Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Mount St. Anne Speed Series

Last week was the Mount St. Anne Nor-Am speed series in Quebec. Out of the 6 days we were there, we had 5 days of sunshine with no clouds. Quebec gets a really bad rep in the ski racing world because they never seem to have good weather, and are never able to get races off. This year was great! The downhill a little bit tricky. The trail was very narrow, therefore difficult to set big sweeping downhill turns. It ended up being more like a super-g, but nonetheless we got going pretty fast. I never really had a good run out of the two race days, with a best finish of 20th. It was a bit disappointing to not get as many Nor-Am points as last year in DH, but I do have a few downhills left this season to turn it around. I was excited for the two super-g's that followed the downhills, as super-g has been my best event this season. The first day I got bib 5, and was ready to send it. I skied extremely well on the top 2/3 of of the course, but I lost a few tenths down on the bottom flats with a mistake on a roll. I ended up 14th, which wasn't great, but not terrible. The next day I got bib 2, but unfortunately, the Quebec weather rolled in and the race got cancelled. It was unfortunate the race got cancelled, but with it being cancelled, I had the super-g spot for World Juniors locked up. 

This year World Junior Championships will be in Jasna, Slovakia. Iv'e never been to Slovakia, so I hope it brings some new adventures! I will be racing in all 5 events (SL, GS, SG, DH, and Super-Combined), and hopefully the team event too (which is 2 guys and 2 girls). My goal is to get a podium in any event, but if I walk away with a top 10 I won't be disappointed at all! 

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Stowe Norams

After Europe, I got to go home and hangout for a few days in Massachusetts. A much needed break! Then it was right back to training up in Stratton, VT with my old team. It was great prep for the Stowe Norams, and I was ready to rip. The first day at Stowe I started bib 25. Start position didn't really matter here, as the snow was solid ice. I was having a good run, but unfortunately I caught an arm inside a panel and exploded. I was unable to finish. The second day I had the same bib and was ready to charge. I had a mistake in the first run to put me in 21st after first run. I was disappointed with the run because I thought I had ruined another great opportunity to score well in GS. My plan for second run was to just send it. I did just that and moved up to 12th place overall and ended 3rd on the run. It was the best finish I have ever had in a Noram GS run. Now I am up in Mount St. Anne, Quebec for some speed. I will fill you in when the series is over!