The End… but not really.

Ending the season on my true “home” track was awesome. Everything including the race itself summed up the year so well. I was training better than I could have imagined all week (1st, 2nd or 3rd all three days). The track was so smooth and in the best shape I’ve ever seen it in! Despite the snow on the second day, I still had my PR downtime by 0.30 seconds! If I could slide like this on race day, I was going to conclude my season with a storybook ending!

Well, I drew number 1 so I was the first sled off. I’ve never been a fan of being in that position because you never know what to expect. I prepared for it the best I could but when I got to the bottom of the track, I knew my time wasn’t going to cut it for a podium position. It wasn’t the cleanest run I had had all week but it definitely wasn’t a bad trip. I sat there with my parents and watched the next 5 sliders come down and beat me… I was completely bummed. I ended up 8th after my first run. I knew I had to dig deep and find a reason to pick myself up to finish this race strong. It was my home track and the last race on the Intercontinental Cup Tour… I couldn’t let myself give up even though I thought about it a few times on the truck ride up to the top. To make a long story short, I threw down a great run in the end to have the 2nd fastest time and move up 4 places to 4th. I turned defeat into something great… triumph. My racing may have struggled a bit the second half of this year but I know I’m still a talented slider. I not going to give up anytime soon.

PS: I just got word two days ago that I’m leaving for EUROPE on Sunday! I’ll be going over to Konigssee, Germany to watch the World Cup race and get adjusted to the time change… if all goes well, Annie will be headed off to Jr. Worlds in Igls and I’ll be taking the third spot in WINTERBERG!! It will be my first World Cup race and I couldn’t be more excited. Just when I thought my season was coming to an end, the best part came knocking on the door!