World Cup #5- St. Moritz

Okay, is that view for real?

Hello from my (new) favorite place on Earth!

Okay, so I don’t have a definitive list or anything, and that’s a pretty bold statement, but St. Moritz, Switzerland is seriously amazing.

I can’t tell you how excited I was to come to St. Moritz to slide for the first time.  I’ve always said that if I had to give up skeleton today but got to slide one last time at any track, I would go to St. Moritz.  It’s the oldest bobsleigh track in world and the only naturally refrigerated track.  Because of such, it’s incredibly smooth and quiet- unlike any other track I’ve ever slid before.  And let me tell ya, I’m in love!

It felt like I had a permanent smile on my face all week.  St. Moritz is a gliding track and is just so. much. fun.  This week I got a whopping 8 runs before race day (as opposed to 6 last week) and as the week went on, my training got better and better.  I had a great day of training on the final official training day and felt ready going into the race.

Team USA after our track walk on Monday

I set a new PR push on my first run, but because I didn’t relax and trust my instincts, I had a big skid on the top portion of the track out of Kink 1, which absolutely killed my speed.  I was able to save it at the bottom and pick up speed, but not trusting my steers and my overcorrections really hurt my time.

On the second run, I fixed my mistakes in Kink 1 but overcorrected to Kink 2 and took a few taps before Wall– the curves here are all named, they don’t go by number– and again my time suffered.  In the end I maintained my spot and finished in 16th.

On Race Days I seem to get myself worked up, and on race day you need to relax even more.  Once I get several curves in it feels like I’m finally able to relax, and it feels like the track is moving around me.  I get so hyped and want to perform well and that takes away from my fluidity.  It is imperative that I am relaxed from the get-go.

Just a little photo from a night-time stroll back from the gym

I think my other struggle this year is learning to manage my expectations and remembering to acknowledge the positives each week.  I’m brand new to the World Cup tour (and new to 5 of the 7 European tracks we’re racing on!) and while it’s perfectly okay to set high standards, it’s also important to remember that I’m gaining experience at each track I race at and that as long as I’m learning and progressing, I’m good to go.  Shout out to our Marketing and Communications Director Amanda Bird for the perspective on that one…thank you!  While the discomfort of not performing where I want isn’t completely eased, it does keep me hungry for more which is never a bad thing.

So anywho, it’s off to La Plagne, France tomorrow morning for another new track!  Stay tuned for more adventures!

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World Cup #4- Konigssee

Guten morgen from beautiful Berchtesgaden!

The view from our hotel!

Another week, another stop on the World Cup tour! The 4th race of the season found us in Konigssee, Germany, an absolutely gorgeous location!

Prior to arriving here, I was regaled with all sorts of stories and memories of Konigssee– it’s clearly a favorite stop on tour among the veterans of the team!  Once I got to the track, I totally understood why; it is quite literally break-taking.  I’ve never slid here (in fact, it’s my first new track in over 2 years!) and after my trials and tribulations in Altenberg, I was ready for a new challenge.

The track here is so much fun to slide.  It’s easy to get caught up in the “S” Curves (for those of you who watched the race, they’re the four successive curves before the loooong, bendy “straightaway” aptly named Bendaway) because they are so flowy and fun.

Curve 12 (also known as Echoban) of the track. The Germans like to name their corners!

Training was a bit challenging for me throughout the week.  I wasn’t pleased with my times and it seemed that if I had a decent top half of the track, I’d ruin it in Bendaway or Kreisel.  The kreisel here is so much different from Altenberg- it’s not as easy to feel the pressures here and the exit is blind, so you don’t know you’re in trouble until you’re in it.

My very first trip down the track was nuts.  I totally got caught up in the “S” Curves and upon exiting the fourth curve, hit about 6 times throughout Bendaway (which in case you didn’t know isn’t the fast line) and then almost ate it out of Kreisel in the Chicanes.  It was an epic ride, and the closest I’ve come to losing my sled since my crash in Latvia my first year sliding.

As the week went on, I got more comfortable with the track, and fell in love with it.  However, I was still struggling to put together one complete, decent run.  With Race Day  rapidly approaching, I was doing all I could to prepare.

Our EC teammates made the quick trip from Igls to come watch us compete!

My first race run down the track was okay until Bendaway.  I didn’t trust my exit of S4 and skidded most of the bendy straight.  The rest of the run was relatively decent, but I found myself in 15th place after the first heat, but in a position to at least move up several spots with a good second run.  Unfortunately, some mistakes up top and a mistake in Kreisel found me back two more spots, finishing in 17th.  Upon finishing the race I was in for a big surprise…my high school classmate Kiersie came out to watch my race with her husband and adorable daughter!  I could have cried it was so fantastic to see a familiar face at the bottom of the track! Luckily we got to catch up for a bit at the end of the race.  I just love that I have friends and family all across the globe!

Overall I’m still unsure of how I feel and how to process this race.  On one hand, I strive to perform well and win every race- I know I have the best equipment and coaching staff available- and it’s in my hands to put all of these tools together to perform at my best.  In that regard, I’m pretty sour about my results.

Andreas, Esme, Kiersie & I after the race! What a great surprise!

On the other hand, I also know I had a big challenge ahead of me only have six runs to put it all together on race day, when those are the only six runs I’ve ever had down the track against a field of veterans.  I PR pushed on Race Day and set two new personal bests down the track, sliding over a second faster than I had slid all week. In that regard,  I know I have some positives to walk away with that I should be proud of.

So for now, I’ll ponder that thought and prepare as we take off for the next stop on tour– sunny, St. Moritz, Switzerland! It’s the only natural bobsleigh/skeleton track and is the favorite track of nearly every bobsledder and skeleton athlete I’ve talked to. I can’t wait!

Thanks for all the well-wishes and support, and thanks for following!

World Cup #3- Altenberg

At least I offered some entertainment and excitement for this race?

Ugh.

That’s all I really have to say right now.

But, because I always strive to be honest on here (and because we all know that life’s not always sunshine and roses) I’ll let you in on how I’m feeling right now…upset, angry, frustrated and disappointed are high on the list.  Mostly angry, I think.

The dreaded Kriesel in Altenberg…3 pressures of pure fear.

I have never raced this poorly before.  Though my training can have some highs and lows from time to time, I am always ready come race day.  I had a decent day of training on Thursday and had finally figured out Curve 4 and was feeling positive about the race day ahead.  First run, I was a bit stiff on my sled and it showed.  I was a little off everywhere and didn’t trust my lines.  The time was decent enough considering the issues I had and I knew that as long as I had a good second run, I could move up into a better position.

I felt ready for the second run- I was determined to be relaxed and to throw down.  I PR’d on my push by a tenth (so there’s one positive I can take away from here I suppose) and was ready to go.  I had an abrupt exit of Curve 4, which kind of threw me, but remained focused on the task at hand.  However, I drifted late into Kriesel— a huge no-no— and for those of you who watched the race, well, you know how well that went.  In an effort to make sure that I caught the first pressure, I tried to be firmer on my steer to make sure that I wouldn’t get picked up on the second pressure and in a hole for the exit.  Instead, I ended up massively skidding my sled through most of the curve.  The damage was done and coupled with my lines at the bottom of the track, which were a mess, I dropped back several spots, finishing the race in 19th.

At the start on race day, photo courtesy of USABS

Overall, I’m so, so angry.  My sliding here in Altenberg is not indicative of my potential and my capabilities and honestly, I feel embarrassed of my performance.   So for now, I’ll sit and stew on this and prepare for our next stop on tour- Konigssee.  I’ve never slid there before, so I think this track will be a good reset for me to get back on the horse.

Thank you so much to everyone for all of the love and support.  I greatly appreciate it, and your constant notes and messages motivate me to work harder and to be positive!

World Cup #2- Calgary

Hello again friends!

So sorry for the late post! Once I got home, I got swept up in the holiday fever (and let’s be honest, this gal had a ton of Christmas shopping to complete!) and completely forgot to get this post up! Better late than never!

Last week’s stop found us in Calgary, Canada!  The 1988 Olympic track is a much different beast from that of Lake Placid- it’s a low pressure, glider’s track that involves doing a whooole lot of nothing. Sounds easy, right?

Spending so much time in Lake Placid made sliding Calgary it a bit of a difficult transition for me.  I really struggled to pick up the rhythm of the track- I was overworking everything instead of just relaxing and letting things happen.

Two days prior to the race, I finally had a decent day of training.  Although the runs weren’t pristine and I was still overworking some things, the times were finally getting to where they should be.  I hit my first time in the 57 second range and was starting to feel much better!

Loading my sled at the start. Photo cred to Ron LeBlanc! Great guy, great photographer!

Unfortunately, the race day didn’t go exactly as planned. I did set new personal records on my start on both runs, but struggled with the bottom of the track.  As you fix issues up, you pick up more speed down the track, which changes timing at the bottom of the track. Subsequently, I had some issues out of kriesel- Curve 9 in Calgary, and a very large curve with 3 pressures- and got a little out of control.  And by out of control, I mean even the announcer commented that things were getting a little crazy (heck, I was thinking the same thing, and I was the one riding the sled!).  After my first run I was sitting in 11th place and hoping to move up a few spots on the second run, but unfortunately it was a little more of the same! I finished the race in 11th.

While I’m not pleased about the finish, I’m trying to remind myself to focus on the positives.  I PR pushed (despite not running it far enough both runs) and I had PR downtimes that were much faster than the last time I raced here 2 years ago. I leave Calgary knowing that I’ve slid faster than I ever have here, and that I still have more in the tank.  I’ll take this lesson and move onward and perform better in my next race.

Check out this little love bug!

For now I’ll enjoy this holiday break with some family time- especially snuggling with this cutie!- and prepping for our trek overseas!  I leave for Altenberg, Germany on New Year’s Eve and I’ll remain in Europe for about 10 weeks.  I have six more World Cup races to go, and then World Championships in Winterberg, Germany!  I’ll be sure to continue updating my blog from there, so stayed tuned!

Thanks again for all of the love and support! Hope everyone enjoyed their Christmases and spending time with their loved ones!

World Cup #1- Lake Placid

Wow! I’m not really sure where to begin! I have so many thoughts and feelings all jumbled up inside of my head…so I’ll try to get them down as coherently as possible!

Sliding through Curve 10- photo cred to super fan Ken Childs!

My first World Cup race was everything I’d imagined and more. I was so fortunate to be surrounded by my family, friends, teammates, my ORDA family (and track crew!), the sports med department and my coaching staff.  I can’t thank everyone enough for all of the love and support that was shown during the race…my phone, twitter and newsfeed were blowing up with an outpouring of encouragement and because of such I feel so. incredibly. lucky.

The week of training leading up to the race was a little iffy- I put a ton of pressure on myself for this race (because it’s my home track!) and really wanted to perform well.  However, each day I was really tense on my sled and was just slightly “off.”  Each day I struggled with the straightaway from Curve 1-2 which is an area I never have an issue with.  Needless to say, I was a liiiiitle nervous for race day!

Annie and I excited to head out to the first World Cup of the season!

The morning of the race I finished up some last minute sled work, stopped by Sports Med for a quick check-up to make sure my muscles were firing properly and sewed my race bib.  The race bibs are a “one size fits all” deal, but we tailor them to fit us as tightly and aerodynamically as possible.  I stopped by my teammate Annie’s room for some help, since I have never sewed a race bib before.  Annie, has been a HUGE help to me this past week.  As a World Cup vet, she knows the ropes and we collaborated a lot throughout the week, discussing runner choices and lines and throwing different ideas back and forth.  I’m so thankful for her assistance this past week, and I’m excited to keep working together over the course of the season.  Expect big things from us!

I won’t lie- I was pretty nervous for my first run!  Definitely more of a “good” nervous than a bad nervous, but I was anxious to get going.  I could barely feel my legs at the start!  Because of such, it wasn’t very good but I felt at home once I got onto my sled.  I finally nailed Curves 1-3 but I was still pretty tense on my sled and did not absorb the hit out of Curve 3 very well.  I subsequently bolted over to Curve 4 very quickly and hit the uptake into the curve.  I got knocked flat and late, which caused me to drop out of the curve and hit before Curve 5.  From there, I got back on track and had a pretty decent run with good speeds, but the damage was done: I was sitting in 10th place, not what I was working toward.

The women’s podium- photo courtesy of the USABS

With the first run out of the way, and feeling a big relief of pressure, I knew I had to get after it on the second run.  After a quick rest and snack, I warmed up again and got set for the second run.  Again, my push wasn’t very good (which to be honest has been frustrating- my off-season training went great this summer and for some reason isn’t translating to my push and it’s actually been slower this year than last!) but I got onto my sled determined to RELAX and make my way down the track as quickly as possible. I felt great about my run when I crossed the finish line but while heading up the outrun, I had no idea what my time was, only that I was currently sitting in the lead.  Once I stepped into the Leader’s Box, I was informed that I had just laid down a great run with great speed and that I had the potential to move up quite a few spots.  As the next few sliders came down, I started moving up slowly one by one.  It was pretty surreal- I moved up FIVE spots to secure 5th place, and was .04 away from 4th!  I made the podium in my first World Cup and as it turned out, my run was the second fastest of the second heat!

Overall, my first World Cup race was a great success and fantastic experience.  My friends and family made my WC debut so special, and I was so glad that my Mom and Grandparents (both sides!) could make it to the race!

I’m currently en route to Calgary, Canada for the second World Cup race of the season, and the final race of the first half.  I compete on Friday December 19th!  I’ll be sure to post the link to the YouTube channel that will live stream our race again.  Until then, thanks for following!

Team Trials Finale

After four very stressful races, the results are in and….

…I made the World Cup team!

I’m sure most of you already know this considering social media has been a flurry with all of the results and such (and totally beating me to the punch with the announcement!) but my win in the final team trials selection race sealed the deal and I finished 1st overall!

Meg and I after the end of selection races!

My first race in Park City didn’t quite go as planned.  I had an iffy first run that found me in second place but still in good position to move up to the top spot.  Unfortunately my second run was pretty bad and luckily I only dropped one spot, finishing 3rd.  Kendall, a new slider to team trials, absolutely killed it and won her first team trials race while my former AUFH teammate Megan ended up finishing second!  Way to go ladies!

Going into the final race, I knew I had to step it up.  I really wanted to finish team trials strong and with a win, so I knew I needed to be on top of my game.  The ice looked considerably faster than the day before and I stepped up to the line determined to set a new personal record.  My run felt really good and despite a skid in low point (an uphill straightaway near the end of the track, and a real time killer if you’re anything but straight through it) I set a new PR!  The run had me sitting in first place at the end of the first heat.

I put down a solid second run and was greeted at the bottom of the track by a number one on the clock and a cheering Megan Henry!  We both exhaled and let out a huge sigh of relief.  Selection races were over!  We celebrated by heading over to Maxwell’s for pizza and a big ol’ glass of sauvignon blanc!

At the start

We had a meeting at 9am the next day to officially announce the National Team selections and shortly after, I had to race back to the condo to pack up my equipment and such before heading to the Salt Lake City airport for a 2:45pm flight back to Lake Placid, NY!  I got in around 3am and slept hard, finally!  I’ll be in LP for a couple weeks before heading home for Thanksgiving and then go back to Lake Placid where I’ll have my first World Cup race in December!

Thank you again to everyone who followed, liked, tweeted and in any other fashion supported me through these races!  Team trials races are always the most stressful races (even more than any international race I’ve competed in!) and I so appreciate all of the good vibes sent my way. I’m so thankful for my friends and family, and can’t wait to make my World Cup debut this December!

Lake Placid Team Trials Races

What a week!

The past week and a half have been an absolute whirlwind! Between getting on ice, adjusting to a new sled/runner set-up, racing and now traveling, my life has been pretty crazy.  I’ve been up since 3am and am currently writing this post on an airplane to Park City, UT as we speak, so bear with me here!

Official training leading up to the races was pretty hit-or-miss.  Monday was a decent day of training, but on Tuesday, Mother Nature turned against us and gave Lake Placid a 60+ degree day.  It absolutely decimated the ice and everyone went 10-15 seconds slower than we had been.  We all took one run and called it a day as training was a wash.  Wednesday was much better ice-wise, but I didn’t have such a spectacular training day and was pretty frustrated and therefore pretty nervous for race day.

Megan and I after the final race in Lake Placid! What a relief to be halfway there!

I guess that little bit of nerves and hot dish of humble served up from the track was what I needed, because I won the first team trials race!  Although I wasn’t too happy with my pushes (read: slow) I had the two fastest runs of day and came out ahead. I was pretty pumped.  My fellow AUFH’er Megan Henry had a spectacular showing, placing 3rd!  All around it was an awesome day.

We raced again the very next day and while confident from the first race, I was still really nervous.  Those nerves were especially heightened when we found out the track was TWO SECONDS faster than the day before.  We hadn’t had ice this fast our entire training time.  I was second off, so as I stood at the line waiting for my turn, I could hear them announce the previous slider’s time: a 55.61. Yup, the track was haulin’.

I had a decent first run- minus literally flying through the air out of 12 due to a late entrance to the curve which my bicep is still pretty upset about- and slid a 55.59 and finished the first heat in first place.  Unfortunately I had a pretty messy second run and made a mistake up in the top portion of the track that cost me a great deal of time, and Annie (the individual who was in second) had a great run and was able to get me by about .13 seconds.  I finished the day in second place and, spoiler alert, Megan placed 3rd again! AUFH represent!!

After the race was when the majority of the craziness hit! I rushed back from the track to make my chiropractic appointment, and then quickly had to dismantle my sled so I could ship it to Utah before heading back into Sports Med for an acupuncture treatment (more on that in a different post).  I grabbed a quick dinner after the treatment and then began the tedious job of packing!  It took quite awhile to pack up my room so I didn’t get to bed until about 12:30am.  The 2:30am wake-up call for the 3am shuttle departure was brutal.  That oh-so-brief two hour nap before leaving was a total tease, so I’m really pretty rough right now.

Anyway, that’s the recap of the past week! We get on ice in Park City tomorrow, and then we compete on the 7th & 8th.  They’ll name the teams on November 9th.  I’ll do my best to keep everyone posted on Facebook…I’m not sure if there will be a functioning live feed for these races, but if there is I’ll be sure to mention it.  Thanks for all of the love and support, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it!

Weekend Recap and the Final Countdown

ONE WEEK.

One week until we’re back on ice (weather permitting, of course…keep those fingers crossed!). Can you believe it?!

Apple picking at Rulf’s Orchard in Peru, NY

I have a lot ahead of me this week but before we dive into that, here’s a little recap of my weekend!

On Thursday- yes, technically not the weekend yet but I had a fun day!- I went to a local apple orchard with some teammates to go apple picking!  We had a great time roaming the orchard and naturally, stuffing our faces full of apple cider donuts.  Let’s be real here, everybody knows you go apple picking for the apple cider donuts.

I got my workout in on Friday morning and put my sled together before heading out to babysit for a local family.  I spent the night with the two little girls so their parents could enjoy their 10th wedding anniversary.  They were up bright and early the next morning despite my best efforts to tire them out the night before!  I definitely stopped by Starbucks for a very larrrrge coffee on the way back to the OTC.

Riding up the ski lift to watch the ski jumpers compete!

After a quick lunch I attempted to get some homework done but unfortunately the network was down! So instead I went with some teammates to the Flaming Leaves Festival at the Ski Jumping Complex.  We got to watch the ski jumpers compete up close and personal, and it was nuts.  Yes, I know that’s a little “pot calling the kettle black” here considering the sport I compete in, but puh-lease.  That whole flying through the air thing is not for me.

I left the festival and immediately met up with Nelson and Danielle Longenecker, and their friends Pete and Marian Dimmig at the OTC and immediately left for the Lake Placid Bobsled Track.  Nelson happens to work at Four Seasons Produce Inc, who is my major sponsor.  Nelson and I connected after I spoke at a Team Meeting last summer and he said he had friends in the Lake Placid area and would occasionally visit.  I got a message from him a few days prior and was able to set up a time to meet with them!

Little did they know I had arranged for them to take a summer bobsled ride!  After the ride I took them up into the track so they could see what I do up close and personal and so they could see the ice!  Afterward we headed back to the OTC so I could give them a tour of the facility and check out what a real skeleton sled looks like.

Nelson, Myself and his wife Danielle in front of the OTC! Pardon my squinty eyes…I think I was laughing in this photo!

Nelson & Dani were staying with Pete & Marian at their home, and they graciously invited myself and another teammate to their home for dinner that evening, so after the tour I grabbed my car keys and we made our way to Saranac Lake!  We had an awesome time chatting, getting to know each other and retelling our most interesting and crazy skeleton stories! They fed us a delicious home-cooked meal and it was a great escape from the training center.  When everything can seem to be so structured and intense at times, this evening with them was so relaxing and light-hearted and felt like I was at home among friends.  So THANK YOU Pete, Marian, Nelson and Dani for your hospitality, and I look forward to the next time we can get together again!

After such a busy weekend, all I wanted to do was have a lazy Sunday. Unfortunately, I’m in grad school and my class is nearing its end, so I spent the day writing a 15-page paper.  Total buzzkill.  But, considering I had a pretty exciting couple of days prior, I can’t be too upset about it.

Now it’s time to get down to more homework and to finish prepping my sled for our opening day on ice! The busy streak continues! Thanks for reading, the next time you hear from me we’ll be on ice!

The Story of a Busy Gal

Okay, so busy is definitely an understatement.

Rewind here…I think the last time I left you was in June, just before my combine test and riiiiight before the craziness kicked in. So here’s a run-down of what my summer has been over the past few months.

Teammates Veronica, Gracie and I at the National Team Camp Gala

JUNE: The Combine. I took this toward the end of June and PR’d in everything! I was pleased with my testing results (after a shaky start to my off-season training) so hopefully these gains transfer to my pushing as well. A few days later, I jet-setted to Colorado Springs, CO for National Team Camp! I spent a few days at the CO Springs OTC, got to get dressed up for a gala, rock climbed at the Garden of the Gods and climbed crawled up the Manitou Springs Incline!

My girlfriends and I before the Beyonce concert!

JULY: Vacation! Well, for the first week anyway! I flew from Colorado directly into Philadelphia where my family picked me up and drove to the Beach!  I took a much needed break and vacationed in Stone Harbor, NJ with my family for the week. It was my first “true” vacation in a long time, meaning no workouts and no school! It was glorious! One of my girlfriends was able to snag us some tickets to the Jay-Z/Beyonce concert in Philly so before heading back up to LP, we went to watch the Queen B perform and it. was. epic. There are seriously no words. It’s hands-down the best concert I’ve ever seen!

The top of Cascade with Katie and Becky!

AUGUST: Work, work, work. The trifecta: training, actual work (‘cuz that cash ain’t gonna earn itself, ya heard) and school work.  Coming back to reality after almost two whole weeks off was rough.  My grad classes started back up as did my workouts so I was on the struggle bus for a few weeks trying to get back on my schedule.  August really was just full of work. So thank goodness my girl Becky White (and her sister Katie, too!) came up to visit me for a few days!  We went hiking and checked out some Olympic venues; and they both took a bobsled ride and took a track walk to check out what I do!  They honestly came at the best time because August was really tough for me and I needed to see some familiar faces!

And now it’s September! How crazy?!

The little love bug lovin’ on the Stone Harbor beach. I know, the cuteness is overwhelming.

I actually spent the first week of September at home in Pennsylvania.  The fam had a party to celebrate my nephew’s first birthday so I came home for that and scheduled a bunch of appointments and meetings while I was home.  I finally got to catch up with friends and family, went to DC to watch an AUFH game (in which we totally dominated St. Joe’s…just sayin’) and went to my first ever Penn State football game.  I had an awesome time but still had to get all my workouts in and homework done, so I was super tired upon returning back to LP, but it was totally worth it.

And now we’re just counting down the days to the season! We’re slated to get on ice on October 20th- give or take- so more and more people are coming back to the OTC to train and prep for the season.  The weather here is significantly cooler than normal, which can only mean one thing….winter is coming!

Thanks for following, and I promise that from here on out, the updates will be a bit more frequent!

Big Things

I know, I know, another hiatus on my part. My bad. Here’s the scoop on the big things that are currently going on in my life, one of which is very personal subject for me!

Since Nationals, I’ve…

1. Had my wisdom teeth yanked out (more on this one later)
2. Got accepted into Keller Graduate School to get my MBA
3. Moved back up to Lake Placid for training
4. Started my grad classes
5. Started working! (Back at Dancing Bears Restaurant in Lake Placid. Stop by the deck and say haaaaaay!)
6. Prepping for my combine test this upcoming Friday

and…

7. I’m getting braces tomorrow.

Eek! Yes, you heard me right: Braces. Like, the 12-year-old metal mouth kind of braces.  Okay, so maybe not that specific kind (I’ll be getting the clear ceramic brackets thank-you-very-much) but yes, my crooked teeth will finally be straightened. Hence the removal of the wisdom chompers.

This is pretty personal for me to share- because who likes to share their fears?- and I won’t lie, I’m pretty anxious about the whole sitch.  I had some really awful experiences with the dentist as a kid (read: terrifying) and while I would have loved to have gotten this done when I was, ya know, 12, you couldn’t have gotten me in a dental/orthodontist chair for all the money in the world.

So why now? Well, over the winter, a local news affiliate aired an interview with me during the time frame in which I was trying to qualify for Sochi and an individual who saw this interview noticed that my teeth weren’t straight and wanted to help. Basically, this individual offered to get me braces- at no cost to me. Considering I haven’t had dental insurance since college and all money income goes toward student loans and skeleton, this was a god send.

The road to this point hasn’t been easy for me. I’ve had to conquer my dental phobia (because let’s call a spade a spade here- that’s what it is) and deal with a whole host of other issues.  In fact, tomorrow, before I even get the braces on, I have to get a tooth extracted.

Basically, I’ve spent a whole lot of time having to be comfortable being uncomfortable.

So, while I’m excited for the end result (yay, straight pearly whites!) it looks like I’m going to be a twenty-six year old brace face for a little while.  If that milkshake doesn’t bring all the boys to the yard, I don’t know what will.  Not like I have much time for that anyway these days!

Thanks for following! Here goes nothing!