Tuesday, 19 April 2016

Swiss & British Champs Part II

We Arrived in Tignes. We stayed in an amazing apartment right at the bottom of the valley, this wasn’t ideal but due to the time of year, it had to do. It did mean we had a much higher quality apartment than we normally do. On-site pool, Jacuzzi and Sauna…which did have its benefits :) 

Tignes is quite a self-indulgent resort for myself, I have skied there a number of different times over the past couple of years and it is very satisfying to ski there. It provides a visual benefit on how much I have improved.
We had a few days free skiing, working on the fundamentals and our overall goals.  At this point, Tignes had become overrun with English people. There were a number of different races over the week, which meant there was always something interesting to watch.  
Training went well, I felt like I was getting a higher hip position and was able to influence the ski more. The pool and Jacuzzi definitely helped with this…

On the Thursday, I received a phone call from Andy Barlow saying he had just broken one of his outriggers, he had been racing in the French National champs and was just about to head to Tignes. He was going to need the borrowed outrigger back. The first race was on Saturday. I began to panic.  I rang up Tessier, which is the company in France that supply adaptive equipment. They said that the quickest delivery time is 2 days once the order has been made.  I explained the situation and they said the only other option would be to pick up the part myself (a two hour drive.)  I said I would call back once I had spoken to the coaches.  We finished the training session and just as I was packing my stuff up, my phone rang. It was Tessier again. They explained they had a client that was visiting La Rosiere (just round the corner) and would be willing to drop it off for me. MEGA !! I jumped at the opportunity. The gentlemen dropped it off a couple of hours later, free of charge and my payment hadn’t even cleared yet. Amazing Service!! I couldn’t believe my luck. I was back in business.

Saturday brought the start of the slalom. We were racing with the women’s able bodied. There was some fantastic skiers there and it was great to be skiing alongside them.  As the day started it was very much an us and them situation, but as the day went on, we all began to bond and really became a team. We all cheered each other and wanted everyone to do well.

It was the first time adaptive skiers have raced alongside able bodied. We were the first to go down.  I had been having problems with the bar on my skis that day that keep the skis tips apart. The extra movement I am getting from the chiropractor has changed my body that much that I need to look at new ways of doing things.

I dropped onto the course but just as I dropped in, my skis crossed due to my bar and I ended up sliding, missing the first gate…BUGGER. I put my outriggers into crutch mode and started to hike back up. John Clark one of the coaches shouted to me to “Push Alex” the next moment, the whole of the women’s able bodied were shouting “PUSH ALEX !” (This helped). I reached the gate, dropped back onto the course and started to ski back down. I was already out of breathe from the hike but I was taking deep breaths trying to recover.  I dropped onto the steep section, I was skiing quite well, I was active but I could feel myself tiring.  I got around half way down the steep section, My skis crossed because of the bar again, I ended up skiing a gate backwards (not intentional), catching myself off balance and throwing myself down the hill. It was quite a spectacular fall.  I got up ,skied two turns and straight lined it to the bottom to watch the rest of the race.  The end results for GB.
Womens VI
  1.  Menna Fitzpatrick and Jen Kehoe
  2.  Millie Knight and Brett Wild


Womens Standing
  1. Molly Griffith

Mens Vi
  1. John Dickinson-lilley and Jack Davey
  2. Michael kear and Rufus Allcott


Mens Standing
  1. James Whitley
  2. Matt Short
  3. Andy Barlow

Men’s Sitting

    2. Ben Sneesby
    3.Benji Milliard

As you can see it was very much a GB Podium :)

The second day brought the Giant Slalom. We were racing on the downhill course. This run is closed off to the public and has lots of terrain to deal with. It was a fantastic course, with a punchy start but I was very excited.

The weather had been cloudy and there was flat light for inspection which made it quite difficult to inspect.  As we queued in the start gate to start the race, the clouds parted and the sun came out.  I dropped in and after a few gates I really let the skis run. I was flying. I was making sure to finish my turn and trying my best to stand up to get more drive through the ski and to keep my weight forward. The course was awesome, I was loving every minute of it. I got to the last couple of gates, letting the skis run even more, I hit a bump in the snow and ended up hip sliding. I quickly pushed myself up, dropped in on the right side of the gate and passed the finish line. I was knackered but that was the best I have ever skied. I was proud to have skied like that and it was a good reflection on the year but I was frustrated I had fallen at the last gate.

(Photo Credit Racer Ready, Cannot be used without permission)

 We inspected the course for second run, it looked good. I could feel myself beginning to tire. I checked my ski spreader bar. It was twisted and was causing the skis to cross more. I rushed to the top and started trying to work on it. Abi Okell (the team physio) and John Clark worked tirelessly to get it ready for the next run. The start referee let me start a few numbers later in order to resolve the problems I had with the equipment.  I dropped in. I didn’t have confidence in the equipment that I wanted, so I was tentative (and tired.) I worked my way down the slope, making sure to look ahead and not get too focussed on my bar. I got to the bottom, exhausted but I made it. It was a small field but I managed to clinch a 4th place finish, which was awesome :)

 It was a great feeling to have come to the end of my most successful season yet. I have had some ups and some downs, some frustrations and elations but that is ski racing. I have never experienced a sport that is so challenging but so rewarding at the same time.
I strive for a challenge and I am motivated to keep on pushing to be the best I can be.

So what’s next for me ?
The chiropractor has had more of an impact on me than I realised, my personal goal at the moment is to improve my stamina to how it was and to go one step further. 

I am cycling more in order to do this and hoping to increase the intensity of this. We are currently working together to get the summer season plan together to understand when I am next on snow and my goals for next season.

I started my next placement on Monday 11th of April, I am working in Telephony, looking at the Post Office Homephone and Broadband offers. This is an exciting area and will be a great challenge.

Love
Alex

If anyone would like to sponsor my cause please click here
Or email me on alexclarke1992@outlook.com


 



Sunday, 10 April 2016

Swiss & British Championships Part 1

Well that’s it, we have come to the end of the 15/16 season and what a season it has been. Not only personally, but for the team as a whole. We have our first ever overall World Champion (Menna Fitzpatrick and Jen Kehoe) and we have our World Super G champion (Millie Knight and Brett Wild.)  Truly, a great year for adaptive sport.

The last two weeks of the season have been awesome, the sun was shining and the snow was great. My journey started off in Stubai, Austria. The team had been out in Mellau, Austria for the Austrian national champs but due to work commitments I joined a little later.  It was my first time in Stubai. I had the delight of being transferred from Innsbruck to Stubai in a brand new Porsche, I think I will start using Four Seasons transfers a bit more often ;)


The first day of training got off to an eventful start. On the first run I managed to completely snap one of the outriggers I use to ski with, completely in half. One of the lift operators helped me ski back down with one, luckily avoiding eating any powder.  Andy Barlow a  3 track skier from the Army team, had a spare that he kindly lent me.  I was back on the slope within the hour.


We spent 4 days training in Stubai, 2 days training slalom and 2 days training Giant Slalom. The training piste was one of the steepest pitches I have ever trained on but was a very fun hill. We stayed in a B&B which meant the team all cooked together. It is a great bonding opportunity for the team and although it takes its time and requires planning, I really enjoy it.

My goals for the fortnight was to achieve more drive through the turn and to provide more direction in order to control my speed more effectively.

To do this my focus points were:
-       Higher hip position
-       Earlier turn initiation
This was the first time I have properly skied since my chiropractic treatment and I hadn’t realised how much of an impact it has had on my body. I fatigued very quickly and found that all the extra feelings and messages I am getting from releasing the nerves, has had more of an impact than I thought. I wasn’t able to ski for as long as I had used to, but the quality was to a higher standard.
Training went well and the gates were a great challenge, especially when fresh snow had fallen and dictated even more that we were on the racing line.

On the Thursday, we moved from Austria to Obersaxen in Switzerland. This was for start of the Swiss National Championship. This was the first time I have stayed in Switzerland and I was really excited to ski here.  The Friday was the Europa Cup Finals for Giant Slalom. This is the next step in Adaptive racing from the league I am currently in. We had John Dickinson-lilley with his Guide Jack Davey and Kieran Nimmo racing.  John and Jack ended up coming 5th and Kieran came 17th a great finish with a competitive field.

Saturday and Sunday brought the National Championships Giant Slalom and Slalom. The weather was hot and the piste seemed really nice. It was a nice gradient with a variety of different terrain and rollers. Perfect for the level I am at and meant I could let the skis run.  After the first run, I had put down my best time ever, it wasn’t perfect but I was moving more and my time definitely reflected that. The second run came round, I was exhausted, I didn’t consciously know it, but my body was showing signs of fatigue. I got to the first drop off and my body just didn’t turn with my leg going into spasm and I ended up binning it into a pile of snow.  I got to the bottom and sat down and then I realised the extent of my fatigue.  The slalom on the second day was similar, the first run wasn’t perfect but there was definite signs of improvement with a quicker time, but as the second run came round I was fatigued and an over cautious start set me up badly for the next few gates and I ended up binning it. Frustrated, but I was starting to understand the situation with my body a bit more and the need for rest.
We moved from Switzerland to Tignes France with an overnight stop in Milano, Italy.  Euan’s (the coach) tetris skill was to an all-time high (see picture of number of bags needed to squeeze in one van.)  
This was for the Start of the British Championships. This is the first time GB have held an adaptive ski race and it was great to be part of this.





TO BE CONTINUED :) 


Much love

Alex

If anyone would like to sponsor my cause please click here

Or email me on alexclarke1992@outlook.com