My little cousin Gregory and his sixth grade classmates have been sending me some fantastic questions, so I am going to incorporate the latest round into this blog post and recap my race day at the Olympics a little as well as some overall reflections. I’ll also include lots of photos at the end, so if that’s what you’re into feel free to skip the writing :)
Questions:
What is it like to be in the Olympics?
Great question. I definitely had more of the surreal “Woah I’m at the Olympics moments when I went in 2018, perhaps because it was my first time or maybe because I was younger and it all happened so quickly! But this time around, I really tried to enjoy it as much as possible. I talked with the other Team USA athletes in our village, met so many of the amazing Team USA staff and took full advantage of the resources like unlimited snacks and free massages! I explored the village culture center, game room, hair salon!, and even tried my first KFC at the 24/7 free KFC and Pizza Hut in the village. I also wasn’t incredibly stressed, because honestly the Olympics are a lot less challenging than normal World Cup races that I have been doing all year round. So for the most part, I went through my normal training day routines and enjoyed the afternoons with friends and teammates. I know I’ve said this before, but the days flew by.
What does it mean to you emotionally?
To be very honest, I don’t think it’s totally sunk in that I have now gone to two Olympics. I think this is partly because there’s still a lot left I want to accomplish. So while I’m proud of the work I’ve put in, I’m still excited to keep working hard and show the world how fast I can be! The best part of this Olympics for me, by far!!!! has been sharing it with all of you. I absolutely love skiing and think it’s a really challenging and beautiful sport so its very cool for me to see so many other people I know watching and enjoying it.
Is it scary? Do you get nourvas? (Leaving the original spelling :))
Downhill can definitely be a little scary. There are some races that have felt more scary than others, and some random days I get more nervous for the safety aspect than others, usually if I’m feeling tired or not totally in it mentally. But these days I just drink some Red Bull or listen to very hype music! And what I always try to remind myself is that confident, aggressive skiing is not only faster but also safer, so its counter productive to be scared. Instead, I focus on what technical things I need to think about to ski well. In fact, trying to focus as much as possible on the skiing is a pretty big theme for me this year when it comes to mental approach. Obviously easier said than done, but I think its good practice to try to diminish the ‘noise’ may that be self doubt, nerves, politics, etc.
I also wasn’t especially nervous for my slalom run (although in hindsight I probably should have been because it was quite difficult to make it down). I think this is because I didn’t have high expectations because I haven’t skied slalom at all, so I truly was just trying to focus on solid skiing. I watched my slalom run the other day from a recording my family sent in our group chat, and I honestly don’t remember the run at all. I think I was just in autopilot, doing everything I could to stay on line. Definitely not my best performance, but at the same time, historically my slalom finish rate is pretty low, so it worked for finding the finish line.
What training did you go through?
A lot! At the Olympics we trained almost every day, but the lifts were soooo slow so we only got about 4-6 runs each day, which is not a lot. It would probably take a whole blog post to write about all the training its taken to get to the Olympics. But I’ll just say that with skiing we don’t get that much time when we are actually on the hill in the course training, so what I’ve learned the past couple years is the importance of being very intentional with the little time we do get. I try to always have a plan of what I’m trying to accomplish and how I’m going to approach it. This goes for on snow training, recovery, drylands, nutrition - everything.
Was it a lifetime goal like eddie the eagle?
I don’t think so? I never grew up thinking “I want to go to the Olympics.” It was always I want to go faster, or beat this person, or make it to this next step (beat William, go to regionals, make U16 Nationals, qualify for the team, score WC points etc.) But with that being said, it’s a pretty cool milestone, so I do think it feels like validation for all the hard work I’ve put in. But again, I still have bigger goals! Ultimately, my goal for this season and moving forward is to try to do everything possible to set myself up for success when I’m in the start gate, and then to give each run 100% effort. I have result-based goals too, but sometimes it’s not super productive for me to get too obsessed with those.
Overall, I’m very proud of the work I’ve put in so far and so thankful for the amazing opportunities I have had. I’m trying to appreciate every minute of it and share as much as possible.
I also want to note that I am super thankful the Olympics were even able to happen. It was quite incredible what China was able to pull off with the Olympic Games. Everything was very seamless and efficient and all the volunteers were unbelievably kind and helpful. It is still amazing to think about how much money, time and effort went into making the games a success.