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.
A while back, I made a decision that I would stay home until the races started. This meant that I would not leave after Christmas to go train with other athletes who I would be racing with, as many of my competitors end up doing. There were a few reasons for this decision. First, I knew that I needed some down time to rest up. I have also come to realize that it is easy to get burnt out on training and this has a direct effect on one’s performance come race day. At this point in my season, just having fun with my friends and free skiing was more beneficial than spending four or five days training at an intense level before the races.
I arrived at Sunday River the night before the first race feeling rested, relaxed and ready to attack every day of the upcoming races. The only uncertainty was what the snow would be like. Two days before the races were supposed to begin, Sunday River received 18 inches of snow. I was preparing myself for soft conditions.
When I left the following day for the mountain, I came to realize that I should have been preparing myself for cold weather. That morning the temperature was 10 degrees below zero and the wind was blowing 40 miles per hour at the top. When I got to the top of the course, the first few giant slalom gates were laying flat from the wind blowing them over. Much to my surprise, the snow of the race trail was in great shape. The organizers were able to scrape off the new snow with a groomer. I now knew that I had a chance at a good race starting number 26. That was all I needed to see.
After delaying the start of the first run for an hour to move the start down below the original windy, exposed start, the first run was under way. The field of racers was very deep. This combined with a shortened course (50 seconds compared to 65) meant that the times would be very close and tenths of seconds could make a big difference in terms of place. I had one focus for my run and that was to not lean in with my shoulders at the end of the turn. This is what had been causing me problems in my last races and the reason for my falls. I kept repeating to myself in my head “level up, level up!”
It felt like a solid run when I finished and it was. I had moved from 26th to 14th in the first run and was only a second out of first place. My strategy had worked and I was going to stick with it for the second run. It was especially important to stick with it because of a four to five turn section of fall away turns. I kept focused on one thing to do for the second run and the outcome was the same. I moved up from 14th to 8th overall and made time up on the leader. I was only half a second behind the winner after two runs. I was really excited, but realized that I had not skied above my abilities and I was fully capable of more finishes like this.
The 8th place finish moved me into the first seed for the second giant slalom race because at NorAm Cup races the first seed is based on placing in previous races. The finish also helped me move my world ranking from 230 up to 160 in giant slalom.
By the second day, the wind died down and we were able to start at the top and run a longer course. I kept focusing on leveling up and had a solid run, but knew I could have done more with it. There were sections were I could have gone straighter. I started 15th and finished 16th after the first run. I was still really confident for the second run and just went for it. I took many more risks than I did on the first run and it paid off. Once again, I moved up. I ended up finishing 11th overall the second day and was very pleased. Things were coming together for me in giant slalom. I felt comfortable on my skis and was ecstatic after having two great races back to back.
The next two days were slalom races. At the beginning of the week, my confidence in slalom was not as high as in giant slalom. So far this season I have had good runs, but never two together in a race. I knew I was capable of doing well and I just had to stay focused on my skiing and nothing else. In ski racing, the only thing that a competitor can control is their skiing. In the first race, I started number 25 in another deep field of national team racers. As in the giant slaloms, I just picked one thing that I knew would help me and focused on that. I had a clean run and moved from 25th up to 12th. I was very happy with it, but this was slalom and it is never over until the second run has finished. I kept my focus up and was able to have another clean fast run that moved me up to 9th place overall. It had finally happened this year. I put two fast slalom runs together in a race.
The first three days of this race series were great, and I had skied the way that I have always known that I am capable. Another good finish in the last slalom would have just been icing on the cake. The previous day’s 9th place finish, combined with top 30 finishes from the races in November in Colorado, put me into the first seed for the second slalom. This turned out to be very helpful because in the span of two days the temperature went from 10 below zero to near 40. The snow went from great for racing to very soft. I was in 11th place after the first run and in good shape for the second run, but had some problems.
In the warm weather, the course just fell apart for the later racers after reversing the top thirty for the second run. That run I moved back to 19th overall after a few mistakes and just having trouble with the soft snow. I was very disappointed with moving back that far, but had to remind myself that it was still a great series.
I made some huge leaps those four days. Currently in the NorAm Cup standings, I am 10th overall, 16th in Giant Slalom (10th North American), 18th in Slalom (15th North American), and 8th in Super G. I will also be ranked in the top 200 in the world in all events. I am very pleased with this and look forward to building on it.
I think that the best decision I made was to take some time and not train. I spent time with friends, free skied with the younger racers at Windham, and when it snowed went out and just had fun free skiing. It is really easy to train too much and forget how important it is to go out and ski and just have fun doing it. That is the best thing younger racers can do. There should always be time to just go out and have fun on skis; it is so much more important than training and can be more beneficial.
Now I am at Sugarloaf for NorAm downhill races working on my patience. The warm weather is not cooperating with the racing. The training runs scheduled for yesterday and today have been cancelled. On the brighter side of things, I am enjoying a couple days off after finishing up four straight days of racing.
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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