One more amazing year in the record books! Homecoming went off without a hitch again this year!  All the girls flew in to Pittsburgh on Thursday evening and the shuttle picked them up at the airport.  They arrived at Seven Springs just in time for women’s olympic halfpipe.  I was in the lobby awaiting their arrival. We quickly made our way to one room and all huddled around the TV.   It was fun to sit with all the girls and cheer on all of our olympic friends.

Friday morning brought some questionable weather.  The wind was blowing and I was worried.  I work so hard to make this contest all it can be, but the one thing I can’t control is the weather.  Although, sometimes I wish I could… Practice didn’t start until 11 and the wind lightened up considerably.  The Seven Springs park crew headed by Joel Rerko did such a good job building and maintaining the course that practice went really well.  It was just like the X Games, snowmobile tows all day long! After practice all the girls explored the resort.  Seven Springs is like a cruise ship.  Tons of restaurants and bars, bowling, mini putt, roller skating, gamerooms, and pools all in one building.  There is never all dull moment.  That night Seven Springs invited us all to the Seafood buffet.   Crab legs, shrimp, and scallops!  It was awesome!

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I woke up Saturday morning.  Blues skies as far as I could see!  That’s a rarity in Pennsylvania.  Especially this winter, because PA is breaking all the records for annual snowfall.  The course had 3 jumps and 3 rails.  The first jump was 35-40ft with a Cannon as an option.  The Second jump was 50ft and the last jump was 60ft.   The course had plenty of speed, which was really welcomed by all the girls.  Because the run is so short Joel got creative.  The bottom rail feature had an up rail to a wall ride to a down rail.  It was great for spectators, and there were a lot!  Homecoming was during the second weekend of Seven Springs annual Winterfest.  Jen Hudak, Kaya Turski and I got to promote the contest during the evening and morning weather reports on WTAE Pittsburgh.  We were also giving away a ton of free Monster Energy drinks, so that added to the excitement.  I think the sun and the spectators really added to the level of competition.  The contest was a jam format again this year.  Two preliminary heats and 5 girls advanced to the final.  All the girls skied really well.  Roz Groenwood was boosting nicely grabbed 7′s, Ashley Battersby was going huge, and Meg Olenick kept it smooth and stylie, while Kaya Turski, Devin Logan, Dania Assaly, Keri Herman and I moved on to the finals.  Kaya’s amazing switch 7′s put her in the number one spot yet again, Devin Logan’s misty 7 propelled her into 2nd and Keri Herman’s incredible switch cork 5′s put her in a comfortable 3rd place!  The contest was all I hoped for.  Great weather, great course, great level, and great friends.

The contest was over, but the party was just beginning.  I’ve been telling people about the Foggy Goggle for years.  I believe it is the craziest apres bar in the country, and maybe even the world.  I know that seems like a big claim, but the numbers don’t lie.  I once heard a stat that the Foggy Goggle sells more drinks annually than the Steelers stadium in Pittsburgh.  The awards and the party were all time.  The Foggy Goggle was packed and the girls were the main attraction.  Lots of smiles, dancing on tables and fun times.  The party went into the night and the rest is history!  Another year in the books!  I think I speak for all the girls when I say ” I can’t wait for Homecoming 2011! Thanks to Seven Springs and Monster Energy for all of your support!  Let’s make it bigger and better next year!

Grandma Grace and Amanda

My Grandma passed away last week.  It was unexpected, and she passed in her sleep.  In many ways, it was a blessing, because she had cancer and she wasn’t going to get better in the coming months.  I haven’t been home in a while, so it doesn’t feel like she is really gone.  Last time I saw her, I was rushing to make a flight.  I’m so glad I stopped to give her a hug and a kiss.

Grandma Grace was a complex women.  Conversations with her never ended up in the same place that they started, she was unreasonably stubborn about some things and amazingly well adjusted to others.  Apart from her idiosyncrasies she was brilliant.  Grandma could do the New York times crossword puzzle in 10 minutes. My favorite memories are of us playing Scrabble. She always won, no matter how unlucky her choice of letters.  She often read several books in the time I could read a chapter. Her book collection rivaled the library in the town that I grew up in.  She could recite poetry all day, and she always had a rhyme to relate to our chats.  (Although the content wasn’t always appropriate for mixed company)…  She was very strong willed and independent. She spent 40 years of her life living alone and was never afraid to do it her way.  She was very loving, and I know that in her later years her children and grandchildren made her happier than anything else.  She was always excited to hear the latest news and pass it along.  She was very proud of her family and loved to let everyone know it. When I was a kid people said that I got a lot of my looks from Grandma Grace. Since I was young I didn’t like being compared to  grandma, but now I think it’s a great compliment.  I played Scrabble in her name after she passed, and I used all my letters for an 86 point score.  I knew Grandma helped me with that one. She lived to be 80 years old, I know we all hope for more, but we’ll be lucky to make it there. R.I.P. GG  I love you!

]]> http://kristileskinen.com/grandma-grace/feed/ 0 http://kristileskinen.com/the-superstars-episode-5/ http://kristileskinen.com/the-superstars-episode-5/#comments Wed, 22 Jul 2009 18:00:00 +0000 Kristi Leskinen Contributed By Kristi Leskinen