1 Month goes fast when your having fun!

Hey everyone! Let me just start out by appologizing for not blogging for the last month! It's been such a busy and exciting time for me and I just never got around to writing it all down. I guess the last time I left off was Lake Louise and a lot has gone one since then. We then traveled to Panorama for a Super G, Super Combined, Slalom and GS. The first super g was a lot of fun and I actually managed to break a pole, loose it at the 3rd gate and continue on to place 10th! I think I knew I had to make up some time and just put it all on the line! Something I know I've been getting better at with every race in the past month.

 Falling with my pole half broken! sorry for the blurryness.... (half of the pole is by the right of the pic by the gate)

 There you can really tell my poles broken! Had a fast run though!

 In the super combined I had an awesome slalom run after a 24th placing in the super g run. I then posted the 4th fasted run in the slalom run and this was when it clicked in my mind that I could actually be up there with the top girls in North America. I was told the National team coaches had there eye on me after that run which is really exciting! Unlucky for me, the next day was the slalom and with all my confidence from the last run I went a little too hard and tweeked my surgical knee. I had to ride down on the tobogan and everything and I felt like I was having a deja vu. I took the next 2 days off and headed home early instead of making the trip to Quebec to race 2 slalom and 2 gs with the rest of thet team. It was a really scary time for me. Right when I thought everything felt almost back to normal I felt like I had yet again damaged something in the same knee. I called up Dr. Lichfield as soon as it happened and I was lucky enough to get in to see him a couple days after I arrived home. He checked it out and reasured me that it must have been my hamstring contracting suddenly from the twisting action. Following the appointment I headed to physio where they also told me my muscles were extremely tight as well as my IT Band. I feel like the extra time at home was actually better for me. I had more time to relax with my family and get away from the team for a while. I even got to attend my family xmas parties which I haven't gotten to do in a long time. Christmas traditions such as fondue at xmas eve with the Martins, snow skating behind the Mcconvilles new ATV they got for xmas, and finally getting to ski with both my mom and my dad were definitely some highlights of my holiday. Going to Devils Glen is always fun too. I always forget how many people are watching and supporting me in all my travels and races. Even members at the glen that I dont even know come up to me and congradulate me or ask me about my knee. I feel priviledged to be in such a tight nit "cult" of people that love racing just as much as I do. My best friends are the ones who I've grown up with skiing at the Glen weekend after weekend. I always think that people move on and change while I'm gone but everytime I come back it seems like everythings just the way I left it last. My old coaches are always so excited to talk with me about my experiences and my skiing in the last year or two and it makes me realize how lucky I am to be traveling the world at my age and getting to experience the things I have gotten to. Racing at Craigleith was also a lot of fun. My whole team was together again. Although it was Marissa's last race with us and I was sad to see her leave, at the same time I am really excited for her to follow through on her own feelings and thoughts regardless of what others think. Montana should be lucky to have such an awesome, strong and committed athelete on their team and I hope Marissa kicks some serious butt out there!
I am now writing to you in Kirchberg, Austria; the home base of the Canadian National Team. Nat, Emily and I came out here a couple days ago with Jeff to race in europe. I also qualified for the World Junior Championships and will be competing with Canada against the best under 19 year olds in the world. Pretty cool! We even got new jackets and national team downhill suits! I'm pretty stoked to try it all out! Training here along side the prospect team and some of the best in Canada is an awesome experience as I am everyday being pushed to perform my best. This last slalom block has also been an awesome time to make some changes in my skiing technically. I've been learning to adjust my line on the steeps and tighten it up on the flats. Working with different coaches I seem to get some different feed back that sometimes clicks better than what I am normally told which is awesome! Sometimes it just needs to be said a little differently to really click. Anyways, the time here in Austria so far has been awesome and I'm having a lot of fun the all the girls here! Bye for now! hope all this info at once isn't too overwhelming!!!