ICC Tour: Complete!

This past month has been absolutely nuts, so pardon the pause and lack of punctuality of my posts! (Sorry, I feel the need to use a plethora of big words and literary tools since I haven’t updated in so long!)  It should be noted that the house that we stayed at while we were in Park City for training and our races–which was 3 out of 4 weeks–did not have internet so if we wanted to surf the web, we had to go to a coffee shop in order to do so.  But, I digress.

First up: Calgary ICC Races 5 & 6

The last time I was in Calgary was in November and I did not enjoy my time there.  The weather was brutally cold, I got a total of 4 runs before race day (which if you don’t know, isn’t enough to learn a new track!) and I really struggled.  I left Calgary with a pretty sizable dislike for the track, so I wasn’t entirely too excited to come back.  However, this time around I really clicked with the track and was able to figure out many of the curves that gave me so many troubles last time and PR’d by over 2 seconds.  I ended up placing 14th and 13th, which was higher than what I came in seeded and had what I call an “aha!” moment.  I really learned a lot about sliding and was psyched to make my way back to Park City, a track that I really like and have slid well on.

Park City ICC Races 7 & 8

At Mary Jane's! That's for you, Grandma!

This time, Park City was very up and down for me.  I have been very successful at Park City this past season, but from the start of training, I wasn’t posting the times that I should have been.  The ice conditions being what they were, and my choice of runner should have assisted me in my sliding this go-round, and my times weren’t reflecting what felt like a great, clean run.  Fortunately, my Uncle Andy & Aunt Tammy and cousin Austin drove out from Reno, Nevada to come and watch me slide and having their support really made a difference (it also didn’t hurt that they had a bad-ass cowbell!) in making me feel better after I was disappointed in my results.  Because they live out in Reno–and the rest of us live on the east coast–I don’t get to see them very often and it was so incredibly awesome to have family join me out in Park City, being that I haven’t really been home since the season started in October.  They were kind enough to take me out to dinner so that I was well fed before my races and even donated to help me get my sled home and cover some of the costs I incurred while on tour.  But honestly the best part was

Playing Cards

getting to share the experience with them, and just getting to hang out and play games!  Overall I finished 13th & 14th (again!) and look to get more time on this track in the future so that I can figure out what adjustments I need to make to be successful!

Tomorrow I’ll fly back to Lake Placid where I’ll spend the next 2 weeks working for the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) during World Championships.  I’ll be able to spend the break getting back into training, prepping for National Championships at the beginning of March and reflecting on my season.  Overall I’m pleased: I accomplished all of the goals I set for myself at the beginning of the season, and finished the season ranked USA 4 and ranked 40th in the World, which is definitely something to feel good about.  I’ve secured a spot in team trials for next year, and soon will start to plan my training for the summer.  So for now, I’m going to enjoy my free time in Lake Placid and look forward to finally reuniting with all of my teammates in Lake Placid for Nationals!

Cheers!

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