Hi all,
I am back home in MN after the conclusion of World University Games and am getting ready for the next race in February (which is here in Minneapolis)!
For this blog, I thought I’d share some “behind the scenes” pictures/descriptions. The reality of being a skier is that the actual racing part takes up a very low percentage of my time. For this event, I raced 3 times over a span of 12 days - meaning a lot of down time.
Outside of training, racing, or working, the social aspect of this trip made it one of the best weeks of my year - the people I get to spend time with are ultimately the biggest reason skiing is worth it to me. Here are some highlights.
Dining Hall
The majority of each day was spent in the dining hall. We could come in whenever and however often, and the food was different every night, very high quality, and plentiful. We would sit down for dinner around 5:30, and leave around 8:30. I was rarely in there for less than 2 hours, and more of this time was spent laughing than eating. Long dinners with good people are all I need, I think.
They made two enormous pies for Annie's birthday. Most of the team had left by this point (late Sunday), so the 5 of us here at dinner did what we could...
Pad thai, pot stickers, broccoli, mochi, Midwest pals
Recovery
We were staying at the US Olympic and Paralympic Training Center which had a lot of options for recovery! Foam rollers, Normatec, massage, sauna, cold tub, PT, game ready, etc. No good excuse not to be recovered in that place.
Here we sat in the sauna and tortured ourselves in the cold tub to do some "contrast therapy." I'm a big believer in the sauna, not sold on the cold tub (it hurts)
Nina went for the full-body Normatec compression treatment. Yes, she was fully trapped in there. She may have been in danger if she needed to move for any reason, but luckily things went smoothly and she just came out super recovered instead.
Spectating
We got to watch some other sports in our down time!
Here we were in THE arena where "Miracle on Ice" happened. Unfortunately, no such miracle happened this time, and we lost to Canada 7-2 during the gold medal match. I guess if it had to be somebody, Canada was a good country to lose to...
On our way to watch ski jumping. I am convinced you have to be crazy to do that sport. It was very cool and the jump looked bigger in real life.
I am lucky to be teammates with Erin. She had a great week, I think it was because I carried her everywhere for 12 days - seriously.
Our jackets made it clear who we were cheering for on the hill! But if they didn't, it was USA
Meeting International Skiers
It was fun to meet some athletes from other countries. The closing ceremonies and dance party at the end were the best opportunities for this.
Erin traded her hat and jacket for an Italian hat and Norwegian jacket. I traded my hat for the Norwegian hat. A success!
Lake Placid did a great job making Main Street into a party. We made our way home, boarded the 2am shuttle to the airport, and just like that the event was over. It was one to remember.
Women's team USA: Renae, Kendall, Sophia, Marge, Annie, Anabel, Lucy, Erin
Til next time,
-Renae
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