Live Your Olympic Dream
Every four years, Americans gather in front of their televisions to cheer on Team USA athletes competing in the Winter Olympics. Whether you watched Shaun White successfully land back-to-back 1440s to claim gold, or Mirai Nagasu become the first American woman to nail the triple axel at the Olympics, it is hard not to be inspired. In the Hudson Valley, it is possible to try out these sports for yourself.
In the northeast, skiing and snowboarding are perennial favorites. Alex Morrow, a salesman at Ski Haus, Inc. in Wappingers Falls, notices different impacts of the ski season. “Experience wise, it’s been really good. Going up north you can definitely get a lot of snow, but sales wise, it’s definitely really slow,” he said.
Unfortunately, the snow conditions in New York were not ideal this year. However, each season attracts new people to the sport. “Skiing is easier to learn so people tend to go towards that, but it really comes down to personal preference,” Morrow said. “Some people really like snowboarding, some really like skiing. Snowboarding is a lot harder of a learning curve though.”
Despite the poor conditions, Morrow believes the Winter Olympics have a positive effect on the sport. “It definitely brings light to skiing and freestyle skiing, and it shows people that there are new things out there. People start getting out and actually trying new stuff,” he said.
Nordic skiing, more commonly known as cross-country skiing, has been gaining interest in the area. Rock and Snow in New Paltz specializes in the sport. “Cross-country skiing has been growing over the last couple of years, but I feel like the Olympics has had a really minor impact on that,” sales manager Andrew Zalewski said. “Largely because it is so late in the season that by the time any medals are won, we are pretty much done with snow.”
This is a bit surprising because it was a successful year in the sport for Team USA; Jessie Diggins and Kikkan Randall became the first American cross-country skiers to earn gold.
According to Zalewski, there is more enthusiasm earlier in the season. But if it is not Olympic glory that has brought interest, than what has? “I think there is more interest in general in Nordic skiing because of the area where we live, and the improvements being made to the trails and the grooming,” he said.
In addition to skiing, other Olympic sports available to try in the area include ice hockey, speed skating and figure skating. If you were inspired by the USA men’s curling team winning gold this year, Ardsley Curling Club offers lessons to beginners. Although the Olympic dream is difficult to attain, that should not stop anyone from participating in the winter sports they love to watch.
