Day 6 - Judegment Day

Brace yourselves, this is going to be a long post...

Well, today was race day. I was up at 5:30am to get to the mountain by 7 for practice and inspections at 7:45am. Too early if you ask me!

They had to fix the course from earlier in the week because too many people were getting hurt on it. Several people had to be taken to the hospital, many taken down by ski patrol, and some were lucky enough to ride away and continue the race.

The weather was great! By around 8:30-9:00am the skies started to clear and the sun started to come out. It wasn't windy and the temperature was in the mid 30s. My first heat was toward the middle of the day, which was nice because it was super sunny and since the temperature wasn't too cold, the snow became softer and slower.

Timed trials started around 9:15am and I got to go around 9:45am. I finished with a time of 70.63 or something like that, which put me in 11th place, out of 12. Great...off to a good start. (Timed trials are done to figure out bracket placement.)

Brackets started at around noon and my age division only had two heats, I was in the first. It was split up into two groups of six. We went around 12:30. I was in lane six, which isn't the worst place to be, but not the best, either. Lanes 3 and 4 are probably best because it's pretty much a straight shot out of the gates, however, you have to be careful not to crash into other people since there are riders on both sides of you. If you are strong enough to get a solid lead through the whoop-dee-doos (rollers), then that's the place for you. For me, lane 6 was just fine (plus, I didn't have a choice since I was so low on the timed trial list). I was on the outside, so I only had to worry about bumping into one other person, however, being on the outside meant that I had to cross over the course to go through the first gate.

We all took off and slowly everyone pulled ahead of me until I was dead last and far behind. To my luck, the fifth place rider fell, and I was able to stick to my line and pass her, finishing in 5th. However, since it was the semi-final bracket, only the top three riders from each heat advance to the finals...not me. So, I was placed in the consolation bracket, where the bottom three riders from each heat go.

Well, I was in lane 6 again. Good ol' lane 6. I got off to a great start! Working the transitions through the whoop-dee-doos and a strong power turn around a gate to close the door on riders behind me (basically I cut them off so they couldn't pass me around the gate, don't worry, it's legal). I was riding hard and strong and flying down the course in 4th place with a substantial lead over the 5th and 6th place riders. And then it happened...

It happened so quickly, I can hardly even remember it. I was approaching the fourth to last turn, coming off a small jump and I guess the nose of my dive caught on the landing. I fell face first...it was a beautiful faceplant! Don't worry, my chin broke my fall. I then continued to slide into the turn on my face and since I was carrying so much speed, my legs started to come up over my head and I basically jack-knifed for a few seconds (ya know...similar to when a Mack truck is in a car accident and slides down the road on the front of truck while the rest of it is high up in the air? yeah, that). I could feel everything in my back cracking!!! I was not made to bend that way! Anyway, some how I ended up on my back, only to watch one rider pass me and then feel the second rider crash into me, sending me spinning into a gate and sending her into a gate further down the course. I felt bad that I knocked her over, but I was more upset that she scratched my new board!!!!!!! Oh, well, at least she wasn't hurt.

As for me, I was taken down by ski patrol and air lifted to the hospital because they were worried about spinal injury. Ok, maybe not...late April Fool's. But the accident really did happen. The true ending: I got up and finished the race. Dead last. Last one across the line. No one behind me. Brining in the rear. At least I made Top 12! Oh, wait...there were only 12 riders!!!!!!!!!

So, what could have been a 10th place finish, wound up being a 12th place finish. Dead last.

It was a fun experience and I am amazed at myself at how much I improved what what I was capable of doing. I'm not in too much pain now, but I feel like this is an injury that I will feel a few days after...so I hope it doesn't affect my crazy bowling skills on Saturday! I think my ego is more bruised, and my new board...ohh, my new board! That is definitely bruised!

Miss you all, see you tomorrow night!

Day 5 - Bombs Away!

We skied at Loveland Pass today. It was SUPER windy, but still GREAT! The wind was crazy cold and there were points that the wind was so strong that you didn't even have to breath, just sit there and the air would find its way into your lungs! Ok, maybe not. When we got there in the morning, they were bombing for avalanches! Yikes! We heard about three go off. They sounded pretty close, too. Let's hope there were no backcountry skiers back there to get caught in the slides!

The mountain is super nice! It's like a bowl and it was so wide open! The terrain park wasn't that great, but there were a few jumps that I could practice my take-offs and landings on. I felt pretty solid, so I will try to fly at full speed for my race tomorrow! Let's hope I don't fall!

The new board is nice! No, not to flexy, but for boardercross, something stiffer is better, anyway. The graphics are pretty sweet, too. If I can figure out how to upload photos on this, I'll put a picture of it up.

I hope some other staff members were spared and read your post, Emily! Sorry I wasn't at the staff meeting to take the fun quiz and help them out! I was thinking of calling you guys, but that would've been 6:30am mountain time. 8:30am is early enough, so I figured not...haha.

I have some homework to do and I should get to bed soon...I have to be on the slopes at 8am for inspections! Woo! Miss you all and thanks for everything!

Racers ready...15 seconds...10 seconds...5 seconds...GO!