I became a part of this team 10 years or so ago. At that time the team was already well established and had a history of very strong performances. The year before (my first S2S) I had been on an open team where we finished 2nd overall. The folks that made up that team were super intense and VERY high strung. It made for a really unpleasant experience as I was just expecting a more low key affair. Coming over to Beaver’s Tree Service the following year was a welcomed change. Folks were all super fast but also super low key. It’s the type of team where folks are all really experienced racing outside of S2S and they all know how to "get to business” and get the job done. Yes, we want to win but there is a lot more to life than being hyper Type A about race day. On any given day, a member of the team can go really fast or have a bad day. Either way, folks know how to set themselves up for success and we all just do the best we can. If it turns out well then great, if not, then well, there is always next year.
Favorite Quote: "No good deed goes unpunished”
Last Book Read: A Pearl in the Storm by Tori Murden McClure (Memoir by the first women to row across the Atlantic Ocean)
How long have you been involved in the Ski to Sea?: 11 or 12 years
Do you plan to be in the Ski to Sea race again?: Of Course
Long Term Dreams/Goals:
To be a member of the 1st team across the finish line, ie 1st place overall, using a lineup of only Whatcom County Residents. We have gotten close before, maybe 3rd overall within 5 minutes of 1st. Probably all too old now to make this a reality so my other long term dream is to bicycle tour around the world, including southern hemisphere, WITH my wife and 2 very young children. We have already done multiple multi-week treks and really would just need to figure out how to hit the pause button on real life to clear away the time to make an amazing adventure like this happen.
Do you plan to do all 7 legs of the race?:
Of course, that is when they allow folks to do it solo, I’ll do all the legs themselves!
What do you like about the Ski to Sea?:
I think the mobilization of the entire community to race, spectate, and support this event is something really special. You can just feel the energy (glow) of the entire county. It’s like a harmonic hum that reverberates for over a week.
What would you tell others about the Ski to Sea?:
Aka the Bellingham Olympics is just plain crazy but a lot of fun.
What do you like about the Bellingham/Mt Baker region?:
My family doesn’t have cable TV, video games, or other "main stream” items however we do own a lot of "toys”, i.e. surf ski, road bikes, mountain bikes, running shoes, skis, snowshoes, etc, etc etc. It’s pretty special that, in any given week, we could reasonably use every single one of those items. It’s our priority is to make the time to make it happen and living in this area makes it a possibility.
Words of Wisdom:
A favorite quote of mine that many athletes can relate to is: "It doesn’t get any easier, you just go faster” (Greg Lemond). In many ways it really encapsulates Ski to Sea meaning that regardless if you are coming in 5th or 305th it is still just as hard. If you are out there racing your ass off then you are suffering just as much as the next competitor.
