Recap the first week of racing at Lake Louise

This past week we competed in the Lake Louise NORAM downhill races. Feeling really comfortable and confident coming into the week from forerunning the womens world cup I felt so prepared to lay down some fast runs. Mentally, I kept my head down and didn't let results try and be my main focus but as the week went on and I continued to place in the top five. For some reason, once the two training runs were over I became very stressed and uptight for the races. I started to worry about the little things that I can't control instead of just skiing like I do. I tend to ski best when I'm relaxed and having fun but for some reason on the first race day I wasn't myself. With the extra snow on the track and the conditions a lot different from the training days I became very nervous; something I usually am not. I feel like I have really high expectations for myself since I had such great success last year at Lake Louise. Because of my results in the training days I knew I could really be at the top again this season. Being the first race of the season and my first race back from injury I had such high hopes for myself that I forgot to just ski like I can. I was way too focused on making a strong comeback. I tried to change my line to be faster but in reality it just slowed me down. On the first race day I nailed down a solid run until the second gate on the   pitch where I lost my downhill ski and slide inside on my butt. My tips then crossed but I come how recovered from it and got right back into my tuck. Even though my time was slow I knew I skied really well and when I looked back at the video I was reasured that my mistake was due to taking a really agressive line. Although I was disapointed with my results in the races I know I can be up there at the top. I proved it in training and all I need to do is just relax and have fun in racing. After the second downhill race I was talking to my coach and he reminded me that I really have only been skiing for about a month now in comparison to everyone else and that I am still coming back from injury. He reminded me that I shouldn't have any expectations for myself and just be happy that I was even able to compete in the downhill this year this early in the season. Looking back to October and the Austria camp I was successful in my training because I was just able to enjoy the time on snow regardless of how I was skiing. I am reminded that I need to stop letting my emotions control my racing. With this in mind, I am excited to start fresh here in Panorama. We arrived yesterday and have a day off today to relax and regain focus for the next five races in a row. Having no expectations and focusing on my own technique and skiing will hopefully help me more in this next series of races. Regardless of results I just need to live lightly!
Unfortunately, the super g at the Lake was cancelled due to a fresh foot of powder so instead of racing, we packed up and played some good old hockey on beautiful Lake Louise! We played against the USA ski team and dominated them! It was a lot of fun and I finally had some time off from thinking about racing. Here's some fun pictures from skating on the Lake!!

Looking forward I am really excited to start racing tech here in panorama. The hill is challenging and decently steep which is always good for me! I hope it stops snowing here soon though. I am going to continue to stay positive and just have some fun racing with all my close friends from all over North America!

Yesterday we had a day off and I basically took time off to catch up on some sleep from the early morning wake ups and let my body relax. I went to the gym alone to flush, stretch and do some ab excercises as well as listen to some tunes on my ipod without the chatter of anyone else. It was peaceful and relaxing to get out and walk around and reflect on this trip so far. I have been surprised by my speedy recovery so far and I can't believe its already time to race. I feel so strong and I'm ready to kick off the season with some sweet downhill races coming up next week. Today I skied gs in the morning and slalom in the afternoon. The hill we trained on was challenging but I'm glad I got to train more tech before we jump right into more speed. I feel like I have come along way in the last month and a half and I can't believe the gains I have made with my technique in such a short period of time. I think it was a good thing for me to take so much time off. I got rid of some bad habits in my skiing and have had time to reflect on what I need to focus on to make improvements. I had time to look back on video from the pervious year and really simplify the mental cues I need to use when I step into the gate. Lately, in slalom I have been focusing on pole planting... seems simple enough and many of us have been working on this our whole lives but when the hill is slick and steep its easy to get into the back seat because of a lack of pole plant. Pole planting moves the hips forward instead of up... something I have had troubles with. Keeping the skiis on the snow is another cue I use when I get into the gate. It reminds me to again move forward and allows for smooth turns without mistakes that throw me off. Finally, a quote that stuck with me today was... "Sports are filled with ups and downs. Remember the first rule of holes is to stop digging. Go back to the basics and keep things simple." Something else my coach would say to me last yearin the start was "NOTHING ELSE MATTERS" (in a hurminator voice which made me laugh). To me, this reminds me that at this moment in time, in the start, nothing else but my skiing matters. Results, snow conditions, weather, competition, and other peoples times do not matter because I can't control them. Its what I do that is the only thing that really matters.

         Jak Kennedy showing off his serious six pack while doing some team TRX funnn

                                  Beautiful Lake Louise, sunny and warm for once!

                                 Beautiful again!!

                                Devon Clarke being goofy with some cool ice sculptures

                                      ME and NAT!

                                    Practicing our tuck in the back of the truck

                         Apparently in Alberta its legal to ride in the back of a pick up truck. Jeff drove super fast and these are our reactions!

Ah Ha Moment...

The past few days have been the most amazing learning experiences. Not only did I get to experience what the real world cup atmosphere feels like, I learned a lot about myself and the way I function best in competitive atmospheres. Three days ago my coach unexpectedly told us that three girls (myself, Nat and Devon)  were forerunning the Lake Louise Women’s World cup Downhill the next day and were leaving that night. Even though I had competed at the NORAM level downhill races last year and had run almost the exact track last year, my stomach dropped and I became very nervous. This would mean that I was running my first downhill of the year AND my first race back from tearing my knee along side some of the best athletes in the world. For some reason, my emotions got the best of me and I started doubting myself. I started to second guess myself and wonder if I was really ready to race; let along race a downhill traveling at speeds up to 125 km/hour. Could my knee handle it? Watching the mens world cup made me even more nervous. It looked bumpy and extremely icy and a bunch of the top speed skiers even made comments on how difficult the track was this year. I broke down, but luckily my teammates started to pick up on the fact I was a little nervous about my knee with downhill and with their help and support I came to my senses and realized I would be just fine. They reminded me that I was skiing really well in super g in the previous days and that my knee is the strongest its ever been. I then turned to my favourite sports psychology book that had helped me through tough times with my injury. “Mind Gym” is full of inspirational quotes and mental training ideas to keep the mind positive. After all, “90% of the game is half mental”-Yogi Berra, and “You have to train your mind like you train your body.” –Bruce Jenner.

                Once I arrived in Lake Louise I realized we weren’t forerunning the race that day and that we were just “test pilots”, and that tomorrow was really the first day the world cup training was starting. Nat, Marissa, Devon and I were the only four to ski the track on Monday while the 120 volunteers for the race observed and slipped the course. If there were any problems with the course, we were to tell the people at the bottom so that they could make decisions based on safety for the real training day. We started from the top of the downhill and got to ski the whole course without timing which was a relief. I wasn’t sure I was ready to through down an amazing first run so I took it easy and made sure I had the right line and was in the right position. The top was really bumpy and rock hard ice but I managed to make it down alive. The course was a lot less fast then I remembered but then again I wasn’t tucking much. When I got to the bottom I was relieved but at the same time wanted to do it all again; that’s when I knew I was in the right place. Tuesday was the first ‘real’ training day and I was a little nervous but feeling a lot more confident on my skis. As we inspected I took my time and made sure I knew exactly where I made mistakes the day before and needed to make changes to be faster. Luckily, the moved the start down because they felt  the top section was unsafe for the women to run. We started lower but still, standing in the start gate with skis longer then you can reach is nerve racking. Funny thing is, I was totally relaxed and ready to take on whatever the course through at me. When I leave the start my mind is immediately cleared of all thoughts and emotions and is in race mode. Although I think fast, and my body reacts fast; in speed, you have to tell yourself to relax and be smooth on the edges. During the race I don’t feel anything; let it be pain, freezing cold wind in my face or fatigue in my legs from the long course. But as soon as I cross that finish line everything comes back. This is the feeling of adrenaline I live for, and for some reason I thought I would lose the love for this sport when I had taken time off for injury; but just the opposite happened. I have become more in love with the sport now more than ever and I push myself every run to become a better and a faster skier.

                Everyday is more fun than the last. Yesterday I spoke with Lindsay Vonn about her run and today I realized I wanted to really compete at the world cup level someday. It always had been a dream of mine but for some reason, today more than ever I realized I was closer than I thought to achieving this dream. I ran the straightest line I could and jumped in the bullet whenever I got the chance. My knee felt better than new. One last quote that stuck in my mind this week says, “You must be 100 percent committed to each action. If there are doubts in your mind, your muscles won’t know what to do. Let your routines switch you from the thinking mode to the trusting mode.” –Harvery Penick

Hope this makes up for the past missed days I haven’t been able to blog! Pictures to follow....

Day 3 in Nakiska!

Today we trained a double session at Nakiska which means we woke up at 6 am to arrive at the hill. We first trained slalom from 8 until 10 and then took a 20 minute break. After a snack in the lodge we then trained super g for the first time this season! Luckily it was only -9 today (but somehow Katie managed to get really bad frostbite). I felt like I skied awesome in the slalom and even though I was a bit nervous for the super g managed to ski really well! My skiis are really fast and I felt like I never stopped skiing speed! I have missed speed so much over my recovery with my knee and I am soo pumped to get back onto the long boards again tomorrow! We have the later session booked for super g tomorrow and the weather looks awesome for some fast skiing! Hopefully the sun will be out again. Here's some pictures from today...

 Katie Farrow warming up before our first super g run of the day

 Me not realizing that the tape that I put on my face to keep it from freezing was falling off!

 Nakiska!

 Silly face:)

 View from the top of the super g

Katie Farrow's horrible frostbite!! Hope it gets better soon...

Day 2 in Nakiska

As usual, today we woke up not knowing if the temperatures outside would be too cold to ski but fortunately the sun was shining and the temperature did warm up for us! We skied a 45 gate slalom and did some timing. Overall I felt like I improved a lot today! Right now I am really focusing on getting on the right line for slalom and running a more direct line to the gate. Today I feel like I really started to make a step forward in finding the fastest line possible. On my last run of the day I lost my right ski and hit my quad on the bottom of a gate! OUCHHH. Got a pretty bad charliehorse but with ice and stretching I should be fine! Should have a pretty awesome bruise! Every time I fall I immediately think about my knee  but with every fall I also become more confident in my knee. I'm reminded that my acl should now be stronger than ever! Anyways, today was a little chilly but the snow was perfect to train some good quality slalom. Tomorrow we train slalom in the morning and super g in the afternoon and I'm really excited to finally get going fast again!!

Here's a picture I took form my phone of the sun shining on the mountains! GORGEOUS!

Day off already?!

                                                  It looks nice out from inside....

                                              Run to the van before you freeze!!!

                                  Katie Farrow stylinn a nicee Canada goose jacket

            Katie and Nat happy we are only outside for a minute instead of the whole day skiing.

                                                                  And again....

                          Devon Clarke doing something weird... not sure what that is hahaa

                                                Jeff yelling at us for something...

                                    OHHMMMMGEE ITS COLDD OUT!!!!     -Katie Farrow

                                                            Frozen Banana anyone?

                                                          
                                                  How could it look so nice out but be soooo cold

                                                 Jeff was soo happy to hear our new cd

                                              fbooking.. what we do best on our days off

-28! pfffft thats nothinnnnn

Just when I thought it couldn't get any colder today was a record breaking temperature in Alberta. With -43 degree weather Nakiska actually closed the lifts and did not run for the day because of the rediculous temperatures. Unlucky for us we already had to take today off. It's been a pretty lazy day and took a trip into canmore to get some hot chocolate to warm up.

First Day At Nakiska

                           We are welcomed by -32 degree weather as we drive closer to Nakiska.

                                                      Can't believe is winter already!

                                 Nat enthused and excited to get out into the freezing cold weather.
Today was our first day skiing at Nakiska and it was said to be the coldest day yet on the hill. It was -28 and I definitley didn't wear the right face protection. I already have red frost bite marks to prove it! Dispite the cold weather we trained slalom and the snow was hard but very grippy. I got a solid 5 runs in the course before our lane time was over which was pretty good considering the temperature. My knee didn't bother me much today and I am excited to train slalom tomorrow as well. Hopefully it isn't as cold!
Julia

Alberta Bound

                Today was an early morning! Just when I was getting used to the school schedule for the short two weeks we have been home from Austria I had to wake up and leave my house at 4am to catch a flight to Calgary at 7am. Even though I have only been home for a short period of time, I feel like I have made a ton of gains in the gym and feel more confident than ever with my knee. With  the race season quickly approaching I feel like I’m ready to start raising the intensity level in my training. Even though I feel like I haven’t had much time in gates this year, I am mentally prepared to start into racing again. Surprisingly, I am doing a lot better than I thought I would emotionally. Looking back to this time of year last season, I wouldn’t have ever imaged the experiences and disappointments that were ahead of me. The thought of getting injured never crossed my mind and for some reason I still can’t believe it really happened to me. Even though for the past 8 months my ski racing careers has been put on hold I have truly learned a lot about myself and the incredible sport of ski racing. I learned what it feels like to be on the top, and what it feels like to be watching on the side lines. In a sense, I got a taste of everything this year; facing disappointment of injury being the biggest, and dealing with the emotional set back of it all. I feel my experiences with injury this year have made me realize how important everyday on snow really is. It reminded me of how much I love this sport and how everyday on snow can’t be taken for granted; especially the days with bad snow conditions or even the days I am not skiing my best. Since my injury, I have had to have a positive attitude and continually focus on what I can do rather what I can’t and what is out of my control. Focusing purely on my goals and my technique are the only things that will help me to reach my goals. With the results I had in Alberta at this time last year I feel confident that I will have success again. I’m finally making a comeback and I can’t wait to show off my new attitude. Since last year I have made a lot of new friends with ski racers from all around Canada and I can’t wait to train alongside my competition. I live and breathe the competitive atmosphere ski racing brings and I can’t wait to go head to head with the best athletes in North America! WISH ME LUCK!!

Julia