Thursday, March 13, 2014

World Junior Championships



Hello everyone! I apologize for not updating the blog in a while. I guess a lot has happened in the past 3 weeks. At the end of February, I flew over to Jasna, Slovakia for the Junior World Championships. We had a couple days of freeskiing and training before the races began. We started off with the Super-G and the Super-Combined. Although the track was a bit mellow, the trail turned quite a bit and there were a few jumps to keep it exciting. After a great top split, I made a minor mistake which caused me to scrub most of the speed I had carried from the top steeps. The hiccup toward the end caused me to finish outside the top 10, to place 22nd. I had a great start to the Super-Combined but unfortunately I skied out, gunning for a top 10. It was an incredibly tight race, as I was only 0.40 seconds out of the top 10. Next was 2 Downhill training run days followed by 1 race day. After the first training run, our team was off to a great start as Sam Dupratt finished 2nd, I finished 9th, and Tanner Farrow finished 12th. The second training run was cancelled do to weather; which didn’t bother us too much because of our training run success. Unfortunately it turned into a not so great day.

As a whole, we had great bib draws and we were excited for a sweet day of downhill. I ran 22nd . Once again, I had a fast first split, carrying my speed from the pitch to the flats, where I found some trouble. Halfway down the course, I took off a little jump, which I landed fine. I then began to pressure my ski to make a left foot turn across the hill. Unfortunately, I started the turn a little early and was heading straight at the gate. I then had to let off the ski a bit and then pressure hard again under the gate, where I hit a bump.  That is when I felt my knee go from under me and started tomahawking down the hill. I had excruciating pain in my left knee and was pretty positive I messed something up down there. I was taken down in a sled and taken to the hospital in a sketchy ambulance. I later found out I tore my ACL. It’s unfortunate to end a season on an injury 2 years in a row, but I was pushing as hard as I could. Though it would be nice to be healthy, I know I would have been just as bummed out if I made it to the bottom safely and saw a 20th place rank next to my name. This kind of thing happens when you push your limits, but that’s what makes ski racing so damn fun.

This past week, I have been doing some physical therapy, getting my knee ready for surgery. I will be going under the knife this coming Wednesday and I will let you all know how it goes!

2 comments:

  1. Good luck, Nick! At least you have the entire off season to rehab.

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  2. So sorry to hear of your injury, honey. I'll be keeping you in my prayers all day Wednesday, and every day until then. I'm sure it could have been a lot worse and your skills helped keep you from further trouble getting off the mountain. In the greater scheme of things, it sounds like an amazing experience with so many lessons, plenty of highs and lows, and all the stuff of life that makes us who we are. So proud of you, Nickie!! Love, Auntie Anita. Xo

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