Paul Prins

Press at a National Event (USFO)

It’s a bit bizarre, but every now and then I find myself in one of those moods. Wondering what life would be like had I not walked away. After years of hard work I had achieved an incredibly unique situation, having access into a very closed off industry and getting offered several jobs every year to do whatever I wanted (magazines, event production, filming, etc). This was a deep honor, and amazing considering I wasn’t even 18 years old. Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday I took Jordan on our first runaway date since we got married last month. We drove up to Duluth for the day and skied it up at Spirit Mountain. It was super good but very cold. For Jordan this is a first, and she did really good! We’re both looking forward to getting out there and ‘shredding’ it up again.

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Digging back into the archives quite the ways here is a video put together during the summer of 2001 with footage from my first ever ski event held in bemidji, MN at Buena Vista ski area. It was a small turn out of about 20 skiers, a couple snowboarders, and a little crowd.

The event was fun and this started my launch into producing events and led to MSO2, MSO3, and the Midwest Skier Open in the following three years. As-well-as the production of two movies Good Ideas and espionage (which will be posted in part/full later).

Lately my mind hasn’t had much time to slow down and rest. In less then 10 days I will be back in the US. It has so many implications for my life that it is taking a long time to wrap my mind around from; Leaving France, getting married, leaving Midwest Skier, and even projects from France.

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You could own Midwestskier.com

Since 1999 the website Midwest Skier has dominated the online community of Midwest freestyle skiing. From it’s birth the community and subsequent partnerships with magazines, events, and even at times branching into event and video production had become the visible pulse of a much-neglected movement. MidwestSkier is now for sale.

It was the dream realized and pushed forward by Paul Prins who two years ago stepped down from major operations (including production, writing, filming, and photography). His professional and life ambitions have led him away from the world of skiing and the website has fallen into self-admitted neglect. I had thought that I could simply continue to manage content but that was just it, there was a lack of content stemming from issues around empowerment, ownership, and direction.

“In the years to come I will be increasingly involved in my upcoming marriage, studies, and work. If the community is to once again grow and flourish it needs to be passed off now,” Paul said recently when asked about the future of Midwest Skier.

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It’s been a couple days and I’ve got the website coming along quite well. I’m excited to see how it all falls into place and to see if there will be any growth out of it. I’m using a CMS (content managment system) this time around instead of writting my own. I just have to finish the identity of the site and then from there design some clothing and put it online for others to print. I’m pretty stoked about it and how it’s coming along.

Here is the new typeface, working on a logo and sheild for later.

We’re going for kind of a medieval/ren. period and we’ll see how it goes over. I might fidget with that a bit more but it’s mostly how it’s going to look. Any critique is more then welcome, please!

So I’ve been slacking major on the updating of this journal but it will get better, because I’m starting to realize how much I’m suppressing my processing of whats going on in my life. This blog helps me do that. Random stuff; I won a free whole pie at baker square today in my SRVM 110 course because I knew French silk was the most popular pie they sell. So libby and me are going to try to hit that up when we’re both home this weekend (though she’s going home tomorrow). I’ve been doing a lot of conflict resolution this week, so it’s been a lot of fun? I’m starting to tell when I’m stressed out and it’s a lot more often then I realized. It’s just that I never get any real side affects because of it.

Jordan is still sick, she got a much nastier bug then I got. My cold last week was just a sore throat and weird feeling head, she’s got some stomach bug that’s really got her feeling down and worn out. So if you could be praying for her that’d be awesome.

Last night we brainstormed up outreaches for this next quarter, some of them are stinking awesome. I’m constantly in awe of what this team can come up with, and so grateful for all of them because they have some amazing ideas to contribute. Needless to say I think we are all excited to see what Christ is going to do on this campus through our outreaches. I’ll let you know more as we get more planned out.

As for me, I am strangly not busy. I think I’m just making time for reading my new book and it should be pretty interesting. It’s called ‘the prophets’ and is written by this brilliant jewish scholar, Abraham Heschel. I’m finishing up the introduction and really enjoying his insight, it’s a breath of fresh air from all the evangelism books I’ve been reading lately (7 or 8 of them).

I’m looking forward to heading home this weekend and possibly skiing on Saturday. Just realized today that I could probably get to hyland for a couple runs. Pretty excited about that. Going to the variety show with my mom Friday night to watch the little bro. I duno I’m just pretty excited in general to get away from stout for a while. Will be the only time this quarter that I’m going to get home.

Thursday I’m going to have a little phone interview for my STINT application. Basically just talking and going over some personal information that I have a hard time explaining in writing. Which is hard because my RA application is due by tomorrow so I will probably just turn that in and when I hear about STINT email ann marie and tell her if I still can or not.

Also lately I’ve been feeling like revitalizing Midwest Skier and turning it into an online magazine style website. I think it could be a really awesome idea, posted something on there and will see if anyone is willing to help out with it. I’m hoping this goes over well, it would be fun to kick it up, recast the vision, and see how the site does in their hands. Would be quite the test of my ability to manage properly, and to be able to give something like this back to the Midwest after all they’ve done for me would be awesome.

I’m sure there is more, I’m going to try to write more often and not wait to have these epic entries all the time. God bless ya,
~paul

For Immediate Release
4/27/04 15:13:10 CST

Paul Prins Steps Down From Midwest Skier

I, Paul Prins, am here by stepping down with my position at Midwest Skier. The website may be updated for next season, however I am now off the staff, and will not actively pursue event coverage/promotion/production.

The Midwest Skier Open has been postponed until further notice; any attempt to hold this event will result in legal action.

The website will now be maintained completely by the users/supporters of Midwest Skier. A section will be added allowing you to make donations, all website costs must be covered by donations. All print work and logos will be made public domain, allowing users to create/print/distribute the promotional material/s.

Paul Prins had this to say.

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This is something that, in all honesty, I have been avoiding for some time (see previous post). I have this weird gift where I am able to see where God needs me to be and I know how to get there, most of the time I can figure out why and make sense of the situation. For the past while I have been avoiding something because of the change that it would require, and to be honest I’m not completely sure all that change will entail but here I go.

There have been times in my life were I’ve tried so hard to misunderstand what God is telling me to do. It’s hard for me to fathom why he has me do certain things, and doing those is what creates faith. While I do live by and with my faith, I will admit it is a heck of a lot easier when I can figure out why He is telling me to do something. I understand why he has me be so caring and how it affects others and shows how he cares for them. I can see why he had me step up to be the bible study co-leader, to help the guys grow in their understanding of God and the purpose of their lives. I can understand why he placed me on the Evangelism Team, to help provide some leadership and to share my wisdom and understanding when I can. I can understand why he placed me in France this summer, to increase my dependence on Him and to push my evangelism even further in a culture that I hardly know (which should make it easier here, I hope). I can understand why he has me put so much pressure on myself, and how my enthusiasm has affected the others in the movement at stout.

I cannot see why he has me leaving skiing. I have tried for over eight months to understand and I can’t. I understood why I was doing what I did in skiing (with the videos, events, community building) to build experience and gain knowledge and I thought it was to reach out to them, to help them understand who He is and to be this example to follow. It made so much sense that I couldn’t see how it could be any other way, even if God was telling me something totally different. To the point where he tore everyone in skiing that I cared about from my life (aside from the Jones boys, but I understand my purpose there). Since last summer God has put it on my heart to stop and get out, I battled with Him all winter and it was to the point were I had all but turned my back to God on this area of my life, because I didn’t want him to touch it. I would let him do anything else with me but he had to leave skiing alone.

All it did was make me realize that, while I know everything there is to know about running events, I can’t do it without God and his presence. We didn’t have the on hill prayers I wanted to because my back was turned to him, and to bring prayer onto the hill would be to face God where I wanted him least. Since the event I’ve spent so much time in prayer trying to convince God to change his mind about where I’m headed, to no avail and it killed me inside to realize that, to realize how long I had ignored him. Looking back on opportunities that I’ve missed because of my desire to be right, to prove God wrong on my terms. It sounds to trite for me to be fighting with God like this.

On late Sunday night it was to a point where I stopped eating and started fasting to try one last time to sway Gods decision for me. I spent so much time in prayer talking to him and trying to make sense of why he should continue to bless me in skiing and let me stay here, where it is comfortable for me, where I seem to understand my purpose. Some thirty hours later I realize how stupid what I was doing truly was. So I broke my fast about half way through, wasn’t even hungry but it was just so pointless. Forcing me to start to accept this step of faith I need to take.

I know and understand what it is I need to do. Now is the time to start, I’m worried that to delay any longer could cause me to miss something which could completely change the life of someone else. While I don’t see being concerned about what you are doing as a bad thing, it can’t effect someone in the way this does and will. I can’t live feeling that I let someone else down because of my selfish behavior, it’s something I won’t put up with. There is more to this, but it is stuff that I feel like I shouldn’t be telling most, if anyone. In time you’ll know, but now I am listening with a willing heart.

I will walk with you and thank you for waiting on a heart that is longing to understand your plan and eager to do your will.

Take care and God bless,
~paul

A mumbling rant shall ensue.

I’m sick of feeling like I’m distant, so tired of trying hard to no avail. This is no cry for help rather a cry for someone to understand, a cry that has yet to be heard. I could keep going, and I’m sure I will, but the reasoning seems distant to me. Nothing changes with the words I put here, sometimes I wish it’d all disappear. I’m sick of being unsure of what people know about me, I’m tired of people thinking I’m something more then what I am, a freshman in college trying to find his way.

There are only a few weeks between me and throwing in the towel on skiing. I’m tired of the lack of appreciation I am receiving for my efforts. It is no mistake that I didn’t do clothing this year, I didn’t want to put that much money into the site when I wasn’t even sure if I should do it or not. I will see what response I get from the ski industry in the upcoming month. If it is short of supportive I will be done, not even sure if I will keep Midwest Skier online. I would give it all up for a chance to be normal, whatever that may be. I want to be able to do or not do things without this sense of guilt because I should be working. When I go overseas this summer I want to know that I don’t have to worry about what is going on back home and with work.

It’s so hard to stay motivated with work when my main reasons for starting is all but diminished. I was looking for approval from my dad and it was also a way to escape the depression I was going through by keeping myself constantly busy. Neither of those things do I need help with anymore. While we still aren’t that close, I’ve never been closer to my dad then I am now. The Lord has help me overcome my depression and it’s been over 6-7 months since my last episode with it. There is nothing for me to feel worthless about.

Not to be self-boasting but the fact that guys complained after the event this year got to me as well. It frustrates me to no end to read pointless and baseless dribble from someone who has nothing better to do with their time. All my mind is telling me to pull up and leave but there is something in my heart that is telling me to stay, however, whenever I read something like that the pull diminishes even more. I’m just worried what will happen around here when I leave.

Also sorry for the recent poetry, I read something and it got me inspired to write something. It’s very hard to write about people (I just love people and writing about them) when there isn’t any one person you’re writing about? I’ll leave you all with that.

Take care and God bless,
~paul