Ski Racing

Be Brave Enough to Be...

2011-07-13T20:40:00.005-06:00

…AWEsome.
I recently decided to become part of a very strong group of women- Team AWE-Able Women Empowering. We came together to help each other as well as other athletes to excel in whatever they chose to do.

As World-Class athletes with disabilities, our mission is to provide support to women brave enough to pursue specific athletic goals for themselves through financial opportunities, education support, inspiration, and motivation.

In the process of establishing this wonderful team I have also decided to take another leap, I am trying to find another sport. At this time I am pursuing the sport of Paracanoe. Below is my latest blog post at www.teamawe.blogspot.com

Be Brave Enough To…

… Try.

Everything in life is a challenge if you aren’t good at it or don’t know what you’re doing. The catch is that in order to master anything at some point you have to take that first step and try it. New adventures and activities can be very humbling and my latest task proved no different.

Inspired by my good friend from Slovenia and the great ladies that are part of Team A.W.E I decided to try out the sport of Paracanoe. I packed my blazer up and drove 1200 miles to Seattle with my puppy in the passenger seat. I knew when I left that it was very likely to be tough and that there was a real possibility I’d be no good at all. You can’t win if you don’t try so I was going to give it a solid attempt.

I spent a total of 6 days on the water at Green Lake with Robert Picardo and Vadim Kin from the Seattle Canoe and Kayak Club (SCKC). My first day was almost comical as I completely embarrassed myself. I had been traveling for lots of hours with very little sleep and my body was not happy. Vadim and I spent some time setting the boat up so I could try to paddle and no sooner did I get away from the dock, and trying to stay balanced than I was tipped over and taking a swim. The air temp was about 63° F and the water a whopping 55°F. It wouldn’t have been so embarrassing if a former US Canoe/Kayak team member hadn’t been there on the dock to watch the whole thing and then I was so worn out and cold that I couldn’t stop shivering enough to get back in the boat. Not the start I was looking for, but I’ve never been easily deterred, so I showed up the next day to try again.

All but one of days I was on the water I tipped over and had to swim back to the dock or to shore with my boat and paddle in hand. Sometimes it was a long swim and the water didn’t warm up but my drive to improve kept me going and motivated me to get back in the boat cold and wet whether it was sunny or rainy. My boat handling skills progressed and was assured that I have potential to be a good racer. I might not be ready to enter a regatta tomorrow but I got better each and every day. I was brave enough to try & I might have just found a new sport!

Life is about change

2011-07-13T20:08:00.003-06:00

Change can be both positive and negative but it’s mostly what you make of it.

I decided to update my ski racing blog because it might have to change and become my “racing” blog. Yes I’m still retired from ski racing and I have no intention of going back. Between the money, politics and physical demand I’m happy to be done. Winter Park is still my home and I’m still very involved with the NSCD Alpine Ski Team. I helped out with camps and new athletes this past season, but in truth; I know I made the right decision moving on. Over the past 15 months I’ve opened the next chapter in my life and my main focus has been trying to finish my bachelor’s degree in Biology. That being said I’m an athlete and a competitor. It’s in my blood. I have a very hard time being stagnant.

Last season the NSCD welcomed Nordic, Biathlon and Snowboard into their program& Snowboard cross has actually been added to the Paralympic Games for Sochi 2014!! After a little contemplation and very little persuasion I decided I needed to at least give it a go. I have only been on a snowboard a handful of times before this season but I was ready to suck it up and see if I could figure it out.

Not a big surprise, but I stunk. I wanted to pressure the edge like a ski but I didn’t have the momentum or balance to keep up with it. The head coach Brent and the guys that ride with him were very supportive and enthusiastic towards my efforts. I know I’m not very good but I did improve each time I strapped into the board. Unfortunately just as I thought I was figuring it out, I made a poor decision and went out on a day that the sun was shining but the snow was hard. I ended up catching an edge, landing just wrong. I limped my way down without assistance but finished my day at Granby Medical Center getting a CT. It showed I had disrupted one of the disks in my lower spine- huge bummer!! Not an injury I’ve dealt with or wanted to deal with. It all happened 1st March so I decided to play it safe and stay off the board for the rest of the season while the inflammation in my spine and surrounding tissues went down.
Hopefully this coming season will go a little better. I’d love to say I’m going to rip it up and be able to hang with boys and enter a comp and just be an all around Snowboard Betty Bad Ass… but my plan is to get good enough to just ride. I hope to ride with the NSCD snowboard team and see how much I can improve.

Below are a couple photos from Wells Fargo Weekend in Winter Park 2011.

Post Paralympic Reflection

2010-04-29T03:33:00.007-06:00

Snow is still on the ground in Winter Park, CO but the mountain is closed and most people (including myself) have put the ski gear away. I sit here looking out at the snow and think about how I am not done ski racing just for this year, I’m really done.

It’s a very odd feeling knowing that the path you’ve traveled for the past 13 years has reached the end. The highlight reel that runs in my mind has so many highs and lows. I am so grateful for all the opportunities I’ve had and the friends I’ve made! I have been able to do so much and see so many places I never imagined seeing. One part of me feels like the luckiest person in the world while the other side of me is somber with the reality that the ride is over. My family, friends and sponsors have stuck by me through it all and made it possible!

Ironically enough, two years ago today I had the PAO surgery on my right hip. I walked into the operating room knowing that there was possibility of my racing career coming to end that day. Obviously it didn’t end that day but in the many days to follow it seemed to slip away. Somehow despite it all I got back on snow. I didn’t have 2 more seasons of racing, but this last one was just fine. The fact that I persevered beyond that surgery and everything else I’ve endured since, to make it to my 3rd Paralympic Winter Games, is just short of a miracle. Maybe miracle is a bit strong but after lying in a hospital bed unable to move my legs just 14 months before opening ceremonies- it feels pretty miraculous to have made it.

The Vancouver 2010 Paralympics were fantastic! In comparison to 2006; I didn’t have to travel for weeks prior to leaving, it was a relatively short flight to Vancouver, it was a non-snowy and uneventful drive to Whistler where the village was actually complete, our housing was close to other athletes, the gym and the dining hall, and we had strong staff there with us. In addition; I had my parents, my boyfriend and a couple other close friends up there in the stands supporting me!

As far as the mountain and the competition, it was definitely not ideal. In fact it was probably the worst situation and conditions I’ve ever raced in. I always talk about ski racing being a winter sport and it being very weather dependent. When the conditions aren’t good the safety of the athletes is at risk so the organizers generally err on the side of caution. In this case the caution they used was to flip-flop the entire schedule. This does happen occasionally, but I’ve never seen them run the Downhill (DH) training runs to then run the Slalom (SL) race. It may happen but not at any disabled races I’ve been to.

What this meant for me was that I was racing my SL race on the 15th instead of the 21st and my Giant Slalom (GS) race on the 17th instead of the 19th. We’re athletes and we’ve training thoroughly for our events but mentally this was a big hurdle. We hadn’t been skiing or training SL because we all thought we had plenty of time. Plus, the schedule change was because of weather so we knew the conditions were going to be less than ideal. To top it off, SL is my better event and I really wanted to end my Paralympics and probably my ski racing career with my strongest event. Unfortunately that didn’t happen. Not only did I not end with SL but I didn't end with the best SL race of my career either. I know that the fresh snow, the fog and the inconsistent conditions played a big part in this as my balance is worse when visibility is decreased and bumps are increased. I’m not making excuses it’s just the way it is. I raced two solid runs and reached the finish, but not the aggressive yet smooth skiing that wins medals. My goal was top 10 but I finished 16th, not what I wanted but 16th in the world isn’t too bad.

My GS race went about the same. We did not wake up to 10 inches of new snow like SL day but we had fog so thick that 3 gate visibility was pushing it and there was a sleet/ rain mixture on the bottom of the course that added to the level of difficulty. I skied as well as I could with the courses and conditions at hand, but again didn’t ski fast enough. I had a better 2nd run than 1st run but not the kind of run I wanted to end on. I know that I have the ability to ski better but I couldn’t ski to that ability on that day. I went, I raced, and I finished. Finishing isn’t a goal I normally strive for, but to end my ski career without crashing, without injury and to finish 15th place is just fine with me. I felt I could walk away with my head held high.

The Paralympics weren’t over after my races but the ending was about the same. Closing Ceremonies were a very rainy and cool, and maybe a bit of a let down. The truth is though; I enjoyed myself through it all as I really am happy and thrilled to have had the journey I did!

Let the Games Begin!!

2010-03-13T08:56:00.002-07:00

Opening Ceremonies last night was incredible! Being the United States, we of course were at the end of the Parade of Athletes so we waited in the wings and watched on the live feed as the other countries and many of our Winter Park teammates walked in representing their respective countries. It was so cool to watch my friends; Katja from Finland, the crew from Great Brittan, Erna from Iceland, Arly and Armando from Mexico, Adam and Peter from New Zealand, Jas from Serbia, Martin from Slovakia & Gal from Slovenia. Then it was our turn!

When you walk into a stadium filled with people who are yelling and cheering for you as you’re representing your country- it’s AMAZING! The emotion that welled up inside me as I walked through the stadium was almost overwhelming. The feelings of accomplishment and pride were so strong I cannot even describe. It made a lot of the struggles and worries from this past year melt away, even if just for a few minutes! I feel so fortunate to be able to be part of this one more time! Thank you to everyone who has helped me on my journey!

Now it’s race time. The schedule is up in the air due to weather and snow conditions but it’s looking like there is a strong possibility that I will be racing my Slalom race this coming Monday the 15th instead of the 20th. We’ll see what happens.

Good things come to those who wait

2010-03-09T15:17:00.002-07:00

Sorry I’ve been such a slacker who my blog. I’m usually very good but it’s been a bit of a roller coaster the past couple weeks. I was waiting for the 22nd and Team USA announcements, but it didn’t quite happen like that. The 22nd came and went with a few people getting phone calls and others like myself left to wait. I knew that I couldn’t change the decision, good or bad, but I wanted to know. Finally on the 24th I got a phone call saying that I was going to Vancouver!!! I was told I would be skiing the Giant Slalom (GS) and Slalom (SL)!

We left the 7th of March and I am now in the Paralympic Village. When we arrived it was raining but yesterday and today we were fortunate to have colder temperatures and a little sun. I will not be competing until the 18th so I will be training at the mountain until then. Opening ceremonies are the 12th and I am very excited!

I will try to be better about keeping my blog up to date. Thanks for all your support and encouragement!

Resolve

2010-02-16T14:25:00.010-07:00

“Seventy percent of success in life is showing up.” ~Woody Allen

This is how I feel that this last part of the season has gone for me.
There are some times when giving your all with the best with preparation and dedication just isn’t enough, but there are other days when finding the finish line gives you what you needed. It is bittersweet I guess. I feel like I’m sitting in that place right now. I’ve done everything I know how to do to get myself strong again and ski fast and yet race day still remains a gamble.

I went to the Europa Cup race in La Molina, Spain with the intention to get another SL and GS start and maybe some points. I walked away with some much needed GS points, a Silver medal in the SL and points to keep me in the running for my 3rd Paralympic Games. I was pretty pleased. I knew it wasn’t my best skiing but it was good enough.

I came home for a couple days, trained and headed off to Kimberley, Canada with hopes of going up there, skiing some fast DH and SG and leaving with less than 120 points in at least one event. Points under 120 would mean a possibility to go to World Cup Finals and a chance to compete in a speed event at the Paralympics.

Unfortunately, my goals and life aren’t always in agreement. I ended up dealing with a horrible stomach bug and fought with my body and my mind just to race the 4 races. I felt I had to try, because there was no chance to get my points if I didn’t start. I often repeat the phrase ‘you can’t win if you don’t try’ in my head when I feel like there isn’t much more I can do. I did manage to finish all 4 races, but probably because I didn’t push it. Don’t get me wrong, I put everything I had into each run, but I just didn’t have much strength, energy or concentration- all of which are very important for skiing fast in speed races. I got 2nd and 3rd in the DH races and 3rd both SG races. While I had some good turns and parts to each race, I just didn’t get it done and didn’t get my points. Part of me is broken hearted as this means unless I go to US Nationals these were my last speed races. It’s hard to think that my career as a ski racer is ending and this was the end for me and speed. It would’ve been nice to end it at World Cup or the Paralympics, but it is what it is and I have to move forward and focus on what is ahead.

Team USA for the Paralympic Games will not be announced until 22nd February 16, 2010. I've done everything I can do up to this point so I will wait and hope for the best!!!

Perseverance

2009-12-12T22:57:00.002-07:00

“…let me tell you what winning means... you're willing to go longer, work harder, give more than anyone else. ~Vincent Lombardi

The last time I was in a start gate to race was 28 March 2008. That is a long time to be out of racing! With all I’ve been through I’m thankful for what I have and what I am now able to do again. Perseverance and hope is what has gotten me through and I’m not backing down now. I have no idea how this week is going to go but I feel like I am “willing to go longer, work harder and give more than anyone else.” Every racer wants to be the winner and I’ll give my best effort to do just that, but at the end of the day, I will have won when I reach that finish line after my second run. I have worked hard to rehab and been training hard to be able to reach that start gate and finish line on Monday.

Tonight, some of my teammates and I went to dinner to enjoy where were we are and what we’re doing. Skiing fast is the best part of ski racing, but camaraderie takes a very close second. Having fun with friends makes it just a little sweeter. Tomorrow we are training on the race hill at Copper Mountain and I can barely contain my excitement! I’m happy to be here with my team training and racing. Thanks to everyone who has helped me to not give up and follow my heart!

Championship Character

2009-10-28T16:26:00.003-06:00

Champions do not become champions when they win the event, but in the hours, weeks, months and years they spend preparing for it. The victorious performance itself is merely the demonstration of their championship character. ~T. Alan Armstrong

I returned to the snow this past Saturday at Copper Mountain and I am delighted at how good it felt to be skiing again! I am still working on getting my leg back into racing shape but each day I hope it will improve. I know that my hip and legs will never be the same after all I’ve been through, but I’m counting on being able to adapt to the differences and be as fast as ever.

It’s been a busy past couple months. I have been in the gym, and taking 3 classes 2 days a week that are prerequisites for a radiology technician program next fall. I am trying to keep my focus in the present and prepare myself best I can for the future, whether that is a couple months or years ahead.

A major highlight was in September I received the Hal O’Leary Award from the Colorado Rockies and NSCD. The awards dinner was held on the dirt of the field at Coors Field. This was a very humbling and wonderful experience. Hal O’Leary is the creator of innovation in disabled sports; to receive an award bearing his name is so incredible and a huge honor!
Right now I’m trying to get enough money together for the season so that I can attend all the races necessary to qualify for the Paralympics. I just want to have a fun and successful season! Let’s go skiing.

Moving forward

2009-08-26T15:31:00.009-06:00

"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning but anyone can start today and make a new ending." ~ Maria Robinson

No I can’t go back and change anything that has happened, so I try not to dwell on the events of the past, I am happy to have today. This past year and a half has been anything but easy but I feel like I’m finally moving forward once again. The U.S. Adaptive Ski Team denied a medical leave from the team last year so I am no longer with them. I will be skiing for myself this season with the NSCD Alpine Ski Team. Due to my physical and financial situations I was not able to attend any camps this summer and won’t be doing any camps this fall either. I’m trying to look ahead towards the snow fall and training here in Colorado.

The beginning of July I got the screws removed from my pelvis. Of course nothing ever goes as expected and that was not any different but I’m doing well now and focusing on getting stronger. My legs feel so much better than they have in a LONG time. My strength and range of motion still are not what I want them to be, so I keep working. I’m not sure if I will be able to regain all the function I lost but I won’t quit trying. I have a new found hope that I will be strong again. I have been on my bike, playing tennis, taking light hikes, and back in the gym. I had ambitions to climb a 14er before the snow came, but that might be a little much to ask of my body yet.

I have every intention of ski racing this season, with my focus being on going to my third Paralympics in Vancouver, Canada in March! My first race of the year is in December at Copper Mountain and that’ll be a good litmus test.

Racing at SkiTAM

2009-04-30T22:34:00.006-06:00

This was a photo taken in Vail, CO during the team race at SkiTAM.
I know it's not my best racing photo ever, it's what was published in the SkiTAM magazine, so I thought I'd share :)

May

2009-04-30T22:23:00.006-06:00

The race season is over, the mountain is closed and it’s officially Mud Season in WP.

I would love to sit here and write that things are all better and that my life is back on track but that isn’t exactly true. The good news is that my legs have been working most of the time and I was able to finish the season skiing. I was actually able to get back into a race course right before the start of US Nationals here in Winter Park. I really wanted to start the SL race at Nationals but my leg stopped working just days before, once again leaving me weaker than I was and I didn’t want to push it. I was, however, able to be a forerunner and that brought me immense joy. It was so nice to be back in the start with my teammates, and even better to be knocking gates down in a course. I was very thankful that I was able to do that and I felt like it put me one big step closer to being well again. I must admit that the weakness I’m dealing with daily is definitely exaggerated when I’m skiing and that is difficult, but my choice is to deal and push through or sit around. I don’t sit still very well.

Nationals were fun but the best part of the last couple weeks was the 2 consecutive powder days the closing weekend. I got to ski 14 inches of fresh one day and 22” the next- which in spots was really the 36”. It was insane and a lot of work, but we don’t have those kind of powder days often so I HAD to ski.

While I’m still healing and getting better, my program is working out in the gym on a regular basis; diligently doing my exercises, biking whenever it’s nice enough and visit my chiropractor Dr. Mike as often as I can get to Denver.

I had to take a leave from the ambulance as I just cannot return with my leg still being so unpredictable. So, because I do not have the income from EMS, fundraising is going to be extra important and a huge focus!

My intention is to attend as many summer and fall camps as I can physically handle. That means, if I’m strong enough, I plan on going to Mt. Hood in June, New Zealand in August and Chile in September. Following the snow around the world is not cheap so I’m going to have to work very hard to get the funding I need.

“I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly,

acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing.” -Agatha Christie

I’m BACK!!!!

2009-03-18T21:19:00.003-06:00

I have been able to walk without using my crutches for 9 whole days now!

I don’t know what changed or how it happened but last Monday I “turned the corner.” For the first time in weeks I’m able to walk around without worry. I’m still not my “normal” self; my balance is definitely worse than usual, my legs are still a little wobbly and I’m still feeling the different aspects of weakness. But, compared to where I was even 2 weeks ago things are GREAT. I am back in Winter Park, I have been back on the mountain skiing and life is okay. I’m taking each day as it comes, and trying to keep my chin up and focus on the good things. I have a nerve test tomorrow called an EMG. I hope it will give the doctors better ideas as to what is going on, but you never know.

I am just happy for today, because I can help what tomorrow will bring, I’ll deal with that then.

Rehab, what?

2009-02-06T09:17:00.005-07:00

One month after I was admitted to the hospital, my life is still on pause. I still have no answers, no solutions; I'm not home and can’t drive for at least 3 more weeks.

My doctors and physical therapists tell me that I need to go slow with the physical therapy, take more medication and be patient. I’d be more than happy to follow that advice if it worked. I have been going slow, doing only what they tell me and my legs still shut down again on Tuesday! They have no idea what’s going on so they don’t know how to help me. Skiing again this season is looking less likely each day, and that breaks my heart. Honestly though, the worst part is not knowing. I don’t know what to do to get better, to get back to my life, I have no plan.

I do my few exercises each day, go to my doctor and physical therapy appointments, watch the ski racing results hoping that my friends and teammates ski well, try to put a smile on my face and that’s all I can do.

Current Progress

2009-01-21T23:06:00.004-07:00

Things this past week have been going pretty well. It has been a week since I took my first steps on my own again after this whole incident the 5th of January. Today I was able to do my first gym workout.

I think the reason I was actually able to walk again was a chiropractor. His name is Dr. Mike Madden. He was recommended to me, because the recommending party felt like he had made their life better. I had nothing to lose in going to see him, and it worked out really good for me. Not walking to being able to walk only hours later, a drastic and measurable change. Each day following I have had improvement. Therefore, it would appear to me that this whole thing was caused by a nerve/ electrical conduction problem. But it’s just my body and I’m not a Neurologist, so none the less, I’m walking again and getting stronger, so I guess it doesn’t really matter.

Monday I started doing rehab everyday at the Spalding Rehabilitation Center in Aurora. They put me in the day program from 0900-1500 each day. I see a group of different practitioners and they are trying to figure out the best way to get me functional again. I think they are going to release me to outpatient tomorrow but I still have a lot of work to do. I am very grateful to be doing better and trying to stay focused on that so I can move forward and keep on improving.

I’m going to continue to work with PT, psych of some sort and the chiropractor. Hopefully I’ll be officially released to drive soon so that I can return home.

If it isn't one thing, it's another

2009-01-14T08:00:00.002-07:00

That saying that “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade” must have been written by someone who has never been given lemon after lemon after lemon.

I was finally starting to feel better about my hip, my skiing and my life. I was really optimistic and excited to continue to improve and who knows, maybe get back to work and possibly make a few races this year??

But, I must have done something to deserve bad karma because on the evening of the 5th I lost the ability to stand up. No you didn’t read it wrong, I could not use my legs. Previously that day, I had skied, done my stretches, fixed dinner and then all the sudden around 7PM I could not stand up. I had someone come over and stand me up but I just collapsed. At that point I started to freak out. I ended up heading to Denver via ambulance (the same company I work for), talk about scared and embarrassed. I stayed in the hospital until Tuesday of this week. It was a disaster, I was stuck there for DAYS and I left still not knowing why I couldn’t walk. It may have been a million different things,they weren’t sure but were hopeful I’d be back to normal soon.

Right now I can only try to work on myself as well as think positive that I’ll have my body back soon.

31 December 2008

2008-12-31T15:16:00.004-07:00

I’m not sure how many days I’ve had on snow at this point but it’s getting close to double digits. It’s crazy to think that I have had less than 10 days on snow and January is tomorrow. I guess that’s how it goes.

This week has been one of my best weeks yet। I got into gates for the first time since last year on Monday. I didn’t ski the whole course and I sure didn’t ski well, but I did it and I was pleased with that. At this point, I don’t have high expectations with training but it feels good to do it. I was extremely sore after my efforts Monday but a day off and some Advil fixes a lot.

Today we had Super G training and I was reluctant to go out। Speed skis are not exactly the easiest to ski and I wasn’t sure if I could even control them, let alone turn them। Thanks to a great tune by a local guy Bob, and some previous experience, I had no issues. I had the best day I’ve had all year! I wasn’t laying down clean arcs and ripping it up, but I was going fast, feeling the snow, and skiing Super G! I was SO happy when I came off the mountain today. Thanks goodness for small miracles and great tunes!

Ski Spec 2008

2008-12-11T21:49:00.004-07:00

Monday and Tuesday were the first races of the season for the disabled circuit. Since I’m not skiing right now I obviously didn’t race. I wasn’t sure logistically if I could get to the hill to watch the SL so I waited for some reports from my teammates and concluded that I definitely would go over and watch the GS. I was able to take the chairlift up and down so I didn’t have to walk around on the snow too much. Unfortunately it was very cold, I think the high of the day was 18 degrees F, but the sun was out and there was racing. I could see quite a bit of the course from the bottom, so I hung out in the finish area and cheered on my teammates. I know at least a few people appreciated me being there and that felt good. It was hard to watch and not race, but I’ll be back soon… I hope.

Below is a photo of me with two of the Disabilities Without Boundaries scholarship recipients; Stephanie Jallen, and Meghan Erickson. We couldn’t grab the third recipient Danelle D'Aquanni Umstead, USADA had her occupied. The other photo is me and my friend/ teammate Mary Riddell after her first race back in like 5 years.

It was nice to be surrounded by happy smiling faces, way to go ladies!

Still Fighting

2008-12-01T17:46:00.006-07:00

I’m STILL working on trying to figure out how to get my body to work again. I’m going to physical therapy once a week, seeing different physicians and just trying to get it figured out. It’s tough now that we actually have some decent snow to not be out on the hill. The crazy part is that I was ski racing for months (maybe years) with my hip not in the socket properly and now that it’s all fixed up I’m worse off than I was the day before my surgery. I KNOW I needed this surgery and it wasn’t an option, but now I just want my body back.

The first races of the season are next week but for the first time since 2003 I won’t be starting. That's hard emotionally but I know there are worse things in life other than not being able to ski race.

I’m trying to be smart and take care of my body rather than beat it up. I haven't skied since opening day and I'm hoping the extra time off snow will pay off, maybe just maybe things are about to turn around. It'd be so nice to be back to work on the ambulance and back out in sun and the snow skiing. I'm not holding my breath, but I'm hopeful.

First Day Back

2008-11-18T10:13:00.003-07:00

These days it seems that things just don’t go as planned. My first day back on snow was not an exception to this and did NOT go as I had hoped. It was nice to be back out in the sunshine and on the snow, but beyond that my day was not very fun. I didn’t think I had high expectations but apparently even my low expectations were too high for my ability at the moment. For the first time since I was young I felt inept. I am good skier and to feel like a beginner was very disheartening. I know that I didn’t ski as bad as I felt but it was still very poor skiing. I was on the only open slope, which is a green run. Usually I just bomb around and make lap after lap but I was only able to make it through 4 runs. This was beyond my goal of one but it was by sheer will. My right leg just wouldn’t cooperate with me and I had very little control of my hip. Putting pressure on my right leg was a challenge mentally and physically. I walked away from the day very disappointed and nervous about my ability to ski. I’m crossing my fingers that it will truly just be a matter of time before I’ll get it back. I'm not giving up, but it appears that I'll have to give myself more time than I thought, my race season seems to really be slipping away, I want so bad for this to be temporary!

Start of the 2008 Ski Season

2008-11-15T16:07:00.007-07:00

15 November. Six and a half months post-op and my life is still not back to normal. I’d like to say that little by little things are getting better but that is not necessarily true.

My sensation did finally start to improve last week but my mobility and function are still much more limited than I think they should or want them to be. Yesterday, while at work for a class, I tried to lift a pram (cot) with a teaching dummy on it (who weighs like 100lbs) and was able to do it but barely. As soon as I got it into the lock position I nearly fell over as my leg just recoiled underneath me. Maybe my expectations are too high, maybe I’m not doing the right things to get better, I don’t know. Either way, it’s been difficult. I decided today as I was coming home from teaching a class that I want to try to ski, before the ski area opens. I ran into one of my WP coaches it’s either tomorrow or Monday…
… so tomorrow it is! This may not be one of my brightest moments but I have to try, and if it doesn’t go well then I know my season really won’t start for awhile. And if I make it through a run or two and can still walk at the end of the day, the light at the end of the tunnel will be shinning a lot brighter. I have no expectations, my goal is to simply get my boots on, get to the lift, and make it through one run without falling over or crying. Who know maybe it’ll go great and I’ll ski the whole morning. I’ll do a test run with my boots tonight and hope for the best tomorrow.

Below is a photo of my friend T saddling up her horse Casey for me to ride with her and then another of my Aunt Nancy with me riding the horse JR at my Mom/ Aunt’s ranch in Iowa. They say horseback riding is good therapy right?!

Summer Fun

2008-09-22T10:51:00.008-06:00

As I said before, my recovery is NOT going as planned. It's only been about 3 weeks now that I've finally been without crutches- yeah! The reason I was finally able to get off my crutches is that they changed my medication from Valium to Neurontin (yes I’ve really been on Valium since surgery.) I don't know why the Neurontin is working but it is, even my fever is being kept at bay. That was a long time coming. This whole thing has been one big challenge. Fever, nausea, vomiting, pain, and spasms for months, not fun.

Now that I'm off crutches it is very obvious that my muscles just don't seem to want to work with the pelvis now in a new position. In theory it should be a lot better but it just hasn't really worked out that way. So I'm still trying to work on it and trying to get back to normal, but still not working.

Because of all this I didn't get much of a summer but I was lucky enough to get out to the east coast and NYC. I had a great trip with my friend Annie and then my Dad joined us and we went to a Yankees game. Annie went home and Dad and I drove up to Gloucester, MA where my mom joined us and we visited some long time family friends. Here are some photos from that trip!

Periacetabular Osteotomy

2008-05-27T14:48:00.006-06:00

So it's been a month today since my surgery. Recovery has been anything but easy. I seem to run into one obstacle after another. Thankfully I’ve had lots of friends and family support to help me get through this. My problems began in the hospital when I I had to receive 3 units of blood because I was bleeding internally. Then, my 2 large bore IV’s both got irritated and had to be removed. Of course after that happened I started vomiting and couldn’t hold anything down including my medications, which made pain control very troublesome. Finally they got another IV started and were able to get the vomiting under control and was released about 5 days after surgery. Since being released from the hospital I have been at parents outside of Denver in Bennett. My parents have been really good and supporting through everything. My little sister Amy has come out here to help out quite a bit too. I just want to feel better. A big thanks to all that have called and come to visit because that’s what’s helping me get through this.

Another Leap

2008-04-12T08:11:00.000-06:00

I recently found out that I need to have another surgery.

This caught me completely off guard. I have been having some problems with my right hip for a while now, and I finally went to see someone. They took a bunch of x-rays and I went to see the hip specialist, Dr. Sink. He is a pediatric surgeon but he’s supposed to be one of the best with hips. During my appointment he went over my x-rays with me, told me the problem and then told me how he’d like to fix it. Basically, my femur is not in the socket properly and this is causing damage to the socket, pelvis and femur. Unfortunately, the surgery sounds absolutely horrendous. They will cut my pelvis in a couple different places, reposition my femur and the pelvic bones, then put in screws and pins to hold everything in place. The surgery is scheduled for 29th of April at The Children’s Hospital in Aurora. I’m not sure what the recovery entails but I’m sure a lot of hard work, so I’m putting on my game face and getting ready for a rough summer.

Ski TAM

2008-04-06T08:01:00.001-06:00

Once again Ski TAM was a huge party and a lot of fun. I always enjoy the chance to get out in Vail and ski with sponsors. Steve and all the folks with Scientific Atlanta/ Cisco are always very good to me and make the weekend wonderful.

A highlight of the weekend was finding out that I have been nominated back to the U.S. Disabled Ski Team! I will be back on the team as a member of the D team. This means that I will train and travel and race with them but they will not support me financially at all. This is a win-win situation for me as I am still able to keep my own schedule and have no obligations to the team but will receive the benefits. This puts me in a better position to improve my racing. Financially, things could be more difficult but there are a lot of different factors involved so we’ll see how it plays out.

I was even more excited to learn that several of my Winter Park teammates made the team as well. Congrats to John Knudsen, Ricci Kilgore, Ian Jansing and John Whitney - way to go WP!

No Puedo Terminar una Carrera

2008-03-29T10:43:00.004-06:00

I did not finish AGAIN today. I don’t know if I’m more broken hearted or frustrated. It has been years since I have had such a bad race. This is 4 of 4 for the Europa Cup! I came to Spain for a few reasons; to ski well, have fun and gain some confidence in myself and my ski racing in an international field. I think all I have done is crashed and enjoyed the sun.

I’m not sure if I’m skiing well and pushing myself and therefore crashing or if I’m skiing poorly and crashing. Maybe for the Super G races, I was pushing myself? I WAS skiing outside my comfort zone and ended up crashing both runs. The GS, I made a mistake and had some bad luck. Today- I just don’t know. I went out on like the 10th gate!

To give you a better picture of what happened let me explain. The hill is very steep and that it was very warm yesterday then froze overnight, so we had FIRM snow this morning. SO, right out of the start a lot of people were sliding around the first few gates, I was no exception. BUT, I didn’t want to ski like that so I said to myself, “close the buckles and let’s go!” The good thing was that I did it! To my dismay, 2 gates later I hooked a tip (or hit it on the base of a gate), lost my ski and went sliding down the hill for yet another time this week. I gathered myself up, with a smile and said oh well because what else can I do? I was definitely NOT the minority as nearly half the field did not finish first run, but it still sucks. I could’ve really used the finish, and the points.

On a different note, my roommate for the trip, Natasha and my friend Katja both got 2nd today. Also, this girl Petra from Slovakia got her first win ever- so at least I can be happy for them.
Katja getting her medal

Stand up ladies SL Podium

Katja and Petra

Hanging at the hill

2008-03-29T10:35:00.004-06:00

Tallen (from the British Team) and I

Fritz (my friend and fellow American, Scott Meyer's friend/ helper)

Tallen and Fritz

Podium shots

2008-03-29T10:33:00.004-06:00

Visually Impaired Ladies GS Podium, with my friend/roommate this trip Natasha in 3rd, and other friend Sabine in 1st

Stand up Ladies GS podium

Sitting Men SG 2 Podiuim, with my friend and NSCD teammate (from Serbia) 3rd

Another day at the races

2008-03-28T15:34:00.003-06:00

I try really hard to appreciate the opportunities that I have and how lucky I am to be able to travel around and ski race. This morning riding up the lift with the sun shinning looking down at the snow I felt very appreciative. I had a good outlook on the day; I was going to race and whatever happened I was going to enjoy my situation. I came pretty close. I was smiling and happy in the start and the finish but there were a few obstacles to hurdle to stay positive. First run the snow was firm but still very bumpy and once again, the bumps took a toll. I skied the top section well, and I was able to stay on my feet down the pitch and finish the race, but, I had to nearly stop before the flats in order to stay in the course. SO, my time was VERY slow. I was disappointed but at the same time relieved, because I did finish. I needed the points but I’m sick of skiing for points or just to get through, so I’ll take the good things from my run with me and leave the rest on the hill.

It got REALLY warm today and by the second run inspection the snow was so slushy we were nearly water skiing. The cross ruts were so bad that people were getting air during inspection. As I went through inspection I was seriously considering not starting second run because I was already out of the points and I could seriously hurt myself. I’m a much better SL skier and I rather save myself for that. Ironically enough I was told I didn’t qualify anyway.

Despite it all I enjoyed the sun and the racing here at La Molina today and hope for a better day of SL tomorrow.

Rules are rules, right?

2008-03-28T15:29:00.001-06:00

I found myself in the middle of yet another rule debate today.

When there are more than 120 racers they put into affect the 80% rule. (Rule 614.4 pg 26.) This means that they let only the top 80% of the finishers move on to the second run. The thing is that I know this rule because a few years ago they changed it a little bit, mostly to help the classes with a smaller field. They made it so that if your class would have less than 10 racers after the 20% was taken away then they would not apply the rule to that class. Today, this was the case with my class (standing women). We only had 10 finishers so, the rule should not have been applied. Unfortunately, it was and because I had such a slow first run I was second to last, putting me out of the 80%. When I saw the second run start list and I was not on it, I went to find the chief of race or a member of the jury or SOMEBODY. I ended up arguing in Spanish and English and got no where. I was so frustrated. In France I was told that I could not start because they had printed some things wrong and the rule book was the definitive answer and that trumps all. Today I KNEW the rule, I KNEW the page in the rule book but I still didn’t get to start.

How is it possible that the rules only are applied when they want to? Now because I technically don’t have a team captain I had to go to the team captain’s meeting and argue it out myself- oh what fun. I won, they were wrong, but that doesn’t give me my second run. Maybe it will prevent it from happening in the future.

ROUGH Day

2008-03-27T10:57:00.012-06:00

The deal for the day was that the jury was making a decision on what race to run at 0645 this morning. That way we could pack the appropriate skis and head to the hill. I was so excited when they said we were running the 2 Super G’s because I have been skiing well and I need the SG points. Well things didn’t exactly work out so well for me today. The snow was firm, but you could put an edge into it, but also very bumpy. I knew the little bumps would be tough but I was confident I could pull it off.

I guess confidence is sometimes stupidity. As I began first run I already knew I was in trouble the track was tough and I couldn’t seem to get off my edge to start the new turn. I was struggling but I kept fighting because that’s what you do when you’re racing. Well the hill won. I came onto the bottom pitch, got sideways (which is never good) tried to straighten it out but my ski railed out and I lost it. I went head over heals a few times, losing a ski in the process, then slid down the rest of the pitch which was about 100 yards. Not fun. I was a little shaken up and my left leg was wedged underneath me, but I was able to get up, get collected and ski off..

After I raced I decided to go around and watch the men, to get a better idea of what to do for the next run. I’m not sure if that was a good or bad idea because it became very clear this was not an easy course, because of the set, the snow and the hill. I watch several men crash but I had a new plan for next run. I de-tuned my edges a little bit so they weren't so grabby and basically, the plan was; relax, take a high line to stay out of some of the crappy spots and keep moving. In the start it was F--- it and ski. I knew straight out of the start that my skis were better, one breath of relief. I had a high line and was avoiding some of the holes, another breath of relief. I got to the spot that caught me the first run and got a little low but said to myself “not again” and I made a strong move to get off the edge, into the new turn and I was through it. One more breath of relief, but it was short lived as then it started to get REALLY bumpy. I just kept trying to move down the hill and hang on, I knew I was pushing it but I was so close to the finish and then…
… another bump, the straw that broke the camels back. I was done, I tried to hang on but my skis were bouncing off the snow and the next thing I knew I was in the air going head first down the hill. Then, WACK, ouch, wack, leg twisting, sliding, and then finally I came to a stop- OMG am I okay? After a little help getting my legs untwisted and putting snow on my bleeding face, I was able to ski off. I should be good to ski tomorrow. Unfortunately, I think I cracked my cool, brand new helmet and it might have to be retired already, but it did its job and that’s important.

Spanish SL Champion

2008-03-26T07:34:00.007-06:00

I won the race today! I think I’m actually the Slalom co-champion, officially, because I can’t be Spanish Champion since I’m not Spanish. It doesn’t really matter the title, I won the women’s stand-up and that feels good. My first run was a lot better than my second run. Second run was a lot faster course which means that you have to be on and off your edge quickly and that’s not exactly my forte. So each gate I got a little and little behind, which isn’t super fast, but sometimes the winner is the one who is the most persistent. There weren't a lot of girls starting today, especially Spanish girls, but I looked at the stand-up men and I think I would’ve been 4th, not bad. It makes me excited for the Europa Cup SL in a few days. For now I’m looking forward to the Super G that is suppose to happen tomorrow but there are already rumors flying that they are going to cancel because the snow is getting too soft and slushy. Slush can be very dangerous for speed events because it’s very inconsistent and when you’re going fast (40-60mph) you don’t want the snow to break away. As always, we’ll see what happens.

You win some and you lose some

2008-03-25T04:50:00.001-06:00

For anyone reading this that has never skied in Europe let me explain something; the grooming here is very different! I don’t think the race hill was groomed last night at all and if it was- they did a horrible job. The snow was soft and the hill was VERY bumpy. I saw this during inspection and I was prepared to ski a rodeo but it was worse than I expected. I started bib 24 and when it was my turn to run, the course was not like what I had inspected. Out of the gate I knew it was going to be bumpy but I got jostled around almost every turn. The race line I was trying to ski was like a mini mogul field. Unfortunately, I’m not so very good at absorbing bumps, especially consecutive ones. I got to one of the only technical parts of the course, which was a break over and I tried to put my ski in the fall line and hang on but I hit yet another bump and got tossed. I don’t know that the initial mistake was that spectacular but I did a few somersaults for anyone watching, losing my ski in the process, so my day was over. I decided rather than call it a day I’d go over to the Europa Cup race hill and do a few runs on that. The hill is a lot steeper and the snow a lot firmer so it was very good for my confidence.

Ski Racing is a Winter Sport

2008-03-24T03:00:00.004-06:00

Sometimes things just don’t go how they are supposed to go.

Ski racing is a winter sport but ironically enough the weather can really mess up our days. Today we woke up at 0530 to a full on snow storm and about 3 inches of new snow. It was a very early morning as first run inspection was intended to begin at 0715. So we (a fellow American skier Scott, me and the Belgium Team) ate some breakfast and made our way up the hill. We arrived at the lift to find no one around. It was a little before 0700 and no sign of movement. We hung out a little while and then got the word that there would not be a race today. I have to say that I was more relieved than disappointed. We probably got nearly 8 inches of snow, making tomorrows race questionable, but the sun did come out this afternoon so there is still hope.

Today was going to be the first day of the Spanish Championships, but for me the race would not have mattered as it’s not a scored race. Meaning it would not benefit my points. I made a decision to run these races because it would give me a few days here in La Molina to get over any jet lag, and ski the hill. Unfortunately, I found out yesterday that the Spanish Championships are not on the same race hill as Europa Cup finals. Needless to say, I’m not too broken hearted about not racing today. I decided that I have had enough powder skiing this season that I needed the rest more than I needed to be on snow.

Long Day

2008-03-24T01:32:00.004-06:00

I am absolutely exhausted. My travels were very long. I left Colorado at 0830 Saturday morning and arrived here in La Molina yesterday (Sunday) at about 4 o’clock PM. Basically 30 hours of travel with only an hour of sleep on one flight and about the same on a different flight. The good thing was that after Sylvana picked me up at the airport yesterday she and a friend of hers from the IPC took me around Barcelona for a few hours. The things done by the artist Gaudi are some of the most popular sites but we just mostly drove by and walked around which was very enjoyable. I was very happy when we went to a Tapas bar(I've never been to one and there is no place like the origin to start.) I As tired as I was I was very grateful for the opportunity to see the city a little bit. It is not very often that I get a chance to see some of the cool things around the places I go to race. The bummer was that I was not able to get to sleep until after ten last night because here in Spain, like much of Europe, you do not eat dinner until after 8PM. Needless to say I don’t feel too rested.

US Nationals 2008

2008-03-10T08:00:00.000-06:00

This year Nationals was scheduled at Solider Mountain, ID –a place that we could actually have an official speed event so that was a major highlight. Overall, I had a really good week of racing. We were fortunate enough to be able to get 2 DH races, which was a huge thing. The last time that we had a disabled downhill was the Paralympics so it was good to finally make it happen. I skied both races well but just didn’t have the guts to stay in my tuck in two key spots, and then didn’t trust myself to finish the last pitch strong, but I took 3rd both races, and I was okay with that. The Super G, and the GS didn’t go as well as I wanted but I skied strong and made improvements from my previous races and that’s all I could do. I took 3rd in the SG and 4th in the GS. Slalom went really well. First run I laid down a really nice run and I was within reach of the leader, despite the horrible set. I had a good second run but not as good as my first and took 3rd. I was okay with that because it was probably the closest I’ve been in a SL race all year. Now I’m off to Spain for Spanish Championships and Europa Cup Finals.

Training at home

2008-02-20T15:43:00.003-07:00

I had one of the best days of training I’ve had in a very long time.
I’ve been home for several weeks now but I just haven’t been feeling like I have it together. I feel like I’ve been fighting the courses rather than skiing them. That changed the other day skiing GS, things actually started to come together. Then, today in SL I felt like a whole different person. I guess sometimes patience and persistence does pay off.

Slalom 2 in France

2008-01-23T16:07:00.000-07:00

The last day of races in France went well for my USA teammate Allison Jones as she took silver as did my Winter Park teammate Adam Hall from New Zealand- I’m happy for both of them! After the races they race organizers had this HUGE pie/ tarte brought up to the village- just for us. It took a while but it was really cool and quite tasty too!

The next 2 days were full of crazy traveling to get home. We drove from France to Monaco to Italy to Austria to Germany and got on a plane to the states. I think we ended up traveling for something like 48 hours by the time I arrived at my parent’s house on Sunday evening. I had good trip but relieved that it’s over.

Slalom in France

2008-01-17T10:07:00.000-07:00

Despite my unfortunate luck with SL points, I am happy to report that my Winter Park teammate and traveling partner from New Zealand, Adam Hall won his first World Cup race today! This was his first World Cup podium and first win- way to go! And a US teammate, Allison Jones took the bronze, nice job! Hope more good luck for my friends tomorrow.

End of the road

2008-01-17T01:03:00.000-07:00

I got news last night that I will not be racing the Slalom races here in Queyras.

The reason that was given to me is that I do not have the appropriate points. Unfortunately, there is no way that I could have known this because they are basing this decision on a points list that I can't find because it isn't posted. I am very sad and disappointed. I try to know the rules and know where I stand so that I don’t end up in this position. It is what it is, and I’ll be heading home in a few days.

French GS #2

2008-01-15T07:51:00.000-07:00

We got about a foot of snow overnight and the race hill was super soft, and warm up was powder skiing but I skied better today! Still not super fast but I improved on my times yesterday so that was good. First run I had a better focus and fixed some of the things I needed to fix. Second run wasn’t as good. I was still a lot closer than I’ve been but I nearly missed a gate on the top, so I got late, ran a little too straight the rest of the run to try to make up for it and just seemed to fight my way down. I almost scored my first World Cup points of the year, but second run cost me too much time. Bummer. I ended up 12th.

Tomorrow is a day off and they are having a party for all the athletes tonight. The Euro's sure do know how to make World Cup fun :)
Then we have 2 more days of racing SLALOM- YEAH!

French GS #1

2008-01-14T08:37:00.000-07:00

Well...
I’d love to say that I had a fantastic day and I skied super fast but…
I just didn’t. The snow was soft but surprisingly the hill was in really good shape and the snow actually held up quite well. The courses were fun but the race hill is not steep enough to be forgiving at all.

First run I was able to hold my tuck most of the run to help keep my speed up but then made costly mistakes in the wrong places and ended up with a really slow time. Second run I got late, my line got lower and lower until I had to make a big move to fix it and that isn’t fast. Bottom line, I was slow today, and placed 10th.

The good thing is that I think I know where I can improve for tomorrow’s GS.

Queyras, France

2008-01-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

There is a joke among ski racers that if you want it to snow hold a ski race. Well this has happened here in France. Until yesterday morning the hill here had very little snow and it was mostly man-made. They had just cancelled the speed races that were scheduled because the hill didn’t have enough snow to hold the races. Now, they’ve gotten about two feet of snow in the past 24 hours. This is not so good for racing either.

I was very excited to come here and race some tech events on firm snow as I had a lot more confidence after racing in Abtenau. Now I’m not quite so optimistic. It’s always good for the mountains to receive snow but soft snow and flat hills are very unforgiving. For me unforgiving is bad. My feet and legs are not always as smooth and clean as I’d like and even little mistakes add up quickly in these types of conditions. I guess we’ll see how it goes.

I’m might do some powder skiing today but maybe I’ll just take the day off as we’re racing GS tomorrow.

SC # 3

2008-01-11T18:00:00.000-07:00

The hill we’ve been racing on does not get any sun and they had not groomed so the track was slicker than it had been. When you run a course multiple days (without grooming) the track tends to get harder, slicker, and faster as you go. Although we weren’t running the same course, it was still very similar and this is exactly what happened to the track. I knew that it was going to be tough and I’d have to be ahead of it to have a decent run. Regrettably, that didn’t happen. On the first pitch I got behind and it stacked up on me so a few gates later I had to put on the brakes to try to make a gate but couldn’t do it and slid right by with speed. When I finally did stop I was too far down hill to make the gate. My day was over. I was bummed, but there were several others that ended up crashing or in the fence from similar mistakes, so I felt fortunate to have such a benign mistake.

On to France for some tech races!

Super Combined (SC) #2

2008-01-10T08:38:00.000-07:00

The snow did not soften at all over night, which wasn’t a shock at all, so the snow was still “bullet proof.” The set was better than yesterday and I had hopes that I had worked out my problems on my ‘not so fast or fun’ run yesterday. Unfortunately, I apparently did not have the kinks worked out and my run was better but only by a little. I needed it to be exponential better. My confidence took another hit.

Once again I took some free runs before the SL and my SL run was A LOT better. It wasn’t perfect or anything but I I actually skied fast and it felt so good. I think I took 6th or 7th in the SL run. I didn’t ski fast enough to make up for my horrible SG run but at the end of the day, I ended up 10th. Only one more SC race to go then it’s off to France!

My first Super Combined (SC)

2008-01-09T08:37:00.000-07:00

If I never have to talk about my skiing today, ever again, that would be alright. I think today was one of the worst races I’ve ever completed. I don’t know what is going on with me at the moment but I’m skiing in some weird mind warp place. I get in the start and I’m okay then the second I’m out of the gate I feel like I go into a different world. A world in which I don’t seem to know how to ski race anymore, it’s very bizarre.

The Super G this morning was very daunting even during inspection. The snow was “bullet proof” and people were sliding all over the place. The set was good and I thought I might be able to make something happen despite the more than firm snow. I was WRONG. I basically slid my way down the course, I did not ski it and I surely wouldn’t have called that a race run. I felt embarrassed to have skied like that.

Afterward I went back around and took a couple free runs before the SL and got some of my confidence back. It worked and I think I figured out what I need to do to ski better on this kind of snow. My SL run was A LOT better. Still not fabulous but it was what I needed; a good, solid run to feel like I could ski again. It’s amazing what a bad run can do to the psyche. At the end of the day, I ended up 10th. I feel much better going into tomorrow, another SC. The consolation is that a couple of my teammates had really good runs and got on the podium.

Riesen Slalom aka Giant Slalom (in English)

2008-01-08T12:14:00.000-07:00

Have I ever mentioned that ski racing can be very unforgiving and grueling? Today was a perfect example of both. It was a tough day, but not in the same way as yesterday. The weather was a lot better; we had a clear blue sky and the sun actually came out. BUT clear skies in mountains mean cold snow. So all that wet rain we’ve seen the past couple of days actually froze. Therefore, instead of soft, mushy, sugary snow we had hard frozen slush. I mean really frozen, like clear patches in the course. Both the condition of the hill and difficult course sets made for an exigent day of racing. I didn’t ski poorly but let’s just say that the combination of hard snow and challenging courses brought out the weaknesses in my skiing. My first run I skied pretty well okay but my second run I struggled to make through, in the end I hung on and placed 9th. My time was far from good, which is disappointing but I’m not dwelling on it, because I can’t change it. My consolation is that a lot of other racers found today very trying as well. I’m hoping that the SC goes better tomorrow. The Super G should be better as there will be less turning and SL is good on firm snow (at least in theory) I guess we’ll see!

Slalom

2008-01-07T09:56:00.000-07:00

We woke up this morning to rain and fog----yuck! I was trying to remain optimistic for a good day of racing but it didn’t really work out that way. The snow was SUPER soft and the course turned into a mine field. Over half the field didn’t finish (DNF) or were disqualified (DSQ.) Fortunately, I was not part of the DNF or DSQ groups but I did stop, fall over and hiked to make a gate. I have got to be the slowest person at hiking and I’m not exactly sure why I bothered because after I finished my run I was over 20 seconds out- which is ridiculous. Whatever, I guess I wanted to ski a second run. Despite the not so fun first run, the rain and fog we tried to gather our composure and went back up and went out for second run. My second run was loads better but still not super great. I skied okay but still didn’t exactly find the fast track. I keep thinking it’ll all come together one of these days. I’m hoping I figure it out soon.

The schedule has changed and we’ll be running GS tomorrow instead of SL. Then they hope to get 3 Super Combined (SC) races instead of 2. We’ll see, the hill is in pretty bad shape.

Austria Again

2008-01-06T08:38:00.000-07:00

We’re in Abtenau, Austria for the start of the IPC World Cup. After many hours of traveling yesterday we made here at about 2 in the afternoon. We start racing tomorrow so we skied a few hours today in the rain and called it good. The weather is really warm and the snow is soft and slushy. The last time I was here it snowed 3 feet and races were cancelled, I’m not sure which is worse. We’ll start racing with SL. I’m happy and excited to be here, hopefully that shows in my skiing.

Park City, Utah

2008-01-01T21:16:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year!

I was a little bummed about having to race on New Year’s Day and not being able to celebrate last night, but that feeling soon passed. The morning was very brisk and cool as we arrived to the mountain. The race hill had been groomed and the sun was beginning to shine-it was going to be a good day.

I think sometimes your mind can be your best friend or your worst enemy. Today my mindset was good and it paid off. The first run set was challenging to say the least. I watched 2 forerunners nearly blow out of the course before the 9th gate. I knew my line was going to be important and that’s all I thought about, turning early. I skied the line I wanted but didn’t let the skis run, I was sitting 4th. The second run set was a little less difficult and I tried to be more aggressive. The terrain was bumpy and tough, I made a few mistakes but I made it through. At the end of the day I had a Bronze medal around my neck! My first podium of the season and literally of this year! 2008 started off just fine for me. Yeah!

Still Going

2007-12-20T07:49:00.000-07:00

The ski season is in full swing. It’s been snowing, the mountain is almost all open and the race season has begun. We have had 2 races now and a big road trip to come.

Our first races were a SL and GS in Breckenridge, December 6th and 7th. This is normally a good warm-up race and a gentle way to begin. This year it wasn’t exactly like that. We got over 10 inches of snow the first day and several more inches the next. While I was pleased to see the desperately needed snow, it is not what we as alpine ski racers want to see. Fresh snow makes the course very soft, uneven and holes are created almost immediately. These types of conditions are a test to even the most experienced racers.

I had two decent days of racing with 2 solid finishes, but I definitely did not ski the way I wanted or expected. I told myself that it’s the first race of the year and I’d just take the good things and build on them.

I spent the next couple of weeks training here at home in Winter Park and trying to ready myself for the races here. We had one GS and two SG races the 17th-19th. Prior to the races, I had finally gotten all my new skis, had been training well and the snow was good. I felt very prepared and confident. It was the first time in a long time that I felt comfortable on my Super G skis. I guess confidence and performance do not always match up. At the end of the 3 days, I had 3 mediocre finishes at best. Once again, I had skied parts of each course very well, but then made mistakes here or there that ended up costing me a lot of time. It only takes one wide turn, a poor line choice, a few skidded turns down the pitch, and you’re way out of the mix. Ski racing is an unforgiving sport.

For the next week, I’m going to go over video, reflect, ski and try to figure out how to make it better the next race. I’ll be headed to Park City, UT on the 31st for races the 1st-3rd. From there it’s off to Europe for some World Cup races in Abtenau, Austria.

Opening Day at WP

2007-11-14T13:42:00.000-07:00

Well Winter Park Resort has finally opened. I have to say that the snow pack is the worst I've ever seen for opening day. The only snow that is up there has been man made. There is only one run open but, hey they're open. We were fortunate enough to be able to use the resort before it opened to the public the past few days but it's nothing spectacular. With only one run open our "training" is very limited, so we're free-skiing and doing drills. As disappointing as the snow situation is, I'm still happy to be on the little snow that's here, at my home mountain.

The snow is almost here

2007-09-29T12:55:00.000-06:00

I was hoping when I arrived home from my African adventure that there would be snow on the ground. Unfortunately I'm not quite that lucky. We did have a dusting on Monday night but when it warms up during the day it doesn't really do much. I guess I got a little spoiled last year when we had snow early in September. At this point I can just hope when it does start snowing it doesn't stop so the skiing is fantastic!

Fantastic news

2007-05-24T15:31:00.001-06:00

I just found out that U.S. Paralympics wants to be a big supporter of my latest adventure. Including myself, there are 4 female ski racers that are going to climb Kilimanjaro this September. By climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, we want to not only raise awareness about female athletes who have a disability, but also raise money to create two scholarships for female athletes to attend the NSCD race program. Having U.S. Paralympics on board is a huge deal! I am so excited!

Unfortunately, it's has still been snowing up here. The past 2 days we've seen nothing but snow and rain so I haven't been able to play outside. That's Winter Park for ya!

I also got some other good news the past couple days. Rudy Project USA has been sponsoring me for sunglasses for a few years now. I just got an e-mail from them saying that they want me to use their goggles as well. I love everything that Rudy has done for me and I feel special to be a fully sponsored athlete! Thanks Paul, Avi and Molly!

Next adventure

2007-05-21T21:52:00.000-06:00

I've decided that I'm not going to be skiing much this summer, if at all. I could really use the break mentally and physically. Time off the hill will also give me time to do other things, like work on the ambulance, going to a cycling race that I want to attend as well as doing as much hiking as I can.

Three girls that I race and train with and I have decided we are going to hike Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa in September. I don't know exactly how this all came about but we’ve decided we're going to do it to raise money for the NSCD. It's going to be a lot of work and a lot of fun. We have been working out the details and setting things up. We actually have a blog for it if you want to check it out. http://disabilitieswithoutborders.blogspot.com/

End of the season

2007-04-13T15:20:00.000-06:00

Photo by Ken Watson

For Winter Park, the season comes to a close on Sunday. You wouldn’t know that from looking outside as it has been snowing for days. That’s okay though, we need the snow. In some ways it’s hard to believe the mountain is closing but in other ways I’m ready for the break. It feels like it’s been a long hard season. I guess all of the changes and ups and downs, has just taken a toll on me emotionally.

Our racing season ended at Waterville Valley, NH with U.S. Disabled Championships. Because we couldn’t run the speed events they ran 1 Nor-Am race and one National race for GS and SL and then the last day we did a dual GS for fun and prize money. I skied well. I had two of my best SL races of the year and I actually beat my friend and teammate Liz Miller in a few runs of GS, which usually doesn’t happen. In the Nor-Am GS I took bronze. For the Nationals GS I came back from being behind first run to taking silver! The Nor-Am SL was a heartbreaker for me. After first run I was sitting 3rd. Second run the leader DNF and I won the run, but it wasn’t enough and I lost by .58 of a second- OUCH! For the nationals SL I was down by 2 seconds after first run, had another good second run and made up time but it wasn’t enough and I ended up 3rd. The final day was the duel GS and I had another good day. I skied fast in the qualifying and then throughout the day to take 4th place behind my teammate Laurie Stephens. Not bad.

All in all I had a good week but it was bittersweet. At the end of the week we had our individual meetings with our staff and made decisions about next season. The decision was made that I will not be part of the U.S. Disabled Ski Team next year. This was really tough and I wasn’t quite ready to deal with it. I think I’m going to take a step back and focus on training and maybe just local races, I don’t know. I’m not sure how everything will work out but I’m going to stay in Winter Park and WILL be training and racing. There are a lot factors that have affected my skiing but the bottom line is that I want/need to race faster, whatever it takes. Photo by Kurt Smitz

More changes

2007-03-04T22:54:00.000-07:00

We have yet more changes to our schedule. We are no longer running any speed races at U.S. Nationals this year. Apparently it isn’t legal for Waterville Valley Ski Area to hold a downhill or super G at their mountain. Somehow this had been overlooked until this week so they’ve changed the races to 2 GS races and 2 SL races. I don’t mind too much because there were rumors that the speed races would not have been scored with ASD points (so they wouldn’t have done us any good.) Plus as of right now, one of the each of the tech events will be for the national title and one of each will be scored as an ASD scored Nor-Am race. This is good news because that means the penalty should be lower and it could help us keep our points down. We’ll see.

Wells Fargo Bank Cup

2007-02-27T10:27:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was one of the biggest fundraisers of the year for the Nationals Sports Center for the Disabled (NSCD), the 32nd Annual Wells Fargo Bank Cup. It’s a weekend full of sponsors, fun and racing. For the athletes that train here in Winter Park, we get a chance to “show our stuff” to the NSCD sponsors and open eyes for others about our program. The NSCD is one of the best outdoor recreation programs for people with disabilities in the world. Thanks to this event, Wells Fargo Bank, the Denver Post, Denver Broncos Alumni and Denver’s Channel 4 we are able to show sponsors and the general public what that really means.

For me, this past weekend really was a lot of fun. On Saturday I participated in the Frontier Cup which is triple SL team race. I want to send a special note of thanks to Don Marshall a member of the NSCD board of trustees and long time supporter of me and my racing. I had the privilege of being on his team “Wellskis” in the Frontier Cup and helping them advance to the second round of racing for the first time in years (maybe ever.) Yeah!

On Sunday I raced in the Disabled Invitational. This was the first time I’ve raced in this race because in the past, the Disabled Invitational was only open to men. This was because it was based on the pro-race format that was only open to men. Last year our head coach here in Winter Park, Erik Petersen, changed that and created a women’s category. Unfortunately for the NSCD most of the women who train here (including myself) were in Italy racing World Cup and Paralympics.

The race format is very different from our usual races. This race is a dual GS course with 3 bumps in the course that send us into the air. It’s exciting for spectators but really exciting for us. The weather didn’t cooperate as it was snowing really hard throughout the day but it didn’t dampen the excitement. During the qualifying runs I raced really well and actually won the qualifying round. I thought that set me up pretty well to win the race but I had to face my British teammate Liz Miller in the semi-finals and she edged me out by .12 seconds. That put me into the consolation round to race off for 3rd or 4th. I skied well against my teammate Ricci Kilgore but she ran into trouble both runs, and I was able win and take 3rd place. Liz took 2nd after my U.S.D.S.T teammate Elitsa Storey beat her by only .11 seconds in the finals. It was great day of racing and an overall great weekend!

No Go...

2007-02-26T09:00:00.000-07:00

…Our Austrian World Cup was officially cancelled Friday. This was not unexpected but disappointing none the less. I had been checking the weather almost daily only to see warm temperatures and rain. Just a few days before the announcement the IPC organizers had posted a “worst case scenario” on the website. It gave us a new schedule for the races, implying that they could just move some things around and we’d be all set. I guess this was not only to give us a little hope but them as well. As it turned out, the conditions in Abtenau just weren’t very good. We are still scheduled to run our races in Italy but as always it depends on the weather. So instead of leaving this Thursday we will now be leaving next Thursday for 1 Slalom race, 1 GS race and for those with the proper points, 2 Super G races.

Trials and tribulations

2007-02-08T19:42:00.000-07:00

There are definitely days that go your way and days that don’t. Tuesday didn’t go my way. I just wasn’t “feeling it.” During inspection I knew the course was going to be more difficult for me than the day before, and that’s how the race went. Sometimes in ski racing you have to take chances, and I’m not always really good at that because I have to trust myself and my legs. The course was a lot of fun but I sacrificed a lot of time to try to stay on line. I know better, I knew I was doing it while I was skiing, but knowing and being able to change it are WAY different. Needless to say, I didn’t have the best race and I didn’t get the Super G points I needed. It’s over now so I can’t really be sad. I did what I could at the time and that’s all I can really ask of myself. Now if I can just get my confidence back up I’ll be grand.

Racing at home

2007-02-05T21:54:00.000-07:00

I’m having a rough time at the moment. I feel like I’m skiing well and I’m trying to keep my head held high but each day I face a new challenge. It started on Friday this past week. The weather has been horrible and because of a 50 mph wind gust during early morning training, I had a bit of a crash. I strained a muscle in the upper part of my leg and around my hip. It’s not bad enough that I can’t ski but very bothersome during racing. I skied Saturday in a race course and just didn’t feel that great. Instead of pushing it I went home and tried to stretch and rest. A good friend Nancy Chang worked on me and tried to loosen up that leg. I felt better afterward but come Sunday morning I still felt a bit unsure. The first run of my SL race just didn’t go well. I didn’t feel like I could get on and off the edge quickly and I straddled a gate. I hiked to stay in the race but that’s not fast. Second run was lots better but my movements still weren’t very quick. At the end of the day I was a bit discouraged but optimistic for Super G since the key to that discipline is subtleness.

Today, for the first time in a very long time I felt comfortable on my speed skis (despite the sore leg.) This was a huge confidence builder. After a couple good warm-up runs and a thorough inspection I knew I could have a good run. Super G is one of the hardest events for me because at the higher speeds my legs don’t always cooperate. Today was no different and I definitely second guessed myself toward the bottom of the course, but, I hung in there and placed 5th. I’m not disappointed with where I finished, just with some of the unnecessary technical mistakes that I made in my run. We have another Super G tomorrow and I’m sanguine (I used a Thesaurus to find that word {smiley face}) that I can build on today and can have a better race.

Winter Park

2007-02-01T21:06:00.000-07:00

After many days on the road I have finally returned to Winter Park.
I took a few days off the snow to give my body a break. It’s nice to be home and to have some down time. It’s brutally cold up here right now making training a challenge. I’ll be toughing it out because we have a race starting Sunday. We have Slalom and 2 Super G’s.

I’m excited to be racing on my home hill. I know I need to ski well but I also know I need to relax and not think about that when I’m in the start gate. There’s a fine line between ready to go and over anxious. I’m shooting for ready to go.

Kimberly, Canada

2007-01-28T12:00:00.000-07:00

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

2007-01-21T20:34:00.000-07:00

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

2007-01-20T06:31:00.000-07:00

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

2007-01-11T11:07:00.000-07:00

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

2007-01-11T10:49:00.000-07:00

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

2007-01-11T10:33:00.000-07:00

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

2007-01-11T10:32:00.000-07:00

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.