The second-to-last week of January, I told my wife with a somewhat matter-of-fact tone that the next six weeks were going to be ‘intense.’

It felt like every career, athletic and passion-project would be front and center. At the same time.

There has been the weekly dose of World Cup coverage for Vail-area athletes — but also, 7 athletes made it to the Youth Olympic Games. I’ve been on-site for high school basketball games and NCAA and high school ski races and there’s been many a phone calls with local winter citizens racers and state-bound wrestlers. There was a day where I published not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, but six stories. The weekly average has been in the 12-14 range, and I still feel like I get to Sunday with three separate stories in the works, but needing to be published ASAP.

I’ve announced for skiandsnowboard.live on three separate weekends.

Finally, I opened my own race season with a 30k skate on Jan. 27, a 42k classic on Feb. 3 and a 20k skate last weekend. The training volume has been high (21-23 hours/week), and the sleep has been just enough.

Before this stretch, I asked a men’s discipleship group to pray that I would have success – sort of in the spirit of King David when he asks for victory over his foes in the Psalms. I asked for the same thing from my wife and I’ve been praying for this for myself, too. I know that blessing comes from the hand of the Lord — Deuteronomy chapter 8 is my go to text when I am overwhelmed by pre-race nerves (there is a good story as to how I arrived there…well, ‘good’ is relative, I guess, but it’s certainly meaningful to me….another post perhaps).

Another prayer has been to remain humble and also to pursue success with the right heart. It’s a fine line between having the ‘mojo’ confidence that helps one enter the athletic battlefield and going over the top with a self-centered lust for glory.

I’ll admit, I haven’t always succeeded there. When I’ve lost races, I’m quick to be angry and point fingers at God. But when I win, I think my tendency is to praise my own efforts — and worse – hope others do the same.

I felt compelled to write this because I wanted to express sincere thanks to the Lord for putting me here and giving me victory these last few weeks. I’ve stayed healthy while my whole family got sick with RSV. My races have gone very well, the writing has been smooth and the broadcasts have felt better each time. We drove through the night (with a dog and two girls under the age of 2.5) earlier this week and were safe and sound. Honestly, if I listed all the things I’m thankful for, it would take up the remaining memory space on my WordPress.

I also felt compelled to write this morning because for the last several hours, I’ve just been on my computer typing…but not writing. I’ve been studying and preparing for this morning’s World Cup broadcasts in Minneapolis. Punching in numbers, summarizing bios, etc. I needed to just soak in the fact that I’m actually doing this. I mean, let’s look back at the journey, albeit briefly.

My first announcing gig was as a 5 or 6 year old. I did all sports at that time….except Nordic skiing, I guess.

Beanie Baby running, Beanie Baby basketball, Beanie Baby football, Beanie Baby baseball, even Beanie Baby gymnastics. It was a pretty hard gig, but not as hard as it sounds, since I also was the unilateral power divinely decreeing every movement pattern in the athletes I was talking about.

I could make up background stories on the spot and they, by definition, were true.

Things got a little more complicated when I tried out as the Monday Night Football radio broadcaster for Westwood One a few years later.

I took a tape ….yes, tape….recorder and set it on a coffee table, which I pulled in front of the TV. On it were the 12×8 inch recorder, a random toy microphone that was not at all connected to the recorder (but DID have a box I taped below the pop filter with ‘ESPN’ scribbled to it in red marker), and flash card notes I’d made for a few of the athletes. I remember now that I had some things jotted down about Steve McNair….

I watched the TV broadcast —on mute, obviously — and called the game into the recorder.

It was a lot of fun. While it lasted.

I did realize that my grand idea of being a radio broadcaster wasn’t really perfect. I was at the mercy of the TV broadcast angles, so I didn’t have the 22-wide view. I also didn’t have someone keeping track of stats for me. I didn’t have any piped in sound, so my recording was the most awkward thing ever. Had to really fill time. Then, sometime after halftime, my mom came downstairs and said with a shocked tone, “Ryan! It’s 10:15!”

I think my bed time was like 8:30 at the time.

By the way, that comment was caught on the broadcast. I remember I didn’t even lose a step.

“And, we’ll be back on WestWood one after station identification.”

…that tape would be a golden item to have now, that’s for sure.

I took about a decade off from commentary before hopping courtside for a DIII boys basketball game with my college roommate. And now…let’s just fast-forward because I need to wrap this up and get out for a run….here we are.

As Doug Mientkiewicz once said, “you doubted us….but now we’re here.”

Actually, no one has really doubted me, but I’ve always wanted to use that quote.

I suppose a better ending would just be this, from Psalm 29, which I just happened to flip to last night before going to bed.

The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
    the God of glory thunders,
    the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.
⁴ The voice of the Lord is powerful;
    the voice of the Lord is majestic.
⁵ The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
    the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
⁶ He makes Lebanon leap like a calf,
    Sirion^[b] like a young wild ox.
⁷ The voice of the Lord strikes
    with flashes of lightning.
⁸ The voice of the Lord shakes the desert;
    the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh.
⁹ The voice of the Lord twists the oaks^[c]
    and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

When I read it the first time, I’ll admit, I wasn’t really paying attention. I was just ‘doing my Christian duty.’ Then I stopped and prayed that I would speak clearly behind the microphone today. When I opened my eyes, I looked back at the text. I noticed the word ‘voice’ in verse 9. I thought that was ironic.

Then I noticed it in verse 8, 7, and so on.

Clearly, I had just breezed over this passage without really reading it. I read it again.

In the NKJV, verse 9 reads: “The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth and strips the forests bare.”

Woah….I thought that was a strange verse. Why a deer? Why birth? Strips the forests? Think about the juxtaposition there. On the one hand, birth – a painful ordeal that results in new life. On the other hand, stripping a forest – total destruction.

The Lord gives and the Lord taketh away.

My prayer this morning is that God would be with me and give – not take away – something great. Even with all the studying and prepping, He ultimately is in control of everything.

I want to do my best. I want, when people hear me and see athletes skiing, them somehow to be drawn, not to me, but to Him.