Progression, Setbacks and Comebacks
rider Luba Savrnoch | photo @bwiesener
Progression, Setbacks and Comebacks
The Pursuit: You’ve been waiting months to see the first snowfall hit your favorite riding zones. Your thoughts of riding every chance you get and crushing every goal you have are coming closer and closer. That snow is only here for a limited time, so you have to make every day count.
Progression: Taking a step-by-step approach with calculated risk-taking will build confidence and is the key to reaching the goals you have in mind. There will always be some degree of risk to what we do and being calculated about your decisions will keep you safer, but at some point you’ll have to step out of comfort zone if you really want to progress. But sometimes the simplest mistake can cause the biggest setbacks.
Setbacks: Anything involving risk also involves setbacks. Specifically injuries. Injuries are bound to creep up on you the more you expose yourself to risks. It’s all part of the game, but the question is: how bad is it? How long will you be out for? Right now, breaking my hand has been a huge setback to my plans. Being my first snowmobile-related injury, I have felt pretty helpless, like I was letting a lot of people down. And yeah, maybe I’m missing out on some amazing riding opportunities as a result, but what I quickly realized is that no matter what, things could always be worse. The most important thing for me to do is to focus on healing properly so down the road my injury does not cause me any trouble. Because once you break a hand you realize how important a proper recovery is. I’ve learned that keeping a positive mindset is key in any situation.
The Comeback: You need to stay driven to make a comeback after any injury. If there’s anything that can be used as motivation to recover and get back, it’s thinking of time spent being on top of a mountain on a clear, bluebird day with endless fresh powder in front of you. When you have a passion for something, your progression is what makes it become so addicting, it leaves you always coming back for more. It doesn’t matter how many times you crash, or how many times you fall off of your sled, it’s about how many times you brushed it off, got back on your sled and tried again. Trust the process, learn from your mistakes and keep pushing this amazing sport that all of our hearts beat for.
A broken hand is sometimes the risk taken in pursuit of progression. But without risk, there is no reward.
Reward: Where the phrase “I can’t do that” becomes a thing of the past. The feeling of finally achieving that goal you’ve always wanted, whether it’s your first carve or a big, technical jump, the feeling of accomplishment is the same. Once you start experiencing that feeling of progression, you’ll keep coming back for more. Always remember, we all have to start somewhere.
Luba will be back in no time, continuing to push herself and her progression.
– Luba Savrnoch
