I Got It on Video

This last weekend my two kids had a ski race at Jackson Hole in Wyoming. I enjoy skiing there but it isn't the best place to hold a ski race. It is tough to stand on the side of a wonderful mountain waiting for kids to flash by you when you could be sampling one of the greatest mountains in North America.

This weekend it was unseasonably warm and instead of being freezing, we had to contend with rain. We also had to deal with constantly changing conditions. One minute it would be sunny and the next it would be raining or snowing.

On the last day of the race, it looked like we would have good weather and be able to get all the racers down the hill safely. Then there was an issue with the timing computer. The person that normally runs timing wasn't there and the new one kept having problems. When it came time for my son to ski down the mountain, there was a course hold because of timing issues. We waited for him to come skiing down for quite a while. During this time a series of clouds rolled in and visibility went to zero. At the worst time of the day, my son was sent down the mountain. Not only was it snowing sideways but a cloud descended on the course and you could barely see the next gate in front of you.

I stood there on the side of the mountain wondering who would let a bunch of 14-year olds race in white-out conditions at 40 to 50 miles per hour. It was a miracle nobody got hurt. I tried to get my son's run on video, but the camera kept trying to focus on the flying snow. All I got was a white screen with the conversation I had with my daughter as my son skied past us.

My son finished his run safely and we packed up to head home. Luckily somebody saw the foolishness of the race and they cancelled it for the rest of the racers. I think it was only a matter of time before someone got hurt and so that was the wise thing to do.

The moral of the story is that proper computer training is important even in ski racing. My kids' race was plagued with timing issues that should have been worked out long before the competition even started. Trying to figure out computer problems at the same time you are holding an event is impossible. If my son hadn't been held at the start for 45 minutes waiting for these issues to be resolved, they could have gotten all of the boys to the finish long before the storm rolled in. Then everyone would have gotten a fair shot at doing well and that is what racing is all about.