Day 4 in Park City: GS Race

2nd GS race!!! it was a little bit sunnier today than yesterday and deffinatly a lot warmer. we weren't even cold in our race suits. we actually couldn't wait to strip! ( taking everything off but the race suit. Stripping is what you do at the start) The course set was a little simpler too. I place gold again in the womens stand up. Again it was a very good race and tomorrow should be even better!

Day 3 in Park City: GS Race

From left to right, Aurthur, Big Tom, And Toms friend :)

That's how Shabu Shabu is done. You each have a boiling pot and u put the raw meat in it to cook. Its really tasty!

1st Race in GS for the Huntsmen Cup. I got up early to stretch and get ready for the day. I had my oat meal with strawberries and orange juice. Yummy. Then at 9:00 am i got onto the lift for the first inspection. It was a bit cloudy so it was flat light which makes it harder to see. But all in all every body had the same conditions, and it was a good race. i took gold against a girl named Jill. She very new to ski racing and she said she likes it a lot. She is a wounded soldier. I'm hoping she stays with it.

Night time came and Tom, Tom, Tom, Aurthur, Me , and Mau went to a Shabu Shabu restaurant. It was really neat. we all had a good time.

Day 2 in Park City: Slalom & GS

No pictures today but we trained for slalom and GS. We ran Slalom gates in the morning and GS in the afternoon. We got alot of snow last night so the conditions were pretty soft but it was really sunny. Also very warm. I was told that this type of beautiful weather is common for this ski area.
I noticed a big change in how my ski turns now that I have that support. It makes it easier to transition one turn to the next. I have a few things to work on , like not getting backseat ( when u lean backwards) and to look ahead all the time. I have a bad habit of looking down when i race and that just causes problems. Mau told me that you have to change that the day before the race. That the race starts now, and to get your train of thought in gear. It helps to be ready for whats coming next. I have to get a good nights sleep for tomorrows GS race. Wish me luck!

Day 1 in Park City: Slalom

Slalom training! Its a huge difference going from a 201 to a 155 ski. My slalom ski turns so much easier. But i was having a little bit of trouble making my left turns and Mau said I might need a boot insert for my foot. Like a custom made one for my arch so I'd have more leverage in turning my ski. So Sue, a Park City coach, recommended a place in Salt Lake City called Lift House. They make custom foot supports called Super Feet. Its really neat how they do it. They soften a flat piece of cork in an oven and mold it to the bottom of the support, then put it on the bottom of your foot while its dangling, then put a plastic bag over your foot, tighten it, and suck all the air out. The reason they do it this way is because if you are standing then it doesn't put your foot in the shape its supposed to be in. But if its dangling then they can mold it as to how your foot is shaped. I will see if it helps tomorrow.

Arriving In Park City, Utah

7 hours and 55 minutes on the same plane to get to Utah. The plane had to stop twice to pick up and drop off passengers. I arrived in Salt Lake City at 5:45 and Tom Godowski ( or big tom as we call him) and Steve.... he never told me his last name... picked me up and brought me to Park City. We drove threw a pretty bad storm which is why the trees are covered in ice and snow. Those are the trees we see out of our back deck of the condo. Pretty.

There are a few other people staying in this condo. 3 toms... big tom, little tom, and toms friend, and Mau, and Arthur, an able body world cup champion. cool guy! Can't wait to ski again!

Super G Race.. And Im Alive!

Me and Mau on the Kimberley podium with my Bronse medal.
Canada, Nederland, and USA (me) on the podium
Very sleepy with my birthday crutch.....
Mau and Sue chillin on a ski rack... odd but comfy..
Im Alive!
I wasnt going as fast as i could have been going... and thank god. I was on a slower part of the hill when something went wrong and i hit the ground. Hard enough, though, to rip my goggles off my head and pretty much impail myself with the bar of my outrigger. I was taken down the mountian in a taboggan and then into an ambulance... To make a long story short, i walked away with a soar wrist, which we thought was fractured, a very tight and bruised chest, where they thought i ruptured my spleen ( i dont have all my ribs on my left side so where my outrigger got me worried the doc.) and a very soar neck, back, and knee. Waking up did not feel good. But.. i did anyway and raced the Super G race that was held today. I was only able to finish one race run because when i got to the bottom i could barely breath, because it hurt to inhail. My run wasn't anything i was proud of...at that moment... Later on me and Mau went to the award ceramony and i was standing in the crowed when they were calling off the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners of the womens stand up. And i got 3rd! i didnt know that out of the 6 women who raced in that catagory, only 3 made it down the course. I was one of them. I was in complete shock when they said my name. That medal was one of my most acheived. I went threw alot to get it, and i was proud of myself :) Deffinatly a great way to end an amazing trip!

Kimberley DH

In the start gate...

Warming hut at the start gate..

Teddy woof and Golby came with us...

1st ever downhill race was a big step forward for me. I needed good points for this race to make it to next years World Cups in Europe. And so far with my point average, from this race, i'll make it. I was able to train for 2 days on the same hill and same coarse which helped alot in helping me understand the rules and technique. Racing down hill is a little different then tech events like Slalom and GS. Its alot longer turns.. and fewer turns. you need to be relaxed and dynamic to finish it. There are two runs but each run is a seperate race. So u can average those two runs and get a final race result. Usually you have two runs but you combine the times and its one race result. But since down hill is a tough race to compete in and to prep for, they make it all in one day. My first race run was the best i had all week. But the second...... At one point seeing red blurs representing gates fly by me at about 45 miles an hour...then the next seeing white... and trouble breathing........ To be continued...