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.
I suppose that under the right conditions the Collingwood area and the half dozen ski areas are quite nice, but that was not the case over the three-day period I was there. To begin with, the ski areas are all located along a small ridge that runs parallel to the coast that could not be more that 500 feet in elevation. The men’s slalom races were held at a private area called Georgian Peaks, and the base of the ski area was about 500 feet from the shore of the lake. I can only imagine that the water was clean and pristine, because as far as I could see it was frozen over. I am sure that somewhere off in the distance it was not, because the wind that whipped off the lake was absolutely cold and damp.
I had some high goals coming into these races, but felt that they were within my reach. In the first race, I had the luck of starting number nine. My racing in the previous NorAm Cup slaloms was good enough to move my start up, as that is how they base the first 15. Unfortunately, I was not able to take advantage of running early because part way down I hooked my tip on a gate and was shot out of the course.
Subconsciously, I think that not finishing the first day had something to do with my first run the following day. I skied very tentatively, as if I just wanted to get down. I fully know that does not pay off at this level, and it was not how I wanted to ski, but that is what I did for some reason. This really infuriated me and I forced myself to charge hard the second run because I was embarrassed with my performance. Finally a run that I knew I was capable of came out. I charged all the way down the second course leaving nothing behind and it paid off. I had the fifth fastest second run and moved from 30th up to 19th. Although the trip as a whole was a bit discouraging, my last run gave me a lot of confidence in slalom that I look to carry to Nationals.
I can honestly say that there is not much worse than getting up at the crack of dawn to go race all day and then having to get into the car afterwards and drive eight hours. I am glad that my teammate, Paul, was there to share the driving. We had a day off before the races continued at Whiteface and decided, rather than stopping halfway for the night, we would just go straight there. After getting to Lake Placid at 10, we were pretty happy with our decision because it was not too late and we were able to get some training the next day with the U.S. team.
Unfortunately, the storm that came through last weekend and left Collingwood with a foot of snow provided Whiteface with a mixed bag of every type of precipitation that left the race trail in rough shape. The best way to describe the snow was that it felt like skiing in ball bearings. Every time that I tried to make a turn, the snow under my ski would just give out. It was very difficult to trust the snow and with the Super G races first, it was worrisome. The start order for NorAm speed races is a bit different than Slalom and GS. The top 15, based on the season’s NorAm standings in that event, get to pick the number they want to start as opposed to being randomized. Because I was 7th, I had a choice to make. Did I want to run early, hoping the snow would break apart and it would get rough, or did I think the loose snow would get pushed away with each racer exposing harder, faster snow to the racers running later on? After some thought, I picked number four going with the first scenario.
My decision seemed to work out for the best. I got to run the course early and it was really smooth. That allowed me to ski clean and link nice turns together as opposed to being bounced around. Even though there were sections where I lost some speed, I still had a great race. I finished 10th right in the middle of the better U.S. Ski Team athletes. What amazed me most about the race is that there were five racers who had times within 0.08 seconds. It just blows my mind that, over a one minute course, the times can be that close. It was a bit frustrating because I was on the backside of that group.
Yesterday we had the last NorAm Super G for the season and a Super Combined. I would have liked to have another early number for the last Super G, but because of the way the standings worked out the best I could manage was 14. Unlike the day before, where the skies where perfectly clear, the weather was pretty bad. It was very windy and snowing heavily when the race began. Skiing a rough course during bright light is not a problem, but when the light is flat or it is snowing then not being able to see the bumps makes it extremely difficult. What one needs to do to ski well and the mind’s natural reaction are completely opposite. As I was going down, my mind was telling me to back off because things were coming quickly and there were a lot of bumps, but what I needed to do was charge and attack. My mind won and I skied cautiously on the top of the course. I was not linking clean turns and getting sucked low because I was passive.
That moved me back to 21st. Usually I would not have a second chance at a good result because Super G and Downhill are one run races, but the Super Combined slalom run gave me that opportunity. I was glad to be able to take advantage of the chance to move up and make up for a disappointing morning. I had a solid run that moved me from 21st after the Super G up to 12th. I am glad that I was able to score a Super G result that will drop my world ranking to around 150th and end the NorAm Super G season in eighth place.
Now I am looking forward to the next month, where I have two NorAm GS races followed by U.S. Nationals and then a dozen more FIS races. All of this will give me an opportunity to beat the U.S. Ski Team racers.
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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