tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88641385854237746752024-03-18T19:46:56.360-07:00Adventures of a Snowboard MomStories from our trips to the slopes.Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279811916639260590noreply@blogger.comBlogger195125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8864138585423774675.post-84790587789108007252022-04-24T16:33:00.001-07:002022-04-24T16:33:54.786-07:00That's a Wrap!<p>It's hard to believe that this crazy ride we've been on for the last 10 years is over. Whitney has decided to hang up the racing bib, USASA Nationals was her last official competitive race. It has been so much fun to watch her grow, both her snowboarding skills and her confidence as she's raced. Bob and I have been proud to watch her as she's chased her dreams.</p><p>Coming from a small mountain in Virginia, racing at the grass roots level to racing in the North America Cup races, she chased her dream that started with the 2010 Olympic Games. Her goal was to make the Olympic team and while she didn't make that she did race Olympians (and won) and she planted the seeds for the next dream. She took her racing a lot further than we could have imagined all those years ago!</p><p>Whitney, your dad and I are so proud of what you've accomplished! It has been our pleasure to support you, travel with you, be your cheering squad, and do all those other things that come with being race parents. I have loved the places we've been, our spontaneous adventures while traveling, the people we've met, standing on top of mountains in the cold and snow as well as the sun and warm (yes, there were those kind of days in Virginia) to watch you race. I will miss it but it's time for you to move on to the next dream, chase it as hard as you have this one!<br /></p>Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279811916639260590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8864138585423774675.post-10933120120945474782022-04-03T14:20:00.000-07:002022-04-03T14:20:10.688-07:00Race Day<p>Whitney was up and out early to catch the chair lift at 7:30 this morning. After that I was on my own, trying to stay informed on what was going on. Fortunately they put out a schedule so I knew when they were inspecting the course, doing practice, and time trials. Whitney did really well on her second run, faster than her first and she ended up seeded 5th. I met up with her and Jacob briefly when they came down to warm up his feet and so he could grab a bite then they were off again. Heats started at 12:30 and now she's done. I saw the results online and just talked to her. She was in the small final, took a chance that would either push her into 5th or leave her in 7th and she finished in 7th. She said that it was probably her best race ever and she was happy with how she finished. So the season and racing career are a wrap. I'm not sure how I feel about it, not sure how she feels about it but she leaves on a high note, on her terms.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjtOHb80oIEaEtTqamBHO5ELtvjf9eUx18NduFAkGG_XHft4y34LDuNYNXzJRCKXdeawTLq3rnL8TJws11s8ENtwChAdrVv9hgu0aXthNQuoyaYxne-LGZGmLPJD2ODUK03EaPjCDT3gsFF5CTTzCACMDiPD_YSHC0CnPWoZUi1ldONyvuWZ5c_QO2/s1653/20220403_141751.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1653" data-original-width="1240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjtOHb80oIEaEtTqamBHO5ELtvjf9eUx18NduFAkGG_XHft4y34LDuNYNXzJRCKXdeawTLq3rnL8TJws11s8ENtwChAdrVv9hgu0aXthNQuoyaYxne-LGZGmLPJD2ODUK03EaPjCDT3gsFF5CTTzCACMDiPD_YSHC0CnPWoZUi1ldONyvuWZ5c_QO2/s320/20220403_141751.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279811916639260590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8864138585423774675.post-5359523851097289742022-04-02T08:03:00.004-07:002022-04-02T08:03:42.330-07:00Back to Colorado!<p> Whitney and I flew back to Colorado on Thursday. So thankful for Southwest! This was the second flight we were on that got in about 30 minutes early. When we landed I had a call from our shuttle service asking if we wanted to get on the earlier shuttle since we landed early. It was a bit stressful waiting on Whitney's snowboard bag but we got the 5:00 shuttle which meant getting to Copper at 7 instead of 9pm. We got checked into our room then met up with some friends from Massanutten who were here, one racer and his dad and a couple of coaches plus Whitney's boyfriend who juggled things to come out to support her. </p><p>Friday was registration and practice day, which went well from what I heard. They hadn't changed the course too much since the NorAm races, just mellowed it a bit. She worked the start quite a bit to get that down. After practice she met up with her friends to go free ride, ride in the trees. </p><p>The nice thing about Friday morning was that we woke up to 2-3" of fresh snow and there were still snow flurries coming down. A brief jaunt back to winter. The skies cleared and the sun was out later.</p><p>Today is another practice day, the sun is out, and it's probably going to be the warmest day here.<br /></p>Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279811916639260590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8864138585423774675.post-11677248782455573992022-03-26T12:09:00.000-07:002022-03-26T12:09:22.557-07:00NorAm Races<p>We're making two trips to Colorado in a short time for races. This first trip is for the NorAm races - one on Friday, one today. There weren't many women racing, quite a few are in Europe for Junior Worlds. The original start lists had 16 but quite a few dropped or were injured during practice or racing. Friday eleven started the race, one was hurt, and Whitney finished 10th. She had a slow first time trial run but did well in the second. Today twelve were on the start list, three dropped before they started. Whitney took a spill on her first run but did really well on her second. She finished 9th so didn't make the cut to brackets but she's happy with how she did. One of the coaches asked her why she wasn't upset about not making the cut. Her answer was that yes, she was disappointed but she hasn't raced in two years (most of these girls have been practicing and racing), she felt her runs, especially her second one today were really good, and she's happy how she's finishing off her racing career. </p><p>Today, like yesterday, she's back on the mountain supporting some friends who are still racing. She's making connections with coaches, hoping to talk to a few next week when we're back out. She's seeking guidance on coaching, how to move up from what she's doing now, what her next steps should be and where. </p><p>We're packing up tonight, an early shuttle pickup in the morning to head down to Denver and wing our way home. A few days in the land of oxygen before we head back out here for USASA Nationals and her final race.<br /></p>Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279811916639260590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8864138585423774675.post-7021980363924303812022-03-25T09:34:00.003-07:002022-03-25T09:34:45.463-07:00Colorado!<p>After a super early wake up call on Wednesday, leaving for the airport at 3:30am we've made it to Colorado. We had enough time Wednesday after we got here to poke around a bit. A lot has changed since the last time we were at Copper, which was three years ago. Our favorite pizza place has closed, a lot of other restaurants have closed, new ones have opened, same for the shops. At least the donut shop is still open; we enjoyed maple bacon mini donuts yesterday afternoon after she was done with practice. </p><p>Friday was practice day. Whitney felt good considering how long it's been since she's raced at this level. She got down and said that while she felt like she needed new lungs (hello, altitude!), her legs felt fine. A good sign. She was up and out the door early to catch the competitors lift at 8, a few practice runs, then onto time trials and heats. We'll see how day one of racing goes.<br /></p>Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279811916639260590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8864138585423774675.post-4612133123901933842022-03-21T12:58:00.001-07:002022-03-21T12:58:00.207-07:00Colorado, Here We Come!<p> Plans are made, a tad late, but they're made. Whitney and I are making two trips to Colorado in the next two weeks. Unfortunately there's four days in between her races and I can't take off that much time from work so two trips it is. We head out Wednesday for a NorAm Cup race at Copper, home on Sunday, then back out on Thursday for the USASA Nationals. I'll be coming home on Monday while Whitney stays in Colorado to help coach the Massanutten team. </p><p>I'm looking forward to heading to Colorado again, it's been a long time! Last time we were there was February 2020 when we went to Ski Cooper for the NorAm Cup race. This will be our last trip for snowboard racing so I will enjoy every minute of it. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhHnyJaD_sgHbVQUFmh7UPEz6Ck3wcpWy5oytm8R7Ot7aeCJ-s49tMSDk7-NWVrJreJWXWMui6Z0DzELqHWrmClMwe3889j1TLuxVWVkU56KGKYOoNSOEDGquiGozk9IYlZ-zvmeH8TDuG3EjSn1TI-GR5sRFQy5xWmsMj0yfTduFKEX_PEnnEGq-mp=s960" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhHnyJaD_sgHbVQUFmh7UPEz6Ck3wcpWy5oytm8R7Ot7aeCJ-s49tMSDk7-NWVrJreJWXWMui6Z0DzELqHWrmClMwe3889j1TLuxVWVkU56KGKYOoNSOEDGquiGozk9IYlZ-zvmeH8TDuG3EjSn1TI-GR5sRFQy5xWmsMj0yfTduFKEX_PEnnEGq-mp=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279811916639260590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8864138585423774675.post-89120934832312607872022-03-20T12:58:00.001-07:002022-03-20T12:58:22.012-07:00Rumble at the River 2022<p>Once the decision was made that Whitney wanted to race USASA she looked at races and Maine was the best scheduling fit. We made plans and headed off to Sunday River for a long weekend. It was good to be back in Maine with her for races. We poked around Farmington, got pizza at my second favorite place, went to the movies, got dinner another night and ran into a college friend of hers, oh and we went to the races. </p><p>She was super excited to be back on the race course. As usual was the only one in Open Class but it was fine. She was able pick the brain of a coach that she knows well, trying to figure out her next steps in coaching. A good couple of days at Sunday River. We had a nice weekend in Maine.<br /></p>Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279811916639260590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8864138585423774675.post-20512947124510338242022-02-18T18:08:00.002-08:002022-02-18T18:08:23.927-08:00The Start of the Swan Song<p>After two years of no racing Whitney's decided to give it one last season then she'll probably hang up the high level competitive racing boots. Last we were here, we had just gotten back from a NorAm race in Colorado, covid hit, and everything shut down. Races were cancelled for the rest of the 2020 season. Last year she was working as a snowboard instructor and team coach but she didn't race; there were no NorAm races in the US and we couldn't get into Canada. </p><p> The Canadians had their schedule posted early this year and she debated going to one of those races if the US didn't have any. The US schedule finally came out with a race at Gore Mountain and one at Copper Mountain. She originally talked about going to Gore, we were both excited about the food options in the area. In the end she realized that it might be better to start with a USASA race since she hadn't been on a race course in two years. The plan is Maine for a USASA race then Copper Mountain for the NorAm and USASA Nationals.</p><p>Back at it one last go round!<br /></p>Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279811916639260590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8864138585423774675.post-477877875459936582020-07-05T17:49:00.000-07:002020-07-05T17:49:01.185-07:00The World Went Crazy!As we all know the world went crazy in mid-March. The snowboard season came to a crashing halt, races were cancelled, trips were cancelled, everything just ended. While Whitney and I were in Leadville for the USSA Hole Shot race we made our reservations for our next trip to Colorado for USASA Nationals and dealt with some other details for that. Sadly that trip was cancelled. The rest of the season was cancelled. For a while we were hoping that Nationals would be held but it was not to be.<br />
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Before things ended Whitney was thinking one more season of high level racing then she might be ready to leave it behind and move on to the next season of her snowboard life. I hope she does at least one more season, <b>if</b> there is a season next year. Right now who knows what the winter will bring?? For now she's lifeguarding, hiking, enjoying life in the mountains. I'm back to work at home, wishing I was in the mountains.<br />
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Here's to a happy, healthy rest of the summer and some good times this winter!Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279811916639260590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8864138585423774675.post-76607971830218945022020-02-26T05:16:00.000-08:002020-02-26T05:16:13.004-08:00Musings from 10,000'Visiting at 10,000' sure is interesting. The mountain scenery is so amazing here, the sky is a different kind of blue, and of course there's snow. Leadville is an interesting old mining town, fun to walk around in.<br />
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Friday after Whitney was done at the mountain we wandered around town, got some coffee, poked in a few shops. We were walking down the main street when all sorts of police cars went flying by us. We walked a bit further, stopped in a bike shop and a family came in and said that they were told to leave their house because of a propane leak. Well! Whitney found out today that there had been a murder (apparently ski racers are big gossips) and the police were saying it was a propane leak so people didn't freak out.<br />
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Saturday my nephew, a student at Colorado School of Mines came out to meet us. He saw a bit of the racing then we came back to town, got a beer and dinner with him. It was good to see him and catch up. Hanging out at 10,000" isn't for the faint of heart...or lungs if you're from the East Coast where the elevation is about 1,000'. A friend of ours had to go down to Denver tonight and will be flying home tomorrow because he's got pulmonary edema. Hopefully once he gets back home he'll be feeling better.<br />
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We got about a foot of snow Saturday night into Sunday. It was light fluffy stuff and at least this time our rental car came with a brush/scraper. The snow was so pretty! It did affect the schedule for Sunday's races, at times you couldn't see the race course at all from the lodge. When the day was finished we went back to town then walked down for coffee, hot chocolate, and snacks. That was an adventure! The roads were snow covered but plowed, which packed down the fresh snow onto the ice below. I managed to find the sweet spot and slipped but was fine.<br />
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The drive down to Denver was...interesting. In Leadville it was lightly snowing, pretty flurries. But then we hit the heavier snow, squalls, whiteout conditions. We had to go over one pass that was pretty high then made it down to I-70. When we passed Copper you couldn't see the slopes from the road. It was a crazy drive down but when we got to Denver it was just windy, no snow although we did see some light flurries. We got our car dropped off and got to the airport in plenty of time (at one point we were wondering if we'd miss our flight, but we left in plenty of time). Safely back home now and off to the next race this weekend at Massanutten. No racing for Whitney, she'll be setting course and coaching.Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279811916639260590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8864138585423774675.post-9133440513295150712020-02-23T15:38:00.000-08:002020-02-23T15:38:22.672-08:00NorAm/Hole Shot, Day 2 and 3<b>Race Day 1</b><br />
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It was a good day at the races. Whitney didn't make the heat brackets but she had her highest finish at a NorAm race. She was just outside the cut and finished 17 or 18 (we're not sure and the final results haven't posted yet). It wasn't quite a bluebird Colorado day but it was pretty. The wind was a bit higher than yesterday but the course was fast and ran well.<br />
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The format for today was one timed run for everyone, the top eight fastest were moved into the heat brackets. Everyone else did a second timed run and they took their fastest time to rank places 9 onward then cut the women to 16.<br />
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Whitney had a bit of a weird fall in her first time trial run at the end of the race and slid over the finish line on her back. Her second run she had a really weird fall at the top of the course but the girl running ahead of her crashed badly at the finish so Whitney was pulled off the course and had to rerun. So it was down to the bottom, take the slow chair lift to the top, catch her breath and refocus, then go again.<br />
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She was a bit bummed to be so close to racing in the heats but pleased overall with how the day went.<br />
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<b>Race Day 2</b><br />
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Race day 2 dawned snowy. Lots of snow and more coming down. The 20 minute drive out to Ski Cooper wasn't too bad, we took it slow. We were among the first to get there and shortly after we arrived they announced a one hour delay so they could groom the course.<br />
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For today's race they decided last night to forego time trials. They said everyone would race in the bracket heats and they were basing the brackets on the rider's FIS points. This was kind of a bummer for Whitney and especially her friend who is out here but I think overall it worked out ok for her. She was in a bracket with two other riders and came in second and moved on to the round of 16. Unfortunately at the start of her next race she fell at the beginning then slipped again later but still almost caught the rider in front of her. No official results posted yet for either race but she likely finished 16th today since she was the lowest ranked rider to make it to the top 16 and didn't move on.<br />
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The snow made for an interesting day watching. At times I couldn't see any of the course from the lodge and later in the day you could see the course clearly. The snow kept coming down all day, very heavy this morning, lighter later, then on the drive back it stopped but now it's snowing again.<br />
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Racing is done for this trip. We're going to trudge through the snow to the coffee shop to get some hot chocolate, coffee, and maybe a snack, then it'll be time to start packing up for our trip back East. Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279811916639260590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8864138585423774675.post-80021397468168763482020-02-21T15:05:00.000-08:002020-02-21T15:05:04.626-08:00NorAm/Hole Shot, COAnd now our travels take us to Colorado. I'll spare you the travel details (let's just say I probably won't be renting from Budget again) but we made it to Leadville, CO last night and found the house we're staying at for the weekend. It's super cute, an older house (like most here) that's been updated, great for the two of us. We went to Ski Cooper this morning for her practice day, love that mountain. It reminds us very much of a small East Coast resort. She met up with a friend from the Massanutten team and her coach and off they went. It was a beautiful sunny day today, we were reminded how warm Colorado cold is.<br />
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She said the course was good. It's fast and some of the elements were a bit small for how fast the course is. We'll see how things go tomorrow. She's looking to have fun and race well. It could be interesting though... Alex Diebold is here and it looked like some other US Snowboard team members are here as well but he's the only one I recognize.<br />
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And now we're off to wander down to Main Street Leadville and poke around, maybe get some coffee and hot chocolate. Tomorrow's race day #1!Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279811916639260590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8864138585423774675.post-26707622263352147172020-02-18T09:45:00.000-08:002020-02-18T09:45:00.101-08:00NorAm/Hole Shot, NY, Day 2And the questions continue. The ski cross was cancelled this morning, it was felt one of the turns was unsafe. Bummer for the skiers. Snowboard cross is still up in the air. They were resetting the course and were going to make a decision after inspection. I just saw some riders come down so maybe?? Whitney was not feeling that there would be racing today but we'll see. It's so hard to get in a racing mindset when you don't know if it's going to happen or not. She's excited about racing, happy to be out there, but also like everyone else here a bit frustrated.<br />
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So in the end there was a race...sort of. They ended up doing two timed runs each, they took the best time, and ranked the riders based off that. It was a long day of back and forth, they had to keep one of the lifts open for the riders because it was past closing time by the time they finished, and it was honestly the strangest race I've been to, there was so much indecision. There's still no official word if FIS has accepted the results. Whitney finished 24th and was pleased with that.<br />
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We woke up the next morning to several inches of snow, which was so pretty, but we were headed south, into rain and fog. <br />
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We're off later this week to Colorado, where there's plenty of snow and another NorAm race at Ski Cooper.Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279811916639260590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8864138585423774675.post-38055643128969195542020-02-04T10:58:00.000-08:002020-02-04T10:58:30.574-08:00NorAm/Hole Shot, NYWell this has been an interesting trip so far. Another year and Mother Nature hasn't been kind to the ski slopes...or maybe it was the resort, don't know for sure. We are at Gore Mountain, NY for a NorAm race but didn't see much snow on the drive up from Virginia and while the mountain has snow there hasn't been enough for course building.<br />
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We got here yesterday for the training day. Whitney got to catch up briefly with her friend who does ski cross and went to the Youth Olympics and has been rocking it. He's doing great! They both were on the team at Massanutten way back when. She met up with her coach and the group went out for a modified practice. When we got here they hadn't finished building the course and were told they'd be able to run the start and down through turn three. By the time she went out they were only letting them do the start. Not an ideal way to practice for your first race of the season. She was very excited though because when she first saw the start she was a bit intimidated but she nailed it the first time she went through.<br />
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Yesterday they did some free riding, ran through what they could of the course a few times, and called it a day. Whitney texted KC (her coach) to confirm things for this morning and at the time he was still in the coaches meeting. These meetings are usually pretty short, they confirm the riders and go over a few details for race day. This time because of the course build issues they had a very long meeting to try to figure things out and how they could fit in two races. We heard they tossed around some options, one they decided on they couldn't do because it violated ski cross regulations, so they talked more. The original plan for today was to have practice, seed everyone based on their FIS points (would likely would have put Whitney last) and build the brackets from there.<br />
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When we got here today the course looked built and I was happy because it comes down to the bottom of the mountain. Whitney said that it was really long, which it looks. When we checked in though KC said that there would be no racing today and we got the official word shortly after that. They looked over the course and decided that it was too soft and unsafe for riders today. It's supposed to be cold tonight so tomorrow is looking good, hopefully. They are getting in some practice time; I don't know how much is on course and how much is just riding the mountain or looking at the course from the outside. Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279811916639260590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8864138585423774675.post-32263817773591395012020-01-29T15:58:00.000-08:002020-01-29T15:58:02.130-08:00It's a New SeasonIn so many ways it's a new season. Winter is here, although some days you wouldn't know it. Whitney graduated in May, had plans to head back to Maine to work for CVA but plans change. She's still here in Virginia, working at Massanutten Resort as a snowboard coach for the snowboard team and an instructor at the ski/snowboard school. Things are going well so far; she's enjoying being a coach, she's had some fun groups to teach and has had some really fun little kids.<br />
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Because she's working at the mountain as a coach it has limited her ability to race. She can't race in USASA races that she's coaching so most she would go to she's not competing. She also can't get to other races because she has to coach on Sundays. She is still racing in the USSA/NorAm races, that was a condition of her being hired. She's going to three races, we had talked about going to one in Quebec but I don't think it's going to work out. This weekend we're heading up to Gore, NY for her first race of the season. Later in the month we'll head out to Colorado to Ski Cooper then at the end of March it's back to Colorado to Copper Mountain.<br />
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We're moving into a new season as competitor and snowboard mom - fewer races but we still have the chance to travel together. She gets to do what she loves and I can be there to support her. I know the end is likely coming soon, another few seasons, so I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts.Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279811916639260590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8864138585423774675.post-73599860276320921292019-04-01T14:30:00.001-07:002019-04-01T14:30:29.676-07:00USASA Nationals - Giant Slalom DayToday 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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279811916639260590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8864138585423774675.post-1810348551944524952019-04-01T08:44:00.001-07:002019-04-01T08:44:39.556-07:00USASA Nationals - Boardercross DayBoardercross 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.<br />
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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.<br />
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She had a good time, which is most important, and has been enjoying being coached by Chad again.<br />
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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.Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279811916639260590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8864138585423774675.post-3443853888189887342019-03-30T19:51:00.002-07:002019-03-30T19:51:43.798-07:00USASA Nationals - Practice DaysWhitney 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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
<br />Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279811916639260590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8864138585423774675.post-75091491343755736702019-03-25T09:22:00.000-07:002019-03-25T09:22:18.185-07:00Headed 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.<br />
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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).<br />
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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.Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279811916639260590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8864138585423774675.post-63263555527172233752019-03-17T14:34:00.000-07:002019-03-17T14:34:19.599-07:00USCSA Nationals - Wrap UpJust some random thoughts about the week...<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279811916639260590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8864138585423774675.post-86135295067474840492019-03-16T17:47:00.001-07:002019-03-16T17:47:33.687-07:00USCSA Nationals - Giant Slalom DayToday 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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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!!<br />
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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).<br />
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The girl from Virginia has done well.Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279811916639260590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8864138585423774675.post-43749125269970259152019-03-14T20:26:00.000-07:002019-03-14T20:26:08.181-07:00USCSA Nationals - Slalom DayWhat 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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279811916639260590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8864138585423774675.post-86643257097238622872019-03-13T15:03:00.000-07:002019-03-13T15:03:27.553-07:00USCSA Nationals - Boardercross DayI'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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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Tomorrow is slalom day.Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279811916639260590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8864138585423774675.post-58135724746541793622019-03-13T07:39:00.000-07:002019-03-13T07:39:45.668-07:00USCSA 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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279811916639260590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8864138585423774675.post-603228782394432012019-03-10T17:12:00.001-07:002019-03-13T07:42:24.097-07:00USCSA Nationals Preview<span style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;">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.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><span style="color: #666666;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #666666; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">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. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: transparent; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">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.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;">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!</span>Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279811916639260590noreply@blogger.com0