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.
Right now in the season, I find myself in the midst of a wild ride. In the last few weeks, I have had some great runs and some that have really disappointed me. I finished off my Whistler trip a bit disappointed. The last race I did was the Canadian National Junior Championships slalom. Although it was a junior championship, they allow older racers like me to compete. In the first run, I took full advantage of running the course first with bib one. I won the run by half a second and was a full second ahead of third place. This was clearly one of my highs and I was looking for the win until Whistler’s infamous fog rolled in before my run. Right before the racer in second place and I ran, the fog moved up the course to the top.
I fought my way down the course with minimal visibility, but ended up second. Ordinarily, I would not have been so upset with my finish, but the person who won beat me by two seconds on the second run to win by a second. I know that the fog had a lot to do with it, but it was still disappointing. I guess it is just the competitive nature within me that made me so upset. As a competitor, I do not like losing, but what really bothered me was doing so partially because of something out of my control. Stuff like that happens in this sport. There are just so many uncontrollable variables that can affect a race. Even though it makes the sport frustrating, it makes it much more of a challenge by having to overcome them to succeed. With that in mind, I could not let myself dwell on the race, but I had to move on as always.
My trip to Whistler marked the end of my traveling to far away places. The rest of my races this season are primarily in the eastern part of North America within driving distance of Windham. Presently I am back up at Sugarloaf racing in the Eastern Alpine Championships. These races are not some of the more important races for me this year, but I decided to do them as training for US Nationals. Because the national championships are back here in a few weeks, doing the Downhill, Super G and GS at this series would be good preparation for those races.
For non-national team athletes, getting downhill or speed training is difficult if not impossible. There is just too much setup needed for it to be feasible. The only way to train is by racing. The first day here, the weather was absolutely incredible. I have been here dozens of times and the weather has never been this nice. The race organizers took advantage of this weather and got two training runs in on the first day. It was great to have two runs in the course in one day. It is much easier to make adjustments when you are able to go take another run an hour later. Despite snow in the air during race day, I was able to take more risks and run a much straighter line than during my training runs. Taking a few extra risks, combined with using my faster race skis, put me on the top of the podium.
It was a great high winning my first speed race and was very optimistic about my chances in the following Super G. Of course the weather would not fully cooperate with our race series. The night after the downhill, Sugarloaf received a foot of snow and the Super G for the following day was postponed. A day later, the weather cleared but left some really soft snow for the Super G race and I was ready to go. The snow in the course was very inconsistent. It was very hard in the steep sections and very soft in the flatter sections. When I finished, I was unsure of how my run was. This was for good reason. In the first 55 seconds of the course, I was in second place, but in the last 20 seconds I was two seconds behind the fastest times. Overall, I ended up in eighth place and was thoroughly disappointed. A top ten finish is still good, but after some success in the downhill I was hoping for a better showing.
My finishes in those two days are exactly what frustrates me so much with this sport. One day I have a great run and two days later I have a good run going, only to lose it in the last 20 seconds of the course on a dead flat section. My only guess is that I was too hard on my edges on flat terrain with soft snow. The eighth place finish in the Super G lit a fire under me for my last race in the series, the GS.
I had a solid performance both runs in the GS race. Starting fourth, I was able to win the first run, by skiing cleanly in the soft snow. Things were a bit more challenging in the second run, starting 30th. The soft snow slowed down a lot of the racers starting around me, but I was able to put some more distance between myself and the rest of the racers to secure another win.
I was glad that I could turn around a mediocre race easily and follow it up with a win. Doing well in races is one thing, but winning is another. Many times in ski racing, winning is a learned skill. With two runs, each athlete needs to know what they have to do to hold on to a lead or make up a deficit after first run in order to come away with the win. Those races were my third and fourth FIS wins ever. All have come in the last two years, but three have been this season. I was not accustomed to winning at this level, but now feel like it is where I belong. This is a good feeling and I wouldn’t want to be in any other state because I have a busy month coming up. March brings up ideas of spring and other activities to many, but this is a huge month for ski racing. It begins next weekend with NorAm finals in Georgian Peaks, Ontario, then Whiteface followed by US National Championships in Sugarloaf at the end of the month. In the month to come, I have 16 races over a three week period.
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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