Procrastinating to Partition

I'm listening to Beyoncé and should be working on my science project that's due in two days, but instead, I'm going to blog. After all, a lot has happened since January 3rd, when I wrote my last post.

Finals week, a ski race, and the Super Bowl. Among other things, of course.

First, let me rant about this amazing week in which I had an average of two tests a day, trained for two hours on the hill, and finished assignments while studying late, very late, into the night. I can't exactly remember when the first semester ended. Sometime in early January, I think. Making up tests the last week of the quarter wasn’t the best idea. Lack of sleep made that week a blurry one.

Now for the ski race. We left last Friday, the 30th, around 11 AM. The U-16 team and above traveled together in a huge Le Bus. Just picture us rolling up to the spot in one of these puppies.

Photo courtesy of Lebus.com

That night we spent most of our time in the tuning room, prepping our GS skis for the race on Saturday. The boys were running slalom the next day, which was an extra bonus. Both genders would run at the same time, which mean the race would take a considerable less amount of time, and started later. That weekend I slept in more than I had for over a month. Until seven o'clock!

The first day Ariana Davis got second in the GS among U-18s, and Charlotte Townshend got 4th in the U-16s. As for the men, Romain Astie got 5th in the U-18s. Scottie McGrath topped the podium in the U-16s, followed by Ben Lawson in 4th. Click here to view men's SL results from that day, and here to view ladies' GS results. 

Sunday's results were just as good, if not better than Saturday's. Ben Lawson got first in the GS among U-16s, and Shane Cumming got 9th. Ariana Davis got first in the U-18s, and third overall. I got second in the U-16s, fifth overall, and Charlotte Townshend finished third in the U-16s and 6th overall! Click here to view ladies' SL results and here for the men's GS results. It was a super fun weekend, and the races were a memorial for Laura Flood and Cheeso. 

Now let's talk football. Of course, the race was the same weekend as the XLIX Super Bowl. This meant that the game was going on during our 6-7 hour bus ride back to Park City. We all ended up huddling around Jack's phone for the whole thing, including our coaches. And the last play was one to remember. Throwing a pass at the 1 yard line... I don't even know what to say. The Seahawks even had a timeout left. Not that I'm upset. PATRIOTS FOR THE WIN!

Tough Temperatures

Anyone who lives in Park City, or has visited for at least three weeks, knows how often and fast the weather can change here. One minute you're freezing your butt off in the snow and the next, sunshine cooks every part of your body. I've had my share of these insane weather conditions during the fourteen years that I've been living in Park City, but I don't think it's had enough of me.

For the past week, the PCST U-16s have been training on lower payday run. According to AccuWeather, Tuesday's high temperature was 12º with a low of -9º. With wind chill, the temperatures could have reached -15º. I was hurling myself down a snow covered hill at 9 am, in NEGATIVE FIFTEEN DEGREE WEATHER. It's a miracle that my face didn't freeze off, let alone my toes, which I couldn't feel after the first run. Thankfully Tina, one of my coaches, had a vaseline stick that we passed around and lathered on our faces. But it wasn't over yet.

The next day, it proved to be a little warmer. When I say little, I mean miniscule. The high temperature was 14º and the low temperature was -5º, leading to a wind chill temperature of -15º. After Tuesdays brutal conditions, I came prepared. Three packets of hand warmers, four extra coats, and 3 buffs. Although they did help, the cold air seemed to find ways through all the layers, keeping the constant chill I had those couple of days.

One of the frigid mornings under the Town Lift

Now for the other side of the spectrum. My team and I went to the Utah Olympic Park this afternoon, after free skiing at PCMR. The training there is always productive, with a short hill and a pommel lift to the top. The high temperature at the hill was near 25 or 30 degrees, which felt like summer for us. This led to training the course with full strips (nothing but speed suits on) and even t-shirts. The coaches at the bottom were pleading to be sprayed with snow. How did this happen? Less than 24 hours ago we were dreaming of warm weather.

This is just one of the many examples of Park City's crazy, spontaneous weather. I wonder what mother nature has in store for this town next...

Winter Wonderland

This is something that I get excited about. I love to ski, and obviously that can't be done without the best thing on Earth- snow. Don't get me wrong, I love the summer. I also love the fall, and crisp, cold weather, but what's the point of it if there's no snow?

There is none!

Most Treasure Mountain students would be able to see the white, sparse, and almost invisible flecks of snow floating towards the ground if they glanced out of their classroom window last Monday. Someone told be about it in the hall and I immediately ran into my next classroom to see if the rumor was true. Sure enough, if I squinted I could make out the snowflakes. YES! Thank you mother nature, I really needed something to get excited about.

But this was just the tip of the ice berg. This morning I dragged myself out of bed around nine and was shocked to see thousands of big clumps of snow falling to the ground like a waterfall. Now THIS is winter. It looked like a fluffy three inches had already stuck to the balconies and picnic table, which means there is probably 6 to 12 inches at the top of Park City Mountain Resort. Powder skiing here we come!

Taken around 9:30 am

I don't want to be the one to break this to you, but you shouldn't get your hopes up. According to The Weather Channel, the weather will clear up this week. It's back to muddy grass and slushy streets in Park City. Hopefully we'll start to have a lot more days like this one as the upcoming winter begins!

SÖLDEN

Last weekend, the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup opener was held on Rettenbach Glacier in Sölden, Austria. A lot of firsts happened during this race, including the Park City local, Ted Ligety, placing 10th in a race that he had won for the past three years.

Ligety pulled into the finish after his first run in second place, with a .40 second lead over Alexis Pinturault. In his second run, he made a mistake on the pitch before the flats and lost those crucial milliseconds, giving him a 2:31.11 to end the day in 10th. Alexis Pinturault finished third with a 2:30.15, Fritz Dopfer grabbed the silver with a 2:29.67, and Marcel Hirscher topped the podium with a 2:28.09. (Result times courtesy of FIS.)

Hirscher shredding this weekend in Sölden.
Photo courtesy of Yahoo

The women also had an interesting race. Mikaela Shiffrin, a 19 year old prodigy US skier, took the lead after the first run with a .09 second lead over Anna Fenninger. After the second run, Mikaela came through with her first Giant Slalom victory with a 2:39.85. Co-victory, that is. Fenninger clocked in the exact same time as Shiffrin, stepping up on top with the teen. Fellow Austrian teammate Eva-Maria Brem took the bronze with a 20:30.10. (Result times courtesy of FIS.)

Although the tie did upset me, I was so happy about this race. Mikaela is a phenomenal skier and I'm so excited to see where she goes from here. The fact that she is winning world cups at 19 years old is crazy!

Stay tuned for the opening World Cup Slalom race! Coming up this November in Finland.

Women's podium this weekend in Sölden.
Photo courtesy of http://www.longines.com

Update

This past two months have gone by crazy fast. Fall ball, ski team camping trips, Super 7s, and all of the dryland training began one day and seemed to end the next. 

Park City fall ball consists of one practice a week and a couple scrimmages to finish it off. Last Monday was our last official practice, and tonight will be our first scrimmage! Be at Matt Knoop Field at 5:30 pm to watch the upcoming PC lacrosse team take on Jordan. You might also catch a glimpse of me flailing around in goal.

Super 7s pick up games ended last week. These were fun scrimmages against the other HS teams, with just 7 girls on the field from each team (not including the goalie). Coaches weren't allowed to be there and parents weren't allowed to advise the players. This was the time for teams to bond and build their teamwork! Park City had to split into two teams since we have a large number of players- you can view the rosters here. Both teams played great, but Park City Black won the championships against Brighton!

Super 7s is also a great time to try new things and practice plays or moves in low-stake games. For me, this was practicing goalie. Coming into the spring lacrosse season at Park City High School, the position of goalie is currently vacant. And since I played goalie in the Junior league last year, I'm looking to split the position with Madeline Komisar, a new-comer to lacrosse. We'll see how that all works out...

Dryland training led up to USSA Testing (held at the CEO) last Sunday, the 12th. This was a standardized test for ski team athletes, and included tests like movement ability, vertical jump, tri-jump, box jumps, and a pacer test. The pacer test was a bust because of the rain- it was moved inside to the gym, where tennis shoes slide all over the place while pivoting. As for PCST dryland, it will continue into the winter season with indoor workouts. 

PC Lacrosse teammates Ellie and Hannah with assistant varsity coach, Kass Lemons

Introduction...

I'm a 14 year old girl with a way too busy schedule. School, sports, family, and friends barely leave time for sleeping and eating. However, that's what keeps me entertained. There is never (well... never say never) a dull moment in my chaotic life.

School is one of the main aspects of my life. I guess if you do something for eight hours every day, it becomes quite important. Math. Biology. Geography. English. Art. Spanish. Then there's the complication with my school and sports schedule.

Another slot in my schedule goes to sports. Running, hiking, biking, swimming, and sailing. Lacrosse and skiing, however, are the main sports that I play. Since lacrosse season is in the spring, tryouts for JV and Varsity lacrosse teams aren't until mid-winter. Instead, I am currently playing in Super 7's and Fall Ball. I am also on a club team called Mamaci. Skiing is another one of the main sports in my life. Not only do I ski with friends and family leisurely, I also ski race competitively with the Park City Ski Team. Our season starts even before the mountain opens, "dry land" training in strength, agility, and more. Once the mountain does open, we're training to prepare for the many races to come. 

Photo courtesy of skiracing.com and washingtonpost.com.

As for my family, we're all a lot alike. My mom and dad met at Snowbird, a ski resort here in Utah where they were both exploring the world and what it has to offer. My older sister is a kind, athletic overachiever who puts family first. As for my little brother, he's just a mess.