Crashing

Two weeks ago I had my first big crash since I started skiing again. I've known its been coming for a while now. There's just no way to be involved in a sport like Alpine skiing and not experience a crash here and there. Its pretty much impossible, well ok quite possible, but you wouldn't be very good if you didn't fall down every so often. To say that you're never going to crash is like saying the sun won't rise again tomorrow, you get the point. It just ain't going to happen. It's a good thing to have had my first big crash.  The fact that I didn't immediately think about my right leg and knee is a really positive sign and I stayed so calm. To be completely honest I felt more relieved than anything. I thought to myself  "If I can survive that, I will survive anything" and really go for it now. I didnt hurt my right leg during my crash  but I did hurt my left leg, there was no real injury but I was sore for a couple of days. So even if I may have looked beaten and battered, this was a very positive experience and please don't call social services on me. This is just one more of the many challenges I will face in my road to become a paralympic ski racer.

With my first big crash out of the way I went all in on yesterdays (august 31) slalom training, my line was just to tight and my left ski hit the gate. my foot came loose out of the ski and I rolled a few meters down. I was fine no pain anywhere. I walked my way up put my ski back on and finished the training with a good feeling.

After the first training yesterday we sat in the sun for a while, it was the first day in weeks without pouring rain! Maybe we are still going to get a little bit of summer. 

After that we had our second 2 hour slalom training of the day and... I crashed again.

Same mistake my line was to tight and my ski hit the gate only this time it was my right ski I tumbled down and the first thing I knew; my leg hurts, not my knee, my knee is pretty good protected in my orthesis, after 3 crashes I know for sure! But my ankle was sore. Standing up was no problem but puting my ski back on was difficult I really had to push my boot in with my hands.

I did 2 runs of free skiing and I felt ok not great but good enough to get back in the gates.

I did 3 not so good runs of slalom and finished the training, needless to say my feeling was less positive than after my first training of the day.

My ankle is sore, a bit swollen and bruised but otherwise ok I'm able to walk on it and everything.

Today's (september 1) training wasn't my best not even near, but I guess I could have done worse, I tried and did the best I could but I was a bit passive in the gates although my last runs where better, I just missed a bit of power out of my ankle. 

Crashing is just part of the deal and you have to remember that  it's in situations such as those where there's no exit strategy, no plan B. Once you know you're going to fall you just have to grit and bear it and hope for the best. There's no sense fighting it since thats when most injuries occur. 

I know there are people thinking now "what is she doing, how stupid, taking these risks while she already has a disability", that's ok. 

I tell you this, if you really truly want something, work for it. Never give up, even if someone says you can't

"I don't know whether to be more inspired by those who tell me I can, or those who think that I can't."

We had video analysis of the first training yesterday and when I get my video I will post it so you can see how I do in the gates.


september 2; after 2 days of back to back icing my ankle still doesn't exactly look good, but I can walk on it with some wil power. In the end the results will be better if I keep walking.