Nakiska Training

Hey Everyone,

Guess where I am? Back at the Delta Lodge in Kananaskis. aka Nakiska. aka a ski hill about 40 minutes away from Canmore, Alberta. Last time I was here was for Nationals in the spring where I banged my shin and couldn't ski.. so mostly I was just hanging out with Mackensey, buying pay-per view movies and stealing complimentary lip chaps. Good times.

So what's new? We've been training a ton of speed preparing for the upcoming World Cup at Lake Louise and later, the NorAm at Nakiska. It's kind of weird how comfortable I feel on downhill skis now. I can't imagine how slaloms would feel in comparison, probably similar to snow blades. There are a ton of World Cup ski teams here also preparing for Lake Louise. We've been skiing with the French, Italian, and Swedish Women's teams to name a few. Piste libre is what is said instead of the usual 'course clear!' The other night we had the pleasure of having dinner with Anja Pearson. Not that I spoke to her. She mostly told stories about World Champs and the 3 Oympics she's been to while we sat there too enthralled and nervous to say anything. Speaking of being a famous ski racer, some K1 girls asked Kelly for her autograph at dinner last night. When asked if they had a pen, a black marker was immediately thrust forward. After signing and making small talk like a pro, Kelly politely nodded towards us and said “these girls are on the team too” 

“OH!” their faces lit up, and we were also handed the helmet and goggle bag to sign. It was quite cute and cool to find myself on the other side of the pen.

Anyways, like I said training has been good. I'm building confidence and starting to push the line. We've had more days off than I would have liked due to the crazy weather we've been getting. In my experience Nakiska is typically very reliable in providing clear and stupidly cold days. But this week we've had fog, rain, snow, and winds that will knock your poles over. It's kind of a cliché to say but it's true how coaches always say “weather is just one of the many variables in this sport, you can't control it, etc” It does help to stay flexible though. Carrying a deck of cards at all times also helps while waiting to hear if you're going to ski or not. One good thing about bad weather days is that it gives out bodies or any nagging injuries a break. My shins have benefited from the time off. Lili has been going to town massaging my shins.. I don't even know if I can call it massage. It's more like her elbow beating up my lower leg.

Yesterday we went to Canmore to hang out and watch the Men's World Cup at Tess' house. It was nice to have a lazy day (after we worked out at the Nordic Center). We also visited 'Communitea' again – the BEST tea house/cafe in the world. This time I had a Cinnamon Apple Fog. Yum. Okay this is getting pretty long and I should get back to pretending I'm watching the Grey Cup. All in all, life is good. Getting excited for racing with all the World Cups on TV lately! Sarah and Tess start training Downhill at Lake Louise the day after tomorrow!! (Don't ask me what day that is, I am oblivious to the days of the week). I might just make an appearance in the Super G if all goes well and my shins cooperate.

Thanks for reading,

Sarah.

Back on Track

 It's good to be back! On Monday I free-skied GS and today I free-skied Super G and Downhill. During the pre-race season free-skiing isn't something we do a lot of, but it's been refreshing and beneficial to focus on good quality technique without any gates getting in the way. That being said, I am looking forward to training on the new downhill track. The plan for tomorrow is to hit the road after some early morning training - drive straight to the airport, fly to Calgary, and then drive about 3 hours to Panorama. Pano's one of my favourite race hills so I'm looking forward to it.. and to seeing the rest of the team/coaches!

Taking it Easy

It's after 9 o'clock, and usually I would have been in bed for an hour already (lame, I know but we are waking up before 5 am). However, tonight I can stay up past 8pm because I have tomorrow off! Unfortunately, that is because I have a minor concussion and am unable to ski... It was so weird, I remember being in the start for my fifth run of downhill training and then waking up face down in the snow. It was bizarre not knowing where I was. Trying to remember was like trying to recall fragments of a dream. My physio, Lili, and the ski patrol took excellent care of me and reminded me that I was in Copper Mountain. "Lindsey Vonn is here" was one of the first things I vacantly recounted, trying to place myself "and we're training downhill." After getting fully checked out at the clinic and being quizzed with all sorts of memory tests (count backwards from 100 by multiples of 7) I was cleaned up and sent home with a band-aid on my forehead. I'm already feeling better today - just a sore neck and some cuts on my face. Still getting bugged about the Lindsey Vonn comment... Anyways, I am taking it easy for a couple days, trying to be patient and stay positive. Everyone had a day off today so I had company. The coaches treated us to a "friendly team dinner" tonight in Frisco which was just lovely. I even got to play the role of a ski mom tonight and make Tess and Sarah's lunches for their training tomorrow. I'm still figuring out the whole blogging thing, but I will try and take more photos so there is more photo viewing, less reading.