Cortina – Blog

What an interesting week of racing. I would have to say that I don’t think that I have ever experienced so much snow in such little time while in Europe.  Cortina, which is one of the most majestic places in Europe, was inundated with snow.  As I have said many times before, I am “pro” powder but lately it has been getting the better of the sport of ski racing.

Cortina is one my favourite tracks on the circuit so I always arrive to the resort with high hopes and expectations. This year was no exception, having stood on the podium last year.  We arrived there on a Monday with the first training run planned for Tuesday but awoke to a massive amount of fallen snow and the continuation of falling snow! Needless to say the first training run was cancelled. Awoke the next morning to 1.5meters of fallen snow, and the continuation of falling snow; needless to say the second training was cancelled.   I awoke Thursday morning, which was supposed to be the first downhill race, to clearer skis but so much snow.  We made it up on the hill and even managed to get an inspection (or a slip) of the course before they cancelled the training run.  Now, it is Friday and we had a training run planned, which meant that we would be able to get in a downhill race the following day.  This was exciting news because I was quite sick of sitting on my butt waiting. Due to the excess snow, very few runs and lifts were open which left “free skiing” out of the question; instead my team took to Scrabble, cards and books!!!

Saturday was a beautiful day and perfect for racing. To add insult to injury though I was battling the flu and a severe cold so I definitely wasn’t feeling my best. I knew that I only need 1min17sec of physical energy (they lowered the start because of too much snow!) and I knew that I definitely had that in me. I conserved all my energy for my run and when I stood in the start gate, I knew that I could pull this off. I felt good and confident about everything. My run was good and I was totally in the moment….right up until I hit a cross rut! Before I knew it I was out of the course and pulling a unique little gymnastic move. I was so frustrated because I had put so much of myself into that run and to make matters a little harder to swallow I was leading by.35sec before I went out, with only another 15seconds to go. As an athlete you are always taught to look at the positive and the negative, so while I did not finish the race, the good news is that I am on the right track!

I was so pumped for the Super-G the following day because I felt like it was my chance for a little redemption.  I tried to take the perspective of what happened last year in St.Moritz when I was somewhat “robbed” in the downhill and came back the next day in the Super-G and earned my first ever World Cup victory.  When I woke up the morning of the Super-G, the flu was gone, but unfortunately the nasty cold and taken its place. I knew that, once again, I would have to conserve energy and dig deep for the run. The course looked great and I was excited to race the Super-G in Cortina. With a start number of 21, and warm weather, I knew that I was going to have to have a great run in order to be in the hunt. I went out of the gate “full gas”, as my coach would say; in hindsight maybe a little too full gas as I straddled a gate about a 1/3 of the way down the course and found myself tangled in the nets.  The good news being I was fine, the bad news being, I didn’t finish another race.  I must admit, it was definitely a top 5 crash for me.  Unfortunately, the TV didn’t catch it all but one of my coaches, Rob, saw it all in unfold before his eyes.  PS: it is never a good idea to straddle a Super-G gate going over 100km/h!!

All in all, a disappointing week in Cortina for me!  It is a place that I love so much and where I always hope to do well and stand on the podium.  My whole team had a tough week battling sickness and injuries so hopefully we can heal up and be ready for Garmisch on Saturday.  With the World Championships coming up in just over a week, it is time to get healthy, get fast and get inspired in order to show the world all that we can do! 

What a great weekend of racing just happened in Altenmarkt, Austria.  One of the most memorable moments for me was standing in the start gate the day of the downhill race and looking down the hill and seeing all these people lining the course. Seeing this support makes you want to “step” up you game and put on a good show. I would have to say that Austria, more than any other place in the world supports and follows ski racing; the best analogy being, ski racing in Austria is like hockey in Canada.  The finish was filled with people of all ages, supporting their fellow countrymen, fan club banners in every free space and people there just to cheer and watch the sport of ski racing! The gluwein is flowing freely, the horns are being blown relentlessly, and the bells are almost deafening!

Altenmarkt is one of the most challenging tracks on our circuit but this year it was the best I have ever seen it.  The athletes loved all the jumps which seem to be omitted from our newer tracks more and more.  The jumps varied in length and height but all were a lot of fun!  I found this week quite tiring though, between it being the first speed race in almost 3 weeks,  it being a difficult and challenging track, and having a combined on the Saturday before the downhill race, I was quite exhausted come Sunday night.

I am enjoying the combined events more and more because I have been training more slalom than usual which makes the racing part a little more exciting and competitive for me.  The slalom portion of the combined was on an “Emily” friendly track (not too steep and nice grippy snow), which in turn makes it a more equal race for the “downhillers” and more exciting for the viewers!

After both training runs had finished I knew that I was going to have to dig deep for the races because I was having difficulty getting a good feel on the snow.  I used the downhill portion of the combined race as another “training” run and in hindsight it was a great tactic because it set me up mentally and physically for the actual downhill race. Sometimes training runs are a great indication of how a race might play out but one the other hand, a race is a race and that is when athletes take more risk and really race the track.  Training runs can be great building blocks to get ready for the actual race but accurate predictors for race day.

I ended up finishing the combined in 9^th place which I was really excited about having not placed all that well after the downhill portion!  The days of combined races are always quite exhausting because the days are long for one, but they also take a lot of mental energy because you have to race in two very different disciplines that take different mental strategies and approaches.

The downhill race day was forecasting for snow and each and everyone one of the athletes was super disappointed and frustrated because it has been very challenging with the weather this year but when I woke up in the morning and saw blue sky and my spirits rose immensely.  With a start number of 8, I knew I had to have a great run to stay in the hunt and I also knew that it was going to be a long day in the finish area, waiting for the rest of the competitors to come down.  I was really happy with how I charged the course, took the risks where I needed and skied smartly in the crucial sections.  At the end of the day I finished in 5^th place which I was ecstatic about.  Having struggled on the track all week, I couldn’t have asked for a better placing…..well I am always looking for a podium finish J .  With this placing I continued my top 10 streak for this season and it gave me the confidence to know that I can still do well, even on hills that don’t necessarily suit me or I have difficulty with! 

Now I am in beautiful, majestic Cortina, Italy getting ready for a big weekend of racing.  They have scheduled 2 Downhills, 1 Super-G and a Giant Slalom.  I don’t plan on racing the GS, unfortunately, because we don’t have enough quota spots!  This is one of my favourite tracks in the world and I always look forward to racing here!  Much to my sadness, I woke up to a foot of fresh powder (don’t get me wrong, I love powder but just not when I am suppose to be racing downhill!) and a cancelled training run; I guess that the “hurry up and wait” game has begun again!

That is the million dollar question! I had a great 2008 and I can only imagine what this year will bring. My year came to an end in the beautiful and magical town of Fernie where I spent Christmas and New Years. I had 10 days off which might possibly be a personal best. The last race before the holidays was in St. Moritz, Switzerland which just happens to be one of my favourite tracks. Unfortunately due to bad weather and adverse racing conditions we had one cancelled DH, a sketchy Super-G in which I crashed and an exciting and slightly dodgy Super-Combined. After 2 weeks in St. Moritz I headed home for the holidays with the hopes of skiing some great powder and eating lots of Christmas cookies!

My little mini vacation was great. Although there was not a lot of powder when I first arrived back home, by the end of the holidays there was plenty and it looked like the quintessential ski town! On the days when the alpine skiing wasn’t at its best, I opted for some snow shoeing and a day of x-country skiing. It is always fun to find new ways to enjoy the outdoors while not being on skis. With a 17 foot Christmas tree decorating my house I felt the true spirit of Christmas. My mother pulled out all the stops, even putting my own little Charlie Brown tree in my room, adorned with many of my childhood arts and crafts (another reminder that I lack the creative abilities my parents have!). The house was filled with decorations, cookies, chocolates, presents and spirit; it was the perfect place to come home to and the perfect place to relax and get ready for the New Year.

Although I loved the 10 day break, I also found it a bit disrupting to the race momentum that I had built up before the holidays. The thing with confidence and momentum is that it is rather fragile and it can go as quickly as it can come. I was back on my Super-G skis today and the good news is that I still feel good on them. We have 10 days of training before the training runs start in Zauchensee, Austria.
I am really excited for the races to start up again the year. I will keep you posted on all the travels, results and adventures that happen on the road for the next couple of months.

All the best in the New Year!