Page 26 - Jan_14

reader athlete
lINdlEy VaN dEr lINdE

age: 42 | residence: Burke hollow | Family: husband, Tiaan; children, stella, 3, and Linden, 5; dog, digby | occupation: Teacher at Burke Mountain
Academy | nordic skiing, trail running, and mountain biking | Primary sport: nordic skiing, trail running, and mountain biking

An eLiTe noRdiC sKieR in hiGh sChooL And CoLLeGe, LindLey
vAn deR Linde sTood on The PodiuM AT JunioR nATionALs,

eARned nCAA ALL-AMeRiCAn honoRs, And wAs honoRed

As A sPoRTs iLLusTRATed AThLeTe oF The weeK, sKi RACinG
MAGAzine’s FeMALe JunioR sKieR oF The yeAR, And usA

sKiinG JunioR AThLeTe oF The yeAR. she hAsn’T sLowed

down As An AduLT, winninG The CRAFTsBuRy MARAThon

TwiCe And CoAChinG AT The noRdiC JunioR nATionALs.

Vs: you’ve had an incredible skiing in every event, including the relay. camaraderie. Athletics is still a big part getting into. There was a hurricane,
career. tell us about some of the high-
I enjoy pushing myself hard, and of my life.
and we were stuck in Bermuda, and I
lights. winning was just the icing on the cake. was seasick the entire time and became
LVDL: At the peak of my success, I was My parents always asked if I was having Vs: what discipline and distances do emaciated. That’s when my husband
in Sports Illustrated as an athlete of the fun and whether I was learning some- you prefer? proposed, and I decided to skip medical
LVDL: When I started skate skiing, I school so we could both continue teach-
week and a USA Skiing Junior Nordic thing. Even in college, I loved going
athlete of the year. When I was grow- to the starting line. Sometimes I think was ahead of the curve, but now I’m ing and have similar schedules.
ing up, Nordic skiing was just classic, back and wish I’d pursued racing af- better at classic. I also prefer the longer
but I learned to skate ski when I was in ter college, but in the early ’90s there distances. After teaching and coaching Vs: when did you start mountain biking?
eighth grade through the Bill Koch pro- at high levels, I got into marathon rac- LVDL: I got my first mountain bike in
was no support system. When I gradu-
gram and that gave me an advantage. I ated, I was concerned about not being ing. I stopped when my husband and I 1989. It’s a really great way to train
learned about Eastern Cup races when financially dependent on my parents so decided to have children, but now that in the offseason, and it’s also just fun.
I was in high school and was one of the they’re older, I have more time. Last Lately I’ve been doing more races like
first girls in my age group to qualify in I worked at boarding schools where I year I did the Stowe Derby. It’s hard to the CircumBurke. It’s part of how we
could teach and coach. I’ve been lucky
New England. I podiumed at Nationals
to be a part of a sport with such great
balance things with children, and some- ended up in Burke. I grew up going to
times a race is the only time I get to be Vermont in the summer and Tiaan is
out on skis for more than an hour. My from here. We were looking to move to
exercising keeps me sane in this crazy Vermont from New Hampshire and fell
life of balancing it all. It’s very thera- in love with the Northeast Kingdom. In

peutic and fun because when I’m in addition to the outdoor opportunities,
shape, I can push myself. I still get joy I fell in love with the community. I’ve
out of racing, but I have other interests never felt as close to a community as I
as well.
do here. This place has it all.

Vs: let’s talk about some of those. how Vs: how do you find time to work, exer-
did you end up hiking in Ecuador? cise, garden, and raise pigs, chickens,
LVDL: After college, I taught in Maine, and children?
and another teacher wanted to bring LVDL: I have a lot of energy. Sometimes

some students to climb Chimborazo so it’s hard, but for the most part, it brings
I signed up to be a co-leader. I didn’t re- me a lot of joy to do all those things. My
alize what I was getting into. You get kids come first and then my job. This
acclimated in the different villages and summer was hard because I was taking

then hike to base camp and leave in the a professional development course at
middle of the night. I get altitude sick- night, but I’d get up at 5 a.m. to exercise.
ness, and I threw up on the way up so It made for a long day. It’s not really ex-
I had very little energy left on the way ercise but more “me time.” If I can fit

down. Thankfully I could use a rope that in, I can do everything better, and
and slide and use my ice axe as a brake. I’m a much happier person. I am now
I haven’t done anything like that since.
in a good place with a schedule that al-
lows me to balance my family, homelife,
Vs:youalsodeliveredasailboattothe work, and play. Sometimes I have to
caribbean?
combine my interests, but my kids are
LVDL: I re-met my husband at our 10- reaching a very fun age where they can
year high school reunion. I was about join me. If I go for a run on the trails,
to go to medical school, but he had this my five-year-old can mountain bike be-

plan to sell the sailboat, he was living side me, and I’ve attached a pole to my
out West, and he invited me to come daughter’s Skuut (a pedalless bike) so I
along. I deferred medical school for a can push her while I run or ski.
year, and we drove cross-country and
sailed from Nova Scotia to the Carib- —Phyl Newbeck

bean. Again, I didn’t know what I was

26 VtsPorts.coM
FEbruary/March 2014