Igls World Cup & Team Race

As I mentioned in the last post, I didn't take a lot of photos at the Igls track since you've seen it so many times. :)

It was the first World Cup though, and I was excited to be back on a track I knew.

But it didn't turn out as I'd hoped. All week I struggled, overdriving the track and unable to find the speed and rhythm necessary to place well. Igls is one of those tracks that I don't usually gel with: easy to get down but difficult to get down quickly! A single mistake near the top of the track followed by a perfect run will still be slow.

WOMEN'S WORLD CUP RACE - Friday 12/2/2011
By the time race day came around, however, I felt as prepared as possible. I put aside my doubts (in my head I watched them slide away from me on a skeleton sled actually!) and went out 100%.

My first run, the top was almost perfect, except for a push time that was identical to last year's PB (personal best - I was hoping to be faster), then I missed the timing in curve 11 and nearly flipped out of curve 12, and flew about crazily. Oops! Still, the down time was somehow enough to be in 18th place!

Phew. Second run, time to redeem myself.

Nope - the run was better, but it was slow. What does that mean? It means that I steered too hard, didn't let the sled run, didn't allow it to find it's speed. I dropped two places to 20th, but learned a lot. Oh, and I took two more steps on the push trying to be faster and instead was 0.12 slower. Oops again!


TEAM RACE, Saturday 12/3/2011
But the next day, in the team race, I pushed faster and slid better (still messy, but...better). Usually I feel a lot of pressure in the team race - I have a men's bobsled team, a male skeleton athlete, and a women's bobsled team racing with me, and my mistakes cost the team as a whole.

Thankfully, my run was solid. Not as fast as the top women, but better than my own race runs! Pushed a new PB (woot, finally!), and while I still lost time on the other team, managed to at least hold our team's position rather than drop us in the ranks of the race.


We had a great team too - lots of fun! For some reason, we thought it would be funny if one of us pretended to start a chainsaw and mow everyone down, and for some reason, I ended up being the one to do it. We died laughing, but it looks horrible! And without the chainsaw-starting-motion, it just looks and sounds like a machine gun. Still, funny!

Hahahahah...in ten years someone will blackmail us with this!


POST RACE ENTERTAINMENT
Remember year before last, the Krampus post from Königssee? Well, this year we had to leave for France the day before the Igls version, but the Krampus were still out in force for practice. We had a hilarious time!

Some of the bobsledders enjoyed the challenge...watch them plan where to run through the crown of Krampus:


But the Krampus were more than up for it...(pay attention to 0:31 in and watch the Krampus - admire his agility!)


By the way, those bells rang every 15 minutes with just a few chimes, and every hour for several minutes, like you hear behind the scenes here. Awesome - we always knew what time it was!

And I ended up getting caught in the middle with the conflict....my price for this blurry picture:


Was this:


Which, by the way, are still visible over a week later. Ouch, those whips aren't fake!

But it was a great time, and a very unique custom, and a good way to end a disappointing week of racing on a positive fun note.

Then it was off to France!