Another season has come to a close and it is time to heal
the body, mind and spirit. Sorry that it
has taken me so long to actually just sit down to the computer and write. There is so much to say and yet so few words! It was a season that tested me in so many ways
and it has taken time to break it down a little and look at it objectively.
Are, Sweden was the last stop on the World Cup tour and where
the Men’s and Women’s Finals took place.
I have always enjoyed Sweden so I figured what a nice way to end the
season. We competed on the same track as
the men did, which made the racing exciting and more like the downhill tracks
that I am used to with the higher speeds and bigger turns. The track was in
excellent condition yet extremely challenging on a couple of the turns due to water
injection!! For the first time in my life I thought of just survival opposed to
winning which is never a good thing when you are an athlete in a competitive
extreme sport. It was a position in which I hope never to have to deal with
again as it is a constant battle of the body and the mind. Deep down the desire to win and risk was
there but on top of all that there was this film of doubt and lack of confidence
which taints the spirit and thus the results.
This was a season of many battles. It felt like there was a higher power
preventing me from succeeding and in the end I must admit that it won instead
of me. In the final downhill race of the season I placed 14th which
placed me 14th overall. In the Super-G I was 16th which
meant that I didn’t get any world cup points and moved me back to 18th
overall and in the combined I finished 15th. These rankings are a lot different than last
year which is hard to swallow sometimes but when I look at the big picture and
my season of obstacles, I can walk away with my head held high.
It was decided during the Finals in Sweden that Kelly, Britt
and I would not go to the Nationals in Quebec in order to get some rest time
before the all important Whistler camp. I had not been home since Christmas so
it was well needed on all fronts. I enjoyed a relaxing week in Calgary where I
got prepared to be in the best form possible for the 10 day camp in Whistler.
It was hard not being at the Nationals this year. We get to race at home so few times that it
is a shame to miss out on any opportunity but it just came down to priorities
and what was more important and unfortunately for some, the Olympics won the
vote. In all my years on the National
Team I have missed very few Nationals as I truly see the value in it. My heart
was broken when I saw only 16 girls entered in the Downhill race opposed to the
40 or 50 when I was younger. Ski racing
is such a great sport and I hope that it can sustain itself with the every
changing factor against it. I am sorry
to any sponsors or supporters I let down by not being there and I truly hope to
make it up to you next year by getting an Olympic medal!
Having this ski camp in Whistler is an opportunity of a
lifetime. We were lucky that all the fencing and netting was still in place
from the Para World Cup which was held in early March. Although we battled the elements for most of
the camp we got out of it some extremely useful information and tactics. We
were lucky to be able to run all the parts of the course as the previous year
we couldn’t run the top third. The
spirit of the games is in full force in Whistler and it is a great indicator of
what is to come in less than a year. The games are less than a year away, it is a
now or never mentality and I look forward to the adventure to come.
Now it is time to get in a little rest and recovery before
heading back to the gym and the bicycle for our off-season training block and
get ready for the snow in August.
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