3x Olympian | Pro Skier | Outdoor Adventure Mama

Many professional athletes, from Tiger Woods to my inspirational teammate Julia Mancuso, have been able to turn periods of struggle in to motivational performances in their sport.  Athletic careers can be a roller coaster and I have found that the highs re-confirm my love for skiing while the lulls make me question my passion for racing.  I just completed my first world cup giant slalom of the season and am left wondering, “where did my speed go?”  I have been doing everything right; I feel physically strong, work with a sports psychologist that I trust, train on-snow hard, watch video after and am staying positive through the minimal support of our team environment.

The coaches told me it looked like I was skiing conservatively down the icy slope in Kranska Gora, Slovenia and I am confused.  Although I watched video that confirms I was hooking the end of each of my turns and thus slowing me down at every gate, I wonder why skiing slowly takes so much work and when I am skiing my best it feels so effortless?

Sometimes I want to sleep in and skip the risk of failure but deep down I know that then I would also miss an opportunity to succeed!   The next step towards finding my speed and my confidence are the Noram cups in Vail, Colorado.  I hope that there are more good results in my skiing future but success can be defined differently depending on whom you ask.  Until then I am going to keep watching my Disney and Pixar films because they always have a happy endings and help me remember to BELIEVE!

Highlights from my January trip to Europe include rodeling and a fondue dinner!  Below are some nice pictures from my three week adventure over seas……….