NORAM No Thank You, Ma'am

The cross course at Steamboat for the Hole Shot Tour (NORAM level) event this week was absolutely nuts.  They built up the course way beyond my abilities, so I had to back out for the sake of my six-months-out-of-surgery shoulder.  I just couldn't take another epic crash like last Friday...  Besides, I was already a legend.  I was telling some of the kids on the Steamboat skicross team about my prior week yard sale and they were like, "That was you?!?  You lost every piece of equipment that wasn't tied down!"

Yes, sir and I learned my lesson.  10 people left in rescue sleds the first day on the new gnarly course.  Meanwhile, I could barely do the amatuer course.  In fact I couldn't do the amatuer course wthout scrubbing a ton of speed.  So I sat out and lived to ski another day... and I'll be ready for this level next year.

Taming the Texan in Me

Day 1

Much like my first time on a giant slalom course back in December, my Texan skiing instincts did not serve me well the first day on a skicross course. Friday was training day at Steamboat which provided an opportunity to test my chops on a cross course for the first time. The course was relatively slow in spots at the top so that helped me gain confidence from the get go. However, there were a ton of “tweener” features meaning you could choose to absorb them or double them by jumping a bit, depending on your speed. For a new skicross racer, this was quite a daunting challenge as conditions varied from run to run and I found myself relying on my very raw instincts to press or pop on the various features. I actually think I did this well for a first-timer on the slower top part of the course. Not so much at the bottom where you pick up a tremendous amount of speed…

After one cautious test run, I proceeded to drop the hammer and go for it on my next two attempts. Both times I navigated the top two thirds of the course with no major issues (other than looking like a noob). As I approached the bottom section, I found myself with way too much speed and not enough skill to manage it over the last couple of rollers and the final jump before the finish line. The first time I wrecked there it didn’t sink in for some reason, and I proceeded to charge hard at the bottom of the course for the second (and last) time. A sprained wrist, re-aggravated shoulder injury, bloody lip, and sore nose later, my day was over. I wrecked harder than I can ever remember. The funny thing was that I dreamed about that moment a couple months ago and I remembered it as I was wiping out. I crashed the same way in my dream and in the exact same spot on the course, yet this course hadn't been built yet. Weird, huh? It’s like it was a lesson from the ski gods to take it easy… and it was well received. The part that wasn’t in my dream was the guy who helped me gather my gear after my yard sale and then told me, “I think you need to try another sport.” Thanks for the support, buddy.

Day 2

Day two almost didn’t happen. I was so sore and so afraid of falling again I almost backed out. This sport ain’t for sissies. What got me out the door was all the fresh snow that had been falling because I knew it would slow down the course and soften my crash landings. That provided a good opportunity for a timid Texan to gain some confidence back after having a bowel-shaking experience on the first day. My trial time was the slowest in the “open” class, and they only let 8 out of 10 of us qualify to race. The take away from that day was that I was only 15 seconds back from the best time of the day, whereas in my giant slalom races I was something like 45 seconds behind. I am starting from a much better place and my lack of edging skill is minimized somewhat in skicross. The other thing I learned from talking to some other racers was that you don’t go hard on training day and you save it for the race… Oops.

Day 3

Today the course was scary fast. I was still sore as could be this morning so I kept the same strategy of playing it safe and getting as many runs on the course as I could. That mindset served me very well, as there were four competitors that left in stretcher sleds this morning, all of them getting seriously hurt during practice runs before time trials even began. My time was 9^th out of 11 today, and I missed qualifying for the 8^th and last spot by only a second. Amidst all the carnage I was extremely pleased with that result. At the end of my run I received some constructive feedback from a course attendee (a nice one this time) who said I was doing much better but I was still skiing a little fast for my ability level. Well taken, sir. I think I will be best served by spending this entire ski season taking it easy and getting as many runs in on skicross courses as possible.

Overall, I had a great experience this weekend. It is a small group of racers and they were all supportive of the rookie as they cheered for me when I crossed the finish line today. Overcoming my fears this weekend was a great feeling, and I learned that having a little fear is healthy (and safe!) This Texan lives to race again.

Second Time's the Charm

Slow and steady didn't win the race, but it beat at least 5 senior citizens and one woman my age.  That's right, I crossed the finish line and they announced my name on the PA.  It seems cheesy but it felt good to finish a race, even if about 50 old farts were faster than me last Sunday. The race was on home turf at Winter Park, so my coach was on hand to give some crucial advice, cheer me on, and snap this extremely rare photo of a Texan in a ski race.  I had to pull back considerably from my first GS race last month so I could make it all the way down the run.  I was happy to take it easy and accomplish my goal of finishing the whole course.  While I am much better than I was a month ago, going full bore on a GS course just isn't the right strategy for me.  I just don't quite have enough skill yet to execute a sharp GS turn.  Fortunately, turns in skicross are a little bit bigger than GS and I will have some assistance from the banks.  I'm hoping this will allow me to charge a lot harder than on a GS course. We'll find out next week at my first set of skicross races in Steamboat...  pretty sure I'm going to be the old fart there.

Click photo to zoom



There's a first time for everything...

A Texan's first ski race is a first that keeps on giving. Turns out ski racing is a little bit harder than it looks. You see, if you think like a Texan, your chances of making it all the way down the race course are slim to none. That's just one of the many things I learned this past Saturday during my first giant slalom race at Copper Mountain. Another thing I learned is that some people over 40 and all people over 60 shouldn't wear speed suits.

I got to experience race day and get a feel for things like waiting around to race, standing in the gate, and the coolest feeling... absolutely ripping down the race course (even if only for a few seconds). Heck, the course looked easy from the lift and this old guy was putt-putting down it so I was like, “Screw this, I'm going for it.” Interestingly enough, turning is required in ski racing. My first race, I got behind on about the 5^th gate. I tried to correct too much and slid out hard. An 8 on the Texan yard sale scale, losing both skis and poles. The one downside of wearing a helmet is that it doesn't fly off and join my yard sale like my old hat used to. That means my goggles stay on too so I may never get a perfect 10 yard sale again.

I told myself for the second run that I wanted to ski conservatively and finish. Not so much. There was obviously some kind of disconnect between my brain and my body. I still just zoned out and attacked the course. Of course, I wiped out the same way in the same spot even with a different gate configuration. At least I kept one ski on that time so I am improving in a sense. Bottom line: I got my money's worth (only $5 for a new racer) and it was an absolute blast.

Two more GS races in January and my first ski cross race January 22^nd. Here's to hoping I can get my poop in a group before then.

First Day of Race Training

It was my first day of actual ski instruction, really.  Oh, that's how you carve?  Coach makes it look so easy!  The Winter Park masters racing team has about 10 members whom are mostly retired age people with nothin' but time...  Oddly enough, I think I picked the exact right program for me.  The coach is a young guy who actually has some ski cross experience so I definitely lucked out there.  It's a laid back and supportive group, and I'm about in the middle of the pack ability wise.  After all, I am still a Texan with only about 100 days of skiing experience- and trust me, those were like half days.

I'm super excited about seeing how far I can go with my skiing this year and beyond.  Every time I ski, I'm the best I've ever been.  Look for me on the podium by 2078, I'll be 96 and smoking guys much younger than me in the 80+ division.

Sponsorship and Race Announcement

Huge thanks to my employer Special Products Company for supporting my weekend-warrior aspirations. With the contributions from SpeeCo and two anonymous donors, I have now raised over $500 for the cause. As a result of SpeeCo’s generosity, I can now afford to compete in the North American Cup race this year in Steamboat Springs. This race is one level below the world cup! How do I qualify, you say? Don’t have to! Since the US ski cross program was discontinued after the Olympics this year, these races are open quota for Americans. This affords me an opportunity to see where I stand amongst an international field with no expectations and gain some much-needed competition experience. Thanks Special Products!!!!

The Beginning...

The Very First Ever Boardercross from steven rechtschffner on Vimeo.