P3 goes to the Birke!

 

A Sense of  Respite By: Laura (the food station at Gravel Pit Road where we volunteered...30km into the 50 km ski marathon)

Passage 3 goes to the Birkebeiner!

As a part of the Women of the Valley project, Northwest Passage 3 volunteered at the 40th Annual American Birkebeiner, the largest cross country ski race in North America. Each year approximately 10,000 skiers participate in the Birkie. (www.birkie.com) The Passage 3 crew jumped on the opportunity to be photojournalists at the event and to tell the stories of the racers through sports photography and creative writing.They cheered on and provided water and food to the thousands of athletes passing through the feed station. They also captured some outstanding images of the athletes' heroic efforts in completing the 30+ mile race course. It was an eye opening and inspirational day for the Passage 3 crew. (I think the registration for next year's race may include some future P3 graduates!). All of the photographs here were taken by Passage 3 Residents. They are all aspiring artists (and now photojournalists, and skiers). We hope you enjoy their photos and insights on their first Birke experience.

Inga, Torstein, and Skervald By: Jasmyn

The Women Leaders By: Jasmyn

The Men's Leaders By: Mamie

 

By: Jasmyn

By: Jasmyn

This mother and her daughter were skiing the race together . I stopped to talk to them about their experience in the Birkebeiner. The daughter was ahead of her mother in the race. When the daughter got to the feed station she waited for her mother so they could finish the race together. By: Cavalina

By: Jasmyn

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By: Mamie

By: Mamie

By: Mamie

By: Mamie

By: Mamie

By: Mamie

By: Mamie

This mother and daughter traveled from Alaska to ski the race together.

        Photograph By: Cavalina

, words by Mamie

 I think its cool that a mother and daughter came from Alaska together to ski the Birkebeiner. Some other people even came from different countries and states. That's really impressive that everyone came  from their countries and their states all the way to northern Wisconsin. I wonder what made the mother and daughter come to Ski 50 km together?  I'm wondering if they wanted to try it for the 1^st time & wanted to challenge themselves? Who knows? But I enjoyed  watching them working hard ,going up the hill with good tempo, and going down the hill with pefect form! I hope I can see them again. I LOVED helping giving them oranges, bananas and water,  & I like cheering them on along with the other skiers. Congratulations to the mother and daughter and all of the other skiers that went an across the finish line. All You Guys Did Great!!

My Stride is Better than Your Stride   By: Laura

By: Laura

By: Laura

A Skier's Tale By: Laura

  (each of the 17+ stickers on this pair of skis represents another year of Birke Racing)

All Together Now By: Laura

These Boots Were Made for Skiing By: Laura

By: Laura

This is What Determination Looks Like By: Laura

Kelli, a first time Birkie Racer               Photo By: Jasmyn

CASUAL ENLIGHTENMENT

From a first-time Birke racer

By: Laura

I had the wonderful opportunity to meet with a first time Birkie skier, and very successful athlete, to get an inside look at what its like on the trails. Although the spot at which we spoke was a little over halfway through the 30+ mile course, and she was a bit out of breath, I got some insightful and enthusiastic answers.

I started out with basics like how long she’s been skiing which was roughly 3 years. She decided to do the Birkebeiner slightly on a whim, she says, all throughout highschool and college she’d loved being in the “big ones”, the really upscale competitions. She also noted humorously when asked if she could feel the competitive edge of the elite skiers, “No, actually they were all the way in front.” She did however note that it felt pretty exhilarating to be in the same tracks as world class athletes.

Another important question, especially for aspiring athletes, was about what she does to “pump herself up”. She answered, “Definitely music. And I have my routine that really keeps me on track.” She described her favorite thing to eat, “Every morning for breakfast, I have toast with peanut butter and honey.” A delicious sounding protein packed meal. She noted that those sorts of homemade meals were good and that she stays away from all those energy drinks and power bars, and she seems to be doing great without them.

To close, as she was about to take off I asked one final question: Other than bananas, what keeps you going? And she answered that it was the medal waiting for her at the finish line. I was definitely impressed and inspired as I’m sure my peers were.

By: Abby

By: Abby

By: Abby

Being able to attend the 2013 Birkebeiner was a gratifying and eye-opening experience. I have never been much of a winter lover, but would absolutely attend this sports even again despite my bitterness toward the cold weather. Seeing so many people participating in the skiing celebration was inspiring. In these few hours of volunteering at a food station and capturing images of the athletes, I feel I am taking away much more than just a memory and some Hand Warmers. At the food station, there was so much of what seemed to be chaos while at the same time, we as volunteers were refreshing and invigorating the athlete's spirits and energy.

By: Jasmyn

Receiving the smiles and appreciation of the Birkie participants while handing out food and drinks was an inspiration all its own. But the one thing that stood out to me the most at the Birkebeiner ski race was watching the senior skiers participate in this celebration of Haaken, Inga, Torstein, and Skervald. The determination and stamina of these competitors was truly fascinating and praise-worthy.

By: Abby

It proved to everyone around them including themselves, that age is only a number, and if you work hard enough you can overcome any factor standing in your way. In all honesty, I couldn't begin to imagine being even the age I am now and skiing up and down hills for 50KM straight. Some of these amazing senior skiers have skied the Birke for 35+ consecutive years! I really admire these skiers because it shows their affection for not just the Birkebeiner celebration, but also their passion for skiing. And although I'm not a big winter person, much less a skier, I hope to one day have a passion that I can't live without and will persevere throughout my life.  By: Sara

By: Mamie

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By: Sara

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By: Lina

By: Lina

By: Lina

Heya, heya, heya! The 2013 American Birkebeiner Ski Race comes around once a year, celebratng the tradition of long distance skiing. People travel from all over the world to come ski this race. People race the Birke for many different reasons. Some are competitive racers who are there to compete against others. Some go to get a great work out. Others go to have a good time and to just have fun. People who go to this huge ski event might have this on their bucket list. For everyone, it is a wonderful, hard yet fun event.

Skiing the birkie makes you feel great because you’re getting the feeling of accomplishment once you finally, after miles and miles of racing, make it to the finish line. It pushes you to try hard and meet your goals-and to be able to say,  'hey, ive done that!'

                                                                                                By: Jasmyn