Have you ever decided to achieve a goal and then tried, and tried, to do it but it just never came to fruition? Me too!

When we say we are going to try to do a task, in our sport, our business or our relationships, the word “try” implies to the unconscious mind that we’re just as likely to fail at our task as we are to succeed. It’s a 50:50 mental energy split.

Star Wars’ Jedi Master Yoda hit the nail on the head when he said, “Do, or do not. There is no try.”

How does that help us? What’s being said is: decide to do something or decide to not do something. None of the middle ground gets you anywhere.

To train yourself to attend to this focal shift, consciously be aware over the next seven days of how often you use the word “try.” Take a pen and list how many times over the next week you use that word. Remember, each time your subconscious mind is told to “try” it ranks success or failure in the situation equally. Your mental energy is diversified.

Each time you find yourself in this position of diverted mental energy, declare what it is you want to achieve in positive terms.

An example would be, “I’m going to try and beat this month’s current target by 20 per cent.”

Change your phrasing to: “By this time next month I’ll have generated a 20 per cent increase which will ensure that I’ll be working at greater capacity and generating greater reward and results.”

Using this technique day by day, you’ll begin to take greater command of how you communicate with the most powerful piece of equipment you will ever use –your own mind. You’ll identify old habits and replace them with new, and more powerful, habits. As with everything we do, the skillful use of a new habit comes with determination and repetition. If you want to try and have an amazing day, go ahead and have and amazing day.

Train yourself to have an awesome day!

After competing in Europe and a brief return to Sun Peaks over the holidays, Elli Terwiel is back on the racing circuit, competing in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Skiing Championships at Sunday River, Maine.

Terwiel’s NCAA season got off to a strong start; she finished second in the GS and won the slalom event by 1.2 seconds.

“It was a great start to the season,” says Terwiel whose racing season continues in the weeks ahead. “I’m excited to continue racing in the NCAA races and then to go to Vail, for the Nor-Ams!”

To keep track of Terwiel’s racing, follow her at www.elliterwiel.blogspot.com

The fourth annual Adaptive Snow Sports Festival at Sun Peaks unfolds Feb. 3 to 5. The event features a “Meet and Greet,” equipment demonstrations and opportunity to take a lesson on Saturday, and the popular Guesstimation Race on Sunday, followed by a wind-down and awards at Masa’s Bar & Grill.

“Disabled students guess what time they’ll finish their own individual slalom race (in the Guesstimation race) and the closest to their time wins an award at our medal ceremony,” explains Veronica Connors of the Adaptive Snow Sports Program (ASSP).

“Nancy Greene often has a race with one or two them and tries to match her guesstimated time. A crowd lines the fence with cow bells to cheer them all on. A highlight is the race with their able bodied family member or friend which they’ve never had the chance to do,” says Connor.

Last year 25 racers competed in the Guesstimation race, and many more disabled guests test drove the specialized equipment and took mini lessons offered by ASSP volunteer instructors.

“So many wheelchair bound prospective students wanted to try out the sit-skis (last year) we were crazy busy,” says Connors. “They’re hooked on skiing now and rebook each year for the series of eight weekly lessons we offer to locals.”

Adaptive snow sports are on the rise, especially at Sun Peaks with the expanded instructional options offered through the ASSP and Snow Sports School. Keep your eyes open for sit-skis, Sno-limos, outriggers and sliders on the slopes.

Adaptive Sports at Sun Peaks Society (ASSP) is establishing a Sno-Limo service at Sun Peaks for both recreational and instructional use and is currently recruiting drivers.
The Sno-Limo is a sit-down apparatus that allows anybody, regardless of ability, the opportunity to experience skiing in a safe, comfortable and environmentally friendly manner.
ASSP is looking for fit, healthy individuals who enjoy people, and winter activities and who appreciate the opportunity to enable guests to enjoy this unique experience. Previous ski ability or certification is not required, however, the program does require two to three days of training which begins Monday, Feb. 6, 2012. To register for training or for further information contact: Gerry at 604-805-0227, or Dick at 250-372-7322(H), 250-852-1805(C)

A skiing event on Jan. 19 enforced the lesson of safe backcountry skiing habits. With a relatively simple snowpack of primary concerns for recent storm windslabs and possible weak bond to a suncrust buried on Jan. 13, potential for large propagative avalanches was low. After skiing from a windblown, low angle alpine summit our group dropped into a treeline glade and regrouped. Even though skiing steep convex slopes the previous day didn’t produce any reactivity in the storm snow the decision was made to ski the tight steep chutes, called DoubleVision, one at a time. The first skier started with a ski cut across the top with no results other than a good shred. As the second skier entered the 45 degree slope a soft slab cut loose. The skier skied to the side and let the slab run out to the bottom of the chute. This event made the decision easy for the rest of the group; ski the slid chute and leave the second one for another day. It enforced good habits of skiing avalanche terrain one at a time.

With forecasted heavy snowfall for late January, be cautious of more load on buried windslabs in open areas treeline and above, and with it the potential for avalanches to release on the Jan. 13 suncrust.

Check the Public Avalanche Bulletin for updated conditions and advice for travelling in avalanche terrain. Snowpack and avalanche information is also available on the ACMG Mountain Conditions Report and PowderCloud.

Check these advisories before heading into the mountains: www.avalanche.ca, www.powdercloud.com and www.acmg.ca

Results in competition? Sure. Improvement? Yes. Goals reached and reset? Of course. Having fun? Absolutely.

Now how does the Sun Peaks Alpine Club measure success? By watching all of the above happen at the Teck Okanagan Zone GS races on Jan. 14 and 15. The level of skiing showed by our local team was impressive, to say the least. There were over 140 racers competing in giant slalom over the two days, and the Sun Peaks Racers dominated the competition. Teams from the Okanagan and Prince George raced hard in three races and, judging by the results, our team is on the right track. Have a look at our K1 girls’ to the right.

Other Sun Peaks Racers that had outstanding performances were first year Josh Jacoby with two silvers and a bronze, Evan Monroe with a bronze and a fourth, Claire Madill with a bronze, and Pramod Thapa with a silver. Sage Pavlovich, Brian Buffel, Chase Duff and Anna Bruce all had top 10 performances as well.

The coaches, Bill Rublee, James Clarkson, Matthias Schmid, Michael Lee and Jim Knowles all deserve a huge pat on the back for training the kids well on the hill, and for giving them the confidence to know they can do anything they set their minds to.

Club parents will remember day two of the Zone race as the day we fought off the temptation to abandon the kids and go ski the 30 centimetres of fresh powder that fell. Instead, parents and race organizers worked hard to make a safe race track for all the racers and parents. The racers did get to have a pretty sweet warm-up session, getting five powder runs in by
9 a.m.

A huge thanks to Sun Peaks Resort for their contribution to the event, and to Powder Hounds Restaurant, 5Forty Café and Deli, Jardines, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, McSporties and Canuel Caterers and all the volunteers that donated so much.

On the freeskiing side of things, Sun Peaks Racers, Jackson and Sandy Philips and Liam Cartwright competed at the Red Mountain Canadian Freeskiing Open. All three guys ripped it up with Jackson finishing 4th and Sandy 6th in the seven to 11 age category. Jackson had the highest scoring second run. Our racers ski hard in all conditions and competitions.

Cathy Astofooroff, B.C. Snowboard Association’s executive director, brought the series to Sun Peaks last year for the first time.

“We hadn’t been up for a freestyle event before, so it was really nice to see the park,” says Astofooroff. “It was in great shape, very well maintained and the mountain was very supportive of us.”

The Snowboard Series events are open to all ages, and are part of a series whereby snowboarders accumulate Ticket to Ride (TTR) points, similar to FIS ranking in ski events.

“We do an all encompassing event and divide the final results to award different age groups of 14 and under, 15 to 18, and 19 and over,” says Astofooroff.

New this year are cash prizes. Purses of $300 for first place, $200 for second and $100 for third place will be awarded to both male and female competitors both days.

“We also do draw prizes, something that everybody can win,” says Astofooroff.

Last year 50 people attended the event, including members of the association’s provincial and developmental teams. Astofooroff is looking forward to welcoming even more teams and individual competitors from around the province to Sun Peaks for this year’s series.

The events will be held at the Rock Star Terrain Park, Jan. 21 and 22.

Worrying about people liking you and tossing the family pets around is senseless and draining. It’s not empowering or constructive, and it destroys your focus.

While trying to please everyone all the time, you run the risk of wasting energy trying to please the wrong people and leave the person who you do need to please, you, drained of energy.

Have you ever met someone and felt your soul rejoice because they laughed at your jokes, and were immediately sympathetic to your plights? Why can’t everyone be this way you wonder? Conversely have you ever met someone you felt you just couldn’t get through to? Someone seemingly from an alien planet?

Some people react to this situation by thinking, “I have to get this person to like me.” In the impossible task of trying to get everyone to like you, you are just wasting time and energy, which could be used to focus on your real dreams and goals.

This need to be liked comes from your subconscious. It’s the result of past painful experiences of someone not liking you.

To get beyond trying to get everyone to like you one must accept that there are always going to be people with whom you do not resonate. Lessen your burden and focus on what you really need to, you.

Bill Cosby is famous for saying that he doesn’t know what the key to success is, but he does know that trying to please everyone all the time is the key to failure. Smart man. If you know what you’re looking for you’ll be much more likely to attract people with the same goals and strengths. Letting go of the need to please is freeing and will enable you to focus all that energy toward your real goals.

Ask yourself, “Why would you want to be trying to connect with someone like you?” Get to know your own strengths, thoughts and goals, and be comfortable with them. Let people who don’t like you live with their own strengths, thoughts and goals.

As part of national Learn to Ski or Snowboard Day students from Westmount were selected to enjoy a free day of lessons, rentals and skiing or snowboarding, with transportation from Sun Star Shuttle and a hot lunch included.

Richard’s class was chosen as the winner after putting together a photo essay proving how much they love winter and why they deserve a free day. The class cited their community mindedness, they support Big Brothers/Big Sisters Strikes for Tykes and display artwork at the Kamloops Library, as well as their love of snow, and desire to visit Sun Peaks as some of the reasons that they should have been chosen. Everyone in the class contributed to the project.

“It was by far the most creative, and largest, submission and included many pictures and features as to why they should be chosen,” says Anne Haight, Director of Sales and Marketing at Sun Peaks Resort Corporation. “The class did a fantastic job expressing their overwhelming desire to embrace winter sports at Sun Peaks Resort.”

Some of the students have never been to Sun Peaks, and others are excited about showing it off to their peers, explains Richard.

“The kids are very excited,” she says. “It’s very, very generous of Sun Peaks to do something like this. What a way to introduce kids in the community to Sun Peaks.”

Classes are restricted to 15 students per class and cost $90 per person for the series, or $17 per class for drop-ins (providing there’s space). Yoga for Skiers is being held at Nancy Greene’s Cahilty Lodge from 2:30 to 4 p.m. Students are asked to bring their own yoga mat or towel to class.

For more information please contact Charlie Bruce at 250-579-5653 or Nancy Greene’s Cahilty Lodge at 250-578-7454.