The 2.5m of snow we encountered in Italy and subsequent World Cup cancellation back in December necessitated a make-up race at some other point in the season. Park City was chosen as the make-up race site. So, we trained Sunday to Tuesday and raced Thursday and Friday. I was really looking forward to this opportunity as Park City is one of my favourite and best tracks. Training went really well and I found a good feeling for the drive line so I was excited about my possibilities for the race.

The Park City push ramp is one that is very similar to Whistler except the ‘crest’ (where the track goes from almost flat to a steeper downhill gradient) is a bit more abrupt. I find it difficult to accelerate to the crest and then have my sled ‘fall off the edge of the table’ without losing my balance and momentum. The first race day was no exception – I did not push well and thought it was because of this scenario. Added to my poor push was a day of average driving performance for me. I made a couple of key errors on my first run and found myself in 9th position. Never one to throw in the towel, I knew I needed to slide better to get at least into the top 6. I did that, but just barely. I ended in a 3 way tie for 6th! This was only the 2nd time in my sliding career I have ever seen a 3 way tie and it was the second time of this season! Truly a testament as to how competitive Skeleton has become. I was disappointed by the end result because I had high hopes for myself coming in to Park City. I have won here before and thought I had a good chance to do that again.

Race day #2 arrived after a quick evening of sled preparation and recovery work. I knew I had to push better and drive better to have the chance of winning. One out of two ain’t bad…..? I drove very well and laid down two of my best runs of the year, unfortunately my push was not there. Physically I felt as flat as a pancake. I could not figure out what had happened – I had done all the right things to prepare for the push and just came out flat. The answer came to me a day later when I came down with a very bad cold. Evidently my body had been fighting the virus for a few days and it was weakening me without me really being aware of it. I was pleased with my performance on my sled and this gave me some good confidence looking forward to the World Championships in Lake Placid coming up in 10 days.

Statement from prominent Canadian Olympians: We, the following Canadian Olympians and Olympic hopefuls, wish to issue a statement of strong and ongoing support for the International Humanitarian Organization, Right To Play. The decision by the International Olympic Committee to exclude Right To Play from the Olympic village, and dissolve the memorandum of understanding that had existed previously, has been met with profound disappointment and regret. Right To Play is a humanitarian organization that is creating a safer and healthier world through the power of sport and play. Their mission – to improve the lives of children in the most disadvantaged areas of the world by using the power of sport and play for development, health and peace – is one that resonates profoundly with athletes and Olympians. Worldwide, Right To Play has over 400 athletes who support, advocate and drive awareness for the organization, believing firmly that Right To Play is making a difference in the world and improving the lives of children by strengthening their vulnerable communities with the best practices of sport and play. As athletes, we believe that one of the most effective ways of living the Olympic values and ideals is through humanitarian efforts and assistance to those in the world who are most in need. Right To Play, through its association and presence at the Olympic games has long provided athletes with this opportunity. Although disheartened and saddened by the decision to prevent Right To Play from having an official presence within the Vancouver 2010 and all future Olympic Games, we will proceed with unwavering support for Right To Play and continue to champion the organization. Please see the following list of Supporting Athletes:

• Adam Kreek
• Adam Van Koeverden
• Amanda Moreley
• Amanda Stepenko
• Amber Peterson
• Amy Walsh
• Andrew Byrnes
• Andrew Ference
• Anna Rice
• Annamay Pierse
• Arne Dankers
• Barney Williams
• Beckie Scott
• Ben Rutledge
• Benoit Huot
• Brent McMurtry
• Brian McKeever
• Brian Price
• Brittany Schussler
• Brittany Webster
• Cameron Baerg
• Cassie Campbell
• Chandra Crawford
• Chris Butler
• Chris Farstad
• Clara Hughes
• Colette Bourgonje
• Daria Gaiazova
• Darla Deschamps
• David Calder
• Denny Morrison
• Derek Porter
• Devon Kershaw
• Diedra Dionne
• Dominic Seiterle
• Drew Neilson
• Elin Holen De Capitani
• George Grey
• Hayley Wickenheiser
• Heather Mandoli
• Iain Brambell
• Jake Wetzel
• Jane Rumball
• Jason Myslicki
• Jasper Blake
• Jayna Hefford
• Jean-François Monette
• Jeff Pain
• Jennifer Heil
• Jon Montgomery
• Justin Warsylewicz
• Keith Loach
• Kevin Light
• Kevin Stittle
• Kristina Groves
• Kyle Hamilton
• Kyle Nissen
• Kyle Shewfelt
• Lisa Szabon
• Marc-André Monette
• Marie-Pierre Parent
• Mark Tewksbury
• Marnie McBean
• Martine Albert
• Mélanie Turgeon
• Mellissa Hollingsworth
• Micaela Widmer
• Michelle Stilwell
• Mike Beres
• Mike Brown
• Mike Lewis
• Morgan Alexander
• Nikki Dryden
• Nikola Girke
• Oliver Bone
• Philip Widmer
• Rob Taylor
• Rosanna Crawford
• Ross Rebagliati
• Ryan Blais
• Ryan Cochrane
• Sabrina Kolker
• Sarah Daitch
• Sarah Evanetz
• Sarah Reid
• Sarah Thorne
• Sean Crooks
• Silken Laumann
• Simon Whitfield
• Stephanie Berto
• Stephanie Dixon
• Susan (Reid) Schellinck
• Thomas Grandi
• Veronika Bauer
• Yvonne Visser
• Zina Kocher

• This is an athlete driven movement. As we, the athletes, have been talking to each other, we found something felt deeply wrong and violated by the IOC’s ruling. One year out from the Games, we are banding together to support this issue on our own accord, without prodding from Right to Play.
• The IOC commonly states that the Olympics are all about the Athletes. This issue is all about the Athletes.
• Right to Play addresses the true spirit of sport and reflect the reasons behind why the appeal of the Olympic games. Aligning with Right to Play keeps us athletes in touch with the values and ideals the Olympic games promotes.
• Athletes still support Right to Play and their presence at the Olympics, even though the IOC will not let RTP into the Village.
• RTP’s individual contact with and easy access to Olympians is vital. Because athletes are intensely focused on competition during the Olympics, providing easy contact to RTP is necessary. Every games athletes turnover at a high rate and new participants need to be reached persistently to keep this movement strong.
• Right to Play uses sport for development in the world’s most disadvantaged areas, training local coaches while providing lessons in leadership and conflict resolution. Right to Play uses games to teach lessons about peace, community and health

Ah, back in Canada again……!

I is so nice to be home and able to read the menu and the street signs again – not to mention on a home track. We arrived back in Canada on Jan. 19th and went straight to Whistler for 4 days of sliding prior to the rest of the world showing up for international training week. The ice had radically changed so it took us by surprise a bit and we took our fair share of lumps and bumps again. The track in Whistler is very unforgiving – it either punishes your body or your down time with every mistake. After our 4 days of re-learning everything we thought we knew, it was back to Calgary for a most welcome 9 days at home in my own bed.

The time at home was spent enjoying time with my kids, Thomas and Kyle, and with Aly. It was nice to get back to a bit more familiar routine of: breakfast with the kids, take them to the school bus stop, get to the gym, eat a quick lunch, slide for a couple hours, and then enjoy time at home in the evening with my family. Not 100% as restful as I wanted because I had to complete some runner testing I missed out on in October, but now that the stress of Whistler is over I am focusing hard on recovery and preparation for World Championships in a couple of weeks. Of course there is the small matter of the 2 world cup races in Park City next week, but who’s counting….. J

The race in Whistler was great to be a part of – showing off our amazing new track and experiencing and learning from our first international race at the Olympic venue. I did not train all that well because I was having trouble adjusting to the changes in the ice, but as the last training day came and went I did feel cautiously optimistic about the race the next day. The race prep was a bit different than we typically experience these days because it was an evening race – normally we race in the morning or afternoon while in Europe. So, that in itself was great practice for next February. I drew number 2 and knew that I had a good opportunity to lay down a good time on fresh ice. I started nervous but well within myself and slid very well thru the top 9 corners. I had been struggling with corners 11 to 15 all week and on this run it was no different. At the end of the first heat I was in first, but only by 1/100th over my teammate, Jon, and only by 2/100ths over Gregor Staili from Switzerland. So, essentially it had become a one run race and consistency would decide it. I did not have as good a second run as I wanted (making key mistakes in corners 4 and 14 – although I did nail curve 11!), and the end result was 3rd. It was very nice to be back on the podium, representing Canada at home, after such a long drought – my last World Cup podium was December, 2006. The trials of last year and the ensuing lessons are beginning to pay off and I find myself in 4th over-all with a real shot at completing the year inside the top 3 over-all. A great stepping stone to next year’s successes!

Groan….. I just completed the 4th World Cup of the season and after a very costly mistake I finished 11th (was sixth after the first run…….). Koenigssee is a very short track and there are 2 key areas – the ’straight’ and the ‘kreissel’. Here the straight is actually kinked 3 times with no actual corners so to turn a Skeleton sled thru this section requires a well timed hit of the wall to generate a bounce and then a subtle steer back and forth to just squeek by the edges. A feat I accomplished on the first run but not the second. The kreissel is the large 360 degree turn which gives us 3 waves and if they are not all steered correctly (under 4 G’s of force) the result is a crash at the exit. I managed this feat 2 times fairly well. So all in all it was a disappointing result, but a great step forward for me (this is my ‘worst track’ and least favourite on tour) looking to the first half of next year when we will be back here for another shot at it.

We are off to St. Morritz, Switzerland tomorrow for our race next Friday. My favourite track in the world for sure. It is a traditional ice track made entirely of ice blocks hauled up from the lake every year. Quite an amazing feat and steeped in tradition. The ice is always so smooth that we make almost no sound as we fly down at over 130km/hr! Very cool. St. Morritz is thought to be the birth place of Skeleton (they still do Cresta which is a slower – and, believe it or not, crazier – form of skeleton where you ride on your elbows and drag your feet which have been fitted with ‘rakes’ to control speed and turning). I was honored to claim my place in history a few years ago by winning in St Morritz – so let’s cross fingers for next week too!

10th place – not good enough. However, an Olympic qualifier so a small silver lining to the bad form, poor driving, and general bad day. The training went quite well all week with my usual problems in corner 4 and some small differences to the track which I thought I had overcome going into race day. In the first run I pushed quite well – the same as last year’s World Championships – and had a very solid run going right to corner 7. Corner 7! I haven’t had a problem there in all my years of sliding here at Altenberg! Aarg! All week my steering had put me nicely into 8, but come race day something changed – either me or a small change in the track – and I ended up late to 8. That means no speed carry through 8 to 9 and the all important Kreissel. Then a very costly mistake in 14 – hitting L and R out of 14 to 15 cost me .3s and I found myself well back in 11th place .7 out of first. Not at all what I had in mind – especially since I had actually done corner 4 quite well!

Run 2 came and the man in front of me, Alexandre Tretiakov, had a great run and I knew I had to be much better on this run. Alex has the huge advantage of starting a full .35s faster than me (he is by far the fastest starter in he world) so I have to be on y game to catch him by the finish. I almost did it. He posted a 59.80 and I was 59.95. That moved him ahead of me and put me ‘unofficially’ in 12th spot. Now I had to pray the guys behind me would make some mistakes. I got very lucky and the next 2 guys made enough to move me back into 11th and then into 10th and that all important Olympic qualifying position. Unfortunately, one of the guys was Jon my team mate so that too was biter sweet. It turned out that I had the 4th fastest time of the heat and was only beat by 2 Germans and Martin Dukurs (who held the lead after the first run but fell back to 2nd place by a slim margin). So, another ‘what could have been’ race and some lessons to be examined for next week and next year when we are back in Altenberg racing before Christmas.

Next race is Igles, Austria – in my opinion it is the ‘hardest’ track in the world – mistakes there cost more than anywhere else. I love the challenge of Igles because you really have to be almost perfect to win there.

Well, I am finally back and at my ‘first’ World Cup after the year of hell last season. I am very grateful this was the first track of the year because it was the site of the only World Cup I did last year and I felt a bit more comfortable here than I might have at other tracks. Training went quite well with the first 2 days yielding some very good information and video feedback – thanks to Kelly, Kirsten, Willy, and Boris for standing out in the cold and wet for so many long hours! On the final day of training I had a solid game plan and made 2 more runs filled with good learning and some ‘final lines’ which I hoped to replicate on race day. I was having a lot of trouble with curve 5 this week and managed to fix that problem for race day. Unfortunately because I was suddenly doing 5 better, I began to mess up 6….. It was a bit frustrating as I think that had I done one more training run I might have figured it out. Ah well, that is the game I play – 6 runs and then race – ready or not! The race went very well on run one – very solid push – 5.22 vs. Jon’s 5.11 (equal to me doing about a 5.12 in Calgary which would be close to a PB) and a solid run with almost no mistakes except my smash hit out of 6. I sat in 6th place after the first run a tenth out of 4th and 2 tenths ahead of 8th. Jon and I were in a close race with only .05s between us! Paul did very well out of his 21st start number and moved up to 10th – a minor miracle in Winterberg where there is a distinct advantage to starting closer to the top of the order. Jon was off just ahead of me and slid into a 3 way tie with the 2 sliders who had started ahead of him! This was the first time I have ever been witness to a 3 way tie in skeleton and it just had to happen right before I went! Effectively that meant that if I was .01s too slow that I could fall from 6th to 10th! No pressure…. Run 2 came and I did not start as well as I wanted – I made a mistake with my warm-up and was ready too early so my energy peaked too early and was ebbing as I hit the line. I did not have as good a second run – the hit out of 6 was not as hard and cost less and I was not as clean out of curve 9 – but I fought hard thru the bottom 4 corners and really maximized my speed as much as I could right through the line and ended up holding my spot at the very least. I knew I was in trouble from here on and my chances of moving up were slim as first it was Gregor Stahli and then it was a German on his home track….. Gregor had a very good run and held his spot moving .23 ahead of me (we were only .01 apart on the first run). Then the German made a mistake at the top and I had a chance….. He ended up losing 2 spots and moved behind me which put me into 5th! Over-all it was a very good day for me to‘re-enter’ into the world cup scene and finish 5th at a track where push is half the game.

Off to Altenberg!!

Europe and Jet Lag…….

The flight from Montreal to Frankfurt was quite good over-all and we arrived in Frankfurt as planned at 8am. The car rental process was the best ever and we were off and driving by 10am. We traveled 2 ½ hours to Nuremberg and the Adidas factory / campus. It is so no nice this year to go directly to the factory and have our suits fitted and sewn directly by the people at Adidas. Normally it is me and my sewing machine for a few hours while I adjust the fit of the suit. I think the patterns are all based on Bobsledder bodies – to get the right length of suit I have to deal with way to much over-all volume of the suit. So, I end up re-sewing every seam just to get a god fit. Ah well, the price of speed…. J. The bag of clothing and outerwear we received from Adidas was very generous as usual and I am very grateful for their support. It is quite something to be given an entire duffel bag full of free apparel. No Red in our jackets, but if that’s the only whiny complaint I can muster then it must be pretty good.

We spent 2 days at the factory and area shopping and resting. Oh, there was also the water sliding……. The staff decided to close the slide 15 minutes early because of our ‘enthusiasm’ but what do you expect when there is a slide with a timer for time trials and a group of speed junkies!? We had a blast to say the least – tube rides, mass start races, time trials, 6 person chains, and a lot of laughs. Probably the most fun I have had on tour for 10 years.

Now it is 4 days in Baden Baden recovering and training at the mineral baths and then off to Winterberg on Monday for training on Tuesday. Then it all begins……

Concrete and runners do not mix…..

Did I slide well enough to win the race? Probably not, but the time on my first run of the 3rd selection race was definitely affected by the runner damage I incurred somewhere between corner 9 and 12. My line out of corner 10 was rally nice and the transition from 11-12-13 was as good as I expected – so where did that .3 or .4 seconds go…..? The only explanation I can come up with is runner damage. My right runner was severely damaged and took a furious 10 minutes of sanding after the run just to make it safe to use on the next run (safe – not necessarily fast). Anyway, no excuses, I slide well enough to be 2nd or 3rd but ended up 4th and that result was enough to be 1st over-all in the team selection process. I am very happy with what I learned in Placid at this race and it will certainly help me compete better come February’s World Championships. Still a few corners to work on, but several key areas were cleared up for me this week. Now it is off to Germany for the next 3 weeks – rest and recovery week, Winterberg race #1 on Nov. 28th, and Altenberg race #2 Dec. 5th. Looking forward to kicking some ass……. Here come the Pain Train.

After the crash, bash, and pressure of Whistler it was nice to come back to Calgary and glide down a track I am very familiar with. The energy in the start house was noticeably different and much more relaxed – a nice change! The weather in Calgary was also very nice and it was not only t-shirts for warm-up but shorts too! Not the best for track conditions, but I’m not going to complain after the Spring of cold and rain we had in Calgary. I was lucky enough to not hit any of the concrete patches in the track so my runners survived relatively unscathed – Keith Loach was not as fortunate. Each slider was allowed 12 runs and with the track sliding easier than it has in years I knew it was going to be a close race with that many training runs for such good sliders such as my team mates. And I wasn’t wrong. The track crew did a great job with the ice and we broke into the 56’s (we have only achieved a few 57’s during training). Paul and I were separated by only 1/100th of a second after the first run with Jon close behind about 2/10ths back. That meant it was essentially a one run race. I went before Paul as he ‘had the lead’ so I knew I had to lay down a great run. Half way down I thought I had lost it – a tiny bit late to curve 8 and a small skid out of Kreissel, I thought that was going to be the difference. I tucked in and tried to maximize my bottom portion of the track and squeeze out every 1/100th I could. It was just enough – I beat Paul by 5/100ths of a second on the run and won by a blink of an eye. Jon had a great 2nd run and Paul, Jon, and I were within a few hundredths of each other, but Jon’s first run cost him and he ended up 3rd.

So, with 2 first place finishes in the first 2 selection races I am mathematically on the World Cup team (I cannot finish worse than 3rd in the selection series even if I come last in the Lake Placid race). I struggled up the hill all last year, but I think I am cresting the hill and the Pain train is gathering steam – it’s nice to be back!

We call it ‘Summer Sliding’ – when the weather is beautiful and the ice is on the track it just doesn’t get any better. Warming up in a t-shirt and then throwing on a speed suit and ripping down the track at 135km/hr is a perfect day. Perfect that is until you get to the 4th run of the session and your neck decides that is is too tired to hold your head up anymore. So it went on day one – after a great summer of training it was back onto the ice with the goal to get as many runs as I possible could during our 3 weeks in Whistler. I thought I was in good shape and looked forward to doing the 4 runs at a time like we did last March……. Meanwhile, back in reality…… It seems that we do indeed build a lot of strength in our necks throughout the season and then subsequently lose that strength over the summer. 4 runs was not an option in October. Having my face plastered to the ice from curve 9 to the finish (7 curves later) was not all that enjoyable. Imagine someone standing on the back of your head and trying to drive your car through rush hour in Los Angeles……

Alas, I did survive and even started to get the hang of the track after a couple of weeks. I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t find the flow after my experiences last March. In March I was not sliding well and found myself 1 second behind on most runs. I made good progress over the first 2 weeks and began to slide competitively with the rest of the guys by the third week. Selections came on the 25th and 26th of October (a 4 run race to try and mimic an Olympic style race) and I felt ready to compete well. The first 2 runs were both a 7/10 with a key mistake in each run costing me a few tenths of a second in each run. So, after day 1 I found myself 0.4s behind Jon and just ahead of Paul. I knew I had to slide well on the second day just to stay in second, let alone content for first. The third run (first run day 2) was by far my best and the time showed it. I slide into the 53 seconds for the first time ever and won the heat by about 0.7s as both Jon and Paul had good runs but not their best. My good run and their mediocre runs put me ahead and into the lead for the final run. I managed to just crack into the 53’s again (53.99) and held off both Jon and Paul to claim the first leg of our 3 race selection process. A great start to what I feel is going to be a season of redemption.