Hope Everyone is doing well!!!

I have been busy busy as a bee! I flew to Mt Hood, Oregon for the day to do a photo shoot for Nike. It was a lot of fun and there were lots of nice people there to make me look fabulous!! They will be posting some video and stuff on nike.com so I will let you know when that goes up!!!

So speaking of Mt Hood, my teammates are having a fund raiser soon so if anyone is in the Mt Hood area or wants to have a lot of fun with lots of ski team athletes you should definitely check it out! this is what is going down!!! I hear the athletes are going to be Erik Schlopy, Steven Nyman, Scott Macartney, Tim Jitloff, Leanne Smith, Laurenne Ross, and Keely Kelleher.

Clinics- Saturday, July 18-Sunday, July 19 at Palmer Glacier/Timberline/Mt. Hood - Tentative Schedule:

6:15-7:15AM: Registration, Check-in, Breakfast, Athlete Meet & Greet

8:00AM: Meet on top of Palmer at our designated lane to break up into groups

11:00-11:30AM: Break for Lunch

- Autograph session on Saturday (after lunch, for one hour)

- Breakfast and lunch provided on both days

Dinner/Auction- Saturday, July 18 at the Multnomah Athletic Club in Portland

- Address: 1849 SW Salmon St, Portland, OR 97207

- Doors open at 5:00PM, Silent Auction/Cocktails until 7:15PM, Dinner at 7:30PM

- Wine/beer and dinner provided

- Attire: Black Tie and Blue Jeans

Also for all the details go the website. http://www.worldcupdreams.org/

I gotta run for now!!! literally! I’m starting to ramp up the training and getting to my 8 hour days!!! The hardest part is eating enough… but don’t worry I am still having fun! Tonight is an Eddie Vedder concert! Stephan and Kaz are coming over to eat my delicious chicken Tikka Masala! yummy! then we are going to rock!

Aloha!

Jules

Lately I have been mostly traveling. I went to Tofino, BC on Vancouver Island for a week on a surf trip with my brother. Lots of multi-sport days up there. Surfing in the morning, bike ride in the afternoon, some more surfing, a round of golf. Overall the surf was mellow, but really fun. We had a couple awesome mornings where the wind was quiet or even a bit off-shore with some nice shoulder-high waves. Other days were more of a battle to get long rides, but we always rewarded with at least some decent rides each session. Water temp was cold, but not that bad so long as you had the right gear. For me that is a 4-3-2 with a hood, gloves and booties, but with all that, you could do a couple hours in the water no problem.

I recently got SCUBA certified, so I added a dive to my afternoon activities one day. Since you are not as active paddling with SCUBA, we were in 7mm suits with an additional 7mm jacket/shorty. So you end up with 14mm around your core and upper thighs, then the whole bootie/ hood/gloves set up as well. By the time you got on the BCD and your tank, fins and everything else you needed 20-some pounds of weight to actually sink. It was a bit unwieldy, but not bad once we were in the water.

The visibility was okay, but not amazing. We ended up seeing a ton of really cool stuff, you just had to keep fairly close and make sure your buddy didn’t get too far away. At the beginning of dive one, we were trying to get around this point and into this channel between two islands but the current was quite strong and was swirling, so it was kind of a big back-eddy going in the opposite direction of the main current. We tried to power through and I believe we were almost there, but our dive master gave the signal to turn around. I was working so hard against the current, in addition to being a new diver, so had I sucked down almost all of my air by that time. Katie and the two dive masters had a bit left, so after we re-grouped and got around the point on the boat, they had another segment. I ended up just doing some snorkeling until dive 2.

Dive two was a lot better and I really enjoyed seeing all the sea life. Tons of starfish and crab (many dungeness well over eating size), but the highlight were these huge annemies in large pockets together like miniature forests. They were large, some about two feet tall, with huge white cauliflower tops and thick stalks. Really cool to check out and when you were in a large group of them together, the effect was surreal.

More to come on my other adventures. Lots to catch you all up on!

Last time I checked in I was leaving the World Cup Finals in La Plagne. Since then I have been enjoying some down time at home in Aspen. I’ve spent some quality time with Riley and Annalisa. They are big fans of Hannah Montana so I had to take them to see the movie. Riley shined in her school play. Annalisa has been doing well, but she did have an episode with her feeding tube. It was enough of a scare that Kate had to take her to the hospital in Denver. She’s doing well now and is excited for summer to come along.

I managed to get away for a week in Maui with my girlfriend, Suzanne. What a great trip. We surfed, played golf, and hung out on the beach. It was crazy how many people were there also. I ran into my brother, Chris, and his family for a day. Then my Ski Cross teammate, Langely McNeal, and her friend, Lindsey Woodcock, managed to fly over from Kauai to hang with us for a day. And we also got to see Josh Wiltz, the Canadian ski tech, and Ben and Alice Black, coaches at AVSC that I used to coach with. And we just happened to be on the same flight home with Resi Stiegler. All in all, it was a great vacation. Apparently Maui is a popular spot for skiers in April.

Next stop is California. I’m supposed to do a photo shoot for NBC Olympics in LA and we have a training camp at Mammoth. I’ll let you know how that goes.

I just finished a very busy week. I went to Park City, UT for some physical testing with the team, along with some meetings with our coaches. After that, I flew to LA to take part in a series of interviews that NBC and the US Olympic Committee organized. It was pretty incredible to be honest. We showed up at 8am and we were assigned a handler. At first I didn’t think I would need a handler, having never needed one in the past. After 10 minutes moving around the various stations set around the studio, I was relying on my handler to remind me of my name. They were there to make sure we were in the place we were meant to be, at the right time and wearing or holding the appropriate attire, helmet and goggles or ski. There were a dozen or so stations, each set up and properly lighted, focused and sound checked. The athletes would show up and stand on the marked line or sit in the chair and it was right to “Action”.

Most of the stations were really fun- well prepared interviews or photo shoots with people running around fixing your collar or taking the shine off your forehead. A few were a touch painful, either reading cue cards or repeating a 5 word line over and over with various inflections of pairs of words. “It takes MORE than… dedication.” vs “It takes more…than dedication” and so forth, if you catch my meaning. Those were less fun, and you felt silly repeating the same sentence over and over until you made mistakes saying “Scott Macartney, Two time Olympian in Alpine Skiing. Watch me in Vancouver” Alpine Sleeing isn’t what I do?

It was crazy though, going from interview to interview for about 6 hours straight. I had to leave early to get back to Park City for these Board meetings, but I was told other athletes had an even longer day in front of the camera- more like 10 plus hours for some.

I am the Alpine Athlete Rep to the USSA Board, so I went to Park City to attend a set of meetings. It is pretty fun and rewarding to be apart of both the Athletes Council and also the Board as a whole. It is much better to try to help fix problems than just complain about them. There were several sets of meetings I attended and then snuck in workouts in the new Center of Excellence- the new home to the USSA.

I have to admit it is a pretty amazing place. Great facility for both recovery and training. I spent some time both on the new aqua-jogging system that helps your transition into plyometrics and running after injury, and on some new bikes that automatically adjust the resistance to keep the wattage the same at different RPM’s. Cool stuff.

Now it is time to get things going here in Washington. Enjoy the spring!

Winter’s long gone now… for a while there, even into mid April, I was still totally in winter mode - skiing at Nationals, testing skis, and doing a celebrity ski event. But now that I had 10 days or so on Maui, some physical fitness tests in Park City Utah at the brand new US Ski Team training facility (which is just extremely state of the art!) and am now in California for a photo shoot and some hangtime with friends and family, I’m just all over the summer vibe.

Gone is the cold, the snow, the white capped mountains… on comes the bikini, the spaghetti straps, the slippers. And of course, no summer would be complete without some good sweaty workouts and strenuous physical activity.

The photos were taken of my sister and I in the climbing gym.

See you guys later on… have fun out there, and be safe!

Jules

On April 29th I had the great pleasure to participate in the Rose Rees Peace Awards as the keynote speaker. The Rose Rees Peace Award is given annually by the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) – Minneapolis Section to one senior from each participating high school, in the greater Minneapolis area, who has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to international understanding and world peace. This award was established in 1935 as a living memorial to Mrs. Rose Rees, who served as President of NCJW and was a founder and presiding officer of the World Affairs Council of Minneapolis. I had the privilege to speak to 20 of the most inspiring young people I have ever encountered. After I finished my message, each one of the recipients came to the podium and briefly explained what peace meant to them and what their plans were for the future. Every single student was astonishing and, I am certain, going to make this world a better place. To hear those kids speak was one of the most humbling and wonderful experiences of my life. It truly was an honor to be part of such an amazing program. Below is, more or less, the speech I gave to the students. I thought I would share it with all of you.

I hope that wherever you may be spring has sprung!

Warmly,

Kaylin

My speech:

Our world right now is undoubtedly in a state of turmoil. Many are worried about the future, economically, environmentally, socially, and rightfully so. We, speaking for the human race, need to tighten up our program, make some changes. It sometimes seems that the fate of our rain forests have taken a back seat to MTV and that the golden rule, treat others the way that you would like to be treated, is a thing of the past. You are probably thinking, “great- an uplifting speaker, maybe she can make a reference to the recession and kick us in the shins while she is at it.” That is not my intention. This is a message of hope. After reading about this award and some of its recipients it reminded me not to let my cynical side get the best of me. It reminded me that there are still so many that believe as I do- that we are not only responsible for the world we live in, but the way we leave it. there is much to be done, but looking out at all of you gives me such hope. And the wonderful thing about hope is it is extremely contagious. If this is a sample of the next generation then we have a bright future to look forward to; peace is possible.

I don’t feel like I am much different than you. Sure, I have a few more years experience under my belt, but, unfortunately, much that you don’t understand at 17 or 18 you have no better grasp of at 24. I speak to you as a contemporary, maybe even more appropriately, a kindred spirit. There is such diversity in this room: different interests, different strengths, but you all have something in common and that is why you are being honored today. You have set yourselves apart because you don’t consider peace a static, obsolete ideal; it is an everyday occurrence. All of us are unique and equipped with individual tools to better the world. Trying to measure your addition is completely arbitrary because a grand gesture in one’s eyes can be nothing of value to another. The complexities of this life create some of the greatest pleasures and greatest frustrations depending on the scenario. But, that my friends is another speech entirely.

I am a ski racer. I have been on the National Team for nine years. I compete at the World Cup level which consists of the best female racers on our planet. The life of a professional athlete as you can imagine tends to be a very self involved existence. Every day I get up and do what I need to do for me to succeed. How I need to train, what I need to eat, you get the idea. It was a constant struggle, especially in the beginning. I always was second guessing my ability to give back. Then, about six years ago, when I was about your age, I met a little girl in my hometown that recognized me. Before I go any further let me preface that the ski racing world is it’s own little microcosm; it is not very often that you come across someone outside the alpine community that is familiar with it. However, this little girl looked up at my with her shiny blue eyes in admiration. At that moment, it dawned on me that through my success in ski racing I had gained, an albeit small, influence over kids that looked up to me. It all began with that little girl murmuring, “Are you Kaylin richardson?” which first of all melted my heart and second of all exhibited that because of my small celebrity I could reach out to kids and affect them in a positive way. My main aim has become establishing young athlete’s self worth by reminding them it is the person they are and how they treat others that define them, not the amount of trophies or lack there of that they bring home. The power to bolster a child’s confidence is no small thing; it can have a ripple effect of good that is hard believe.

No one ever said that leading by example is easy, but with being a role model, it comes with the territory. To the contrary,I think, it can be pretty tough. People begin looking to you for answers and suddenly, there are expectations you, yourself, never set, and obligations you never signed up for. Time to rise to the occasion! Every one of you is familiar with this or you wouldn’t be here. I had the great honor of representing the United States of America in the 2006 Winter Olympic Games. I competed in the alpine combined event which consists of one run of DH an event that I have been clocked going 83 mph, and two runs of slalom- the event on the other side of the spectrum, less speed but more quickness. It was truly an amazing experience. Walking into the opening ceremonies can only be described as surreal. It had been a goal since I was young to compete in the games and I had a ball. I met as many people as I could and tried to take in everything. Of course, I was there to compete and I did with zest. I was not the fastest, but not the slowest either. Journalists from all over the world would be waiting outside the finish corral and I think that I confused them. After finishing a run I was jubilant and it dumbfounded the reporters. They would ask me, “You seem so happy, yet you are not in medal contention?” I would reply, “You are missing the point. This is the pinnacle of sport. Every person competing here has made personal sacrifices and has amazing stories- we should be celebrating that. I think it is too bad that especially in the US we get so caught up in the medal count. While you are all estimating who the winner you are missing the most vital part of all- the athlete’s spirit.” I was quoted in some newspapers and magazine around the country and although I did not come home after the games with something shiny around my neck, I did come home with a 17th place and the pride of being true to myself.

When I was preparing my remarks to give to such a remarkable group of individuals I figured, since it is The Rose Rees Peace Awards, I should know the exact definition of peace. With high hopes I found the dictionary and to my slight disappointment this is what I found: Peace: 1.freedom from disturbance; quiet and tranquility 2.freedom from or the cessation of war, violence, or social disorder. 3. freedom from dispute or dicension between individuals or groups. Hmm, now I don’t mean to be a nitpicker, but I have a real problem with that definition. Freedom is a noble ideal, but when I think of peace I instantly think of love. It is not possible to have one without the other, sort of like the chicken before the egg conundrum. What comes first love or peace? The answer is they are inextricably connected. If I personally were to define peace it would go something like this: Peace- the state at which love is paramount. in laymens terms- peace is when love is the main objective.

I have had the opportunity, through racing, to travel many places, meet and befriend many people. Skiing was my ticket to the Czech Republic, Argentina, Italy, New Zealand, Bulgaria, Chile, and Switzerland to name a few. The thing that continues to strike me time and time again on my travels is how alike we all are. Yes, our cultures differ, our local tastes and traditions differ, maybe even the way we display our emotions differ, but, under all the exterior, we laugh the same, we mourn the same, we hope the same, we fear the same, and most importantly we love the same. For many, many people that concept is hard to comprehend which saddens me. To be ignorant and insular are maybe the most powerful enemies of peace out there. On the other hand open- mindedness and patience are peace and love’s warriors.

Ski racing has become my vehicle to love others, to spread peace. My success has given me privileges that allow me to speak and be heard. I am a good ski racer and I may be remembered by a handful of people for that, but what I hope is that I influenced people in a positive way, ultimately, through love. Now, I know this sounds silly, but I want you to ask yourself, “What is my vehicle to love others?” What is that thing that you enjoy above all else, that you excel at? Maybe you are an amazing photographer and get to travel around the world taking snapshots that alert people to poverty. Maybe you have the skills to be a phenomenal businessman which makes you wealthy enough to finance a phenomenal charity. Maybe you are a natural nurturer and were just meant to make people feel welcomed and loved. It doesn’t matter what your personal strength is; it’s about finding a way to use it to give back. You have the potential to be great at it and contribute to peace through it.

I cannot convey to you all how vital this is. Every step in the process is equally important; no cause too small, no person too insignificant. Lastly, I am going to fill you in on a glorious secret. Those of you that already know what your vehicle is can back me up. Once you find that niche, that place in the world that you fit, doing what you were made to do, you will feel so wonderfully fulfilled- dare I say it- at peace. And what better way to spread peace than by starting in your own heart.

On April 29th I had the great pleasure to participate in the Rose Rees Peace Awards as the keynote speaker. The Rose Rees Peace Award is given annually by the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) – Minneapolis Section to one senior from each participating high school, in the greater Minneapolis area, who has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to international understanding and world peace. This award was established in 1935 as a living memorial to Mrs. Rose Rees, who served as President of NCJW and was a founder and presiding officer of the World Affairs Council of Minneapolis. I had the privilege to speak to 20 of the most inspiring young people I have ever encountered. After I finished my message, each one of the recipients came to the podium and briefly explained what peace meant to them and what their plans were for the future. Every single student was astonishing and, I am certain, going to make this world a better place. To hear those kids speak was one of the most humbling and wonderful experiences of my life. It truly was an honor to be part of such an amazing program. Below is, more or less, the speech I gave to the students. I thought I would share it with all of you.

I hope that wherever you may be spring has sprung!
Warmly,
Kaylin

My speech:

Our world right now is undoubtably in a state of turmoil. Many are worried about the future, economically, enviromentally, socially, and rightfully so. We, speaking for the human race, need to tighten up our program, make some changes. It sometimes seems that the fate of our rainforests have taken a back seat to MTV and that the golden rule, treat others the way that you would like to be treated, is a thing of the past. You are probably thinking, “great- an uplifting speaker, maybe she can make a reference to the recession and kick us in the shins while she is at it.” That is not my intention. This is a message of hope. After reading about this award and some of its recipients it reminded me not to let my cynical side get the best of me. It reminded me that there are still so many that believe as I do- that we are not only responsible for the world we live in, but the way we leave it. there is much to be done, but looking out at all of you gives me such hope. And the wonderful thing about hope is it is extremely contagious. If this is a sample of the next generation then we have a bright future to look forward to; peace is possible

I don’t feel like I am much different than you. Sure, I have a few more years experience under my belt, but, unfortunately, much that you don’t understand at 17 or 18 you have no better grasp of at 24. I speak to you as a contemporary, maybe even more appropriately, a kindred spirit. There is such diversity in this room: different interests, different strengths, but you all have something in common and that is why you are being honored today. You have set yourselves apart because you don’t consider peace a static, obsolete ideal; it is an everyday occurrence. All of us are unique and equipped with individual tools to better the world. Trying to measure your addition is completely arbitrary because a grand gesture in one’s eyes can be nothing of value to another. The complexities of this life create some of the greatest pleasures and greatest frustrations depending on the scenario. But, that my friends is another speech entirely.

I am a ski racer. I have been on the National Team for nine years. I compete at the World Cup level which consists of the best female racers on our planet. The life of a professional athlete as you can imagine tends to be a very self involved existence. Every day I get up and do what I need to do for me to succeed. How I need to train, what I need to eat, you get the idea. It was a constant struggle, especially in the beginning. I always was second guessing my ability to give back. Then, about six years ago, when I was about your age, I met a little girl in my hometown that recognized me. Before I go any further let me preface that the ski racing world is it’s own little microcosm; it is not very often that you come across someone outside the alpine community that is familiar with it. However, this little girl looked up at my with her shiny blue eyes in admiration. At that moment, it dawned on me that through my success in ski racing I had gained, an albeit small, influence over kids that looked up to me. It all began with that little girl murmuring, “Are you Kaylin richardson?” which first of all melted my heart and second of all exhibited that because of my small celebrity I could reach out to kids and affect them in a positive way.  My main aim has become establishing young athlete’s self worth by reminding them it is the person they are and how they treat others that define them, not the amount of trophies or lack there of that they bring home. The power to bolster a child’s confidence is no small thing; it can have a ripple effect of good that is hard believe.

No one ever said that leading by example is easy, but with being a role model, it comes with the territory. To the contrary,I think, it can be pretty tough. People begin looking to you for answers and suddenly, there are expectations you, yourself, never set, and obligations you never signed up for. Time to rise to the occasion! Every one of you is familiar with this or you wouldn’t be here. I had the great honor of representing the United States of America in the 2006 Winter Olympic Games. I competed in the alpine combined event which consists of one run of DH an event that I have been clocked going 83 mph, and two runs of slalom- the event on the other side of the spectrum, less speed but more quickness. It was truly an amazing exerience. Walking into the opening ceremonies can only be described as surreal. It had been a goal since I was young to compete in the games and I had a ball. I met as many people as I could and tried to take in everything. Of course, I was there to compete and I did with zest. I was not the fastest, but not the slowest either. Journalists from all over the world would be waiting outside the finish corral and I think that I confused them. After finishing a run I was jubilant and it dumbfounded the reporters. They would ask me, “You seem so happy, yet you are not in medal contention?” I would reply, “You are missing the point. This is the pinnacle of sport. Every person competing here has made personal sacrifices and has amazing stories- we should be celebrating that. I think it is too bad that especially in the US we get so caught up in the medal count. While you are all estimating who the winner you are missing the most vital part of all- the athlete’s spirit.” I was quoted in some newspapers and magazine around the country and although I did not come home after the games with something shiny around my neck, I did come home with a 17th place and the pride of being true to myself.

When I was preparing my remarks to give to such a remarkable group of individuals I figured, since it is The Rose Rees Peace Awards, I should know the exact definition of peace. With high hopes I found the dictionary and to my slight disappointment this is what I found: Peace: 1.freedom from disturbance; quiet and tranquility 2.freedom from or the cessation of war, violence, or social disorder. 3. freedom from dispute or dicension between individuals or groups. Hmm, now I don’t mean to be a nitpicker, but I have a real problem with that definition. Freedom is a noble ideal, but when I think of peace I instantly think of love.  It is not possible to have one without the other, sort of like the chicken before the egg conundrum. What comes first love or peace? The answer is they are inextricably connected. If I personally were to define peace it would go something like this: Peace- the state at which love is paramount. in laymens terms- peace is when love is the main objective.

I have had the opportunity, through racing, to travel many places, meet and befriend many people. Skiing was my ticket to the Czech Republic, Argentina, Italy, New Zealand, Bulgaria, Chile, and Switzerland to name a few. The thing that continues to strike me time and time again on my travels is how alike we all are. Yes, our cultures differ, our local tastes and traditions differ, maybe even the way we display our emotions differ, but, under all the exterior, we laugh the same, we mourn the same, we hope the same, we fear the same, and most importantly we love the same. For many, many people that concept is hard to comprehend which saddens me. To be ignorant and insular are maybe the most powerful enemies of peace out there. On the other hand open- mindedness and patience are peace and love’s warriors.

Ski racing has become my vehicle to love others, to spread peace. My success has given me privileges that allow me to speak and be heard. I am a good ski racer and I may be remembered by a handful of people for that, but what I hope is that I influenced people in a positive way, ultimately, through love. Now, I know this sounds silly, but I want you to ask yourself, “What is my vehicle to love others?” What is that thing that you enjoy above all else, that you excel at? Maybe you are an amazing photographer and get to travel around the world taking snapshots that alert people to poverty. Maybe you have the skills to be a phenomenal businessman which makes you wealthy enough to finance a phenomenal charity. Maybe you are a natural nurturer and were just meant to make people feel welcomed and loved. It doesn’t matter what your personal strength is; it’s about finding a way to use it to give back.  You have the potential to be great at it and contribute to peace through it.

I cannot convey to you all how vital this is. Every step in the process is equally important; no cause too small, no person too insignificant. Lastly, I am going to fill you in on a glorious secret.  Those of you that already know what your vehicle is can back me up. Once you find that niche, that place in the world that you fit, doing what you were made to do, you will feel so wonderfully fulfilled- dare I say it- at peace. And what better way to spread peace than by starting in your own heart.

I am back in Europe and the main event was the Verbier High Five. Its a fun series of five different events, GS, skiercross, speed trap, Carlsberg triathlon, and parallel slalom. You can check out the details http://www.verbierhighfivebycarlsberg.com/high-five/en/home. I was 2nd!! Won some new long johns. The weather was beautiful, and its always nice to have some fun friendly competition after a long season.

Right now I am in Saas Fee testing skis. They are being incredibly awesome. We get on the lift at 6 am and whip tons of runs off by snowmobile, then done by 10. I had a day of GS, and a day of Super G. Tomorrow I am going to try out my new DH skis. Things are good! Hope everyone is enjoying their spring.
I also want to touch on the passing of my friend and ski Legend Shane McConkey. His memorial was this past Sunday and I wish I was able to make it home. I will just share my personal story of how Shane has inspired me.

Growing up in Squaw Valley you get to know your “ski family” pretty fast. Its a small place, full of lots of big personalities. Though I was much younger than Shane, and didn’t get the chance to really meet him until I caught up in age, he was a huge influence on all the kids I looked up. There is something about Squaw Valley, that really inspires everyone there to just love skiing. I along with Marco Sullivan took the path of ski racing, but yet many other of my friends took the path of being kick ass free skiers. We all started in the same place, doing non-stop Kt runs, skiing the fingers, and looking up to crazy guys like Shane who would go out on water skis, and run events like the pain McShlonkey open, where pretty much anything goes, crazy costumes, chinese downhill and basically just have fun on skis. When JT started ski BASE jumping with Shane, I was convinced that would be my next sport. I had dreams of taking off to ski some crazy shoot and off a cliff between worldcup events. Sounds totally crazy I know, like when would I find the time to do that!?!

Well thats what Shane did. He inspired us all to DREAM BIG! So thanks Shane. I can tell you one thing for sure: I will keep having fun with what I do, and keep the tradition of just being stoked everytime I put my skis on!

My heart goes out to Sherry and Ayla, and you can check out more details on how to help out at http://shanemcconkey.org/. You can also leave your comments on how YOU get stoked out there in life…

To my delight, I have good news to divulge- I had a great National Championships! The weather did not cooperate; there were blizzards blowing, snowflakes accumulating, and volcano erupting, but I skied well despite Mother Nature’s assault on Alaska. After one day of DH training, two days of free skiing because racing was out of the question, and a failed attempt at SG due to fog, we finally squeezed in the National DH race. The conditions were not perfect, but our luck prevailed and the men and women finished their races in the nick of time; ash began to fall right as the last boys made their way down the track. Bad weather and all, it was still my lucky day- I won the DH, and I am thrilled. It was a flowing, mistake- free run, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t surprised when I came through the finish line and saw number one on the board. I ran fourth, so, I did not initially celebrate, but as racers came down and my time held, it sunk in that I just might get another national title. When it was certain that I had in fact won the adjective that came to mind was relief. I know that I am a good ski racer and that I have the ability to be one of the best, but after a rocky season it was such a fabulous confidence boost. Validation, I have come to find, is no small thing. What really stuck out about the run to me was how relaxed I was. I was still aggressive and pushed like crazy out the of the start gate, but, especially since the snow was soft, I focused on easy pressure and carrying speed all the way down the mountain. Obviously, it worked well for me. It was so awesome that Julia (Mancuso) and Lindsey (Vonn) came to the races. So many, including me, appreciated their attendance; they make it the real deal. After winning World Cup globes and Olympic gold medals, National Championships, I would guess, lose some of their allure. However, after fighting the flu, Jules managed wins in the GS and Combined and after a huge mistake in the DH Lindsey redeemed herself the next day by locking up the SL title.

Having successful races at Nationals is just the cherry on top of the most fun race of the year. Everyone you haven’t seen since November is there and the enthusiasm is so contagious that it is almost tangible. It is the only FIS race where Americans of all levels get to compete together. I love the cohesion of it all. That there is a World Cup winner in the same race as an Eastern Cup or MidAm winner is so gratifying to witness because it spans such a wider spectrum than most races. The ski racing community is not very large and great fun abounds when all the best racers in the country are rounded up for an end of the year culmination. I had the pleasure of catching up with dear, old friends and making hilarious new ones. It also was so great to have my parents there. They stayed with my Mother’s cousins that live in Anchorage so I had the good fortune of having quite a cheering section! Nationals is also a race where it is very easy to reflect on your career. I listened to some girls commenting on how the women of 1984 were the oldest on the start sheet. (Yes, I am an 84′ birth year.) It honestly seems like it was yesterday that I was 15 years old at my first Nationals and overheard the elite racers of that time lamenting about how young 84’s were! Everything is full circle which, as I age, I appreciate more and more. There is something comforting about realizing that you weren’t the first nor the last to have similar feelings. I am as astonished now, at 24, as I was at ten by how exhilarating skiing is, that has not changed, but, after experiencing so much and living so fully I am sometimes surprised by all that I have learned along the way.

Thank you so much for allowing me to share a little part of my life with you. The pleasure has been mine. I still have some more races this season, but I will be blogging less frequently. Take a look every so often, I plan on updating about once a month during the off season. As you all know though, snow flurries and ski season will be back here before we know it so savor the warmth and sun!

Lastly, if you find that our paths cross, please say hello. I enjoy meeting fellow ski enthusiasts and would love to meet you.

Until next time,

Kaylin

La Plagne is an expansive resort in the heart of the Savoie region of France. It was the Bobsled site during the 1992 Albertville Olympic Games. But this year they turned to Freestyle to host the 2009 World Cup Finals.

The U.S. mogul team had a rough go in their Dual Mogul event. They had a stacked team ready to score but they ran into some bad luck and got skunked on the podium. However, Hannah Kearney still walked away with a crystal globe signifying her overall mogul victory.

Then it was my turn to try and pull off a victory of my own. The overall was out of my grasp but I still had a chance to take 3rd away from Lars Lewen. So there were two races going on. The big race was between Thomas Krauss and Chris DelBosco for first place and then there was a smaller race between Lars Lewen and me for 3rd place.

DelBosco closed the gap on Krauss in the race in Meiringen and he was the only one that had a shot at defeating the Ski Cross Champ. He came up short, however, catching his buckle on the B-net and crashing in the final. Thomas Krauss managed to defend his World Cup title. It was not an easy feat considering how strong the competition was this year.

Just like every race since the middle of February I felt ready for a great showing. My body was in good shape and I was skiing well. I was the 4th seed based on my overall ranking for the season so I had good gate picks. I had a great start in the first round and won the heat by a good 20 meters. Then in the quarterfinal I missed the timing of the start and it was all over. It was one of my worst starts all year. I had the best start position and I was 4th to the hole shot. Then I followed Stanley Hayer and Xavier Kuhn down the mountain hoping for them to make a mistake so I could capitalize and pass. Xavier made a great pass on Stanley. Then Stanley made an amazing pass on Xavier to get the transfer spot.

I was left in the back kicking myself for making such a terrible start. That was it. The year was over. I set out to win the World Cup overall and I ended up 4th. It was a respectable finish. But I did have something to celebrate. I finished this year healthy. For the first time in 3 years I walked away without crutches or slings. I didn’t have to make any appointments at the Steadman Clinic. It was great.

I am now set up to have a strong off-season to prepare for the upcoming Olympic Games in Vancouver. Life is good.