Top the Top of Mt. Kilimanjaro!

I walked out of the lockers at RVC and this poster caught my eye: Raise  $10,000 and climb Mt Kilimanjaro for free.  My impulse control flew out the window and I said then and there that I was going to do this. I had spent time in Africa many years ago and I desperately wanted to return. What a perfect opportunity.

Raising the funds didn’t seem an insurmountable task. I had successfully raised funds for charities before.  Now, the question was how on earth was this 57 year old out of shape Brit going to get fit enough to do the climb?

I had met RVC trainer Amy Fortier previously through a colleague so I asked her if she would be willing to work with me to prepare for the climb. She agreed and we put together a training schedule.

Thanks to Amy I made it to the top. It was hard work. We climbed for about seven hours a day for five days. The sixth day -the final ascent- was brutal. We got up at 11:00pm, having had no real sleep, and did a grueling ascent up the switchback trail.  It was pitch black except for the hikers head torches and freezing cold. I wore six layers of clothing. There were times when I just wanted to stop and rest but our guides knew that if you stopped and fell asleep you would die of exposure. Toward the top my guide literally was behind me with his hands on my lower back gently pushing me up the mountain. Just as we got to the top, the sun rose over the crater casting everything in a beautiful orange glow. I was ecstatic and exhausted. I had conquered Kili before it conquered me.

In retrospect there is no way I would have done it without Amy. All the exercises and the time on the stepmill prepared my body well.  I lost about fifteen pounds and have never been more fit. I have actually returned to playing indoor soccer. What’s on the horizon now? I am waiting for a another burst of inspiration. In the meantime, thank you to Amy and to Joe who very generously contributed to my fund-raising efforts. I couldn’t have done it without you. – Paul Foster     

RVC Sponsors Olympic Hopeful Hannah Kearney

I made the United States mogul team when I was sixteen years old and a sophomore at Hanover High School.  Within two years I was traveling the world to compete.  At HHS, I ran track and played soccer. After graduating in 2004, skiing became the sole sport in my life. I didn’t play soccer anymore, I didn’t have track, and I didn’t lift weights.  I skied at every opportunity, but avoided the gym like the plague because I was intimidated.  I did not have the knowledge or experience to feel like I was in my element in the gym.

I stepped foot into the River Valley Club for the first time in April 2005.  It was the off-season before my first chance to make an Olympic team.  With the help of a trainer, I learned how to navigate my way through workouts so that the gym became an important tool and not a scary, foreign building.  I represented USA at the 2006 Olympics, and then ended my next two seasons with knee surgery and a concussion.  

To recover fully from an injury takes time and dedication. The fact that I awoke each day during this process, excited to drive to the River Valley Club and work my way towards my goal of complete recovery reminded me that I was still passionate about mogul skiing.  My hard work at the RVC paid off.

I will be entering the 2010 Olympic season as the number one mogul skier in the world. I relocated for the season to the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, N.Y to focus on attaining my goals and being the best in the world.  

In my sport, I am expected to navigate my way down a field of moguls as fast as I can, go off of two jumps and execute the cleanest, most difficult tricks in my repertoire.  

The RVC has played an important role in my physical fitness and provided me with all the tools I need to successfully complete structured workouts from my strength coach. The Sports Performance Center gives me plenty of space to move through mobility drills, and plyometric exercises.  The cold plunge and hot tub offer my muscles a way to recover after a difficult session.  The friendly staff and beautiful facilities make training more of a pleasure than usual.  I hope to represent the United States at the Olympics this February and make the country, and Upper Valley proud.   A special thank you to the River Valley Club for helping me get the most out of my training.      –Hannah Kearney

Photos Courtesy of: Jody Zom