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.
My most recent trip took me to Sugarloaf, Maine. I was there for Eastern Cup races. Eastern Cups are the top-level FIS races here on the East Coast. These races include many of the top collegiate racers, younger junior racers and occasionally U.S. Ski Team athletes. They are a stepping-stone to Continental Cup races and the national championships. Making your way to the top in this series takes time and perseverance. I started doing these races when I was 15 and raced in them throughout high school and college and still do a few every year when my schedule allows.
We were scheduled to have two slalom races, two giant slalom races and a super G. After finishing up my NorAm racing, I was ready to go to some races where I was one of the top skiers and try to get a few wins. The race series started off well. In the first race, a slalom, I came down from my run in 3rd place and only two tenths of a second off of the leader. In slalom, two tenths of a second can easily be made up.
I was excited also because the snow was great for racing. It was snowing lightly but the snow underneath was very firm. Between runs, the snowfall began to pick up, and by the start of the second run it had snowed 10 inches in only three hours. With the snow came 40 mph winds and whiteout conditions. The weather was going to make the rest of the race interesting.
I fought hard all of the way down my second run, but hit a pile of soft snow right before the finish and fell hard. It was disappointing to go down right before the finish, especially being so close to first place after the first run. It turned out to be anyone’s race. The person who won the first run was very slow that run, three seconds behind the second run winner, and I fell along with the person in second place.
As discouraging as the first race was, that is just how slalom goes. It is two runs and anything can happen. You just have to shake it off and get ready to do it again. The snow continued to fall heavily and the wind blew throughout the night, so the race the next day was postponed. Unfortunately, this meant that the super G was cancelled. With all of the traveling I had been doing, an additional day off was a welcome occurrence.
The snow was very soft for the second slalom race. For slalom and giant slalom races at the USSA and FIS level, they shuffle the top 15 based on their points or world ranking for the first run start order. I unfortunately drew 9. It could have been worse, but it is always nice to be between 1 and 4, especially when it is soft.
I had another good first run and was in third again. The first run course claimed a lot of skiers and things didn’t look promising for the second run conditions when they reverse the top 30. The second run had a lot of turns right down to the finish. I tried to go a bit too straight coming into the finish and skied out of the course and back in, but with that lost my speed and had to skate across the finish. Surprisingly, I still finished sixth and must have had a good run going before that to finish where I did with that mistake.
The giant slalom races brought more of the same. I continued to have good first runs. The first day I was 4th and the second day I was 2nd after the first runs. Both days I was in a group of a couple guys that were quite a bit ahead of the rest of the top 10. That was very encouraging. I was right there with some national team athletes.
Both days I fell on my side in the second run at about the same spot in the course and both times it cost me. Immediately after I did it the first da, I was able to pop up onto my feet and keep going. It cost me time, but I knew that if I skied well I could still be fast. From that point on, I skied as direct as possible and took every chance. This caught up to me in the end, when I went down again and slid past a gate. The second day it was more of the same. After going down, I popped up and put the pedal to the metal. I was able to stay in the course and finish. I managed to hang on to third place in the last race and that was a nice way to finish the trip up.
On the whole, it was a bit of a frustrating trip. I had gone up there with a lot of confidence after my strong NorAm results and was looking to build on those. The two and a half feet of snow made things difficult, but reassured me that I can be fast in soft snow. Even though none of my races were spectacular, I have had a chance to digest things and am pleased with how I skied. I cannot begin to say how important it is at any level of racing to learn from one’s mistakes, but more importantly to take the positives from every competition and build on that. I know that I am skiing fast and have plenty of confidence for my next race series that begins on January 3 at Sunday River, Maine. For now, I am enjoying my down time and skiing with the younger racers here in the program at Windham.
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...
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