Note: Seventeen-year-outdated U.S. juniors Hailey Swirbul, of the Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club, and Hannah Halvorsen, of the Sugar Bowl Academy, interviewed Norwegian 2007 Planet Champion Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen and collaborated on the over video. The two not too long ago returned from the Global Junior Camp in Oslo and Sjusjøen, Norway, which incorporated 15 nations: Finland, Sweden, Norway, France, Italy, Austria, South Korea, Slovenia, Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Czech Republic, Canada, and the U.S. Swirbul wrote and submitted the following recap of Jacobsen’s group presentation.
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In the cross-nation ski nation of Norway, it would be not possible for National Ski Group members to commit to something besides complete-time skiing, proper? Wrong. Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen, 28, member of the Norwegian Women’s National Team, is pushing that proposition aside. The skier is presently the only one particular of ten women on the national team taking classes, picking to “take a break from becoming an athlete and also prepare for existence following skiing” by balancing full-time medical school with her complete-time ski career.
“Studying and being an athlete is a excellent blend, it just will take dedication,” Jacobsen mentioned.
As a junior, Jacobsen attended a college that prioritized academics and chose nordic skiing as far more of a hobby. Nonetheless, in a presentation to 135 juniors (ages U18 to U20) at the recent International Junior Camp in Sjusjøen, Norway, she mentioned that she targeted on mastering strategy even though remembering to train with “high quality.”
4 U.S. juniors at the Global Junior Camp with Norway’s Astrid Jacobsen, who presented to the camp in Sjusjøen, Norway. From left to proper: Alayna Sonnesyn, Hailey Swirbul, Jacobsen, Katharine Ogden, and Hannah Halvorsen. (Photo: Hailey Swirbul)
“I worked so challenging with items that had been my greatest weakness,” Jacobsen said.
Her centered training led her to grow to be a two-time junior world champion in Kranj, Slovenia (2005/2006). The following season at age 19, Jacobsen won her very first World Championships title in the classic sprint in in Sapporo, Japan. In 2009, she suffered a job-altering mountain bike crash, in which she fractured the two elbows, her jaw, and broke her back. She was advised that she may well not be capable to ski once again, but within eight months, Jacobsen finished seventh in the traditional sprint at the Vancouver Olympics.
“You will struggle, you will fall … You will come to feel all of the work is for absolutely nothing, but it will usually flip out in the finish,” Jacobsen explained.
While recovering from her bike crash, Jacobsen invested three months in a back brace and was confined to strict rehabilitation to regain movement in her physique. Last season, she dislocated her shoulder in a rollerski accident, and directed her energy for the duration of that rehab towards learning to grow to be a physician.
“Instead of feeling like a failure, I felt like I did anything,” she mentioned of her schooling. “It is yet another issue that I love to do.”
Last season, right after becoming accused of not completely committing to her athletic career, Jacobsen took courses “secretly,” rationalizing that she’s fastest when she is most relaxed and pleased as a student-athlete. She enrolled in classes that did not require attendance, and told her teammates about her research soon after a couple of months of college.
“[My teammates] have been surprised when they saw I was able to pull off a total-time school in addition to skiing quickly last winter,” Jacobsen said. “In a way I think I proved both athletes and coaches incorrect.”
At 2015 Globe Championships in Falun, Sweden, she captured two medals: silver in the skiathlon and gold in the 4-man or woman relay.
Jacobsen attributed her capacity to balance college, skiing and a social life to her “flexible thoughts.”
“I am really rapid to alter my strategy,” Jacobsen mentioned. “You require to be a bit versatile in the direction of coaching strategies for it to work.”
For the duration of the school yr, Jacobsen cuts back on the two traveling and social occasions to deal with her routine, and reminds herself of the significance of eating, consuming and sleeping appropriately to preserve a healthful mind and physique. That mindset allows her to have time to chase multiple dreams and value the extended-term image.
“I enjoy skiing, but it is not my existence,” Jacobsen stated. “I don’t come to feel like everything is falling apart even when it is not going so properly.”
The World Cup skier of 10 years has learned that “preparation is essential,” she stated. Before an important race, she enjoys soothing reading or viewing quick videos. She constantly tends to make a race execution plan, and suggests to “keep reminding by yourself of what you do well” and to remember your past successes as an athlete.
To this skier, even the slightest improvement, academically or athletically, is a win. Her advice to young athletes?
“I just want young athletes to consider what they want, now and for the long term, and make selections that will bring them there,” she stated. “Hard operate is essential for good results in all arenas, not just sport.”