Methow Valley native Novie McCabe talked about her experiences at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics during an appearance at the Winthrop Barn last week.
Local Nordic skiing star shines in visit home
Methow Valley native Novie McCabe, who competed in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics games as a Nordic skier for the U.S. team, was the special guest speaker as the Methow Valley Nordic Skiing Education Foundation (MVNSEF) hosted its annual meeting in the Winthrop Barn last Thursday (May 5).
Paralympian Erin Martin, who also competed this year and trains in the Methow Valley, was slated to appear, but family needs in San Diego limited her to a long-distance, pre-recorded video appearance.
In addition to the two current Olympians, four other former Olympians with Methow Valley roots were in attendance at the event, including McCabe’s mother, Laura McCabe, Leslie Hall, Suzanne King and Erik Bjornsen. Clearly, though, the night belonged to the younger McCabe.
After running through some routine annual business, MVNSEF Executive Director Peter Leonard quickly transitioned the meeting toward the program of interest for most of the 100 or so people attending the event.
Martin, who qualified for the 2022 Paralympics as a sit-skier, recorded a video of thanks from San Diego. Her message to the gathered, and the Methow Valley community, was one of gratitude for the support she has received over the past few years in getting her to the point of qualification for this year’s Paralympics competition.
“I was pleased and surprised at how I was able to push myself,” she said. “I could not have gone from novice to Olympian in three years without the support of the Methow Valley community.”
Martin’s Olympic experience consisted of racing in two events, the 1-kilometer sprint and the 7.5K cross country race. While she didn’t medal in either event, she was still satisfied with her first games. “The races weren’t super technical,” according to Martin, “but the snow conditions were challenging.”
“But, I felt like there was nothing I couldn’t do after skiing on those high school trails,” she said, referencing the Sean McCabe trails at Liberty Bell High School.
Martin’s home is in north Seattle, where she commutes to her job at Children’s Hospital. Her plans include returning to the Methow during the summer season, where she enjoys riding her recumbent bicycle and doing warm weather training.
Rock star status
McCabe’s turn on the stage drew the rapt attention of the crowd, especially a group of young Nordic skiing girls in the front rows. While the term “rock star” doesn’t really fit the rather quiet, subdued and humble personality of the latest local Olympian, it is clear that among the younger population at the Barn last Thursday, she’s there.
The 20-year-old Liberty Bell graduate (2019) was home for a few days with mom Laura and sister Dashe, taking a break from her studies and training at the University of Utah where she most recently won the NCAA National Championship in the 5K Nordic freestyle.
The Olympic thing happened pretty quickly for McCabe, learning of her nomination on a Monday afternoon, being whisked away on Tuesday morning from Salt Lake City for two weeks of training camp north of Milan, Italy, then flying off to Beijing. “The Olympic Village and surrounding area reminded me of Utah. It was almost like being at home,” she told the attentive audience.
“I didn’t think I would be nervous,” she said. “But I was. Extremely nervous for my first race,” emphasizing the long “e” sound and rolling her eyes, drawing laughs.
Originally scheduled to ski only one race, McCabe benefited from two alterations to her itinerary that included entries in the final day 30K cross country race and the 4x5K relay. The 30K entry made it possible for her to join in the closing ceremonies, which she described as “amazing and super cool.” The athletes were able to ride the bullet train for that. “I got to be in the closing ceremonies, and take it all in,” she said.
Living the Olympics
Of the rest of her time in China, McCabe said they did a lot of training and watched some of the other events on television. “Oh my gosh, I watched so much TV,” she said. “Mostly, it was Olympic sports. That was pretty much all that was on.”
She said that the village at the Nordic Center was interesting, and talked about the bikes they were issued for transportation around the vicinity. The athletes had been warned that bike theft was a huge issue. McCabe showed a photo of her bike, which she used through most of the two weeks before it was stolen. “They cut the cable and stole the whole thing,” she said with a shrug of the shoulders and a smile.
During the question-and-answer period, McCabe said that the persistent wind stood out. “While the temperatures were cold, but kinda like I’m used to, the wind was bitter,” she said.
One other manifestation of the high desert site was the lack of precipitation around the course. The winds were a constant problem, blowing desert sand onto the groomed surface comprised mostly of artificial snow. “Our wax techs were having a tough time as we don’t usually race on snow with sand mixed into it,” McCabe said.
The athletes’ transportation from venue to venue was usually by bus that was, by her description, very slow. “It would take, like, four or five hours to get from Beijing up to our village on a road that should have only taken a couple of hours, mostly because the drivers would drive at about 20 miles per hour. Really slow,” she said.
Clearly, a return to the next Winter Games in Milan is on the list for 2026. For now, though, it’s a couple of days off, then back to Utah for more school and to begin training for the 2022-23 winter seasons of NCAA and international competitions.
How many more Olympics are in store for McCabe? “We’ll see,” she said with a smile.
