Home At Last

After long travel days, I have finally made it home. Well sort of. Upon my arrival from Colorado I managed to be back on campus for a 6 hour total. That would be a non-sleeping period of time as well. The next morning I hopped on a flight home for a 24 hour total. Flying in to Boston is always fun and thrilling. The small ten passenger plane is exciting to fly in. In my day at home I spent time with my family and got some serious work done. I haven't slept in a few days.

There is a big weekend ahead...

A Trip Well Done

15 days well spent. 2 weeks of hard work and tough skiing. Tomorrow is a long day full of travels and thankful for a time to catch up on work. 

I think overall we had several highlights from the camp. I have definitely gained tons of memories from being out here with my ski team and coaches. However, I have to say there was one day that really stood out to me. Arapahoe Basin happens to be my favorite place on earth to ski (so far). We spent an entire Monday here free skiing and ripping it up. It was incredible. My experiences at A-Basin always seem so magical. I will miss it out here and especially A-Basin. 

Round 2: Mountain Day?

Today for dryland we drifted our way through the woods on a majestical hike. I wouldn't call it mountain day 46er material but I would say it is definitely tougher up here at elevation. I'm not sure how long our hike was but we did gain lots of snow in our boots and tons of photographs. The scene was unbelievable and the reward of making it to the top was even better. You could find us laughing and reminiscing and was walked through the path. We didn't really make it to the top of the actual mountain (it's a giant rocky mountain), in fact it would have been quite impossible. However, we did reach our goal. We were greeted by many passing cross country skiers on our way. I had a ton of fun and I'm sure the team did too!

The Last Few Days

As we wrap up the training camp, I am sad. Still super excited to be here and I am definitely not ready to jump in to the season so quickly. Colorado has been very sunny and the snow has been incredible. So happy we made the trip when we did.

Today we were back on slalom skis. In the morning we did our warm up routine and then had a lane to train gates. From 9 to 11 we trained slalom gates at copper. We stopped in between to refuel we water and a snack. The afternoon was full with lunch, drills, and dry land. Another great day!

As we wrap up our time here in Colorado many of us are grabbing some last memories with our friends, focusing on our time on snow, and working extra hard in and outside of study hall!

Back to Slalom

After several days of GS skiing, we are back to slalom skis. I couldn't be more excited. I haven't skied slalom gates in forever. I think many are pretty fired up to be out there and skiing slalom.

Today we trained on the downhill trail at Copper. As they are the official speed center for the US Ski Team, we thought we might see some US Ski Teamer's home from the races. We were skiing GS. I liked the course better than yesterday but I couldn't seem to nail a few sections in the course. The frustration levels are going down but the exhaustion levels are going up. Everyone is still super excited to be in Colorado haha. Definitely not ready to go home at the end of the week.

A New Week, A New Focus

As we are already two days in to the second week here at Copper, our focuses in our skiing are changing (sort of). Today we did warm up together and then trained gates from 9 to 11:15. Many found themselves frustrated especially myself. My weaknesses really came to show in this course. It was a day of learning, just as everyday is. Just being here in Copper I am learning so much especially with a new coach.

The Newest Main Focus:

Well, I wouldn't say this is entirely new. It is just becoming the main focus. And that is STANDING ON THE OUTSIDE (NEW) SKI. Such a simple but challenging task. Ski racing is just confusing especially to the outside mind. This is something I have always been working on. Ultimately, it keeps intact with your mental and physical strength.

Student Athlete Life

The meaning of being a student-athlete means many things. One of those things include responsibility. It is incredibly important to keep up to date and stay on task when you are away on a sports commitment. I am getting a taste of this while I am in Colorado for the remainder of these two weeks. You are held to a higher stand as an athlete, athletically and academically.

Another thing of being a student athlete means time management. This is hard to juggle at first but then becomes easier. It becomes progressively simpler when you are living on your own. Boarding school student athletes can relate to this.

In my opinion, the last important part of being a student athlete is to have the ability to control your emotions. You could have a major test coming up along with a major race. You still have to show presence and nail both. Lots struggle with this along with myself. It ties in with time management part. However, your attitude is involved. Controlling your attitude on the hill, off the hill, is all very important.

Nor-Am Cup and BOP

Today we watched another day of Nor-Am. The men were racing again and the action was better than ever. It is really exciting to see the guys race. As said yesterday, it was cool to learn from them. We all are super excited to watch the world cup race on saturday.  It's called the Birds of Prey (BOP).The biggest names in ski racing will be there. Last year we went and had tons of fun. We got to meet Ted Ligety, Bode Miller, and others. It was super cool to watch and a fun experience. I'm super excited to watch on Saturday.

Another Colorado Day

Today we were on Giant Slalom skis at Copper. The snow was sweet and we got some great training time in. The last few days have been for focusing on drills and fundamentals. Tomorrow we are getting some time in gates but using the same tactic in gates that we have been in our constructed free skiing. For dry land workout today we spun (on bikes) and stretched. The weather is quite nice and everyone seems to be having a great time.

Our focus today was working on "transitions". I have to say, this whole new outlook changed the way I turn in ski racing. The idea is to start the turn earlier to finish earlier. Ideally, you are supposed to switch to the "new ski" right after the apex. All in all, you can avoid being late to the next gate and take a faster line. We got to see this really in action after watching the Nor-Am Slalom Race. Nor-Am is a racing circuit that is best described as the stepping stone to world cup. Seeing the boys do this in action was pretty amazing and helped me understand it better. The drills we were executing I had never done before. Everything was new to me and a few of my teammates. After several explanations from my coach and not to mention, a little frustration, I think my understanding is better than ever. However, if this takes a bit longer to learn than other things I am completely okay with it. The outcome will be huge and really change the way I ski.

First Days of Colorado

As a ski racer, we strive for as much snow time as we can possibly get. It is quite popular for teams to spend the beginning of their season in Colorado. Fortunately, this is where I am spending the next two weeks with my team. We are skiing mostly out of Copper and already getting lots of training in. We got in just before the weekend and have been "shredding" ever since. The weather is nice and the snow is even better. Many are still adjusting to the high altitude, as we are sleeping at 10,000 feet! It becomes hard to recover from a tough day on snow. We have been on snow 3 days total and some took an off day today. However, the weather and snow was too good for that. I was allowed to get an hour in but still enjoyed some rest. Hopefully we will have some great days ahead!

School Year Approaching

With just a few weeks left of summer there is lots excitement of the new school year! This year as many may know I will be attending Northwood School in Lake Placid to make another effort in the  pursuit of my ski racing career. It is with great pleasure to join the Northwood team and I look forward to the upcoming season and hopes of many more ahead. It should be a fantastic year. But for now, I will prepare and finish up my workout plan with physical testing ahead.

Also, I am pleased to say that I now have a partial sponsorship with POC Sports based out of Sweden. POC is a leading ski company and makes top notch helmets and apparel to minimize injury and impact. I am now a member of the 2015 LTP Team. I am very excited to have this opportunity.

More to come, Stay tuned!

MSM

As I have been off the snow since April, I am going through the off season routines. I have been working in the gym many times a week and have been running a lot. After saying farewell to NSA, I stayed with some family friends in the Lake Placid area for a few weeks following commencement. Two weeks, I have now found myself home. It feels spectacular to be back in the 401 for a few weeks. Time is short and there is so much to do. In 19 days, just about three short weeks, I depart for a summer at Choate Rosemary Hall. Choate is a traditional prep school in CT with some notable alumni such as JFK. Staying in shape in the offseason is very important to a ski racer and with an opportunity like Choate, gym time will not be forgotten daily. Along with this I am going to obtain an amazing experience, global relationships, all while taking classes at CRH. Biking is also another thing on my list  for dryland.

Even though spending two weeks in Chile seems very tempting, I have decided to skip out this summer. You can not supplement snow time with anything but I will see the mountains once again in November at Copper. As for my season I am satisfied with many of my results and progress. I look forward to next season with Northwood School/NYSEF. I am transferring from NSA due to athletic and academic reasons.

As for now, I eagerly await at home for June 29th to fall. These three weeks will be spent reorganizing, doing dry land, and spending time with family and friends of course.

Maddie

Season Wrap Up/Offseason

After 4 months of some of the best skiing of my life, I am sad to say it has come to an end. A skier's worst obstacle has come upon me once again, summer. I also have closed another chapter in my junior ski racing career, I am now a U16. I have to say I will remember this year, over my other two years in u14's. NYSEF has made a stronger athlete, and a stronger skier. As for the offseason plans, I will be in the gym often and possibly may get some snow time in August overseas. Although, it will be some boring months until I get back on snow, I am happy to say this has been my best season, by far. I am fired up for next ski season!

As the christmas trees are slowly being taken down and many transition in to the new year that only means one thing, it's time to start racing. Many of us have now returned to NSA from our families and are excited to begin 2014. When I was home for the holidays I got some beneficial training in and had a spectacular time visiting family and friends while somewhat managing to juggle skiing and workouts. Now that we are back, I am preparing for the upcoming season opener race weekend ahead on the 11th and 12th. I will be competing in the Hovey Memorial and a Mountain Council U14 race both this weekend. I have been away from my home mountain for a long 18 days and have missed it very much. As nice as it was to go back to my old hills, I regret not staying in Lake Placid over the holidays to train with the weekend group. That would be one mistake we are sure not to make again. I now have 3 days to stay focused before the races. The whole family will be making the trek up to Whiteface to come spectate along with some NSA faculty. Although this is truly not my "season opener" its my first race in NYSSRA. I had one start back home at the Dan Cardillo Race for Excellence. Where the outcome was not the one I anticipated. Even though this race did not count against me or for me it was more of an opportunity to learn from my mistakes and fix them for my next race. Okay, Enough Vacation talk.
One thing that I have definitely learned here at NSA and which is becoming more visible than ever is TIME MANAGEMENT. Before my season started here I can remember at a pre-season camp one of my coaches telling me how important this is in my ski racing career. He was completely correct. Every minute counts here, and when I say that I mean it. When we are pulling in to the mountain and it is around 8:12, it means we are going to be much later opposed to pulling in at 8:08. That gives us for extra minutes to talk with coaches and teammates, get ready to be on snow, drink water, etc. Anyways, thats not the point. The point is managing your time is HUGE. Especially during the season when everyones schedule gets filled down to the minute. From balancing academics, ski season, tuning, laundry, a social life, etc it is very hard to get everything you want accomplished in a day done by 10:15. Although there is nothing to complain about, no matter how busy I will ever be I will always love living this. I feel so privileged to be able to do what I love and be able to go to school and enjoy mostly every second of it.
My first race was a few weekends ago, I raced in two GS races. One on the 11th and the other the next day on the 12th. My giant slalom has been improving lots so I was excited to race especially because it was my first start in NY. The results turned out okay, but not as I wanted. I made a few mistakes in my runs, but I am always looking for a challenge to improve. Despite all of this it was a great weekend and I was still happy to take home 7th and 5th.
The "No Phone" project, was something I did the week before my races. As many of you may know I have an awful habit of always being on my phone From checking my email to instagramming I can never put it down. Our phones are an extreme distraction to our lives everyday I realized! So from Tuesday to Thursday night of the week before I gave my phone to one of my dorm parents to keep. I only allowed myself to have it for a few hours each day to be specific from after the academic day till study hours. In the end It was nice not to have a phone all the time and helped me stay more focused in classes.
This weekend I will be racing Super-G at Gore. I have never raced here so I am very excited! We have been training all week and last weekend, but I was able to take two days off to rest. Thanks for reading.

Maddie