Hi everyone,
First of all, Happy new year :)
I hope everyone had a good Christmas and New year, and is
finally settled back into the normal routine. I had a great Christmas and New
Year, I don’t feel like I have rested but I wouldn’t change it. You know when you are officially a ‘grown up’
when you receive new ties and work shirts for Christmas :)
On Boxing day my parents and I flew out to Austria for 8
days in Zell am See. We then moved onto Rinn (near Innsbruck) for 2 days
racing. Zell am See is a very
picturesque resort, with a huge Lake in the middle surrounded by mountains.
When we got there it came apparent very quickly there was a severe lack of snow,
but the resort had done very well to keep many of the runs open.
We stayed in Haus Ashling, which is owned by an Irish couple
Eugene and Margaret, they brought a family feel to the hotel, which made a very
relaxed atmosphere. They also had a hot tub that overlooked the mountains,
which was AMAZING!!!
The first few days of a new resort I always struggle with, I
don’t know if it’s my confidence or trying to get my ski legs back, but I am
always a bit tentative. My goal for the trip was to get a higher hip position
and increase my endurance, allowing me to ski on more terrain, for longer.
The third day was awesome. We ventured all over the
mountain, skiing roughly 20km in a couple of hours, I even skied my first black
run :) I had a lot of fun and this was probably the furthest I have ever skied
in such a short amount of time. Unfortunately this ruined my back for the next
few days and I struggled with pain due to tightness in the lower muscles and vertebrae’s….the
hot tub came in very handy.
For our recovery programme we were lucky enough to find a
spot next to Lake Zell. We spent time
with the agility cones, trying to get quicker movement through the feet and
keep driving forward. We also spent quite some time jumping and hopping, I am
not sure what the locals thought to a guy on crutches trying to hop, but it
certainly got some interesting looks.
We had the benefit of spending New Year in this amazing
place. My parents and I had a relaxed evening going out for a meal and then
headed back up to Haus Ashling to watch the fireworks from the hotel with the
rest of the guests. The fireworks were incredible and lasted for over an hour,
it was a great start to the New Year and will be something I never forget.
My skis have taken a bit of a battering of the last year,
those of you that have seen my skis will say that is a bit of an
understatement. The poor snow conditions dealt the final blow, snapping off
part of the edge and leaving me with very little/no grip. I had ordered some new ones at the beginning
of December but due to a number of reasons they hadn’t arrived yet. This posed a problem for the upcoming race. I
have a special attachment to keep my skis apart (a solid tether), which is
actually drilled through the top of each ski, which makes borrowing skis a
problem. Justin (coach) kindly said he
would let me borrow his skis. This meant I would have to use a clip on tether
to keep my skis apart that was made of rope, rather than a solid fixed tether.
This is something I have not skied with for quite a while.
On the 3rd of January we travelled to Rinn near
Innsbruck to compete in two slalom races. A Day & a night slalom. The events are put on as part of the Roll
Rinn festival, which is a charity festival that raises money for children with
disabilities in Austria. The first event was the night slalom; this is
the first time I have skied in night slalom. The resort is so small there was
only time to practice before the course was set. I tried Justin’s skis using a
tether but I did not feel comfortable on these and quickly resorted back to my
old knackered skis. Although they had fewer grips, I was more confident on
these. I was looking forward to the race but at the same time I had very little
confidence in my equipment, which brought on some doubt in my mind.
As the light faded, the course was illuminated by huge floodlights,
signalling the start of inspection. We inspected the course, it looked good,
there were 3 rollers and the snow was a bit soft, which was perfect for the
equipment I was on. Feeling less doubtful, I queued up in the start gate. This
is the first time I have actually un-clipped from skis in the start area and
found this made me relax much easier and I was able to activate the right
muscles. Shortly after the first racer dropped in, it started to snow. My
number neared, so I stripped down to my cat suit and lined up in the gate, the
start referee nicknamed me superman because of my second name, which made me
laugh, easing the tension. I dropped in and started my run. The snow was soft
and was starting to rut, turning the course into a mogul field. My run was
rather sketchy to say the least but I made it down, increasing my confidence
dramatically. The second run came round; the snow had hardened slightly due to
the decreasing temperature but it was still snowing. I dropped in aiming to get
my body position higher and really drive the ski forward, I made it down and
finished in 15th Place. I was happy :) As the last skier crossed the finish line this did not see the end of the
evening The organisers had put on live bands, fashions parades and great food
all in the aid of charity….it was quite a spectacle and was a great event to
attend. 
The second day came round, I was exhausted from getting bac
John Dickinson Lilley and his guide Jack Davey finished in 2nd
place for the Visually Impaired category and Michael Kear and Rufus Alcott
finished in third place on both days. Well done to everyone and great few days.
Following on from my last post I thought I would give a bit
of an update on Jeffrey Stuut. Jeff (pictured right) is now out of hospital and is on the mend,
he spent some time with family over Christmas but is currently in the Papendal National Training Centre in Veluwe. He has been on the anti gravity running
machine and is making good progress. Currently running at 60% his body weight.
He is very keen to come back stronger than ever. Best wishes for him for the
New Year.
So what’s next for me? I am now back at work and right in
the thick of it. I am chasing down my new skis, eager to get back on the boards.
My next races are in March but before then I am trying to ski as many weekends
as I can. I am also seeing a Chiropractor 3 times a week to sort out my body
position & posture. I had my first adjustment last Friday and feel this
will make a big difference. Speak soon
Love
Alex
x
If anyone would like to sponsor my cause please click here
Or email me on alexclarke1992@outlook.com
