I remember getting extremely offended as a child whenever someone would call me a nerd. I think at first I just knew it was not a nice thing to be called, but then later I looked it up and read that it had to do with being very into school and not good at sports or not athletic at all. So then I would retort very defensively that I wasn’t a nerd because I liked sports.
These days, I think being a nerd is a huge compliment. Not only because I unashamedly really enjoy school and learning new things. But also, because I think the word ‘nerd’ can be interpreted in a number of different ways, and mostly means someone who is extremely invested in one area. You can be a nerd about literally anything. You can be a nerd about sports even! I know many of them :) And I think that it’s very cool and impressive when someone’s knowledge in one subject is so extensive.
My technician Saku is definitely a nerd when it comes to skis. He absolutely loves learning everything about them. He spends so much time on our skis and in constantly asking more experienced technicians about their techniques and asking why someone does something one way versus another. He is a true sponge for knowledge in the ski room and is perpetually perfecting his own craft. He also is so excited to talk about everything he knows and to share his expertise with anyone who asks. I really respect his passion for tuning. I think it is very rare to find something you love so much and to be able and willing to pursue it.
There are so many people that put in so much work behind the scenes to help athletes reach their full potential and I think Saku has been one of the most important people helping me take big steps in my skiing this season. So I am extremely thankful Stef and I were able to find him (with the help of our amazing coach Johanna) and that he enjoys our company enough to keep working with us :)
Unfortunately though, Saku has not had to do much the past week as we just had our fifth cancelled day today in Sugarloaf. The weather is less than ideal and racing speed in these conditions would be almost impossible and definitely not safe. So sadly the super-g’s were all cancelled. But now we move on to the tech races here at Nor -Am Finals and US Nationals! Here are some photos, mostly from our one sunny day where we were able to race two DH races!