Making Progress

Hi Guys,

I have just got back from a week training and I thought I would update you on how I have been getting on. I have now officially graduated from University with a First Class Honours Degree in Business Management and I am looking forward to starting my new job in London in September (once I find some accommodation.)  Graduation was a great day, which involved lots of pomp and ceremony followed by a great meal with the family and celebrations with friends (not the usual ‘wanna be athlete’ approach.) I soon came back down to earth though and was focussing on my next training camp.

We have just got back from Hintertux Austria, this is a frequent place the team visits. We stayed at the Hotel Koessler, which we have stayed in a few times (some of you will remember me mentioning it in August last year.) The hotel had a great family feel and they couldn't be more obliging, they know all our names and offer a great experience for us, even joining in on the team banter.

Each athlete had been given a designated coach or coaches for the week. I was paired with Euan. He has been a coach for the British Disabled Ski Team for a few years now and has a wealth of knowledge I could benefit from. We were working on a one to one basis, which meant it was a great opportunity to learn as much as possible over the week.  I have known Euan for a while now but this was the first time we have skied together, we had a good working relationship, water stops and lift journeys were filled with playful banter, which broke the day up and facilitated positive improvement.

Weather conditions were hot…very hot. If I could I would have skied in shorts and a T-shirt but that wouldn’t have been the best idea. We were skiing in thick slush most of the time, not the best conditions for racing on.  My overall aim for the week was to get better separation of my body (upper from lower) in order to give the skis more drive, which was reviewed daily along with daily targets.  The daily programme consisted of:

 

6:45 morning activation

7:30 breakfast

8:20 Ski Lift

8:30 to Roughly 12:00 Ski

12:30 Lunch

13:30 Core and Recovery

15:00 -16:00 Video Analysis

18:30 Team Meeting

19:00 Dinner

Somewhere within that schedule we also found time to service our skis.

The week consisted of working on the fundamentals of skiing and working our way up. Euan wanted to get my skiing more efficient, my skiing was quite inefficient and I had to use a lot of energy to ski. The first few days we worked on just turning the feet and making consistent turn shapes in the thick slush. We then increased the difficulty and worked on rolling feet to get the edges to engage. Once we had that, we worked on dropping the hip into the turn in order to get the separation and more drive from the skis.  This is something that was beginning to come towards the end of the week and I found that my left footer (ski bum talk for turning to the right) was rather whippy. Check out this video here. (Sorry for the nerdy paragraph)

This was my first camp where we had the support from a phyiso (Chris.) Chris was in charge of pre morning activation, which had us working on activating all the appropriate muscles and getting us ready for the days training.  This for me, involved me foam rolling, stretching and working on activating my glutes (bum) muscles. He also ran the recovery sessions and made sure we were all in fit for the next day.  The recovery sessions usually involved some gentle stretching and foam rolling. One day we went for a swim in an outdoor pool which although was meant to be thermal fed and the day being hot, the water was not! The purpose was to relax the muscles and keep us in tip top shape. As you can see…….we took recovery very seriously :p

I learnt a lot about my own body on this camp and Chris was keen to give more information to improve my gym sessions at home. We found that due to my hip position I struggle to get separation on one side and this is something I am working on to correct.   Following on from this I have been invited to train with the team on a dryland camp at Bishom Abbey in Marlow for this weekend.  This is organised by EIS (English Institute of Sport) and should give me a great understanding of my strengths and weaknesses and help me correct my body position.

I will update you all on how the two days training at Bishom goes and my further plans for development this summer. The next training camp is indoor at Wittenberg Germany on August 14^th for a week and I am excited to get back on the snow and put some of what I have learnt into practice.

Thanks

Alex

 x

 If anyone would like to sponsor my cause please click here

Or email me on alexclarke1992@outlook.com

The end of one era and beginning of another

On May 22^nd I finished university. I have finally handed in all my University work and I am currently on tenterhooks waiting for the remainder of my results. It is a strange feeling to have finally finished University; one minute I am overwhelmed with a big sigh of relief and the other moment I am frustrated and bored with the lack of things to do. This is also underpinned by the fact I have to join the big wide world now and find my place in society. I graduate on Monday July 13^th and I start my job in London in September. Before all that I have 3 Months to find a house in London and of course spend as much time skiing as possible :). So for this summer I have planned a programme for development. 

This has been backed by a very exciting opportunity from ChillFactore.  Jack Peters and myself have been very lucky as we have been have been picked for the Chillfactore Sponsored Skier Scheme. This gives slope time and race training and other benefits such as strength and conditioning/nutrition advice. I am very grateful of this offer and would like to take this opportunity to thank Chillfactore again for this.  

Following on from this I have also received support from Simply Gym with a complementary membership for use of gym facilities. Again I would like to take this opportunity to thank simply Gym for their support. I definitely have no excuses now.  

With the rare opportunity of having 3 spare months to do with as I please, I have taken it upon myself to focus solely on ski development for these months. I have taken advice from coaches, friends and family in order to maximise my development. This involves gym time, slope time and time abroad on the mountain. I am aiming for 6 hours a week skiing (minimum), involving dedicated time with a coach and free skiing, working on drills and technique (I am currently writing this, sat in my salopettes after a beasting from my coach, Steve.)  I am also aiming to get away on a mountain (subject to cost and conditions) to work on consistency and to try and match the bulletproof ice that I experienced in Italy.  I have recently spoken with my team coach from the British Disabled Ski Team (Euan Bennett) and we are currently organising some time with the team abroad.

Steve and I have recently been working on ski edge control with the aim to get more separation (of my body), to provide a bigger edge angle. He is constantly trying to push me to my limits. Today for example, he had me single turn carving with one outrigger (with one ski crutch.) This involved going up the lift, getting off the lift and getting to the slope with one outrigger. Which in itself is a big enough task, when I am used to using two crutches for everything.  The first attempt was rather sketch to say the least, Steve used the word “worried”, a word he doesn’t use very often but after taking a shallower line I soon relaxed into it and found it a great drill. One I hope to practice on my own…..getting up when I fall over will be a problem but I will cross that bridge when I come to it :).

My Chief Engineer (Dad) has also been very busy recently; he has been designing and refining a new ski tip spreader for me.  We have been looking at edge angle, making sure we can get enough edge angle and to allow enough movement without making it too rigid or too soft. This is a fine line but we are slowly getting there and we are trying new designs every week (See pictures below).

I am glad to be back training and in a routine of going to the gym. The final stresses of university took precedence over gym time during the last few weeks but I am definitely making up for it. I am focusing a lot on stability and rehab,. This involves using a lot of the exercises I learnt from my training with Rob Graydon when I was still at university. I am also focusing on my fitness, lots of sprints and trying to improve my cardio….something I do not enjoy, but I am coming round to the idea.

So an exciting few months to come and I am hoping with the right commitment and programme it will bear fruits. I am hoping to be out training in Austria in July but unsure on exact dates. No doubt I will write another blog when I know more.

Thanks

Alex

x

 If anyone would like to sponsor my cause please click here

Or email me on alexclarke1992@outlook.com

The Austrian and Italian Championships

I am currently writing this as I drive through Germany (I am a passenger.) We are heading to Rotterdam for the overnight ferry back to hull after a successful and tiring two weeks training and racing.

The fortnight has got to be one of the most successful and productive trips I have been on, for myself personally.  A lot has changed during the trip and as the trip went on I found out quite a lot about myself as well.

There was a small group of guys on the trip, without the effeminate touch of a woman, we soon descended into chaos. The table was rife with banter and we laughed and joked our way through the trip.

For the first week in Saalbach we had a coach called Ross. Ross was great and had a brilliant way of putting things across and was willing to go out of his way for you. Saalbach is a large resort and we were staying in the Hinterglemm part. For most of the week we were training on the world cup course, a much steeper pitch than I have trained on before and there were some different cambers to play around with. As mentioned in my previous blog he had us getting some mileage on the first day and then some Giant Slalom gate training on the second day. As the week went on he understood how we worked more and more and pushed us further and further. 

One of the things I struggle with is keeping my skis apart, as my hips tend to turn in. I have to really focus on keeping the skis wide. This means I am normally focussing on that and cannot focus on the drills. This problem is increased when travelling at speed or on a steeper slope, which can make racing a problem.

After a few long days, eating a lot of powder and being exhausted, Ross suggested that I try tethering the tips of my skis together with a solid piece of either metal or plastic. This is something I had not thought about, I had thought about tying them with string but not with something that is solid. Unlike other standing classifications, I am allowed to tie my tips together in order to help with turning. Ross assured me to keep an open mind and a few days later after trying a few different things, I had some big holes in my skis (much to the horror for my coach at home) and we botched together a ski brace.  The benefits were instantly seen and I was able to throw myself down a giant slalom course and just focus on the line, whilst getting faster and faster.

If you would like to see that please click here.

Giant slalom quickly became my favourite discipline; I love being able to let the skis run, whilst looking for the fastest way down the mountain. Just wait till I get on a set of speed skis, don’t think my mother will approve of that one though!

Justin (another coach) joined us just before race day and was there to share the load with Ross for race day and to take over after, taking us to the Italian Champs.  Justin was great, he was a real down to earth guy that was up for a laugh and made training fun but could draw the line between work and play. A great trait to have in a coach.

Race day came; the first day was Giant Slalom. There were some big names in the sport competing and the course looked pretty intense. Markus Salcher the current world number 3# in Giant Slalom was competing and Thomas Grocher another one of the worlds best. It was great to be competing alongside some of the worlds best, even if I knew I would be nowhere near their time (for now :).) The course consisted of around 40 gates there was a top section that was quite simple, the course dropped onto a steep right turn through a fast section. I nearly fell over on inspection due to the camber, which made me instantly wary and think about a different approach to this bit. I was one of the last men’s standing to go and time seem to stand still. I dropped onto the course and the feeling of exhilaration came back to me from landgraaf in November and I focussed on just nursing the skis down. The first few gates went well, I was taking a wider line than I had in training in order to be sure I was in control and ready for the steeper section.  I dropped onto the steep right turn, I over rotated slightly and ended up backwards at one bit but managed to pull it back and get back on track. A couple more mistakes later, nearly tripping over my outriggers, due to the nerves, I got to the last section. A steep section with 3 turns then a straight line towards the finish.  Dropping onto the last section I pressed hard through my outriggers and through my feet in order to get them round and keep on the line. I came to the last turn and my skis were pointed for the finish line, I was overwhelmed, overwhelmed that much that I forgot how to stop and had to crash. Not the Didier Cuche style of finish but a finish, none the less.   

After a few moments of celebrating with friends and family I prepared for my second run.  Due to weather conditions, we had a second run of the same course, there was no inspection and we were straight into it.  Not quite judging the times right we were at the start gate a lot earlier than we had expected, it was cold and was starting rain/sleet. Cat suits are not warm to say the least, I was wrapped in a blanket and was trying my best to keep warm - a flask would have been greatly appreciated at that moment!

I started my second run, cold but eager to get down. Unfortunately due to the mechanics of my ski brace my skis crossed at the tip slightly, stopping me from being able to press to turn, causing me to fall. I was gutted but I had to look at what I had achieved so far. I had managed to ski a Giant Slalom on a World Cup Course. I also fell on a section on the toughest section of the run.

The slalom the next day was not as fruitful but there were still positives to take. The course itself looked quite decent but the start gate was steep and required quick feet. Unfortunately hitting a bump on the way down I ended up in the powder causing me to slip. Needless to say I was gutted but I picked myself up, analysed my approach and learnt from it.

We got back to training the next few days with Justin in charge, we spent the first few days practicing slalom and then we were back on the Giant Slalom skis. The conditions were crisp in the morning but softened by mid afternoon. Justin was getting me to get my ski more in the fore line in order to increase speed and make it easier to turn.  I found my speed increased dramatically as the week went on and I was moving more and more on the ski. If you would like to see some videos from training:

Click here for Slalom

Click here for Giant Slalom

There are some good bails on some of the videos…enjoy :)

There were no rest days so recovery was taken seriously, I was foam rolling twice a day and making sure to eat plenty and get enough sleep.  After one of the training sessions we all went to a spa in Kaprun. Being eligible for the higher tier of discount plus the benefits of a free plus one, it would be rude not too take advantage of this. We were let loose in a Spa with access to heated outdoor/indoor swimming pools, relaxation rooms, saunas, steam rooms, salt pools and slides.  This is all with the aim of relaxing the muscles to enable me to ski to a higher standard of course J.

 We drove to Italy on the Friday, driving down through the Bolzen Pass for around 4 -5 hours. I drove down with Jack; we followed the van until the Sat Nav started working again, and then drove on ahead. 

There was some stunning scenery in Italy and it was hot. There was one thing in the back of our minds during the whole journey though, where is the snow?

We arrived in Folgaria and after a miss match with addresses we finally arrived at the hotel, there was snow on the runs and the courses looked like they had been well prepared for the race. The night we arrived saw icy winds and freezing cold temperatures the morning of the race was crisp to say the least.

First day was Slalom, a chairlift to the top, I soon realised I was skiing on something I had never skied on before. The piste was like bulletproof glass, due to the race preparations and the icy winds from the night before.

Unfortunately due to the conditions I wasn’t able to get enough edge angle I slipped out on the third or fourth gate in.

The second day of Giant Slalom saw better conditions but there were a few equipment problems and my tether bar broke mid run. I ended up getting wrapped up in a safety net. It was quite funny actually, I was like a fly wrapped in a spiders web and I had about 7 course attendants trying to unravel me and my skis.

Although disappointed from not completely finishing a race it has been an invaluable experience. I learnt a lot about myself particularly in terms of my physical abilities and personal preferences,  and my skiing increased dramatically. I will finish a race eventually; I am getting stronger and faster every day I ski. I can do it in training and I have skied some fast runs I just need to get that into the race. I will pass that finish line and then my target will be on the horizon for me to work at.

I will take what I have learnt and come back stronger then ever.  Steve my coach at home has already received my list of things I want to work on.

Overall the team did well, John Dickinson and his guide Jack Davey were really on form coming back with 3 Gold Medals and a Silver in Slalom and Giant Slalom gave them a great end to the season. This draws the end to the 2014/2015 season and now the training for the next year begins.  

         

Thanks

Alex

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 If anyone would like to sponsor my cause please click here

Or email me on alexclarke1992@outlook.com