World Championships, Episode 2

Remember this blog post a couple years ago from Königssee? In it I make a very short reference to coming off my sled - what I didn't tell you then was that I was so rattled, after the session I immediately drove to the local gas station and bought a Jack Daniels & Coke. Premixed, in a can, and yes, at a gas station. Love Europe! Drove back to the hotel, drank it, and went to sleep to help get over the trauma. The next day, I got up and did two solid runs.

Well, that was the same place where I almost crashed in training leading up to World's. Here - the exit of the kreisel and entrance to the chicane (remember: kreisel is a full circle and a chicane is a crooked and / or tilted straight):


After my legs flying over my head like the ice sculpture that we had to drive by every day, and without the whiskey therapy from previous years, I regrouped for the race.

The atmosphere was incredible. The Flying Bulls (Red Bull air squad, blog post coming about them) performed.




Media was everywhere.


As were people.




The races were four runs over two days, but I'm going to condense all the pictures for you. Easier for everyone. :)

As you know, Brad was there, and he waited for me at the finish each run. Where he could see my start and run on the jumbo screens.

About to start one of my runs. You can't read it, but the bottom shows a head shot, my name, and my World Cup rank at the time.


A start. At my first few races it was hard to ignore the cameras, as they were all over the place, but by this time I didn't even notice them circling my feet.




Coming up the finish. It was cool - a couple times there were schoolkids lined up along the outrun, and as while braking to a stop we would give them high fives as we flew past.


I come up into a semi-pushup to stop, so that I can drag the bottoms of my shoes (the spikes themselves) on the ice.


Orvie helping me get my sled to the scale.


After weighing, if we were in first place (for that moment at least), they made us stand in the "leader-box".


Run 1:
I was in 19th place - a less than desirable place, since while everyone gets runs 1-3, on the second day only the top 20 would get a 4th run. 19th was too close for comfort.

Run 2:
I held my place through the top 20, but then three of the last women bumped past me and I dropped to 22nd.

Run 3:
On the second day, our coach told me "You have only one goal today: get a second run." Meaning second run of the day, 4th run overall. To do that, I had to move from 22nd up to 20th or better. I somehow managed to put it all together, and jumped up 6 spots into 16th! It was the best run I've ever had on that track. Woot!

Run 4:
Ugly, ugly, ugly. Brad actually cringed when I said "That was pretty bad, huh?" His answer, "yeah, it was...[cringe]...terrible."

After that run, I was still in the leaderbox (final heat goes slowest woman to fastest, so if we hold our spot we are in "first" up to that point), and watched the screens and times of the next women quite anxiously.

They also have a little screen showing the runs, and they stand opposite you with a camera so that they can broadcast your reactions to your competitor's run.


As she got closer, I abandoned the little screen and looked up at the big clock to see if I kept ahead of her.


Wow, barely! I was able to hold onto my place by a few hundredths. Phew! Hurrah! 16th overall and 2nd USA woman (out of 3) at my first Worlds was definitely something to write home about! Super happy.

Brad and I after the races were over.


A few hours later, we were on our way to Munich and Frankfurt for our flights back to the USA and National Championships in Lake Placid.