First slalom finish and qualified for European Cup Slalom!

Thursday and Friday, November 22^nd en 23^rd I started the first slalom races of the new ski season. The races where held in snowworld Landgraaf and we had a big field, 120 athletes from 25 countries.

Thursday I was a bit nervous, probably the demon of not finishing any of my previous slalom races in the IPC circuit. After a descent first run my nerves where mostly gone and I really enjoyed it again. First run I finished 4^th with a 0,25 second lead over number 5 the Swiss girl that’s around the same level as I am, the podium was pretty far away with all World Cup racers ranked in the top 10, so fourth was the best I could do, it was winning for me.

After second run I was still sitting in 4^th place but I had built out my lead  to 0,82 seconds.

Because these where indoor races we had 3 runs to cover the minimum vertical drop needed to make this an official international race. After third run I finished the race in fourth place with a 1,75 second lead over number 5, this result earned me my first slalom points, 157,92 and this was an European Cup qualifying result (<240 points). I was so happy!

And Anna Jochemsen from the Netherlands won the race in the women standing category.

In the afternoon I watched the para-snowboarders who had a challenging indoor snowboard cross. And off course I had to prep my ski’s again because we had another slalom on Friday.

Friday I was a lot less nervous with nothing to lose I wanted to go all in and charge the course. First run was pretty good I started a lot more aggressive compared to Thursday.

I finished in 5^th place after first run with a 1,5 second lead over the Swiss girl. One of the girls in front of me, also a top 10 ranked racer, was disqualified the day before for using a pole. If an athlete has an arm impaired which means he or she can’t hold a pole using a pole is not allowed, and she used a prosthetic with an attached pole pretty clever but illegal in her class.

Well second run was pretty difficult it was very icy and I struggled to stay in, I still finished in 5^th place but I had given a second away. Third run again was icy and again I struggled to stay in so in the end the Swiss girl has beaten me, she earned it, she skied a lot better on the ice.

All though I off course wasn’t happy I gave away the 5th place it was a lot of fun and exciting to have a fight for 5^th place. The race over all was exciting, the podium had changed over three runs and Anna won again. In the end I earned 186 points.

Over all the Dutch team with 14 athletes, national team and development team, had some very good results and it earned the coach a third place in the nations cup after Russia (1) and Germany (2).

The day ended with champagne for me to celebrate my results.

My next races are within 2 weeks in Pitztal Austria, I will have a GS and a Super Combined.

Landgraaf training and re-classification for IPCAS races

Sorry guys it has been way too long since my last update.

Since my last update I have done summer training and back to snow training in Landgraaf and in Austria. And I have been very busy with my studies and also I have been ill, much more then I realized at the time…

On September 20 I had done gym training in the morning and I felt fine training went very well nothing to be worried about. I went to a couple of lectures in the afternoon and I started to ache a bit, sore muscles? When I got home I felt a bit tired and my back hurted.

Well long story short in 5 hours I went from normal to seriously ill.

I was admitted to the hospital that night with a high fever and a very sore back.

It turned out I had an acute urinary tract infection which has spread to my kidneys in just hours. I stayed in the hospita,l got antibiotics and started to feel better quick.

Five days later I went to Austria with the team, well needless to say skiing didn’t go well, I pushed for it and I really shouldn’t have… I got some more antibiotics and the some more because this was one stubborn infection, just like me honestly.

Well I much needed rest and so I did I took the full 6 weeks of rest that was needed to get rid of the stupid bug.

I missed out on all the other training weeks in Austria but I did start some light gym training with my physical therapist. It was a long road and still is I’m not fit yet but getting stronger and back on ski’s.

Yesterday I arrived in Landgraaf, because it is that time of the year again, the season opening races in Landgraaf, the first IPCAS race of the season. I have trained today and things are getting better I feel good on my ski’s again, so ready to race? Maybe we will see.

There are a lot of athletes racing, 120 from 25 countries all over the world, from Korea to Rusland and Canada to Australia I even heard South Africa, and off course lots of European athletes.

New this year is that there are para-snowboard cross races as well, to race in the afternoon.

On another note I got re-classified today, as explained earlier classification is used to make this a fair race with athletes with all kinds of impairments. There are different groups (classes) with a similar impairment all those classes have a factor which is used to calculate the times. So we can race against each other.

I’m now in LW3 and I’m really happy about that this is a much more fair class for me.

Tomorrow we have another day of training and racing starts Thursday.

Some pictures J

 GS in Hintertux September-October 2012

With Tina Maze in Hintertux 

With a new helmet and goggles ready for the races ;)