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Out of context: Reply #74608
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- sted3
From the age of 8 or 9, every winter I was able to spend at least two weeks skiing in the Polish Tatras. We were not at all wealthy, my grandparents paid for the trip, so I always had the cheapest rental skis and boots on my feet. I just looked at those kids who had the most expensive, coolest gear and clothes, but they weren't any better than me. In the second or maybe third year, one of the teachers asked me if I wanted to ski like the adults, and I said yes. He took one of my skis and for a week we spent 3-4 hours every day practicing with alternating legs. I didn't even knew that what I was studying was called parallel skiing. Meanwhile, I learned how to wax and polish my worn out gear so that it would slide as if it were new. The following year, despite the fact that my stuff was still completely lame, I felt really cool because everyone was interested in where I learned to ski so professionally.
Those few rich kids were angry that I was able to do it so easily while they were still coming down the mountain in snowplough in their expensive new gear. Since then I know that the most expensive and coolest looking things are not necessarily the best, and I decide what is right for me.