I'm not much into my own racing these days. With two young kids (one of whom doesn't like sleep and has a knack for getting sick every other week) and a growing business, maintaining any consistency in exercise is a bit of a shot in the dark. So when the team asked me to participate in the weekly Wednesday Night World's at Sleepy Hollow, our local nordic area, I was a bit apprehensive. I can handle hanging on in the group for a daily run or ski without too much trouble, but when it comes to racing, it's pretty hard to conceal your fitness level. But, I was in it for the team activity and thought, "how bad can it be?" Well... It turns out, being out of shape means you're out of shape - there is no hiding it. And racing is really hard! Somehow, though, two weeks later, I found myself gearing up for round two because it was such a good night. I joked when I was heading out the door of the office to race #2, "I'm in it for the potluck!" And everyone agreed. Wednesday Night World's is so much more than a ski race. A friend, skier, and cyclist in the area, Jake Hollenbach, has claimed it's the best thing in his life. And I have to say, these nights are now pretty high up on my list too.

After a race of twists and turns that wouldn't normally be included in a ski race (it's all about the fun!), everyone heads inside for a potluck. Think 40-50 people, all bringing a dish to share, from homemade soup to noodle salads, brownies, and chocolate milk. We grab the ceramic plates from inside the kitchen ourselves, and everyone pitches in to get the meal started. A group of 10-15 kids ages 2 – 10 is running around, playing hide and seek, and claiming an entire kids' table while the adults bump elbows. They laugh as they get to hang out with their ski friends, and their parents wonder where they are after hiding for far too long.

I have talked before about how much focus the Nordic ski community has on fun. The kids do a race to kick the night off if they want, but then they are out playing on snow banks and hitting jumps as their parents race by. Wednesday Night World's is the perfect community event that shows kids and adults the importance of having fun outside, and then celebrating together with a meal.

*sorry for the lack of photos. I asked around to our friends who do Wednesday World's and the consensus was that we are all too busy racing and hanging out to get photos. A perfect sign of a good time :) Luckily, we do have a good friend who is a professional photographer and videographer, Gretchen Powers. She put together this awesome video because she was as inspired by Wednesday Night World's as we were.