Week Off... Vacation

Well this year I decided to take a vacation to visit some family members in Texas. My cousin her husband and their two kids who I have never met. I made it here yesterday, without my luggage of course, what a shock, it didn't make it out of San Fransisco with me, I almost didn't make it out of there either.

Anyway as soon as I walked out of the airport all I said was man its hot, and Jess told me it just rained so its really not hot out today. Good thing I don't really have to run or I don't know what I would do with myself.

I am doing some homework right now, okay actually I took a break to write my post, I am trying to get as much done today so I don't really have anything to do when my mom, sister and aunt get here. I think we are planning on going to Sea World. Very exciting I love amusement parks,

I guess thats all for now, just wanted to update my location. I will post again if not before I leave then when I get back to California. That is unless I melt in the heat!!

Colorado Springs Team Training Camp

The past week I have been training in Colorado Springs at the Olympic Training Center. We had a National Team camp for bobsled and skeleton. It was a week for the coaches to see how well everyone has been training. We also had a lot of meetings, PR, nutrition, teamwork as well as board meetings.

The week was jam packed we were up every morning at about 6:00 and at the track by 7am. It was good to get the track workouts done early because by about 9am it was already getting very warm. We were at 6011ft altitude and it wasn't as bad as I thought. The worst part were my allergies I don't think I stopped sneezing or blowing my nose all week.

I had the best time working out with all my teammates, I think it is awesome when we cheer for the bobsledders and they cheer for us also. We didn't stay at the training center we had to stay at Colorado College because the training center was full, it was a lot of fun though it reminded my of my freshman year at Plattsburgh. The rooms were about 90degrees with the bathroom right down the hall, but I really loved it. I really loved my dorm room my freshman year, even though living at the training center is basically the same thing, it was fun to live in a different atmosphere for a week.

The last night before we left, the sponsor of the event had a reception Gala for us. It was a semi formal event and it was so funny to see all of the athletes dressed up. I am used to seeing everyone in workout clothes or winter jackets, or speed suits. Everyone looked so good.

I was chosen as Skeleton Rookie athlete of the year. I was really surprised and so excited all at the same time. I am so proud of myself for everything this season and I really couldn't have asked for more. We also as athletes had to vote for a male and female bobsled and skeleton athlete that we thought showed great character and a person who we thought supported the team and anything else basically we wanted tot pick an athlete for. It was called the athlete's choice award, and my teammates chose me as the skeleton athlete. I was so excited again. I thought it was a great end to a wonderful year and a great week. It gives me a lot of confidence going into next season. I really do love the entire team, and respect them it is such an honor to have your teammates support you! I couldn't ask for more. On a side note I also got crash of the year. What a shock!!

Really it was a perfect end to a wonderful week. I am excited to be back in California though and get back to my workouts. I still have a lot to do before the summer is over, and I am so excited to keep improving!

Season Recap

So I just thought I would let everyone know in one post what my race results were this season. I know I put them in separate posts, but I was thinking about all my races today so why not put them up.

Well let me just say that my first world cup race ever wasn't as nerve racking as our US team trials are. I was shockingly relaxed almost the whole season. Except after my mishap in Konigssee I was a little bit afraid to go down the track again but I did awesome.

World Cup Season 07-08
Race #1 Calgary, Canada-10th place
Race #2 Park City, Utah- 10th place
Race #3 Lake Placid, NY- 12th place
Race #4 Cesana, Italy- 17th place
Race #5 Cesana, Italy- 19th place
Race #6 St. Moritz, Switzerland- 14th place
Race #7 Konissee, Germany- Crashed! Disqualified second run, lost my sled
Team Competition Konigssee, Germany 3rd place- redeemed myself had the best run of the week!
World Junior Championship Igls, Austria- 9th place pulled my hamstring on the first run, talk about bad!

I chose to give up my own spot for World Championships because I knew I wouldn't have been able to compete at my full potential. It was really depressing at the time, but now that the summer has come and workouts have started I realize how glad I am that I made that decision. For once an injury I had healed correctly. I am pleased that I won't be spending all summer re injuring myself and just not performing at my full potential.

Instead I am beating all of my max lifts and its only the beginning of the summer! I am really excited and glad that I am working this hard! I can't wait for the season even though its such a long way away. Everyday I improve during the off season gives me more confidence for the upcoming season!

One More Thing...

While I was home I received my Associates Degree in Sports and Events Management from North Country Community College. I was very excited!

Now I am attending Empire State College and doing it through the online portion so I can continue going to school while sliding and working out. I just started a semester on Monday and it seems like it will be interesting. I am studying business, and I can really plan my own degree. My semester will be finished August 29th, just when everyone is starting up with their fall semesters! But I might plan on taking a class during the fall and spring and my main semester either for the summer months or in March.

Well its still all up in the air, it really depends how much I like going to school online. Not to worry I will keep you posted on this also!

Ok so its been a while

I know I haven't posted anything in a really, really long time I apologize for making everyone wait to see what has been going on in my life.

I guess I could start from where I left off:

I gave up my World Championship spot, because I pulled my hamstring the week before. It was my decision, and for once I wanted my muscle that got injured to completely heal. Yes, it was probably one of the hardest decisions I have yet to make. I gave the spot to one of my teammates, she was the one that raced Winterberg in my spot while I was at Junior World Championships. I spent the week of training, videoing for my team I learned a lot. It was a great week, although I was so upset I wasn't the one racing. I am very proud of myself for making the decision I did, and it was nice to have friends and coaches just wanting me to get healthy and standing by whatever I chose.

Back to North America, I spent the next month rehabbing, finishing school and working out. I competed in the America's Cup races in April, to make up some points that I missed from crashing a race, and not attending one. It was the toughest America's Cup field around, so I wasn't able to defend my Lake Placid Gold Medals. But thats ok because American Noelle Pikus Pace came back, Olympic Medalist Great Britain Shelly Rudman, and German World Champion Anja Huber were just a few of the athletes in the race! I finished 4th and 5th in the races, and got what I wanted, my confidence for my hamstring to know that I was healing correctly.

I was so excited to go home though, and just get away from the sliding atmosphere for a little while. Its tough always being around the same people, but I love it all at the same time. Being home is always so great I got to see my family and friends, and just had a great time catching up with everything. I think I was home for the longest amount of time I have been in about 3 years. Almost 2 months spent at home! It was so wonderful, and shocking enough I don't think I did everything I wanted! I took a little bit of time off from workouts, and then started right back up with the conditioning phase. Luckily its easy to workout when I'm home, I workout with my Coach Pos at the high school, and the football coach lets me come in other times.

I am now refreshed and ready to go for complete summer intensive training. I love being home and wish I could be home all the time when I'm not competing, but I know my training is the best at the training center.

I am now in California and well it really hasn't been sunny yet! I can't believe it, but it rained today. I'm excited to be back here! There is such a small group of use for now though. Only 4 of us. Becca is my roommate, I will say it is nice not to have as many roommates this summer! Even though I loved mine from last year.

Well I start giving my tours again on Tuesday, I'm looking forward to it. Something else to do, while everyone is doing there own thing! I will actually keep you all up to date on new events and interesting things during my summer months!

Junior World Championships

I am taking everything from this year and using it as a learning experience. I thought the race today was going to be great. training yesterday went well and I was so excited for today.

My push was great until my last step and I felt something in my hamstring. I got on my sled and figured by the bottom it would be gone. Well me and my wonderful leg muscles had a completely different plan. I had the trainer wrap my leg just for precautionary measures. I was warming up for my second run and thought I might be able to push without it hurting. Until I bent over. As soon as I took my sled from Martin, I knew it wouldn't be smart to push all out.

I pushed the best I could without making anything worse. I wanted to be extremely careful since World Championships are in 2 weeks. I feel back to 9th a the end of the race. I was really sad at first mainly because I knew I could have done better if nothing happened. But at the same time that isn't always true. I learned a new thing anyway today, that everything and anything can happen. So after another race I have moved on.

I am looking forward to this week. We don't have a race, I almost don't know what I am going to do with myself since we race every week. You get used to it. We are going to Oberhof (I don't know how to spell it and haven't looked it up sorry but its in Germany) we are pushing (well I will spend time recovering) and sliding. It is a track just for luge so there is no start ramp for us. We just have to lay there and go down. No running it will be perfect! 

Well I will be spending the weekend not doing too much. Just watching the bobsled races. Women race tomorrow and men on Sunday. They cheered me on today so I will be excited to cheer for them. It is funny it will be the same athletes that were in the team race! So its cool we are all juniors! I am going to rest but will tell you more about my next destination soon.

If you can't win, Go out with a bang...

Well the Konigssee race was a little bit interesting. I have never crashed and never lost my sled. Training was going well, the track was hard but I wasn't messing up completely and I was staying on my sled. 

The race was fun, after the first run I was in 17th place, I was so excited for the second run because I skidded a lot on the first and was ready to correct my mistakes. I got to the line and was ready to go. Nothing was different and I was ready to do well. My Kreisel (a 360 degree corner with a lot of pressure and a lot of loops) was going well so I thought. I got in and got all my steers correct, until the last one. I think I was a millisecond too late I came out and was extremely high. I should have relaxed as Martin had said to do all week. Instead I got a little nervous and drove out when I really should have tried to stay on the corner. I came out and well here if you would like to watch the rest I'll post the link.  

The crash looks way worse than it really was, so no one be scared. I was perfectly fine just a lot of black and blues and ice burn all over my butt. That was the worst part. So check this out...

http://www.fibt.com/index.php?id=169

Click on Womens skeleton Konigssee race.

After all that I had to go home and get better, and race the team race on Sunday. I was so nervous to race and I really wanted to say no but I didn't want to let everyone else down. I knew I had to get back on my sled as soon as possible. I was all warmed up, my butt was healed and I was almost ready to go down. I was so glad Emily and Jamia were there to keep me company. Martin kept checking on me to make sure I was doing okay also. I got to the line and thought tears were going to come to my eyes as corny as that sounds. I couldn't help it. But the second I pushed and got on my sled I didn't think about anything just each corner as they came. My kreisel was the best it had been all week. Everyone was excited for me at the bottom, and I was so happy I went down the track before leaving Konigssee.

As a team we placed 3rd, it was such a cool feeling. We were all saying it was awesome to have our first world cup medal, even if it was just in the team race!