Hey guys, I just finished up my first camp of the year.
That means winter is around the corner and I am starting up my blog again!
My 2012 season did not go completely as planed, but I ended
it on a strong note cutting my speed points in half. Right after the season
ended I went to Mammoth Mountain in California to test out the new GS skis (35
Meter Radius). At first they were difficult to turn but I don’t think they are going
to make a huge difference in the future of ski racing, like some said would happen.
Earlier Last season one of the US Team doctors noticed my
left ankle was extremely unstable and weak, which was causing my ankle to
constantly roll over. It also explained why I couldn’t flex my left boot all
the way. So, immediately after Mammoth (literally the day after) I got ankle
ligament reconstruction surgery. It was a struggle spending a lot of my summer on the couch, but I knew it would
pay off in the end.
I started my Physical Therapy in Park City, Utah at the US
Ski Team’s Center of Excellence. Whenever someone on the US team gets a surgery
or gets injured in any sort of way, they have access to this facility. Some of
the nations best physical therapists and doctors are there 6 days a week and
are completely devoted to helping the athlete get back on snow at 100% health.
After spending all of May and June on crutches, and then
committing 6 days of the week to physical therapy in July, I was finally
cleared to start working out. At
home I began working out at Crossfit
Wachusett in Fitchburg, MA, and continued Physical therapy 3 days a week in
Waltham, MA. One of my coaches
from Stratton Mountain School now owns Crossfit Wachusett, and I go workout
with him about 4-5 days a week (when I am home).
Finally, on September 12th, I left for La Parva
Ski Resort, Chile. Though the snow was minimal, La Parva was willing to stay
open for just the US C and D teams, the British National Team, part of the
Canadian National team, and the US Western Region Development Team. When we go
down to South America, we like to spend most of our time training speed, but
because I was not able to ski over the summer, I trained almost all GS and
Slalom (which actually turned out to be really good for me).
Now I am back home and I will continue with my workouts at
Crossfit Wa-Wa, and keep up with my physical therapy, as my ankle is technically
not supposed to be 100% until 6 Months Post-Op. Next on the schedule is
Physical Testing in Park City at the end of Oct. and then Right into ski season
in Colorado on November 1st.
