Season Over - Post Season Ice Training Well Received

Following the conclusion of the season that saw me ranked 10th overall on the ICC and 33rd on the World stage the development squads were sent to Park City in Utah for 2 weeks of post season training. This was somewhat of a novelty as we very rarely get the chance to slide without the pressure of races or selection decisions and was an opportunity I very much relished and enjoyed.

With this being the debut season on my new sled, nicknamed Rita we had had very little oppportunity to discover optimum settings with runner selections, the amount of weight I could use within the sled etc therefore this opportunity of an extra 40 runs over these two weeks was vital to me learning a lot in how I could maximise my abilities on it. It also enabled me to get back to basics, to get back to the enjoyment slide of sliding and to work on my aerodynamic form on the sled as I had developed a tendency to be quite slack in this department.

The tweaking and getting back to basics worked well, of the 6 athletes we had out there I had the fastest top speed and best downtime. One of my downtimes was even a personal best which was only half a second off of the track record, even more positively this was off of a relatively slow pushstart, meaning there was plenty more to come! All in all a very successful spell of sliding and one that will hopefully see me come on leaps and bounds for selections next season in October.

Until then the season for me is now officially over. I will hopefully be moving back to Bath in the next few weeks to start training again, work outside of skeleton is starting up again to cover living expenses and I am looking at doing my Personal Training qualifications to start giving me employment opportunities both whilst I am competing and for when I eventually retire!

Many thanks to all those who have wished me well this season and to my friends, family and girlfriend who have been ever supporting and understanding through my continued hard work! Here's to an enjoyable and productive offseason! :)

Enjoying the gorgeous weather and quick track in Park City, Utah.