Kimberly, Canada

We finally made it up to Kimberley, B.C. after a long and trying day in the airports and on the road. We didn't arrive until 0600 the morning of the 23rd so we didn't get a lot of sleep. The Super G race was the 24th and because I was only a spectator due of lack of points I had an easier day than the rest of my team. GS was the following day and I skied well but not without mistakes. There were some really good things about my runs and I have definitely made some positive changes in my GS and it’s starting to show. Unfortunately, I didn’t do such good things on the pitch both runs and I ended up in the back of the pack. It’s frustrating in a lot of ways, but it’s also encouraging to stick with it and finish 2 solid runs.

I was hopefully for the SL the next day but that didn’t work out as planned either. One of my teammates got hurt in a training run before the start of the race and even though I tried not to worry about how she was doing I still had a hard time finding my focus. I thought I had it together in the start gate but halfway down the course on my first run I ran into some trouble and had to hike to make a gate. I’m terribly slow at hiking but I was having a really good run before I messed up and I NEEDED my second run for my mental health. Going into my second run I knew I didn’t have a chance so I just relaxed and laid down a solid run. Sometimes you just have to ski smart and get the finish, and it’s one of the hardest things to do as a ski racer. I needed to get the World Cup SL finish more than trying to win the run and possibly blowing out. I walked away feeling good about the day and my skiing. Right now Europe is in rough shape as far as snow pack so I’m crossing my fingers that this wasn’t the last World Cup race of the year.

Aspen SL

The SL in Aspen didn't go much better for me. The first day I had a good first run and a great second run until the last gate. There was a very tricky combination at the end of the course and I didn't make it. I tried to stop to stay in the course and that just didn't work. I was extremely bummed but I was optimistic for the following day. Unfortunately, the second day didn't go much better. First run I had to stop to stay in the course and that is not fast. I was ready to have a great second run and score some World Cup points, but again the last gate became a problem. I was almost finished with a long hard run, but again there was a difficult combination at the end of the long course and I couldn't convince my feet to be fast enough to make it around the end of a 3 gate flush. I was crushed. It's one thing to have a tough day; it's extremely difficult to miss the last gate 2 days in a row.

Tough week

Well it's been a tough week for most of the US Team here in Aspen, myself included. We haven't had the races we were hoping to have. Today is going to get better because it's SL! Hopefully I have something great to write tonight. You can check out the results at asdracing.

Skiing on the Brain

World Cup starts next week and that’s all I can think about. Our World Cup opener is next week in Aspen, Colorado. We race 17-21. We have 2 Super G races, 2 GS races and 2 SL races. I won’t be racing the Super G because I haven’t been able to start any Super G races since last February, so my ASD points low enough. I’m hoping that I’ll be able get my points down before the European World Cup races. For now I'll focus on skiing really fast in GS and SL.

Park City

Last week we were in Utah for the Huntsman Cup. I was so excited because I had been training really well and I really wanted show myself and my coaches that my hard work had paid off. The race began with GS and I had one of the best races I've had in a long time. I skied well but made a pretty big mistake 2nd run. I placed 4th and I was very pleased. I really couldn't wait to for the next day for another GS race. Unfortunately, I didn't get to start the next day. I got really sick and couldn't race. I tried to rest so I could race the SL but it didn't work out. I'm beginning to think I should stay away from Park City- because I haven't had much luck there the past 2 years. I guess that's life.

Let's Race

The season has been going really well so far. Our races started at Breckenridge, CO at Ski Spectacular. We had a GS and a SL. I placed 7th in the Giant Slalom and took the silver medal in the Slalom! I feel like it was an excellent start to the season.

I was hoping to carry that momentum with me as I left for Pitztal, Austria for a Europa Cup race. We were intended to race Super G, Giant Slalom and Slalom but things changed. Due to the lack of snow on the glacier we were unable to race the Super G. We had a SL and 2 GS races on the training hill, which is very flat. I skied a great first run of SL and was sitting 5th. I really wanted to move up so second run I really went for it. Unfortunately, sometimes when I do that I don’t make to the finish line- DNF. Bummer! I finished both the GS races I skied well but I lost a lot of time on the flats. I placed 8th the first day and 6th the second. These weren’t the results I was hoping for but I did make some very positive changes in my skiing.

New Blog

Well, for some crazy reason racegirlusa.iblogs no longer works. I cannot even access my old information to update this blog. But I’m going to try to keep this updated best I can.