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.
After wrapping up a mediocre week of NorAm races in Lake Placid, I moved up to Sugarloaf, Maine, for the national championships. The national championship speed races amazingly fell into place with the theme of the whole year for speed races. That theme was unbelievable weather. The speed races were supposed to kick off the week of racing, but everything kept getting postponed. At first it was because of snow and sleet during the first two days. On the third day, the snow subsided but the wind moved it. At that point, they had already made the change to slalom - thinking that if the lifts were closed due to wind, they would be willing to take the racers up in snow cats to the start.
The race organizers really underestimated the power of Sugarloaf wind. Early in the morning, when we were supposed to have the slalom, everything up at the start literally blew away into the woods and winds as high as 100 mph were recorded at the summit. Needless to say, we did not race that day.
Finally, after waiting around for three days of not racing, things got underway on our fourth day there with the slalom. The snow ended and the wind had subsided enough so that some of the lifts were able to open. After spending all that time waiting to race, it was very difficult to get myself going and psyched up. Racing on the windblown snow was very difficult; in some spots it was hard and in others it was very grippy. My skis would grab and hook up, kind of taking off across the trail. That made controlling the turn shape very difficult and eventually did me in right before the finish when my inside ski caught and went right over a gate. It was a discouraging day for me personally and many others in my position. After the first run, only six racers of the first 20 to compete (myself included) finished. It was just one of those days.
From slalom, the races moved on to Super G and Downhill the next two days. I was in the first seed for all the races but slalom, where I started 16. This year I felt like I was there to compete rather than being there just to be a part of it - like I felt I was in previous years. That made a huge difference for me. I went out and tried to win. Our second race there was the Super G.
I picked bib 4 and was ready to roll. This was the race from the series that was being televised, and being at the start was completely different than any other race I had done. Because I was among the U.S. Ski Team athletes, there were cameras everywhere and some right in my face as I was going out of the start. All in all, it was pretty exciting.
What a day for racing it turned out to be. There was not a cloud in the sky, the snow was perfect and it was around 25 degrees. I was very pleased with my run when I came through the finish. There were a few turns that I got low on and was forced to ski through some soft snow, but on the whole I skied aggressively and that was all I wanted to do.
By the end of the race I had ended up 12th overall. When I saw the interval times, I was a bit disappointed. I was second in the first section and fifth half way down the course. Those mistakes I knew I had ended up costing me. What frustrated me the most is that I was only a couple tenths away from 7th place. That is just how it goes sometimes.
Losing the first three days to weather caused the downhill schedule to get a bit crunched. Instead of having two training runs and an FIS race before the national championships race, we had one training run in the morning and the national championships race in the afternoon. We were really lucky that the weather cooperated, otherwise there is no way they would have been able to squeeze a training run and race in for both men and women into one day.
For the downhill, I had the choice of either numbers 1 and 2 or after 13. In downhill the track does not get as rough as slalom or giant slalom and usually gets a bit faster after people go; however, I went with number 2. One thing that has really started to annoy me at the start is all of the U.S. Team coaches and technicians with their radios relaying times up from the finish and in some cases even split times and other coaches relaying course reports. It makes concentrating on my skiing and what I need to do very difficult, and for that reason I love to go early and avoid all of that chaos.
After my first training, I was excited to see that I was 9th. I did not have high expectations for the downhill, unlike the Super G and giant slalom. I was really encouraged. I thought that for the race, when I ran on my faster race skis, I could move up a bit. When I got onto the course for my race run, my race skis were much faster than the skis I used for my training run. Ironically, the faster skis caused me some problems. Things came at me so much faster that I was not able to ski as cleanly as I had in the training run. I still had a decent run and was happy with it when I finished. Like in the training run, I was 9th in the race. When I put it into perspective, it was a great finish and I am really happy with it. It was my first downhill at nationals, my 7th downhill this year, and my 8th downhill in the last seven years.
The final race of national championships for the men was the giant slalom and it was yet another perfect day for racing. My first run, on the other hand, was not on par with the weather or the other competition for that matter. I started 13th and moved back to 28th. It was simply disappointing.
Luckily my coach from the previous two years was there and helped me get my skiing straightened out between runs. I thought about getting to the front of my boot and starting the turns with my feet. This could not have been more right. I was so pleased with how I skied the second run. I knew that it was finally what I am capable of doing. I had the 3rd fastest time on the second run and moved up to 18th overall. It was great being able to turn around a dismal day and gain some momentum going into the next series of races.
After nationals concluded, I had a day off, during which I drove five hours to Sugarbush and Burke Mountain in northern Vermont for our next races. These were just Eastern FIS races, but many of the U.S. team athletes stayed to race. The series consisted of two giant slalom races, two slalom races, and two Super G races over the course of six days. Of course, there were runs that I was not pleased with and some that I was very happy with. As a whole, I had a very successful week. I had three third place finishes, one in each event and a win in giant slalom.
I just recently made it home from those races and proceeded to collapse for two days. While I am in the middle of it, I do not realize how much energy it takes, but as soon as it is over the fatigue just takes over. I have had some time to rest and do laundry before I head off for my last race trip. This one is taking me to sunny (hopefully) Mammoth Mountain in central California. There I will have eight races (two in each event) against a bunch of U.S. Ski Team athletes.
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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