a little down time
I am finally home and getting some much needed rest. The journey home was a long one, totaling over 6,000 miles and 28 hours of traveling. I got home a few days ago and am just getting over the jet lag. I am now able to stay awake past 9 pm and can sleep past 6 am.
The last week of my trip was an adventure. I managed to squeeze two days of training in on the glacier at Soelden before making the eight-hour dive north to Langraaf, Holland, where the first races of the season were to be held at an indoor ski facility Approaching Holland gave me a feeling that was completely new to me in all of my years of ski racing. For the first time traveling to a race we were heading away from the mountains and cold weather. As we got closer to our destination the landscape flattened out and wind turbines replaced the mountains. Every other race I have gone to, we eventually end up at some mountainous environment. The ski center was visible from a few miles away and stuck out like a sore thumb. From afar it looked like a hill covered on one side with a roof.
We arrived the evening before the first race and immediately went to check out where we would be racing. The indoor ski facility consisted of three different trails: one where our race would be held, one dedicated to a terrain park and the last open to the public. There was a slow six-person chair and a pair of rope tows. All of this was visible from the bar and restaurant in the lodge through large picture windows.
We could see that the race hill had been injected. Injection is when they take water and inject it into the snow so that it saturates it and then freezes, providing an incredibly hard surface. This is done at most World Cup races and occasionally at upper level races. It was only the second time that I had ever raced on injected snow.
Soon enough, the morning of the first race came. It had poured rain the whole night before and it was so nice knowing that the rain would not affect our race. We got booted up in an area resembling a locker room, then walked through two sliding doors and into the ski area. The first thing that struck me was the smell. It smelled like a combination of an ice rink and a walk in freezer in a large kitchen. I had also expected the temperature to be just slightly above freezing; this was not the case as it was just under 20 degrees. Other than that and having a roof over our head, the skiing was normal.
The race began after all the racers slid down and looked at the course during what is called inspection. I was starting number 75 out of 110. The start position is based off world ranking with the better skiers going first. European Cup races like this one are arguably the most competitive races in the world. There are so many athletes at the same level that it is really a free-for-all: if you have one mistake you are way out, but if you have a good run and attack you are right in there.
The first run was a bit rough for me. I charged out of the gate, but had one mistake right away. Before I knew it, 25 seconds had passed and the run was over. Usually you can get by with a mistake, but not there. My skis were nowhere near sharp enough for the ice on the course. I had expected some hard snow, but nothing near as slippery as this stuff. After slipping out on one of the first gates, a lot of the confidence I had built up was gone for the rest of the run. All I could do was hope to turn it around for the second run. Between runs I spent some time working on my skis - putting a sharper, more aggressive edge on them.
During the second run, my skis felt much better and I felt like I was back on top of things, until I hit a rut and was bounced out of the course. Knowing that one mistake killed you, my day was over. I was pretty disappointed with how the day had gone. The upside was that I figured out what needed to be done to my skis so that they would hold on the ice and was ready to get after it the next day. I was ready to get into the top 30 after the first two runs and have a chance to ski in the final run, where only those top 30 from the first two runs compete. Unfortunately, on the second day things went much the same as they did during the first. I few gates into the course I was bounced out and it was over before I knew it.
I was pretty bummed out with how things went at the first few races. That made for a long, quiet ride back to Munich where I was supposed to depart the following day. I had plenty of time to reflect on everything. By the end of the drive, I was in better spirits and had shaken off the previous two days and put them behind me, only taking with me what I needed to learn from it. I was already looking forward to my next trip to Colorado and the races there. As I sit here in Windham writing this, watching the snow fall, I can hardly wait for my next opportunity in just over a week.
Apr 07, 2008 - A long stretch
I have just finished up quite a long stretch of racing. I have been on the road for the last month, putting over 2,000 miles on my car. I have been to Ontario, Lake Placid, Sugarloaf, and Vermont for races during this time. The end of the trip included 10 races in an 11-day period. I cannot begin to explain how tired I was by the last day... Mar 13, 2008 - March Madness
Spring is here and my racing is in full swing. The spring races are some of the best opportunities all season for racers in my position. From here on out, I will be racing against national team athletes trying to score points that will help my world ranking. Yesterday wrapped up a five-day block where I had five NorAm Cup races. The races began in Collingwood, Ontario. For anyone unfamiliar with Canada and Ontario in particular, Collingwood is in the middle of nowhere. It is about two hours northwest of Toronto on the shores of Lake Huron. It was an eight-hour drive there from Lake Placid where I was training last week... Mar 03, 2008 - Rollercoaster ride
Ski racing can be one of the more frustrating sports around. It boggles my mind how quickly things can change. Emotionally, it can be a rollercoaster ride from great highs to disappointing lows in a mere matter of days - then back to those wonderful highs. Avoiding any lows would be ideal, but throughout the season there are bound to be some. Each athlete’s hope is to make the highs last longer and shorten the low points as much as possible... Feb 14, 2008 - A long trip
My recent trip to Whistler Blackcomb sure seemed like the longest eight-day trip that I have ever been on. When I decided to go there to compete in the Canadian National and Junior National Championships, I envisioned good races being held under decent conditions. I could not have been more off in my assumption. I would guess that I saw the sun for a total of three hours the whole time I was there. I must say, though, when the sun was out it was a breathtaking place - perhaps one of the more beautiful places in the world I have been to. Feb 07, 2008 - A different perspective
While at home recovering from the crash that cut my Europe trip short, I had the chance to see a couple ski races as a spectator. In the week that I was home, I caught a Windham Ashland Jewett Central School Ski Team race and a J-V and J-IV (13 years and younger). It was great to see these races because I had come up through the same races. I started my racing in the weekend program at Windham and continued through high school. In 7th grade, I began skiing for the high school team, as well. Jan 28, 2008 - Feeling pretty beat up
The skiing world in Europe is far different from anywhere else in the world, especially North America. Here, skiing and mountain life are a part of the culture. Skiing is a social activity... Jan 19, 2008 - Another world
A lot has happened since my last entry. To begin with, I spent three days at Sugarloaf waiting to race downhill. The always-reliable January thaw was far from merciful during our races there. In the three days, I only skied three runs - all of which were during the first morning... Jan 08, 2008 - A good start to the new year
I just finished the first half of an eight day racing block. The first four days were NorAm Cup slalom and giant slalom races. They were held at Sunday River right after New Year’s... Dec 26, 2007 - Home for the holidays
After a whirlwind trip across North America that included 13 races in Colorado, Canada, and Maine and spanned just about a month, I can say without a doubt that it is good to be home. As exciting as it is to travel great distances and see beautiful places while skiing, sometimes there is nothing better than relaxing at home and sleeping in your own bed... Dec 14, 2007 - A great day
Ski racing can be a funny sport sometimes. In a matter of days, things can totally turn around. I was kind of disappointed that I had not skied better than I did during the downhill races at Lake Louise. I knew that I just had to put that performance behind me and move on to the next race. That could be the most important lesson that I have learned in this sport. There is almost always another race right around the corner. At this level, when you have 60 races in one season, there are plenty of opportunities to succeed. Dec 10, 2007 - North of the Border
I arrived in Calgary, Canada, to some bone chilling weather. I came up here after racing in Colorado to compete in NorAm Cup speed races. There were two downhill races, two super G races and a super combined (one run of super G and a run of slalom). My first races were two downhills held at Lake Louise, Alberta. Before we arrived, Lake Louise had played host to both men’s and women’s World Cup speed races Dec 02, 2007 - The season is underway
I just finished up my first North American Cup races (NorAms) to kick off the competition season here in North America. The races proved to be quite competitive, as there were many World Cup teams gearing up for the upcoming races at Beaver Creek. Nov 23, 2007 - A little down time
I am finally home and getting some much needed rest. The journey home was a long one, totaling over 6,000 miles and 28 hours of traveling. I got home a few days ago and am just getting over the jet lag. I am now able to stay awake past 9 pm and can sleep past 6 am. Nov 07, 2007 - Surrounded by the Best
AUSTRIA -- Paul Epstein, my teammate for the year, and I made our way back to Soelden for the weekend to watch the World Cup races. We were excited to get out of Hintertux after a difficult week of training because of the snow and weather conditions. I was particularly excited about watching the Men’s race, but the women’s race provided quite a bit of excitement with Julia Mancuso’s spectacular second run moving her into second place overall.
Oct 30, 2007 - About Chris Frank
Chris Frank grew up here in Windham, the son of the resort’s general manager at the time, Dan Frank. At the age of 7, Chris joined the junior race program at Windham and was a part of it until graduating high school... Oct 30, 2007 - Thrown Into Winter
Thrown into winter - October 23, 2007 - It has been 10 days since I stepped off the plane in Munich, Germany. After getting my bags in the airport, I hopped into a van for a 3-1/2 hour drive south that brought me to Soelden, Austria...
|
