For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
Th’ oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely,
The pangs of protesting, the law’s delay,
The insolence of juries, and the spurns
That patient merit of th’ unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? Who would B-net bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after drills,
The undiscovered country from whose bourn
No traveler returns, puzzles the will
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make winners of us all,
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of piste,
And enterprises of great pitch and moment
With this regard their tactics turn awry,
And lose the techniques of action.—Soft you now!
The Legendary Ullr, in thy orisons
Be all my DSQ’s remembered.
Ah, such liberties with the Bard....
Dean “Coach Deanski” Tonkin
Seattle, Wash.
More Poetry From the Piste
“A Ski in Chile”
Skiing is an instinct that is bred in the mountain,
Carving and arcing, dancing on the snow
As a freeing feeling becomes my soul.
I say, turn the skis out,
Into the mountain valleys.
I love a course that plots itself simply,
And does not deteriorate with every turn,
As a ski may sound so bouncy the skier binds it.
That makes the course no worse than you may find it.
I love to be a well-prepared skier,
Whose ski edges and mighty bases,
Are tuned to perfection,
And are finally brought to the slope, to fly;
That lives one bad bur,
And not thirteen;
An edge worth keeping;
Carving not sliding,
A ski smart and steady,
And always ready,
Never varying between courses,
Dealing with bad conditions,
A ski that is created with large expectations,
That leads everyone to success.
*
On page 26 of Ski Racing Vol. 43, Issue 9, the
photo credits were incorrect. The image of Tina
Maze in the slalom at World Champs is from
Agence Zoom. Ski Racing regrets the error.
Follow World Cup athletes Bode Miller, Lindsey Vonn and more with Ski Racing’s new FREE app.
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SkiRacing.com MARCH 17, 2011 | 6
