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.
Saturday, March 30, 2019
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.
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