Clarification

In my last post, titled "master blasting...", I did not mean to insult master racers in any way. I was playing with the term "master blaster", and it was a bad pun. A master blaster is the stereotypical master endurance athlete who has forgotten that we do this for fun. He is usually male, over 30, possibly in good shape but more likely a desk jockey during the day who used to be a good athlete when he was younger. Most importantly, he takes himself very, very seriously, especially when it comes to racing. For a good master blaster, every workout is a race, but the true blaster attitude comes out during races--it is all on the line, and beware anything in my way!*

So, if you consider Tuesday night races to be the world championships of the universe, and you wax up with pure fluoros for these training races, you're right on the line of becoming a master blaster. You know which way you're tipping if you're smiling and gracious at the start, or if you're fighting for your front row position and skiing over small children to get there.

My main point, though, is that being a master ski racer (or bike racer) does not make you a master blaster. It is master skiers who keep this sport alive, and it is often master skiers who coach the next generation of skiers, which is vitally important for this sport. I hope I didn't offend anyone with my last post (or this one, for that matter).

*There are varying degrees of master-blaster-ness. I'm describing the worst case here. And some master blasters are actually very nice people, they just also happen to be master blasters. Also, triathletes are very good examples of master blasters.