first victory of the season

I’m finally back in Europe! I’ve been away for two months and I was so ready to come back home. Even though I’m not quite headed home just yet… I’m off to Val Gardena for two super gs and then I’m going to come home for a few days to relax before another block of racing and training before Christmas.
I rounded off the camp in Copper Mountain with two GS and two Super G races. I was nervous for the races, it felt like a lifetime ago that I had last pushed out a start gate with a bib on! This was fairly obvious from my results in the first GS. My first run wasn’t terrible but I wasn’t in race mode and I had skied too cautiously. Second run the course had chopped quite a bit but I was determined to up the intensity, unfortunately I also pinched the line and ended up going straight through a panel, both feet between the gate!
I knew I could do so much better and luckily I had a second GS. After first run I was sat in 5th position, just under a second off the winner. Before second run I was a bit worried about blowing out the course again but I was more worried about crossing the finish line and being slow because I hadn’t given it my best shot. I really went for it and moved up 3 places to finish 2nd overall. I was second on the run. The girl who ended up winning the race also won the run and smashed it so I was further off than I would have liked but I scored 22 points which is a PB result for me!
After the GS it was time for the SG. Originally the SG was going to run across two days with one run per day but due to the weather they put both runs on the same day. I wasn’t too nervous for the super g because the piste was easy and the set of the course was very easy too. I just knew I had to be as clean and smooth as possible because every tiny mistake would be costly. When I crossed the finish line I was happy with my run, I thought I had skied the course well and hadn’t made any mistakes. I was surprised when I saw I was winning though because I knew there were a few other really good speed skiers there. I was really happy to take my first win of the season and score a PB of 33points! The score was extra special to me because it’s the first time I’ve scored something lower than before I tore my ACL.  
I just needed to do the same in the second race, which was the same course. Annoyingly I pushed out the gate a bit too focussed on keeping my skis smooth and caught an edge on the last roll at the top of the course before the long flat. I knew it would have lost me the win but I was very happy with my skiing on the rest of the run. I ended up in 4th but I knew my skiing was fast without the mistake and I couldn’t be disappointed with my day!
The races were the end of skiing in America and we had a day to pack up our stuff before it was time to fly back to Europe. I really enjoyed the camp in Copper and I thought it was a great pre-European winter base. The conditions were brilliant and now I feel ready to start the European race season! If you haven’t read my ISRA blog about the differences between skiing in Europe and the US you can read it here. Make sure you’re following my Instagram and Facebook to keep up to date with my news!