Editor’s note – we had hoped to post this on Friday, but had some issues with the images that has been resolved.
I am writing this update on Friday December 10th from Davos, Switzerland where I will be competing in the skate sprint tomorrow! This will be my third weekend in a row of World Cup racing. My first weekend I did the Classic sprint in Ruka Finland. I had a solid race but I didn’t make the rounds which made it a short day. This motivated me for the next weekend where I raced the skate sprint in Lillehammer, Norway and I made the heats! I had a blast getting in the mix with the best in the world. I ended up last in my heat but I learned a lot and I know I can improve on that as the season goes.
I learned in this heat how important it is to be assertive in heats. If I try to merge over too slowly someone will close that space and I will end up behind. Every experience I get on the world cup is a huge opportunity for me to become a better racer. I like this because it’s something that is not result dependent. If I am having a good, medium, or bad race, I am still learning how to be a better racer and honestly, I think I might learn more when its medium to bad because I probably made a mistake that I can improve on. I am also quite motivated by having races that aren’t everything that I hoped because I want to try again.
In other updates from life on the road, I would like to point out just how incredible America is skiing as whole! We have had two podiums and quite a few people making it into the points! It is exciting for the US to be starting the season off in such a strong position. We have also been having fun off the race track as well. We have several bakers in the group (not me but I have benefited from some cookies, muffins and even birthday cake!). We have some good TV shows going on in the evenings, such as Ted Lasso and Game of Thrones. And quite a few have made it out for some evening sledding.
I have been enjoying reading some books on my kindle in the evenings and talking to my friends and family on the phone from home. Myself and many of the other college students have been finishing up our fall semesters this week, so there has been a lot of exams, presentations, and papers. So, it has been a busy but overall positive last few weeks. By the time you read this the races in Davos might be over and done with, but since it is the day before as I write this, I hope we have another good weekend for the US team!
So great to see the pictures and your positve attitude!!!!!! Beyond the clouds proud of you!!!! Sending a huge bundle of love and positive thoughts!!!!! As Grandpa would say “GO HANNAH GO”
Great to know you are “in the hunt” this season.
Who Is your coach at home and for you what are his strong points?
Hi Marty,
What an honor to get a comment from you here! I hope you are doing well. My home coach is Erik Flora with the Alaska Pacific Nordic Ski Center. For me, Erik is an incredible coach and has many strong points but I will focus on the ones I believe have had the greatest influence on me.
1. He keeps skiing simple. He has taught me that if you love skiing and you build a lifestyle around it, you will end up meeting your potential. Train a lot, eat a lot, and get enough rest and you will grow as a skier. There is no magic technique trick or special workout. The key is consistency.
2. He accepts you for who you are as a human. A lot of organizations say this, but it is special when you truly experience an environment without the subtle undertones of social hierarchy. If you want to be a respectful teammate and work towards your goals, Flora has made APU an environment where you can do that regardless of who you are.
3. He has never spent energy trying to push me to train more or harder. This is not to say that sometimes I didn’t need to do just that, he just has an understanding that if I was going to truly commit myself to this, it would have to come from me.