Hello Ski Racing Community!!

It has been quite a while since I have posted on my blogspot and lots has happened!! Last post I was raising some money to save for my undergrad and now I am saving up for my MASTERS!! WOO! I will be leaving for Aberdeen, Scotland to start a 2 year degree in Physiotherapy!!

Anyways... below I have posted a couple items I still have kicking around in my closet that are barely used or even still have the tags on them!! (brand spankinnnn new!!).

I realize they may be a couple years old now but they haven't been used since, and I would love for them to find a new home!

Take a look and let me know if there are any items that you are interested in!! Prices are ALWAYS negotiable!! Feel free to email me at juliaroth47@gmail.com OR call/txt at 519 616 0141!

Thanks fiends!! Happy pre-season training!!

Slytech 2nd Skin Back protector (gently used): 25$

POC Back Protector (gently used): $25

 POC Back protector (tags still on- never used!): $30

 Dainese Hard Stealth (brand new- never worn): $75

 Spyder Soft Stealth PANTS!! (brand new- never worn): $50

 Female Spyder Downhill suit (worn 1/2 season only!!)- $150

 Spyder Soft Stealth (brand new-never worn): $65

 World Cup Ortema Back Protector for Speed! (fit for my size- 5'6): $75

Olympic Fever/August Action

Wow. I am in aw of the athletes in this past Olympics. Every four years athletes come back to challenge the best in the world. The one thing that amazes me the most is that they all have a story to tell. They all have hardships and they all continue on their dreams of bringing home the gold.

I cannot fathom the idea that with every Olympics new world records are still being broken. Each year athletes are fighting and training harder than ever before for that one chance; that one chance to be remembered forever. I think the idea that there can always be someone better in the future really boggles my mind. With the help of technology and new studies, athletes are training more efficiently and accurately than ever before. To me, this is a world of opportunity. There are always barriers to be broken and goals to be reached.

I think my favourite part of the games is the reactions of the athletes as they see their results and realize they have really achieved greatness; that after years and even lives of training for that one moment, gold isn’t just a dream anymore, it’s a reality. Seeing this one moment in time makes me emotional and hopeful that one day it too will happen to me. Maybe that feeling won’t first come with the Olympics, but it will come one day when I can celebrate my story. Every single athlete in the Olympics so far has had a story to tell of their own. They have all had hardships and they all continue on their dreams of representing their countries and fulfilling their dreams.

This last month of August has been so awesome and the best part of my summer for sure. I worked a full week with a bunch of crazy 9 year olds at a sports day camp in Collingwood and really enjoyed my time working for Active Life Conditioning. Wakestock weekend was definitely a highlight. I had so much fun seeing all my ex ski racer friends. It’s crazy how much everyone has matured and grown up but I still feel like some things just never change and I will always have a crazy fun time with them regardless of how much our lives have gone down different paths. It’s just 2 weeks away that I have my “final” check up with the doc and can’t wait to see what he has in store for me with my return to snow. Although this is super exciting and I know skiing is just around the corner for me, I am sad to say good bye to all my old and new friends heading away to school.

As summer is coming to a close I know that this past year has been the best one yet. Even though I have fought through injury for the last 6 months I have gained some things that I know I couldn’t have learned on the hill. Last season I didn’t have the mental strength I have now. I know now that when I stand in the start gate I have so much more to give in ski racing and in life. If for whatever reason my ski racing career ends in the near future (which I hope it doesn’t) I know I will be successful with whatever, and where ever life takes me. I can stand in the gate and go as hard as I can every run without a doubt in my mind. I finally feel free of stress and pressure and as confident as ever… and I haven’t even skied yet!! Can’t wait to rip it up…

Julia.

July Flys By

Hi again!
Right now it's the first rainy day in Collingwood that we have had all summer!! I'm sitting in a Starbucks drinking a mocha and eating a muffin, something I rarely get to do. This past month has flown by. I came up to Collingwood right after my Calculus exam and have been up here for 3 hard weeks of tough training. Looking back, it was the perfect choice for me to move up here and start training in a more intense competitive training atmosphere. I am finally starting to lift some serious weights and grunt through some tough intervals of jumping and running. It is amazing how much more fun training is with friends and some sweet loud beats blasting in the background. Active Life is a great gym and the positive atmosphere makes me want to go back each day. Right now, I feel fit and strong but I also feel like I have a lot more healing to do before I can ski again.

It has been great to have my close friends up here too. Training is more enjoyable if you know you have something to look forward to after it. Takin a dip in Georgian Bay, going to Wing Night here every Tuesday with friends, mountain biking in 3 Stage or even just getting away from it all and having a nap is what keeps me going. I'm always looking for an adventure. Even though my life right now is semi normal, I am looking forward to being back on the plane and rippin some turns. This year, I am going to focus mostly on tech events. I already know what I can do in speed and I want to save it for later. My technical skiing will translate into my speed skiing anyways.

I am counting down the days until I see the Doc in September. I am anxiously awaiting what he will say for my return to snow and an approximate time that I can start back at it. Wearing a brace is on my mind but if it means I can do what I love again then so be it.  All our new equipment is coming in tomorrow and its basically a skiers Christmas. However, I think it will be a tease for me to get all my new gear and not be able to use it right away. The team leaves aug. 1st for Mt. Hood and this time I am actually not that upset about missing it. Of course I would be there in a second if I could but right now I know I'm not ready. Which is a good thing. I look at it as if I have 3 extra months on everyone else to get even fitter. The season is long and I'll be fresh for the race season. Even though I don't get as much training as the rest of the field, I'm confident in myself and my training right now; and for me, thats all that matters. If I know I'm doing all I can, thats what counts when its time to race.

One of the goals I set for myself when I got injured was to create a better life at home away from skiing. I have been branching out and trying hard not to talk so much about my skiing. So far, its been working. I've been tagging along with my brother and his new group of friends where he's been working at our cottage. It has been a blast and I can't help but thank my bro for being such a good friend to me. I am so glad we have such a good relationship and because of it we have a ton of fun together. I've been enjoying spotting for him while he wakeboards and getting tips from him while I try and wake surf. I've been trying to love the small things in life and I think I've really learned even more about myself this summer then I thought I could. Being with my family a ton isn't such a bad thing after all. Laughing and doing nothing but it was also another goal of mine and I've been doing a lot of it. Heres some pics of my bro wakeboarding!

 Flippzzzz

And Grabs

I am looking forward to working in August at the Active Life Sports Camp and I can't wait to be a leader for all the crazy, enthusiastic kids. I know I was one of them growing up and I can't wait to be run into the ground by how much energy they all have each day. Well, thats all I have for now!
Julia.    

Summer Time and the Livin's Easy.... sort of.

Hey Yaaaalll
Its been a while... what else is new.
Time flys when you're heads down and you're working hard and chasing goals. Since my last blog I've been to Punta Cana, Domincan with some close friends, recovered lots, and studied hard too (grosss). Calculus has become my 2nd life. It has taken over it seems, but the end is near! I am finally going to be DONE high school this Friday when I finish my exam. I can't believe I'll be done and won't have to think about school. It will be such a weight of my shoulders to know all I have to do is get fit.... and get fitter.

I don't want to say it too soon but my knee is feeling stronger then ever. It's funny, I hadn't really stopped to notice that I didn't have any pain anymore until this week. I guess its because my trainer has been making each week slightly harder then the last. Without even knowing it, I am starting to clean some serious weight. I felt it today in my traps and back muscles which means I'm heading in the right direction. Life this summer has been very different from last. Even though I would love to be out in Calgary training with the team, I have come to realize that it is better for me to stay and recover fully on my own. I am a super competitive person and when you're injured it sometimes isn't a good idea to be pushing yourself to the limit.

On the long flight home from Austria after my injury, I wrote a page of the things I wanted to accomplish in the next 8 months. 6 months have already past and I just looked back at my goals today. I have accomplished a lot of them but I still have a few to go for the summer. One of my goals was to become more of a professional athelete. When I look in the mirror now, I see someone who could go all the way. I see someone who can over come fear of failure, and over come the mental side of the sport. I sometimes feel like my biggest enemy is between my own two ears and I've really been working on improving this about myself. Another thing to check off on my list was to listen to better music and read more. Two of which I think I've been doing more of. For my 19th birthday my brother and some friends took me to see The Band of Skulls (which sounds hard core rock) but really isn't. It was a really sweet experience that I will remember forever.

Lastly, one of the biggest things on my list of achievements was to believe in what I'm doing and not worry about what the rest of the world is doing. With my injury, I'm doing everything I can without trying to over do it. Confidence in the process is what makes me know that I will perform when I do get time to ski. Standing in the start and knowing I've done every second of my recovery and pushed myself in training everyday is beautiful thing. To know that I don't have to do something extra in the race from what I've been doing is training is such a kick ass feeling. When I get there, I will deserve it and I will know that I can do anything.

I'm sooooo coming back stronger and better then ever before and it feels good to know that even though its been along time since I've skied, it really doesn't feel like it. Its cool to know that I can improve my skiing without even doing it. As my surgeon says... "you won't forget how to ski." Thats all the wisdom I have for now. Here some pics from my tropical vacay to Punta Cana!

 The Beach!

 Kelly, Dev and I

My new best friend... 

Jules.  
1 800 KILL'N'IT!!

Heartbroken but Uplifted

Hey everyone, it has been quite a while since I've last blogged and quite a lot has happened since Novemeber. After some hard fought NORAM races I returned home from out west to the best two weeks vacation for Christmas. I was exhausted mentally and physically and deserved the time to spend with close friends and my biggest fans and supporters. I then flew to Europe where we went straight into some difficult "world cup caliber" europa cups speed races. Bad Klienkirchhiem (a tongue twister in the least) was definitely the hardest track for DH I've come across. The terrain was challenging and with that comes insane mental strength. Even though I didn't ski the way I thought I could in the DH, I made up for it with a great 23rd result in the super g.

I love speed, but I felt like I needed more time on my slalom and gs ski's so I went with JS to train with the world cup tech team in Hinterreit, Austria. There, I had some of the best training in slalom that I've ever had. I felt like I was on top of the world. Finally, with just JS coaching me and the rest of the girls to watch, I felt like I could really let go of my fears and really try and make changes in my skiing. Without thinking about going fast or what the coaches think of my skiing I let go and relaxed. I had the time of my life and I will never forget those 3 days of training. Something about the snow and how grippy it was just made me come alive. I had had some issues earlier on in the europe trip with enjoying myself and it really worried me. I want this more then anyone I know and it hurt to feel like I wasn't having fun anymore. The slalom training opened my eyes to a whole new attitude; a whole new me. It all came together and it makes me happy to know that I went out on a bang.

I think those three days are what is getting me through this injury. Along with the fact that I was training with what are now World Cup winners, I am more motivated then ever. My first injury happened on Feb 12th 2010 and I can't explain how different my rehab is now then it was from then. Even though it is the exact same injury, the differences are huge. The days before my injury made me see that I can really do anything if I set my mind to it. Knowing that I can not only ski well in speed but slalom too proves that I can really be a four event skier. Being right up there was the world cup girls proves that I too can make it. This year has been a huge learning experience for me too. I thought I knew a lot about skiing and the way it works but I figured out that I know very little. It makes me realize I have soo much more to give.

At the beginning of my injury before the surgery it was very hard for me to except that I had torn the same ACL for a 2nd time. The run before my accident I had fallen and had thought about how lucky I was that my knee had felt soo strong. I think thats why it was so hard for me to fathom it all. It didn't make sense to me because I always think that everything happens for a reason and I had know idea why I had deserved it again. I thought I had learned my lessons the first time. In 2010 I learned that I loved the sport soo much and would never give it up. I learned so much about myself and how to manage my body. This time however, I was stuborn at first to think that I could get anything out of this tragedy. It hurt to think I had to wait a whole nother year. Wait, and wait and wait. I felt like I was wasting my time.

With the surgery over I became more positive however. It is uplifting to think about how well my body is healing. I had a donor ligament and it has been 90 percent less painful then the first. I was able to pre-recover and work out before the surgery which I think made the world of a difference. Even though I have still lost a ton of muscle and weight, I feel like it was maintained a little better then the last. My muscle definition is already coming back and I had full range of motion within 2 weeks. I 'manned up' and I've really been a stone face through this process. I have learned to control my emotions and learned to except that I will be back stronger then ever eventually. It may take a lot of time but I know now that maybe this break is really what I needed. I will be 2 months recovering and everyday I'm trying to do something new. Theres a lot of things I enjoy and ski racing is one of them but I have now realized that ski racing isn't my life, its part of my life. With skiing came a lot of crazy fun experiences, but I also had to give up a lot of my life to do it. With all the time I have now, I can make up for the lost friends and missed 'normal' experiences.

IM BACK!


-Jules   

Too much snow in Panorama!

Hey everyone!
Today in Panorama, BC I woke up to 30 cm's of fresh snow that had fallen over night! I prepared to ski this morning but we were delayed and eventually told that there would be no training today due to so much powpoww. Luckily, the last two days of training here have been awesome and filled with lengthy courses, sweet terrain and nice hard snow. The training has been really productive for me as I feel like I am making important changes before the race season really starts. I feel more confident on my skis every run. This morning I decided to take a walk down to the river here in Panorama and check out the sweet fresh snow on the trees. It was so peaceful, calm and relaxing. There wasn't a sound to be heard except for the snow occasionally fall off the trees. Here are some sweet pics I took!

Surrounding mountains with the trees full of snow!

The branches were so heavy with cold glistening snow.

The water must be freeeeezing!!

Fresh tracks on the bridge.

That's all for now!

-jules

Lake Tekapo, New Zealand!

The New Prospect Team - two girls

A lil taste of the Calgary Stampede!

Sunset in Chile!

La Parva, Chile!

Some Cottage Lovin whenever I get the chance!