The weather this year has been less then great but a little bit of snow the night before made for perfect conditions on Saturday January 30th. Not super cold, not too windy, it was just perfect. This year was our 4th annual Get the Girls out Berkshire East event. We have been so lucky to have them as great partners over the last four years and look forward to keeping this event going! This year I decided to have it on a Saturday night hoping more women would be able to make it and not have it be so rushed after work. We had a great turn out, many of whom have come all four years! It was awesome to have help from our Ambassador Alex Norton and Director Tracy Remelius as well as I roped in some of the women I work with on the Berkshire East Ski team (Siobhan and Maddy) to help lead groups. Thanks to these women we were able to split up in to small groups by ability, build confidence, community and have an awesome night!
In the North East we have been so lucky to have many awesome women becoming involved in SheJumps in various ways. A few weeks before the event I received an email from Maggie Peeke from Boston MA wanting to become more involved. She was wondering if there were any opportunities at the upcoming Berkshire East event. I needed some group leaders and I knew she would be a perfect fit. Here is a quote from Maggie about her first night with SheJumps
“I wanted to get more involved in getting girls and women outside to enjoy the numerous fun activities and after following SheJumps, I finally decided to reach out. My first encounter was during the “Get the Girls Out Berkshire East” event and while it was still a 2 hour drive from the city, it was so worth it. The night skiing was a blast, everyone was so fun and nice and best of all, it was so encouraging. To know that there are other women out there with similar interests and desires to get more females outdoors, was inspiring and I can only hope that we continue to grow and make more of an impact as the season’s progress!”
We also had a few women who this was their first time skiing ever. My friend Sarah Murphy who I met years ago kayaking came from NY. I set her and her sister up with Maddy Mientka my friend and Berkshire East coach. Here is what she had to say about her time skiing! ” We all have things on our bucket lists One of those things for me has been conquering any intimidation I felt about skiing, and I did just that recently with a little help from SheJumps. I learned a lot about my own mettle when put to the test, staring death in the face from the top of the bunny slope, under a dome of stars all eagerly waiting to reveal their score cards. Conditions were optimal; not a hint of wind interference or ice underfoot, and for once, I wasn’t even distracted by hunger. But sometimes, understandably in situations like these, you get into your own head and the high stakes pressure activates the instinct to spontaneously collapse. Dear friends, if this happens to you, keep persevering. Keep chasing that dream. Get to the bottom of your own bunny slope, and enjoy every laugh and moment along the way. I know I did! All the people we met were incredible and outgoing, and I’m now hooked to both skiing and SheJumps!” Here is a little video of her night!
The night ended with a raffle with awesome donations from Berkshire East, The Alpine Sport Shop, Vermont Peanut Butter, Kate’s Real Food, Western Rise, Eastern Mountain Sports Hadley MA, Darn Tough, Little Red Wagon Coffee, Ursa Major and EcoLips. Thank you to all of our partners! Thank you to all of the amazing women who came out to help me make this event the best and thank you to all the participants that help the SheJumps community keep growing!
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