Today was GS day and the nice thing about it is it has a later start so Whitney could sleep in a bit and meet Chad at 8:30. The field was small, 12 registered but only 10 showed up to race. The top racers use hard boots and alpine race boards, which are different than Whitney's race board. Since Whitney isn't that serious about racing GS she's not willing to invest in a set of board, boots, bindings for GS.
Usually the GS races she's done have been two timed runs down the same course, fastest wins. This was different and I think they said it was World Cup format. This was parallel GS, which means that there's a blue course and a red course next to each other. One reason they don't do parallel races more often is slope space to set up two courses. A lot of resorts either don't have a wide enough slope to set a good parallel course or they don't want to close off that much terrain to the general public for most of a day for a race. So for this race they paired up the riders for the first two runs; each rider had one run on each course and it was against the clock, not the other rider. The riders were then ranked by combined times and Whitney was seventh, which was a pretty good spot. The six riders ahead of her all had FIS points, meaning they've been doing some sort of FIS sanctioned racing, so being seventh was good. She actually wasn't all that far behind the sixth place rider, .28 second, which is a lot in GS but not. I'm not 100% sure how it worked after the two timed runs but I think they took the top 8 riders, 1st vs. 8th, 2nd vs. 7th, etc. I thought it was a one run, first one down moves on, second one is out but Whitney said they had two runs so I'm not sure. The funniest thing is that the top ranked rider today is my age and that's who Whitney ended up riding against; she was the winner today.
Most important for today was that Whitney had fun. This was a race she doesn't really practice for, although she did more this year than she has in the past. It's an event she's done because her college asked her to but she likely wouldn't have otherwise. She's really good at it but it's not her love. A seventh place finish is something to be proud of.
Monday, April 1, 2019
USASA Nationals - Boardercross Day
Boardercross is the reason we come out to Nationals, it's Whitney's love. This year the field was smaller than usual, only 16 competitors. The good news is that they didn't cut anyone and took everyone to brackets and actually on race day there were only 14 riders.
The format at Nationals is a bit different, at least for what Whitney is used to in USASA races. They do time trials for seeding and yesterday they did two timed runs, faster run was the one they used for seeding. Whitney was faster on her first run but most everyone else was faster on their second run; after the first run she was in 8th but after the second she ended up being seeded 10th. From what I got she was riding really well, she was just a hair behind getting out of the start and just couldn't catch the other two girls in her heat and ended in third place so didn't make it to the next race. The good thing was that she got to race this year, some years she hasn't made it out of time trials. A bummer she didn't go farther since she's been riding really well. That's the way things go with bx though.
She had a good time, which is most important, and has been enjoying being coached by Chad again.
Today is GS day. The field is even smaller and she decided to do this kind of on a whim, we'll see how the day goes.
The format at Nationals is a bit different, at least for what Whitney is used to in USASA races. They do time trials for seeding and yesterday they did two timed runs, faster run was the one they used for seeding. Whitney was faster on her first run but most everyone else was faster on their second run; after the first run she was in 8th but after the second she ended up being seeded 10th. From what I got she was riding really well, she was just a hair behind getting out of the start and just couldn't catch the other two girls in her heat and ended in third place so didn't make it to the next race. The good thing was that she got to race this year, some years she hasn't made it out of time trials. A bummer she didn't go farther since she's been riding really well. That's the way things go with bx though.
She had a good time, which is most important, and has been enjoying being coached by Chad again.
Today is GS day. The field is even smaller and she decided to do this kind of on a whim, we'll see how the day goes.
Saturday, March 30, 2019
USASA Nationals - Practice Days
Whitney and I made it to Colorado on Thursday afternoon. The drive up to Copper from the airport was good and I'm glad we came on Thursday. Quite a few of the Massanutten families came Friday, a day we had snow off and on all day, some of it quite heave and it caused a mess with the traffic. I'm hoping the snow moves on out of here before Tuesday so we have clear driving back down to Denver.
Friday Whitney got checked in with USASA and met up with Chad. The open class/FIS riders had practice time from 10-2 on the BX course and they were up there for a good part of it. Chad said that this course was totally in Whitney's wheelhouse, there's just a few things she needs work on. It's not like past years where the start was on the crazy side and they spent a ton of time working on that. They finished their practice on course and spent some time fun riding. Chad said this morning that he's kind of sore, not used to all the riding; Whitney is a bit sore from falling on her tailbone yesterday so he's in good company.
Today they met up for more practice. The GS course is open all day and she's got BX practice at 11 this morning. They were going to take a couple of runs on the GS course so she could feel it out then head over for her BX practice time, then probably a few more GS runs.
Friday Whitney got checked in with USASA and met up with Chad. The open class/FIS riders had practice time from 10-2 on the BX course and they were up there for a good part of it. Chad said that this course was totally in Whitney's wheelhouse, there's just a few things she needs work on. It's not like past years where the start was on the crazy side and they spent a ton of time working on that. They finished their practice on course and spent some time fun riding. Chad said this morning that he's kind of sore, not used to all the riding; Whitney is a bit sore from falling on her tailbone yesterday so he's in good company.
Today they met up for more practice. The GS course is open all day and she's got BX practice at 11 this morning. They were going to take a couple of runs on the GS course so she could feel it out then head over for her BX practice time, then probably a few more GS runs.
Monday, March 25, 2019
Headed to Colorado!
We got back from Jackson Hole last Sunday, just long enough to get readjusted to East Coast time, and now it's time for Whitney and I to head back west to Copper, Colorado for USASA Nationals. Heading to Copper is always a fun time. She gets to hang out with friends from Massanutten and ride the BIG mountains. Plus she gets good coaching since one of her coaches from Massanutten has been going out with her and will be again this year.
Usually she only races boardercross but this year because of her class schedule we're staying out for an extra day and she'll also race GS. Should be fun and interesting to see how she does. She races well and I heard that some of the top GS riders will be in Austria so she could end up doing pretty well, which would actually be kind of funny. She only got into GS for her college and she rides her regular race board in her soft boots. All the top riders use a race board and hard boots and yes, it would make her faster but GS isn't her love so she's not willing to invest in a new board/boots (yet).
Whitney files home on Wednesday then we head to Colorado on Thursday. Can't wait to hang out in the snow for one last time this winter and catch up with some friends I don't see often these days. And watch some racing.
Usually she only races boardercross but this year because of her class schedule we're staying out for an extra day and she'll also race GS. Should be fun and interesting to see how she does. She races well and I heard that some of the top GS riders will be in Austria so she could end up doing pretty well, which would actually be kind of funny. She only got into GS for her college and she rides her regular race board in her soft boots. All the top riders use a race board and hard boots and yes, it would make her faster but GS isn't her love so she's not willing to invest in a new board/boots (yet).
Whitney files home on Wednesday then we head to Colorado on Thursday. Can't wait to hang out in the snow for one last time this winter and catch up with some friends I don't see often these days. And watch some racing.
Sunday, March 17, 2019
USCSA Nationals - Wrap Up
Just some random thoughts about the week...
Wow, is this area pretty in winter! We've been out to Yellowstone and the Tetons in the early fall and it's pretty then but the Tetons covered in snow are something to see. Bob and I still want to come out sometime in winter and go to Yellowstone. Bucket list goals.
USCSA puts on a great event. It's all run by volunteers and they work hard to make it good for the athletes. A lot of work goes into making Nationals run smoothly and they do it well. This was the first year they had USCSA swag, tshirts, sweatshirts, hats, etc. I wish they'd had it before and I would have gotten something but since Whitney is a senior I don't really need it.
Whitney was so disappointed by not doing better in BX since that's her favorite event. She was riding so well on Wednesday and was ticked off that her board was clipped by two of the other riders in her group. But sometimes boardercross gets the best of you and it did her on Wednesday. She had really, really waned to get the monkey off her back and do better than 4th and beat the Westminster girls but that didn't happen, at least not in BX.
On the other hand, she was super shocked to finish 2nd in slalom and then 1st in GS. She was mostly in disbelief and it took a while for her finishes to sink in. I'm still not sure that they have. She told me on Friday that the week wasn't going like she expected but I think it ended up better than she could have envisioned.
Getting 2nd place, snowboard individual alpine combined (what the heck?) was a surprise, only because she hadn't been thinking about the combined award. They take the results from BX, slalom, and GS and rank the athletes; her 6th, 2nd, 1st place finishes put her in second overall.
Overall it's been an awesome week. The resort was great, the events were well run, she did great and made new friends, Bob and I talked to some parents and event people who were all really nice. This was a great way to wrap up her collegiate career.
Wow, is this area pretty in winter! We've been out to Yellowstone and the Tetons in the early fall and it's pretty then but the Tetons covered in snow are something to see. Bob and I still want to come out sometime in winter and go to Yellowstone. Bucket list goals.
USCSA puts on a great event. It's all run by volunteers and they work hard to make it good for the athletes. A lot of work goes into making Nationals run smoothly and they do it well. This was the first year they had USCSA swag, tshirts, sweatshirts, hats, etc. I wish they'd had it before and I would have gotten something but since Whitney is a senior I don't really need it.
Whitney was so disappointed by not doing better in BX since that's her favorite event. She was riding so well on Wednesday and was ticked off that her board was clipped by two of the other riders in her group. But sometimes boardercross gets the best of you and it did her on Wednesday. She had really, really waned to get the monkey off her back and do better than 4th and beat the Westminster girls but that didn't happen, at least not in BX.
On the other hand, she was super shocked to finish 2nd in slalom and then 1st in GS. She was mostly in disbelief and it took a while for her finishes to sink in. I'm still not sure that they have. She told me on Friday that the week wasn't going like she expected but I think it ended up better than she could have envisioned.
Getting 2nd place, snowboard individual alpine combined (what the heck?) was a surprise, only because she hadn't been thinking about the combined award. They take the results from BX, slalom, and GS and rank the athletes; her 6th, 2nd, 1st place finishes put her in second overall.
Overall it's been an awesome week. The resort was great, the events were well run, she did great and made new friends, Bob and I talked to some parents and event people who were all really nice. This was a great way to wrap up her collegiate career.
Saturday, March 16, 2019
USCSA Nationals - Giant Slalom Day
Today was the last day of racing at USCSA Nationals. For snowboarders it meant GS. Whitney was confident in her skills and I'm guessing figured she'd finish in the top 10, even before her slalom finish on Thursday. This was the race event that she likes better and hoped to do well in; slalom is her least favorite of the events she races.
It was dang cold this morning, single digits, when we met up with Connor's parents (he's the other UMF snowboarder out here). All we could do was wait at the bottom of the course. We were actually at the bottom of the corral since at the finish line you couldn't really see far up slope it's so steep. The nice thing was they had the individual times on the scoreboard and we could watch on live timing to see how races were placing. Whitney had a really good first run and finished in second. She said that she was going a bit wide on the top part then got herself together and rode the lower part better. During the break they moved gates around and reset the course. There were 25 girls that finished the first run and they do a "flip-30" where they take the top 30 finishers and start the second run with the slowest finisher from the first run and work their way up which meant that Whitney was second to last to go down.
It was hard for us waiting at the bottom for her to go. When she came down she had a really good time and was in first, but one last racer still had to drop. She was also riding well but at one of the last gates she slipped. From watching her time it looked like Whitney was probably going to win but after the slip, it was for sure. Another surprising finish for Whitney today, crowned USCSA National champion in GS!!
Every day after racing is completed they have the daily awards for the events competed that day. They give out a bunch of swag then the awards. The top 10 get to go up on the podium, places 4-10 get certificates while first, second, and third get medals as well. After Boss Hog had announced the second and third place winners you could already hear the table thumping and cheering starting for Whitney. She's made so many friends and they were all so happy for her. Boss Hog was super excited for her as well. She got a high five from him (and a hug earlier when he was giving out swag to the seniors).
The girl from Virginia has done well.
It was dang cold this morning, single digits, when we met up with Connor's parents (he's the other UMF snowboarder out here). All we could do was wait at the bottom of the course. We were actually at the bottom of the corral since at the finish line you couldn't really see far up slope it's so steep. The nice thing was they had the individual times on the scoreboard and we could watch on live timing to see how races were placing. Whitney had a really good first run and finished in second. She said that she was going a bit wide on the top part then got herself together and rode the lower part better. During the break they moved gates around and reset the course. There were 25 girls that finished the first run and they do a "flip-30" where they take the top 30 finishers and start the second run with the slowest finisher from the first run and work their way up which meant that Whitney was second to last to go down.
It was hard for us waiting at the bottom for her to go. When she came down she had a really good time and was in first, but one last racer still had to drop. She was also riding well but at one of the last gates she slipped. From watching her time it looked like Whitney was probably going to win but after the slip, it was for sure. Another surprising finish for Whitney today, crowned USCSA National champion in GS!!
Every day after racing is completed they have the daily awards for the events competed that day. They give out a bunch of swag then the awards. The top 10 get to go up on the podium, places 4-10 get certificates while first, second, and third get medals as well. After Boss Hog had announced the second and third place winners you could already hear the table thumping and cheering starting for Whitney. She's made so many friends and they were all so happy for her. Boss Hog was super excited for her as well. She got a high five from him (and a hug earlier when he was giving out swag to the seniors).
The girl from Virginia has done well.
Thursday, March 14, 2019
USCSA Nationals - Slalom Day
What a day today was! Spoiler alert - Whitney finished second!! We didn't see her this morning, she was out early for practice. Bob and I walked down to the other lodge and after looking at where the course was decided we were going back to our room to watch. There was no way to walk up to it and even riding the chair lift would have been difficult. We can actually see the first part of the course from our balcony and we have live timing on the tv so we could see how the girls were running. After the first run Whitney was easily in second place. She had a kind of long break between runs since they run the women first, then the men, reset the course, then women for their second run, then the men again. During her break we walked over to the King's Grill lodge area and sat by the firepit and talked with her. She was excited but surprised to find herself in second, especially since the girl in first wasn't who she expected.
The second run was tough because the course was rutted and icier than it had been in the morning. Many of the riders were slower the second run, including Whitney, but she still had the second fastest time of the run. Bob and I saw her start but had a hard time watching live timing. It was so nerve wracking!! As soon as she finished we went down to the lower lodge to meet up with her. So much excitement! She was truly shocked at how well she did. This was the event that she didn't really care about, well she did but she knew it wasn't her best event and hoped to finish in the top 10 but did not expect to make podium.
Afternoon awards was fun today, although super nerve-wracking for Whitney. They didn't call her event until last so she had to wait through it all. All her teammates were there to cheer her on as well as other UMF parents that are out here. I think she probably had the loudest cheers of the day. She's made lots of friends here, she's been chatting with the kids from the Virginia schools, UVA, JMU, GMU and the NC schools and they all cheered her on as well as her teammates and a few other random people we've met. Even Boss Hog, the emcee for the event was really happy to see her on the podium.
Tomorrow is a day off for the snowboarders. Whitney thinks the coach from JMU is setting gates to practice for the GS event on Saturday so she's going to do some training in the morning then the three of us are going to drive up to the Tetons and see what we can see.
As a side note to the day, when we got up in the morning Bob and I saw a herd of elk in the parking lot of our hotel. They were just hanging out in some empty parking spaces. It looked like there was 8-10 of them, possibly a mother and two babies among them. They moved around a little but just generally were in the same area almost all day. Later in the day I noticed that they had moved on but we saw that they had moved to a small park just down the street. Pretty cool seeing them. I'd still like to see some moose, but it seems you have to be on the Nordic course for that.
The second run was tough because the course was rutted and icier than it had been in the morning. Many of the riders were slower the second run, including Whitney, but she still had the second fastest time of the run. Bob and I saw her start but had a hard time watching live timing. It was so nerve wracking!! As soon as she finished we went down to the lower lodge to meet up with her. So much excitement! She was truly shocked at how well she did. This was the event that she didn't really care about, well she did but she knew it wasn't her best event and hoped to finish in the top 10 but did not expect to make podium.
Afternoon awards was fun today, although super nerve-wracking for Whitney. They didn't call her event until last so she had to wait through it all. All her teammates were there to cheer her on as well as other UMF parents that are out here. I think she probably had the loudest cheers of the day. She's made lots of friends here, she's been chatting with the kids from the Virginia schools, UVA, JMU, GMU and the NC schools and they all cheered her on as well as her teammates and a few other random people we've met. Even Boss Hog, the emcee for the event was really happy to see her on the podium.
Tomorrow is a day off for the snowboarders. Whitney thinks the coach from JMU is setting gates to practice for the GS event on Saturday so she's going to do some training in the morning then the three of us are going to drive up to the Tetons and see what we can see.
As a side note to the day, when we got up in the morning Bob and I saw a herd of elk in the parking lot of our hotel. They were just hanging out in some empty parking spaces. It looked like there was 8-10 of them, possibly a mother and two babies among them. They moved around a little but just generally were in the same area almost all day. Later in the day I noticed that they had moved on but we saw that they had moved to a small park just down the street. Pretty cool seeing them. I'd still like to see some moose, but it seems you have to be on the Nordic course for that.
Wednesday, March 13, 2019
USCSA Nationals - Boardercross Day
I'll start off by saying the day did not go how Whitney wanted it to. The day started off well, she was fourth in time trials so had a good seeding for the brackets. Later she said she was racing her best all season even though she's fighting off a cold. Things didn't go her way in the semi-finals. She had the hole shot but two riders right behind her both clipped her board at the same time and took her down. She ended up tumbling over, snow in her goggles, and ended up finishing out of the top two which put her in the small final. No chance to better her fourth place finish from the last two years. In the small final there was a dust up (snow up??) at the first turn and she went down again along with others and just didn't have enough real estate to catch up so finished second in the race, sixth overall.
She was super disappointed since she really waned to finish on the podium this year. She knew she was riding well and could have beat two of the girls that were in the final but stuff happens in bx, stuff that's perfectly legal but can take a good rider out which is what happened to her today.
On a happier note, it's been snowing all day today. Pretty snow, not too heavy and it didn't affect the bx race. Not sure how the nordies did with the snow coming down. They have their own issues though - have to watch out for moose on the race course. UMF Athletics posted a picture from yesterday of two of the nordies with a moose in the background, just off the race course. They said they saw quite a few today. Bob and I were talking with a couple of parents from Castleton University and they said the Nordic courses are in an open area, but they aren't using the trails in the woods because of the moose.
Tomorrow is slalom day.
She was super disappointed since she really waned to finish on the podium this year. She knew she was riding well and could have beat two of the girls that were in the final but stuff happens in bx, stuff that's perfectly legal but can take a good rider out which is what happened to her today.
On a happier note, it's been snowing all day today. Pretty snow, not too heavy and it didn't affect the bx race. Not sure how the nordies did with the snow coming down. They have their own issues though - have to watch out for moose on the race course. UMF Athletics posted a picture from yesterday of two of the nordies with a moose in the background, just off the race course. They said they saw quite a few today. Bob and I were talking with a couple of parents from Castleton University and they said the Nordic courses are in an open area, but they aren't using the trails in the woods because of the moose.
Tomorrow is slalom day.
USCSA Nationals
Bob and I flew out to Jackson Hole yesterday. Not the best time of year for him to take off but as he said, when she says 'please' you make it work especially since it's her senior year. Besides being super early the flight wasn't too bad and actually I'm glad it was early; later flights hit a lot of turbulence from the massive storm that's in the mid-west right now bringing blizzard conditions to Colorado.
Jackson Hole in winter is beautiful. I'm hoping one day after dinner, since the time has changed and it's light later, we can take a drive up towards the Grand Tetons. Jackson is a cute little town, standing on the mountain near the BX course you're high enough to see how small the town is and the open valley beyond.
So on to racing...Whitney has her BX race today (Wednesday), slalom tomorrow, she's off on Friday, then GS on Saturday. She was helping coach her teammate yesterday at the BX course so she's had a good look at it already, knows the areas to be careful. She said it's a fast course and narrow so only a few places to pass other riders. Bob and I got there in time for the finals of the men's races (snowboard and ski cross) and it was a crazy finish for the snowboarders! They came flying down the last turn and two of them went through the netting into the crowd right before the finish. She said there were a few other places where the turns were tight and riders went through the net.
Yesterday was a pretty bluebird day but there's clouds today, possibly some snow so that could make things interesting. Right now it seems to be holding off but we'll see what the day brings. At least we're on the backside and a bit far west of the massive storm so at least we won't get dumped on.
Jackson Hole in winter is beautiful. I'm hoping one day after dinner, since the time has changed and it's light later, we can take a drive up towards the Grand Tetons. Jackson is a cute little town, standing on the mountain near the BX course you're high enough to see how small the town is and the open valley beyond.
So on to racing...Whitney has her BX race today (Wednesday), slalom tomorrow, she's off on Friday, then GS on Saturday. She was helping coach her teammate yesterday at the BX course so she's had a good look at it already, knows the areas to be careful. She said it's a fast course and narrow so only a few places to pass other riders. Bob and I got there in time for the finals of the men's races (snowboard and ski cross) and it was a crazy finish for the snowboarders! They came flying down the last turn and two of them went through the netting into the crowd right before the finish. She said there were a few other places where the turns were tight and riders went through the net.
Yesterday was a pretty bluebird day but there's clouds today, possibly some snow so that could make things interesting. Right now it seems to be holding off but we'll see what the day brings. At least we're on the backside and a bit far west of the massive storm so at least we won't get dumped on.
Sunday, March 10, 2019
USCSA Nationals Preview
USCSA Nationals is upon us. We were so excited when the possibility of competing in Jackson Hole came up last year. The area is beautiful and the skiing is great, or so I've heard. I can't wait to get out there and see the area in the wintertime. We have been on summer vacations to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone and I've always wanted to go in the winter. Bob and I will have a rental car so hopefully one day we can do a bit of driving around and see some of the sights.
Whitney flew to Salt Lake City yesterday and they are driving up to Jackson Hole today. Several Nordic racers went with their coach and along with Whitney is another snowboarder and a free skier and their coach. It's kind of unfortunate they didn't have another coach to go along; some of the scheduling is going to make it impossible to have a coach at every event UMF has a racer competing in. The alpine coach and his wife had a baby less than a month ago and he said in the fall that he wasn't going; not sure why the head ski/snowboard coach didn't go, they sure could have used him. They'll make it work, somehow.
Whitney has been racing well all season. Had some good competition at some races, at some races it was just her but she's feeling good. Tomorrow is a practice day and it'll be good for her to get on her board, get a feel for the snow and the elevation and start getting into the racing mindset.
Bob and I are flying out Tuesday morning and will stay for the rest of the competition. It's not the best time of year for him to be taking off basically five days from work but for him, family comes first. This is an important competition for Whitney and since it's her senior year, it's the final time for her. I'm not sure where the last four years went but here we are. Can't wait to see her hit the slopes!
Whitney flew to Salt Lake City yesterday and they are driving up to Jackson Hole today. Several Nordic racers went with their coach and along with Whitney is another snowboarder and a free skier and their coach. It's kind of unfortunate they didn't have another coach to go along; some of the scheduling is going to make it impossible to have a coach at every event UMF has a racer competing in. The alpine coach and his wife had a baby less than a month ago and he said in the fall that he wasn't going; not sure why the head ski/snowboard coach didn't go, they sure could have used him. They'll make it work, somehow.
Whitney has been racing well all season. Had some good competition at some races, at some races it was just her but she's feeling good. Tomorrow is a practice day and it'll be good for her to get on her board, get a feel for the snow and the elevation and start getting into the racing mindset.
Bob and I are flying out Tuesday morning and will stay for the rest of the competition. It's not the best time of year for him to be taking off basically five days from work but for him, family comes first. This is an important competition for Whitney and since it's her senior year, it's the final time for her. I'm not sure where the last four years went but here we are. Can't wait to see her hit the slopes!
Sunday, March 3, 2019
USCSA Regionals
I don't really have much to say about this race. It was at Whaleback in New Hampshire last weekend. Whitney was fast and easily came in first in both GS and slalom. It sounded like it was one of the more poorly run races that she's been to, which was surprising since it was a regional event. They said that they would be using Live Timing, which was great since it would mean that we could see her results. The event wasn't listed and the times never showed up; Whitney said that there were all sorts of problems with timing. We did get to see how some of her alpine teammates did at the regional event at Sugarloaf, also last weekend.
Whitney did well, was happy to have more time racing both events since she hasn't been able to get to many GS/SL races this season but overall it wasn't the best experience.
Whitney did well, was happy to have more time racing both events since she hasn't been able to get to many GS/SL races this season but overall it wasn't the best experience.
Sunday, February 17, 2019
Sunday River BX, Part 2
Today was a pretty day, but colder than yesterday. Yesterday there were pretty flurries falling almost all day; snow that didn't really amount to anything. Today was bright and sunny; not quite bluebird skies but close. Problem was that it was colder and windy. Not much fun when you have to stand on the side of a mountain to watch racing.
Sunday
Today there were fewer racers than Saturday, not by a lot but enough to change brackets around. One reason for fewer racers was that a few athletes were headed to Colorado for a Hole Shot race. Whitney wanted to go but she has to be in NH for a race on Saturday and with travel from Colorado she wouldn't get back in time to get to NH. The other reason was the injuries on Saturday which took out two skiers along with a snowboarder on Friday.
They ended up putting Whitney with the other Open Class rider, a guy, and with a Jams woman, so it was a good race. The guy was bigger and heavier so he got out first and was ahead. Whitney said she had a poor start and was behind both the other riders, almost caught the Jams woman but didn't quite have enough real estate. In any case she got another first since she was the only one in Open Class.
Today was also Senior Recognition Day, which was nice. I'm glad I could be there for her (even if it was kind of lame just because of the venue/race). She's been named female Student-Athlete of the week twice this semester which is very cool. Getting close to the end of the season and her collegiate racing but there's still a month to go and lots of racing between now and April.
Sunday
Today there were fewer racers than Saturday, not by a lot but enough to change brackets around. One reason for fewer racers was that a few athletes were headed to Colorado for a Hole Shot race. Whitney wanted to go but she has to be in NH for a race on Saturday and with travel from Colorado she wouldn't get back in time to get to NH. The other reason was the injuries on Saturday which took out two skiers along with a snowboarder on Friday.
They ended up putting Whitney with the other Open Class rider, a guy, and with a Jams woman, so it was a good race. The guy was bigger and heavier so he got out first and was ahead. Whitney said she had a poor start and was behind both the other riders, almost caught the Jams woman but didn't quite have enough real estate. In any case she got another first since she was the only one in Open Class.
Today was also Senior Recognition Day, which was nice. I'm glad I could be there for her (even if it was kind of lame just because of the venue/race). She's been named female Student-Athlete of the week twice this semester which is very cool. Getting close to the end of the season and her collegiate racing but there's still a month to go and lots of racing between now and April.
Saturday, February 16, 2019
Sunday River BX
This weekend is the Sunday River BX, otherwise known as the Rumble at the River. I realized today that I don't usually come up for the race but it never crossed my mind not to this year. I guess because it's Whitney's senior year and I want to get to as many races as I can (that make sense to get to).
I drove up to Maine on Thursday. The drive wasn't too bad, not too much traffic, and it took just about 12 hours on the dot. Friday was practice day so while it was an early morning to get to the mountain it wasn't too bad. We had time to swing by Java Joe's for coffee since neither Whitney nor her roommate drink coffee. She had a good practice, I hung out in the lodge and watched it snow. I was quite surprised when I went outside and we had gotten about 6" during the day. Whitney had a good practice day and got some help from a Gould coach she knows. She was feeling pretty confident when we left.
Saturday
We got to the mountain this morning and found out that the series directors' son, who was in a crash yesterday had a broken leg and was having surgery this morning. Thankfully we found out at awards his surgery went well and they're on their way home. Fortunately they have co-directors and the day went on mostly as scheduled. They had the usual course inspection, practice runs, riders meeting, time trials, then got on with racing. Whitney did really well in time trials and was over five seconds faster than the other open class rider.
When it came time to racing, Whitney did well and stayed on her feet. There was a moment of fear, she said, when she was airborne and her board was perpendicular to the slope and not heading down it. She managed to get things under control before she landed and was on her way. She finished in first, far enough ahead of the other rider to make her happy.
We hung out on the slope to watch a friend of hers from Massanutten race; he was up here for a bx camp at Gould. There was a bit of a tussle and riders were tumbling in front of us during the heat that had the open class men/jams men/jams women riders. On a not good note, a freeskier was hurt in the same area that the series directors' son was hurt yesterday. The skier goes to UMF but isn't on the freeski team this season so Whitney knows him. He was also taken down by ski patrol and straight to the hospital. From what we heard he's likely got a concussion, something wrong with his wrist and his hip. Hopefully he'll be ok, but I think it's likely a bad concussion. When he was asked if he had anyone there with him he said no, but thankfully the UMF coach was there and said his dad was there.
Tomorrow is another race day, hopefully one where no riders get hurt.
I drove up to Maine on Thursday. The drive wasn't too bad, not too much traffic, and it took just about 12 hours on the dot. Friday was practice day so while it was an early morning to get to the mountain it wasn't too bad. We had time to swing by Java Joe's for coffee since neither Whitney nor her roommate drink coffee. She had a good practice, I hung out in the lodge and watched it snow. I was quite surprised when I went outside and we had gotten about 6" during the day. Whitney had a good practice day and got some help from a Gould coach she knows. She was feeling pretty confident when we left.
Saturday
We got to the mountain this morning and found out that the series directors' son, who was in a crash yesterday had a broken leg and was having surgery this morning. Thankfully we found out at awards his surgery went well and they're on their way home. Fortunately they have co-directors and the day went on mostly as scheduled. They had the usual course inspection, practice runs, riders meeting, time trials, then got on with racing. Whitney did really well in time trials and was over five seconds faster than the other open class rider.
When it came time to racing, Whitney did well and stayed on her feet. There was a moment of fear, she said, when she was airborne and her board was perpendicular to the slope and not heading down it. She managed to get things under control before she landed and was on her way. She finished in first, far enough ahead of the other rider to make her happy.
We hung out on the slope to watch a friend of hers from Massanutten race; he was up here for a bx camp at Gould. There was a bit of a tussle and riders were tumbling in front of us during the heat that had the open class men/jams men/jams women riders. On a not good note, a freeskier was hurt in the same area that the series directors' son was hurt yesterday. The skier goes to UMF but isn't on the freeski team this season so Whitney knows him. He was also taken down by ski patrol and straight to the hospital. From what we heard he's likely got a concussion, something wrong with his wrist and his hip. Hopefully he'll be ok, but I think it's likely a bad concussion. When he was asked if he had anyone there with him he said no, but thankfully the UMF coach was there and said his dad was there.
Tomorrow is another race day, hopefully one where no riders get hurt.
Sugarloaf GS
Last weekend was the first GS race Whitney had the chance to go to since the ones at Massanutten were rescheduled (due to not enough snow), then the ones in New Hampshire were rescheduled (due to a winter storm coming in). She was up and to the mountain early as per usual on race day only to sit and wait. In general there's a lot of hurry up and wait in snowboard racing but this was worse. It was a windy morning at Sugarloaf, the chair lifts weren't running, and the USASA organizers were in a meeting with the mountain operations people. They were hoping to wait it out and see if the winds would die down but they shortly decided to postpone the race until Sunday. The mountain closed for the day it was so windy.
Back again on Sunday and this time things were a go. While GS isn't Whitney's specialty she does really well at it. There were two open class women and Whitney came in first both races they ran. She was happy to get the race under her belt since she has USCSA Regionals Feb. 23/24 and has to race GS and SL there. She's not sure what kind of competition, if any there will be but she wanted to get at least one GS race in before Regionals.
Off to the next race!
Back again on Sunday and this time things were a go. While GS isn't Whitney's specialty she does really well at it. There were two open class women and Whitney came in first both races they ran. She was happy to get the race under her belt since she has USCSA Regionals Feb. 23/24 and has to race GS and SL there. She's not sure what kind of competition, if any there will be but she wanted to get at least one GS race in before Regionals.
Off to the next race!
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
Lost Valley Slalom
Whitney had never been to Lost Valley before so it was a new adventure for her. The day didn't start out well when she ignored her alarm and woke up late. At least it wasn't too late; she could run around and finish packing her gear, grab lunch, and hit the road. Lost Valley is down near Auburn, so about an hour for her, close enough that she still made it there in time.
There weren't too many people registered for the races so it was a short day for her. The course was challenging, she said that they fit in 20 gates where they should have had about 17. She also said because of the freezing rain they had in the days before that it made for a slick ride. When I looked at the pictures Maine Mountain posted after the course looked like it wasn't on a very steep hill. All that said she had the second fastest combined time in the first race. The second race didn't go quite as well; she had a hard time finding her groove but at least she stayed upright. Since she was the only open class racer there she claimed two first places.
She's off this weekend, practice on Saturday and hoping to make it to church on Sunday. Next up is GS races at Sugarloaf Feb. 9.
Sunday, January 20, 2019
Oh, Mother Nature...
The weather has really been making a mess of Whitney's planned race schedule so far this winter. First the SL/GS at Massanutten was cancelled. They had a great start to the season, lots of cold and snow. Then we got warm and rainy weather. In the end they decided that they had to cancel the race because they couldn't safely set a course. It was a bummer since it was the only time that Whitney could race in Virginia this year.
The weather was bitterly cold in Maine but the races went off as scheduled. Saturday was very cold and windy, Sunday started off colder but the wind had died down, the sun was out so it was actually pretty nice out. Then there's this weekend. Whitney was supposed to go to NH to race GS/SL at Waterville Valley. Nope. Big snowstorm coming in and they cancelled the race on Thursday. Hopefully soon she'll get in some racing, just need the weather to cooperate.
She had a great day at Titcomb today, riding in the powder with her Nordic friends (they rented skis from Mainely Outdoors, the on campus rec program). Tomorrow she's going to head back to Sugarloaf for some riding in the morning. Classes, which yes are still a thing in her life, start Wednesday but she'll still have plenty of time to ride.
The weather was bitterly cold in Maine but the races went off as scheduled. Saturday was very cold and windy, Sunday started off colder but the wind had died down, the sun was out so it was actually pretty nice out. Then there's this weekend. Whitney was supposed to go to NH to race GS/SL at Waterville Valley. Nope. Big snowstorm coming in and they cancelled the race on Thursday. Hopefully soon she'll get in some racing, just need the weather to cooperate.
She had a great day at Titcomb today, riding in the powder with her Nordic friends (they rented skis from Mainely Outdoors, the on campus rec program). Tomorrow she's going to head back to Sugarloaf for some riding in the morning. Classes, which yes are still a thing in her life, start Wednesday but she'll still have plenty of time to ride.
Monday, January 14, 2019
Sugarloaf BX
Day 1
It was a super cold start to the day that didn't get much warmer. When we left Farmington it was 1* with a wind chill below zero and it just got colder as we got closer to the mountain. It was dark when we left but the sun was starting to come up and the sky was a pretty shade of light pink behind the mountains as we got closer to Sugarloaf.
Whitney, at this point, has her race morning routine. At the mountain she scraped her board, stretched, put on more layers before heading out for inspection, practice, and later time trials. Meanwhile I sat inside, in the warmth, chatting with my friend Kati, a mom from Massanutten whose son is training with CVA this season in ski cross. Time trials went pretty well considering it's not Whitney's strong suit. There were five open class women racing today, which makes it interesting figuring out brackets for racing. They ended up putting the top two forward and the other three ran a heat and the top two there moved on. Whitney had a good start but got tangled with another racer and fell so finished third and didn't move on. She said she'd been riding the course really well, better than at least one of the other riders. Ah well, things like that happen in bx and tomorrow is another day.
Day 2
It was even colder this morning when we left, got to -17* on the drive but it did warm up into the teens on the positive side and there was very little wind. We again saw the pretty pink sky as the sun rose.
Whitney was a bit achy this morning, her back was hurting when she went out. I again stayed inside where it was warm, waited through the course inspection, practice, riders meeting, and time trials. She came flying in and asked if she was listed as DQ as she slid on one turn and took out the flag. She was good, although had a pretty slow time. There were only four girls racing today and one had an even slower time than her. She also said that she fell off the wootang. That was a crash that knocked the wind out of her, so much so that a coach nearby heard it and coaches, race officials, and some of the volunteers near by were talking about it. Only her. She managed to hurt her elbow and tailbone. After the excitement of finding out about time trials wore off, she was really sore and tired. I think between not having a lot of time on snow, how dang cold it was, it was just wearing on her body. She ate some lunch then we headed out for the race. With only four girls they did one race, which was nice. It was definitely warmer today in the sun but cold is cold.
She was in the sixth heat and most of the ones before her seemed to be similar - the first two racers came down pretty close together then a gap before the third one came and another gap if there was a fourth racer. Same for her race, the first two came pretty close together, then Whitney, then it took a bit before the fourth girl finished; there was a crash up hill. I'm happy she had a good finish since her goal today was just to finish. After the adrenaline wore off she was feeling pretty sore again. We stayed around to see Eli race since he was the heat right after hers, then Kati and I walked down to the lodge. Another third place to add to her list of accomplishments.
Next weekend she's off to Waterville Valley in NH for a GS race, then she's off before it's back to Maine for another GS.
It was a super cold start to the day that didn't get much warmer. When we left Farmington it was 1* with a wind chill below zero and it just got colder as we got closer to the mountain. It was dark when we left but the sun was starting to come up and the sky was a pretty shade of light pink behind the mountains as we got closer to Sugarloaf.
Whitney, at this point, has her race morning routine. At the mountain she scraped her board, stretched, put on more layers before heading out for inspection, practice, and later time trials. Meanwhile I sat inside, in the warmth, chatting with my friend Kati, a mom from Massanutten whose son is training with CVA this season in ski cross. Time trials went pretty well considering it's not Whitney's strong suit. There were five open class women racing today, which makes it interesting figuring out brackets for racing. They ended up putting the top two forward and the other three ran a heat and the top two there moved on. Whitney had a good start but got tangled with another racer and fell so finished third and didn't move on. She said she'd been riding the course really well, better than at least one of the other riders. Ah well, things like that happen in bx and tomorrow is another day.
Day 2
It was even colder this morning when we left, got to -17* on the drive but it did warm up into the teens on the positive side and there was very little wind. We again saw the pretty pink sky as the sun rose.
Whitney was a bit achy this morning, her back was hurting when she went out. I again stayed inside where it was warm, waited through the course inspection, practice, riders meeting, and time trials. She came flying in and asked if she was listed as DQ as she slid on one turn and took out the flag. She was good, although had a pretty slow time. There were only four girls racing today and one had an even slower time than her. She also said that she fell off the wootang. That was a crash that knocked the wind out of her, so much so that a coach nearby heard it and coaches, race officials, and some of the volunteers near by were talking about it. Only her. She managed to hurt her elbow and tailbone. After the excitement of finding out about time trials wore off, she was really sore and tired. I think between not having a lot of time on snow, how dang cold it was, it was just wearing on her body. She ate some lunch then we headed out for the race. With only four girls they did one race, which was nice. It was definitely warmer today in the sun but cold is cold.
She was in the sixth heat and most of the ones before her seemed to be similar - the first two racers came down pretty close together then a gap before the third one came and another gap if there was a fourth racer. Same for her race, the first two came pretty close together, then Whitney, then it took a bit before the fourth girl finished; there was a crash up hill. I'm happy she had a good finish since her goal today was just to finish. After the adrenaline wore off she was feeling pretty sore again. We stayed around to see Eli race since he was the heat right after hers, then Kati and I walked down to the lodge. Another third place to add to her list of accomplishments.
Next weekend she's off to Waterville Valley in NH for a GS race, then she's off before it's back to Maine for another GS.
Friday, January 11, 2019
The 2019 Season has Begun!
So after some good snows at home the Appalachian Series/Massanutten had to cancel the first races of the season. The GS/SL race that was schedules last weekend was cancelled because they didn't have enough snow to set a safe course. Kind of a bummer since with the rescheduling Whitney isn't going to be able to race at home at all this winter.
After a fun week in Florida on vacation we were at home for a week and now in Maine. I came up with her to watch her BX races this weekend. Right now, as I'm listening to the winds howl outside and my phone says it's 2* I miss the sun, sands, and warm temperatures of Florida. But back to Maine...
Today was practice day at Sugarloaf. I got to meet the new coach at UMF (yes, another new coach). Shawn seems really nice in the brief time that I got to talk to him. He's a graduate of UMF and works in the admissions office. Knows snowboarding but not really BX or USASA but I think it'll still be a good year for Whitney. She said she felt good after the practice; it's three weeks since she's been on snow. So it's up early tomorrow to head to the slopes. At least this weekend I'll have a friend to hang out with while we try not to freeze. One of the boys who was a free-skier at Massanutten is at CVA for the season and his mom is up with him.
More after the races tomorrow.
After a fun week in Florida on vacation we were at home for a week and now in Maine. I came up with her to watch her BX races this weekend. Right now, as I'm listening to the winds howl outside and my phone says it's 2* I miss the sun, sands, and warm temperatures of Florida. But back to Maine...
Today was practice day at Sugarloaf. I got to meet the new coach at UMF (yes, another new coach). Shawn seems really nice in the brief time that I got to talk to him. He's a graduate of UMF and works in the admissions office. Knows snowboarding but not really BX or USASA but I think it'll still be a good year for Whitney. She said she felt good after the practice; it's three weeks since she's been on snow. So it's up early tomorrow to head to the slopes. At least this weekend I'll have a friend to hang out with while we try not to freeze. One of the boys who was a free-skier at Massanutten is at CVA for the season and his mom is up with him.
More after the races tomorrow.
Wednesday, January 9, 2019
Snow Day!! a couple of months ago
It was a snow day here in Virginia! Very unusual to get this kind of snow this early in the season. We had about an inch and a half of snow, some sleet, and freezing rain/rain. It was so pretty this morning when it was snowing. I went outside with one of our dogs to play in it for a while and we had a bunch of fun.
Ski resorts are starting to open up (not around us yet), race schedules are being posted, the season will soon get underway. When she's home for Thanksgiving next week Whitney can look over her options and hopefully figure out where she's racing so I can make hotel reservations, flight reservations if needed. Or at least just know her schedule. She's hasn't been on snow yet, but Sugarloaf is opening this weekend. And they're getting a good snowstorm tomorrow so the snow should be perfect. I doubt she'll get out before she comes home for Thanksgiving but I know the school team starts on snow practices Dec. 1, first races are in January.
Not sure why I didn't finish and post this in November but winter kind of disappeared on us. It was very warm in December, the first few races in the Appalachian Series were cancelled. That was a bummer, she won't be able to race at Massanutten at all this year. It's also caused her to do some rejiggering of her schedule later in the season. We did sit down last night and hopefully finalized her plans. Now I need to start making hotel reservations and book plane tickets.
We're off to Maine tomorrow, her first BX races are this weekend. She's excited to get back on the slopes, I'm excited to watch her just not sure about the weather up there, it's going to be COLD in Maine this weekend. The good thing is that I'll have a friend to hang out with this year. A friend of Whitney's is going to CVA or Gould (I forget which) for the winter and will be racing up there so I can hang with his mom.
Let the races begin!!
Ski resorts are starting to open up (not around us yet), race schedules are being posted, the season will soon get underway. When she's home for Thanksgiving next week Whitney can look over her options and hopefully figure out where she's racing so I can make hotel reservations, flight reservations if needed. Or at least just know her schedule. She's hasn't been on snow yet, but Sugarloaf is opening this weekend. And they're getting a good snowstorm tomorrow so the snow should be perfect. I doubt she'll get out before she comes home for Thanksgiving but I know the school team starts on snow practices Dec. 1, first races are in January.
Not sure why I didn't finish and post this in November but winter kind of disappeared on us. It was very warm in December, the first few races in the Appalachian Series were cancelled. That was a bummer, she won't be able to race at Massanutten at all this year. It's also caused her to do some rejiggering of her schedule later in the season. We did sit down last night and hopefully finalized her plans. Now I need to start making hotel reservations and book plane tickets.
We're off to Maine tomorrow, her first BX races are this weekend. She's excited to get back on the slopes, I'm excited to watch her just not sure about the weather up there, it's going to be COLD in Maine this weekend. The good thing is that I'll have a friend to hang out with this year. A friend of Whitney's is going to CVA or Gould (I forget which) for the winter and will be racing up there so I can hang with his mom.
Let the races begin!!
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