Hintertux '08

Two weeks back in the mountains has certainly revived my passion for skiing! It's been a busy couple of weeks in Austria with the team, but it didn't take long to get back into skiing. A great start to a demanding season ahead.

I have really enjoyed training in gates as well as free skiing. We started the week with speed training then trained GS over some ferocious rollers which we were aiming to suck up rather than get air over, lots of fun! We’ve also worked on slalom, starts and timing in gates and technical work out of gates, with daily reviews and video analysis. Coach is pleased with my progress and expects me to qualify for the World Championships in Korea in February so fingers crossed.

The team psychologist came out so we did some valuable work together, and Paralympics GB Strength and Conditioning Trainers spent a couple of days with us working out exactly how to prepare ourselves physically. Skiing with the heart rate monitors proves that adrenaline really works, got mine up to 212!

The mountain was closed for a day due to wind, and we finally had some snow towards the end of the 2nd week, which meant a well deserved powder day. Great to be back enjoying, I mean ‘balance training’ in powder although it was somewhat heavy.

My new sitski, kindly funded by the John R. Murray Charitable Trust, has arrived and it’s BRILLIANT! Thank you! She’s called Emilie, named after the best female snowboarder I’ve ever ridden with; winner of le Derby de La Meige; the incredibly determined Emilie Corouge. Tragically Emilie passed away this summer in a yachting accident. Emilie’s spirit will live on.

Words For Each Day

Each day in life is training
Training for myself.
Though failure is possible,
Living each moment,
Equal to anything,
Ready for everything,

I am alive - I am this moment!
My future is here and now.

For if i cannot endure today,
When and where will I?


Soen Ozeki,

Daisen-in Zen Temple, Kyoto

I just had another Paralympic GB scientific testing day with the rest of the team. Statistics were taken on body composition and balance, flexibility, strength and power, endurance testing, a medical analysis and nutritional consultations as well as sweat loss monitor testing and overall fitness. Improvements were measured in my respectable results showing that my fitness training’s all worth it!

I put the stats to the tests at the London triathlon last weekend, thoroughly enjoyed it, what a great sport! Loved it! A fun day despite the constant drizzle. My brother Ben, Leane and my old friend Georgie helped and a team of uni mates who are a constant support, cheered me on, forcing me to grit my teeth and push on.

I ran with the Project VIper team and was second in my section and the fastest wheelchair user in the sprint, surprisingly good results for a first attempt. Funnily enough swimming in Victoria Dock in the Thames was the best bit, what a great day!

I’m feeling really positive about fitness and getting ready for the ski season. Loving watching the Olympics whenever I get a minute too, fantastic achievements, what an inspiration! Here's to living training.

Juggling Training and Work

It's been an incredibly busy couple of months. The Paralympics GB Fast-track training camp was highly informative, I have learnt a lot throught the Scheme, from preparation, planning, travel and how to deal with the pressures of being an elite athlete to juggling life, training, work and relationships. I really appreciate the support.

I'm now back at work teaching English as a Foreign Language and French, which is keeping me very busy alongside training. Really enjoying teaching again and earning some money!

My women's wheelchair basketball team, Vixens, came runners up in the Nationals in May. A great experience for me, and basketball's great for fitness and balance. Also been swimming, started training in a wheelchair racing chair and handcycling. Unfortunately I sustained a minor injury and have consequently been in and out of training for nearly a month, very frustrating. I had to forgo the British Triathlon Championships on 1st June which was disappointing. I'm hoing to be back on form for the London triathlon in August, so getting back in training.

Promotion!

Hot news... I MADE IT ONTO THE BRITISH TEAM!!! Promotion from development squad to B team after 5 months training on snow, and my first season racing! Obviously I'm very pleased! Apart from that I'm getting back into fitness training and am off to the British Paralympic Association Fast-Track Camp this weekend for more training and education. Bring it on!

Fame at last?

Check me out on the BBC! http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7363894.stm

What a season! I’d like to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has helped me get this far. My friends and family have been incredibly generous sponsoring me to train out in Canada last winter. A mystery donor generously provided the funds for my ski bob and more later in the season for skis for which I am really grateful, and a further £ 3,567.97 was raised through my sponsored biathlon, which covered my training costs. Two Seasons ski, surf and snowboard shop has also contributed with kit and through various fundraising activities. Thank you, your support is really appreciated.

I'm happy to be back home at my favourite time of year in England; the blossom's out and when the sun's shining I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. It's a real treat to be out riding on the handbike again, which my great friend and inspiration Rachel Morris (two time world champion) kindly lent me since I came out of hospital, thanks mate!

I’m back playing wheelie basketball again, which is so much fun, and getting up for early morning swim training in Middleton Pool, Newport Pagnell. It’s a pleasure to get up for morning training in this weather rather than the trial of cold, dark November mornings and feels great to back into fitness training after a week off.

BBC Look East did a piece on my progress yesterday in the snowdome, take a look at the clip on http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7363894.stm

I'm going to join the team at the Chill Factore (the big, new snowdome in Manchester) this weekend for the end of season review and some ski training. Will report back.

All the best

Anna

Race Success 2008

Firstly apologies: I've been so busy racing, on the road with the team, travelling across British Colombia, I've seriously neglected my blog writing duties, I'll do better next season.

The races started really well, with third places in both downhill and Super G in Kimberly behind the World and European Champions, however I made some mistakes in the other two races. We then drove to Sun Peaks and i achieved another third and a fourth in the GS races. The slalom didn't go so well, I found my first slalom race rather overwhelming and need to keep training hard! No surprise really that the speed events suit me best at the moment, being a bit of a speed demon!

Unfortunately I fell in the GS of the British Land Championships but being there was a valuable experience in itself.

The team spent a few days in Whistler and we did a recce of the Ladies downhill run where the disabled racing is to be held, in preparation for 2010. It's hugely exciting. Many thanks to Phil Chew, the BC coach, for his invaluable guiding on the mountain.

This season's been an eye-opening introduction to the world of ski racing. I've skied gates for the first time; started and finished my first (international) races; had a taste of what ski racing's all about and discovered that I absolutely love it!

I am 100% sure that ski racing is for me and with 2010 in sight, my life now revolves around getting there. What a great challenge and opportunity to be seized. This season, training, racing and traveling around with the British team has been a great experience, I've learnt so much from the other racers, coaches and the support team. As the season comes to a close I'm feeling more motivated than ever!

Hello again!
Tried 360 yesterday, love it!

The rest of the British team arrived a few days ago, and we’ve been having fun racing around the mountain with them, and doing drills together. It’s great to follow, listen to and learn from the other athletes and coach; a real privilege to be a part of the team. NorAm (North American) races are fast approaching, I can’t believe how quickly this season’s gone!

We’ve had a week of bright sunny, warm weather, a welcome shock to the system after the cold snap. We’ve been mostly training GS which is fun and fast, and slalom, which is really technical. I had a big crash last week, flipped over a couple of times, not pleasant in a sit-ski but inevitable once in a while. Somehow both the ski and I survived despite a face full of snow. I should have taken a few more minutes to recover, but got up and skied down through the powder close to the B (safety) netting, where the powpow was freshest. Unfortunately my outrigger got caught in the snow, which spun me round, and I ended up exceedingly tangled in the netting. A sense of humour is vital for learning this sport!

When I first got on the British development squad, I was hiring or borrowing equipment, and couldn’t afford a lightweight wheelchair let alone a sit-ski, but a ‘Mystery Donor’ came to the rescue, sponsoring me with a sit-ski. Thank you very much Mystery Donor! I would also like to thank my incredibly generous friends, family, and other anonymous donors, Two Seasons Snowboard shop and everyone who’s helped me get this far. You have been so kind. An incredible £3081.81 has been raised through my sponsored biathlon, which has paid for me to get out here, train and pay for skis and kit. Without everyone’s generosity I would have seriously struggled to be where I am today and it really is much appreciated. After this season I shall be looking for a job!

Thanks for taking an interest in my blog, if there’s anything you’d like to know, email me at annaturney@gmail.com

It’s been a busy month; I’ve learnt so much and have so much more to learn. I went from having never skied gates to doing a speed camp and being the fastest female sit-skier in a local super G! What a rush! Riding the course at speed was an incredible buzz, the same intense shot of adrenaline and satisfaction as snowboarding down a steep tree run, pushing it to the limits. In one word, ‘awesome’! I broke 78km/hour on the radar in a speed trap, gimme a skin-tight racing suit and a steeper hill and I’ll be flying!

Andy, a mechanically minded sit-skier on the Canadian team has been working on the suspension of my sit-ski whilst I watch and learn. I’ve also been learning all about ski tuning and practising lots! The right kit is essential to succeed in this sport and I’m enjoying learning how it works.

Tim and Sean from the British team have returned from competing in Europe and the World Cup and joined Jane and me training out here. We’ve been working hard on slalom, trying to lift the tempo and get those turns really quick, which is great fun out of the gates but somewhat frustrating for me at present in them. I hit a gate wrong the other day, somersaulted and broke my slalom ski, but at least skis are replaceable.

Mogul training with the team and tree skiing with locals was a good challenge today. By the end of the season I will be bouncing down through them at speed! I managed to avoid all the trees and got some air too, which reminds me of the delights of snowboarding!

Otherwise life’s going well. Last weekend I ventured out of Kimberly to explore Cranbrook, the next town along, with lovely Canadian Aly. It made a nice change from the hotel and the ski hill that have been my home for the past month. So my skiing progresses, I’m getting to know the locals and the days fly by.

Here I am in sunny, cold I made it to Canada! It only took two days for my luggage to arrive and we met a herd of elk on the side of the road on the drive from the airport to the hostel, what a welcome to this beautiful country!

Training’s started really well. The coach, Steve, is excellent and I’ve already learnt loads about ski technique, racing and equipment. The training schedule’s pretty full on:

6:30 get up, yoga and stretching

7:30 breakfast

8:30 bus to Kimberly ski hill

9:00 warm up stretches, get in sit-ski, warm up runs

10:00 race training with coach

12:00 lunch

13:00 race training with coach and warm down free skiing

15:30 bus home

Bath, stretch, relax

18:00 supper

Tune skis and early to bed ready for the next days training!

This week we worked on GS (giant slalom) training, I started skiing courses which are a fun challenge. In GS there’s about 3 seconds between each turn so it’s less technical than slalom but faster. Yesterday I did my first timed GS* run and was pleasantly surprised to find my times close behind the more experienced racers I’m training with. Annoyingly I’ve already broken a ski and they’re not cheap, but otherwise training’s going well.

It’s not all hard training. We had the afternoon off yesterday and set out to discover the mountain! There are only three lifts but it’s the runs and snow I care about, and there’s plenty of both, with lots of varied pitch groomed and ungroomed runs, separated by some excellent tree skiing to try. I had some great powder skiing yesterday; skied the deepest powder I’ve ever skied on a sit-ski and worked on more ‘balance training’ in the trees again today on our day off race training, this ski hill rocks!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! I've been working on CV with the bike and basketball training, and am finally off to Canada tomorrow, yippeeyooo! I can't believe it's all happening! Thank you so much everyone for sponsoring me and helping me to get to where I am now. Lots of hard training to be done but I thrive on being coached so I can't wait! I'll update my blog from snowy Kimberly!