to speed skate! Since they have endless miles of canals, the Dutch have always been good at long distance ice skating. It’s in their history, and they continue to dominate the Olympics in long track. It’s a huge pastime here, and everyone knows how to skate. It’s like the Norwegians and their little kids flying around on cross country skis since they were two years old. And this isn’t ordinary ice skating…the blades are almost as long as rollerskis and you do laps on a 400 meter track.

I hit the ice for the first time and thought I was doing just fine. And by fine, I mean I didn’t fall. Not a hotspot for tourists, I shuffled my way around the outside lane as lycra-clad Dutch guys lapped me a zillion times from the inside. The second time, however, I went to the track with Danielle and her father Rino. They‘re both from the Netherlands; Danielle was my babysitter when I was 3 years old and we reconnected when I came to the city back in August.  Her dad, Rino, used to be a speed skating coach, and he was quick (and very kind) to get to work on my lacking form.

“Glide on each skate longer” “Shift your weight out of the middle” “Don’t let your upper body move so much” “Balance on your gliding skate” “Commit to each push”

I had to honestly look behind me for a second. Nathan?!  Am I at Pineland right now? These are things I’d already heard so many times. I was really shocked at just how similar the sports are. All the same problems I had with skiing, I had with skating. Hey, at least I’m consistent. But good news! I’m usually really bad (in both sports) at putting my weight on the outside of my foot, the little toe side, in order to glide longer. Instead I stay too long on the inside edge. Well, Rino gave me a great tip about how to control that, and I felt like it clicked. I’m curious to see if it transfers to skiing!

I was also really surprised to see a bunch of people walking around in the same exact Salomon skate boots I have at home. Within the last few years, these Nordic skate hybrids have become more and more popular for long distance skating. Almost everybody was wearing them! Not because they ski too, but specifically purchased for skating. It was really really bizarre to see a different niche market for Nordic skiing products …Nathan, I’m seeing some sweet opportunities for cross training here…

I went skating another time with Rino and Danielle at different outdoor (refrigerated from the bottom up) track, but this one was 3K! The Netherlands shares our east coast troubles of winter sport enthusiasm without the guarantee of nice winter weather…so they know how to cope!  I was doing very well by the end and I finished our session with tired quads and cramped feet…felt just like home. On the last lap, I raced Rino and Danielle and got totally schooled.  Abroad lesson #206: Never try to beat the Dutchies at anything related to bikes or ice skating.

Home in a little more than a week! See you guys soon!