Season Wrap
So Much has happened since the World Championships in Austria.
Desperate to improve on my 12th place in Kreishberg, I headed into an intense race period- 6 back to back World Cup events.
The first two events in this race block were in Arosa, Switzerland. Arosa has an impressive range of mountain peaks all around, making it one of the most beautiful stops on the World Cup tour. The course is flat and had some big jumps- It was the most fun Ski Cross track of the season. The hang time in the air was big and the racing was very tight.
I had some mistakes in my qualification runs, sitting in 12th and 11th places. I had some of the tightest ski racing to date in the finals- I was with the newly crowned World Champion Andrea Limbacher from Austria both days and we had some great fights to the finish line. I was determined to have a fifth place in the small final of the first event- But as I made a pass on one athlete, I got my arm hooked on a gate and lost all my speed for the flat part of the course. I was over taken by the other three girls however achieved my best result of the season- 8th place. I didnt have a strong quater final on the second race day and had to settle for 10th place.
I took these results with me to Åre, Sweden for the next two World Cups four days later.
Åre was a challenging event for me. The conditions were icy- Kitzbuhel downhill icy. The terrain was steep and the features were fast. I was intimidated by this track and it was as if all the good results from the week before never happened. But after working hard with my coaches and support staff, I turned myself around, believed in my ability and was so close to the semi finals! I was literally a shoulder away in a photo finish with Ophilie David from France. I finished 11th in both of the races- dissapointed to be out of the top 10, but happy to have fought hard in the finals.
With a 10th, 8th, and two 11th place results, I was excited to head to Germany for the final race of the block- And get into the top 8 again. However, I had a small crash freeskiing in Germany and have given myself a small injury. I made the decision to return to Australia and focus on my rehabilitation and get better for next season. This was a tough call, however someone once told me that wise decisions (like these!) prolong careers.
I would like to thank the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia, the New South Wales Institute of Sport and Ski And Snowboard Australia for their ongoing support of me in my sporting pursuits and for continuing to support the develpoment of Ski Cross.
I would also like to thank my amazing family- Mum, Dad, Venie, Hil and Ben, along with my personal sponsors and supporters, Rosbert, Head, Komperdell, Karbon, XTM, Perisher Ski Resort, Guthega Inn, Southern Alps Ski Club, Le Bent, SISU, Dr Jeni Saunders and many many more for believing in me and enabling me to continue to compete!
As for now, I am rehabilitating my injury and shortly will resume my strength and conditioning training- But most excitingly, I will resume my work with NSW Alpine as the fitness coach to our up and coming skiing athletes!
Thank you again,
Sami.
