Lea Lambert ’24. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.
Lea Lambert ‘24 is a recent graduate (class of 2024) of Northwood School, and this year, she is skiing on the Québec ski team. This accomplishment has always been a goal for her, which makes it that much more fulfilling. She wanted to join the Québec team because she of the honor it is to represent her province. “It’s an honor to represent the color of Québec. It’s always been my dream, and it’s the best team I can be on right now. I hope it will project me into something bigger and better.” The Québec team has also given Lea the confidence, talent, and physical strength to become a better skier.
So far, Lea has had a great experience on the Québec team. However, there have been many ups and downs. “It’s been very challenging being in an environment where we ski a lot and do hard races. However, I’ve learned to love skiing even on the days where I don’t perform at my best; I always feel excited in the starting gate.” Lea didn’t have the best start to her season; however, things have taken a turn for the better. Recently, she won her first Fis race, a GS, and scored a personal best of 38.59. Also, she has consistently scored in the 40s in Slalom, which is a significant accomplishment. “This year has been the hardest but best year of my life in terms of skiing.”
Lea took many things away from Northwood that she enforced on the Québec team. “I learned that hard work is going to get me way farther than talent. I knew this before Northwood, but Northwood made me realize this is super important. I got good at skiing at Northwood because I loved the hard-working part.” Lea misses the community at Northwood a lot. “I miss talking to people in the halls at school. I do online school now, so I don’t have a big social circle. I miss it a lot and the teachers that cared about me too.”
Regarding her future, Lea plans to ski on the Québec team for another year or two. She aims to compete at World Juniors one day and have a spot on the D team. “I know it’s going to take a lot, but I believe in myself and my hard work.”
A typical day for Lea on the Québec team is this: she wakes up around 6 for training, then has breakfast consisting of eggs, oatmeal, and a cup of coffee. Then she leaves for training and does a good warmup at the hill with bands and jumping jacks, among other exercises. Afterward, she takes a warmup run on skis and then starts training. Usually, she’ll take around seven runs in the course, and after training, she does dryland. She likes to go for a run or bike and foam roll. Also, the Québec team has a supply of Normatec recovery devices that she loves to use after skiing. Finally, she’ll watch videos, eat dinner, and head to bed around 8 p.m.
Lea is a fantastic athlete who is determined to achieve her goals. Although we miss her at Northwood, she will inevitably do great things in and out of skiing.