The Not so Glamorous Side...

Here I am going on week 4 of my European tour. It sounds amazing, and for most people embarking on a vacation of exploration and sightseeing, it probably would be. Excitement was around every corner my first year traveling in Europe… there was no pressure or expectations on my race results because I had never been to any of the tracks.  All I could do was my best and that would surely be enough to make me (and everyone at home) proud of my accomplishments. These days (my third straight year) the glitz and glamour of it all seems to be fading away. Sliding is seen more as a job and I set my goals and expectations higher each trip. The sightseeing is far and few between because we go to the same places and have already seen most of the attractions… The shopping is scarce because we already feel guilty about spending so much money just to be here. Week #4 is wearing on us all… I’m struggling to stay healthy with two teammates/roommates sniffling, sneezing and coughing all day and night. It’s tough to motivate ourselves to take a walk outside when we haven’t seen the sun in two weeks. Winterberg is known for it’s wet weather and it’s definitely living up to its reputation. We are all lucky to be traveling with a group that has been somewhat cohesive. We’ve had a great time for the most part but drama, irritation and annoyances are bound to arise when 7 people (ranging from age 21 to 35) travel together with no real authority figure calling the shots.  I’m not the type of person to be homesick but for some reason this tour has been tough on me.  For the first time I’ve questioned if I really want to continue sliding to the 2010 Games. 

I’m sure every Olympian asked themselves the same question at some point before they reached their goal so it all depends on how I choose to answer it. The fact is, I don’t see much of a future for the U.S. Skeleton program. As the #4 ranked athlete in my country I am struggling to make the next step onto the World Cup Team. I have worked so hard to get to where I am but I’ll try to paint a picture of what I’m up against…

My 5 teammates and I pile out of van at the track and grab our sleds out of the back.  Nothing about us looks like a team let-a-lone a team from the United States. Everyone knows who we are because we’re the only nation that doesn’t have a uniform. I start my warm-up early and look around. My arms have ice burn and bruises down each side, my chronic back pain that I finally got under control over the summer is resurfacing... I can’t do much about it after a 9 hour car ride from Italy yesterday except try to jog it out. I’m not complaining, I actually don’t know any better and it’s just a part of competing for me. I even know from experience that because my back is tight I will most likely wake up with a sore right knee in the morning. All of our motivation comes from within… no one is telling us we have to be here or paying our way. We slide because we love it. This is something that I admire about everyone I’m traveling with on my team. 

Looking in the corner of the parking lot, team Canada has their own personal doctor/physio/chiropractor/message therapist. There is a revolving door of athletes on his table getting work done. Over by the sleds, there are 5 German coaches collaborating and talking to their athletes.  Out of the start house walks Tim, the world cup coach the U.S. fired just prior to the 2006 Games. He always asks how I’m doing but he’s the New Zealand coach these days.  Oh wait, here comes the Australian team… these girls have only been sliding a year and probably understand the sport better than I do. The technology they have at their fingertips is so far advanced it blows my mind. Lipstick video cameras attached to the front of their sled… force plates and pressure meters inside their sled. They can review every steer they made down the track and relate it to where the pressure is in each curve.  Some teams have up to six cameras on the track at a time.  By the time they get back to their hotel, each athlete has their own spliced, edited version of their runs. Are we kidding? How can we compete with that? Video is the most important learning tool for me and we are lucky if we have one on the track.  It would take us a month to figure out what other teams learn in a day.  It’s unfortunate but I feel like I have so much more potential as a slider but I’m at a point where, I admit, I need help.  I need someone to bounce ideas off and work together with.  We have all tried to help out each other on tour but we are all in the same boat… It’s like the blind leading the blind. A great example would be this… the first day of sliding at a new track is a confidence builder for me.  I have been the fastest girl in my session each time but as the week progresses and the other sliders get sufficient coaching, I slowly slip down in the ranks. We have the fastest man and woman pusher on this team every race… why can’t they even break into the top 10? Every person on tour with me feels like they are up against a wall and if the federation doesn’t come up with the support we need to be competitive, there won’t be a team after 2010.  If I’m on a “development” tour than I guess I’m wondering why we can’t get someone to help us develop?!  

I try to keep things upbeat in my journal and hopefully in the near future I’ll find a way to make this situation positive too.  I just had to vent my frustration and reveal the current reality of representing the United States as an athlete on the Intercontinental Cup Tour.