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In ski club terms, 10 years is certainly an “era” if not longer. With coaches in our sport often cycling through new roles, following the coaching path to different locations, or embarking on careers in other fields, it’s extremely rare to see a decade of leadership.

But an era definitely ended today, as Coach Sara heads off to Alaska to explore a career as a physical therapist.

Where do you begin? The fact that Sara was still finishing-up college when we started coaching at MNC together, and now many of our athletes we coached initially as middle schoolers are now out of college themselves? The fact that in those early days, Sara had no car and would take the bus from Burlington to Essex with all her rollerski stuff, and meet me at the bus station where we’d drive up to the Range together?

Those were the days of no wax trailer, no test skis, no vans, no summer training camps, very few athletes qualifying for race trips, only a handful of athletes signed up at all…when you look back, a lot has happened in the past 10 years with this club. It would most definitely not have all happened without Sara’s input.

Sara is the most kind and generous person I’ve ever met. I think the most angry or grumpy I’ve seen her was on a hellish trip back from Fort Kent late in the night, where Sara was driven to the point of absolute madness for someone as calm and reserved as her, represented by *gasp* drinking a RedBull to keep going! There’s way more to that story, just as there’s way more to many stories that are too long and winding to describe here.

I hope to write a book someday, and the experiences Sara and I had while watching and taking part in this club’s growth are going to be central themes…it’s a huge jump into the unknown for me now, because even when I was just starting in my role here, Sara was right there starting on her coaching path too.

In reality, I’ve never been in a leadership role WITHOUT Sara alongside me, and that’s very daunting. Even if she didn’t directly spell these things out to me, there’s a lot I’ve learned from Sara:

• You can be frustrated, but you don’t have to be active about it!
• Being attentive and keeping your eyes and ears out at all times is important with a large group
• Be organized, keep track of things, and use lists and spreadsheets to your advantage
• Make time for enjoying personal things you prefer, especially when you’re on a cold trip in the dead of winter

Anyone who has met or worked with Sara can attest that there’s nobody more approachable, kind, and helpful! What’s next for the club without Sara? I’m not sure…but what’s next for Sara? Great things, no doubt!