The ski season of 2016-17 was great! I won State Champ for
slalom and super-g, went to the Western Regional Championships in Big Sky, and
got invited to a Western Region speed camp (called "fly camp") at
Mammoth Mountain! A lot of things started coming together for me last
season. I found gear that I really like
(thank you Nordica!), and I worked hard to transform my slalom technique. All that effort paid off with great results
at divisional races and regionals, and I continued my forward momentum at Fly Camp
where I worked on gliding and jumping, and at Mt. Hood where I improved my
tactical and technical skills in slalom. But much to my dismay, winter
came to an end. Summer rolled around, bringing long days, blue skies, fluffy
white clouds, and biking and jumping on my trampoline. Finally summer has given
way to an Alaskan fall that smells of fermented berries and wet dogs, sneaks up
on you and chills you to the bone, and promises the thrill of the first snow. That’s
where I am right now; in the middle of autumn, staring off at the snow that
sits atop the distant peaks, and all I can think about is SKIING. My good results
from last season have earned me an invitation to the National Performance Series
project in Copper Mountain where I'm going to get to train at the US Ski Team
Speed Center! I leave on Thanksgiving to head to Whitehorse in Canada to train
giant slalom for two weeks with my team, and then will head down to Copper
Mountain for more super-g and gs training. My next few months are chock full of
even more travel races and trips, and I’m committed to continuing the
improvements I started last year. This season is going to be even better than
the last. I'm starting to understand the difference between skiing and racing,
I'm working on building confidence, and I've started to enjoy the rewards of my
hard work. My story is starting to take shape and in that story my dreams have
now become my goals.
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| 2016 Spring Series GS, Alyeska Resort |
