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.
Saturday, February 16, 2019
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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