I think it is safe to say Christmas was a little different for us this year.

I was recently given a few days off so I could be with a friend who flew all the way from Michigan to see me. We made our way over to the Dew Tour at Breckenridge, where there, we met just about all of the athletes participating in the snowboard halfpipe event. I even got Louie Vito to sign my protective leg cover! After telling him I am a ski racer, he told me I was amazing and that he had so much respect for me, I said dito. (I mean he did just get second place!)

I got my ski's back from the shop today, I think it's safe to say they are sharpened and ready for the hill!

My teammate Katrina just got in from California. She is training with us part time, but for now she is keeping Mau busy while I am still in recovery.                I WISH I COULD JOIN THEM!

New Challenges, New Look

I cut my hair off and donated it to Locks of Love today.

 "Yoopers" are going to take over Colorado one day, you'll see. It's already started.

                    I love my brother and sisters.

A Little Update

This was my first day on the hill and my first day training with Team Summit! All in all it was a pretty good first day on the snow. I felt strong and ready to take on the season! After a few hours of drills I head to the chairlift to end the day, and that is when it all went wrong. On my way I took a good fall, which ultimately ended in me being taken down the hill by ski patrol-not quite how I had visioned my day ending.

This is what I ended up with. A very puffy, bruised, and sore little leg. Thinking it was just a sprain, we decided a doctors visit probably wasn't necessary. However, after a few days of icing and Ibuprofen, we decided a doctors visit might not be a bad idea. So I made the trip to the clinic in Winter Park where I had x-rays taken. The doctor walked in and delivered the news that, yes, my ankle is broken. She splints me up and sends me off to Vail, to get a second opinion. Because this is on my left side, the side that is affected by my PFFD, doctors are usually hesitant to make a final decision without consulting a few other medical professionals. 

After a visit to the doctors at the Vail Medical Clinic it is decided that I need surgery to fix the break. I  am scheduled for the operation room the next day to insert a couple screws into my leg. 

Five weeks. That is now much time the doctor told me I would be in recovery. This is just a minor inconvenience on my major journey. Training has not stopped for me though, I am still hitting the gym daily making sure my right leg stays strong so when I get the "ok" I am ready for the hill!

It's winter! And along with winter comes the next level of my training. This weekend will mark the beginning of my ski season, first day back on the slopes will be Sunday. Wish me luck!

Thanks BOSS

I now have all the gear I need to let people know, I'm the BOSS.

I have begun to wonder what normal people do on Sunday afternoons. 

Frenemy

This is Mr. Bongo Board. He is new to my work out routine this week. I hate him,  and from the joy I'm guessing he gets from throwing me off, I think the feeling is mutual. Mau says we will become good friends over the next few months. We'll see.

Package from Home

Today I received a package from my lovely mother! She know's me all to well, it contained six pairs of shorts, one sweater, four pairs of ski socks, eight chapsticks, one camel backpack, ipod chargers, multiple dvd's, my glasses and three cook books. All a girl needs to survive. 

Snow

It's here!

Snow

The mountains are calling. 

Stacked

So this is what my "Day off" consisted of. For a light work out Mau decided that I would be stacking the wood pile for the winter. After a day of lifting and pushing, I have decided to change my life long dream of becoming a lumberjack, to just about anything else. 

50 K? No Big Deal

What started off as just a day of helping Adaptive Adventures out, turned into one of my most challenging days so far. I was told I was going to be doing a 10 K to just watch the kids, this was even something that I felt uncomfortable with. Considering I had never ridden a hand cycle for more than three minutes, completing a 10 K or about 6 miles seemed like a bit of a stretch for me. Yet somehow Mau convinced me that I should sign up for one of the longer events, the 50 K. Now, I have learned not to question Mau's ways, because most of the time she is right, so I did what I was told. It seemed like an okay idea, until someone told me how long of a ride that was (about 31 miles)! But of course I had alright signed my name up, so it as to late to back down. At the moment I realized there was no turning back, I was petrified! I was about to embark on one of the most physically challenging activities of my life up to this point, who wouldn't be scared? Luckily there were the others who felt my fear, and we all decided we were going to go through this together.
I'm so glad that I had the people around me that I did. We had many laughs along the way to hide the pain! After the struggle to the half way check point, I decided only then that 'okay, yeah, I can do this!'
And I did! I finished a 50 K bike ride, something I never thought I would have an opportunity to do. That in itself has made this trip worth it!

A New Home

 

The time has come, I have left the nest! I am now in official training mode. I live with my coach Mau Thompson in Winter Park, Colorado. This is me on one of our many hikes, which oddly enough is not my C-Leg's favorite things to do. On this particular day my leg decided it had enough and didn't want to work anymore on the way down! 

Luckily, I have my prosthetist on speed dial!

I'm BOSS

I could not be more appreciative to my new sponsor The BOSS Snowplow! They are helping me reach my goal of becoming a 2014 Paralympic athlete by taking away all of my financial burden, which is more than I thought would ever happen.
Who would have thought that a quick stop by my high school tennis coaches house would take so much stress away? The day before my mother and I left for our twenty hour drive to Colorado we decided to make one last attempt to seek a sponsorship. And to our surprise, it worked!
I am eternally greatful to Ellette Brule Nyman and her family. They believe in me enough to take me on as a full sponsorship! I don't think I will ever delete the text I got that night "You are officially sponsored by The BOSS SNOWPLOW." As you can imagine, there were tears when reading these amazing eight words. And I don't think I could put into words the feelings I had holding my check in the Wells Fargo parking lot. I called every member of my family and told basically anyone that would listen! I just sat in my car for about a half hour just looking at it. This check meant more to me than the amount that was written on it. This meant that someone believes in me enough to want their name associated with me.
Thank you BOSS, I will try my hardest to make you proud!

And So the Journey Begins

This past weekend I started my 'official training'. I met with my coach Mau, and she then told me I was going away to Colorado for the weekend to attend a meeting held by Colorado Adaptive Sports at the Pepsi Center. The meeting was on how to better market myself as an athlete. This is just the start of what I feel will be a very busy few years, and I am looking forward to each and every minute of it!