Bill McCollom shares ski-racing wisdom in new book
In March, I met Bill McCollom at the Masters National Downhill ski races at Okemo. I was at best a mid-pack skier, and Bill asked how I did after my race. “I shaved a few tenths off of my training runs,” I said with satisfaction.
Bill was genuinely interested and commended me on a good race. He parted with a smile that had a gentility I could not decipher at the time.
Reading his book, “The View From the Finish Line,” I learned that Bill has also followed the most prestigious World Cup racers. He covered ski racing at the World Cup level for Ski Racing Magazine. Bill is also a diehard Masters racer and a former Middlebury College athlete.
Ski racing is a fascinating sport. Each appearance at the start wand is a test of a racer’s will. It represents the culmination of his or her mental and physical preparation, as well as the fickle hand of fate. Whether it’s Bode Miller standing in the gate at Hahnenkamm, or a skinny-legged high-school skier at the start of a short GS, every race is an event. Bill absolutely appreciates that fact, and understands the spirit of ski racing.
His book carves a long arc of the ski world, from renowned World Cup events in Europe to his home ski area at Suicide Six, with its 650 feet of vertical. The book’s charm lies in that, to Bill, the thrill of an opening day at Suicide Six is equal to or greater than the thrill of a helicopter ride on a powder day at St. Moritz. His reports are seen through the eyes of a common-sense Vermonter.
From the emotional peaks and valleys of elite World Cup skiers to the challenges faced by aging Masters racers, Bill jumps obstacles with summations like: “The best way to get in shape for racing is to never get out of shape.” Golf, tennis, cycling and horsemanship can help keep athletes sharp in the off–season. He waxes with multiple layers of story, including his personal experiences with torn ACLs (both knees), and overlays with insights from ski-racing legends like Kjetil André Aamodt.
The author does not avoid the sharp edges of a sport that carries significant danger. Among his stories are those of seriously injured racers. His inclination is to understand the strength of character they use to rebuild their lives. Their inspiring stories make you realize just how tough some people can be.
This compilation of Bill’s magazine columns includes many of the lessons gained from one of the most physically and mentally challenging sports ever conceived. Bill describes ski racing as a sport that has its origins in “pure, uninhibited recklessness.” His writing scrapes away layers of pretension with wry humor and brushes with a finish of wisdom that will be appreciated by racers, skiers and athletes at all levels.
Bill confesses to a philosophy that seems endemic in skiing: “I’ve spent a lifetime rationalizing self indulgence, so why stop now?”
Ed Brennan, of Duxbury, is a member of the Stowe Reporter’s sales staff.
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