The Life of 5 Toes

Dear Past

2010-04-25T08:27:00.000-07:00

Dear Past,
I am writing this to you to let you know not to worry. I have learned many new things and I wish to let you know about them. I want you to let go and experience more then you could have ever imagined. This whole note is going to revolve around an underlining message that will redefine your understanding of what is really important.
To start I want you to forget about everything you know about who you are and what is important. I want you to let go of the miscellaneous details that have ever upset you. You need to realize that you can live through everything. Life goes on and will be fine. All of those days when you wanted to run away, to fight, to scream, and to give up were wasted to nothingness. Those days have been lost forever and in time you will want them back. Forget about your meaning of life when things were not going right.
In time you you will see that you are you and nobody else. Try not to change who you and never be ashamed of who you are. Mistakes will happen, you will be embarrassed, you will be human. To cover up who you are is just a lie to yourself and to those around. Your true friends won't care about the little things or the big things, because if they are your friends they will know you for you and understand.
Follow your heart and your instincts. Don't force a relationship that isn't meant to happen. You may regret it but it is for the best. Follow your heart to the end of the world and back. We are all meant to live one life, why not live it to the fullest. If you are mean to live single enjoy the freedom, if you are meant to live with others enjoy the company.
Be true to your self and remember to live life, don't shy away from it. Let the little things float away with the seconds of time, let the major things rolls away with the hours. Don't dwell on anything that vexes you. Live Life. Embraces it. Love it. Be apart of it.
Sincerely,
Yourself,
Ali

People

2010-04-16T16:37:00.000-07:00

It has been one hell of a season and doesn't seem to have an ending in sight. I have been home roughly 20 days this year. So 86 out of the last 106 days I have lived out of my duffel bag. Yes in some places I was able to unpack and expand my life but in general my only resources have fit into my duffel bag or my car. It is amazing to sit here in Sunny SoCal and look back two weeks where I was in Montana watching as a foot of snow fell. Crazy. Here I worry about my tan lines on my arms and legs and not long ago the only tan lines I had to worry about was the one that my goggles left on my face. I go from wearing multiple layers of fleece and down to two layers of Lycra. I live an amazing life and I can't complain. Sure I may speak about the little things but as I sit here I realize what I have been able to do with my life. My teammates have the idea of writing a book about what not to do with your life, ie don't buy a bike its addictive and in the end costs more then you initially planned, at the same time you do get to ride in really cool places. I do sit here and wonder what I would be doing if I weren't in sport? Would I have a full time job, would I still be living in Colorado Springs, would I know the people that I know?

I live an awesome life surrounded by awesome people. A group of individuals that are stereo typically cast aside by society come together and the world becomes a normal place. I ski with people that can out ski able bodied athletes. I ride with people who climb higher mountains then those with all limbs attached and working. I get to see what some call miracles everyday and all I think about is how awesome we are. Teammates help out other teammates. Teammates congratulate everybody after total annihilation up hills. Whether we are on the top or the bottom we come together and act like a team. At the end of the day we get off our bikes and we sit and have lunch and dinner and look as if we just came from the deepest darkest pain cave but we still smile. We smile for the friendships that we have, for the stories we have to tell, and for the work that we have just done. When you can sit there and your only accomplishment for the day is the fact that you survived is the best story that there is. We sit together knowing that we have all just given one hundred percent and that we are going to give another one hundred percent in a couple hours. We know that we are a team. These are the people that I like and honestly the only people that I would like to have lunch with. People who have the worst most painful day and walk with their heads up high knowing that they are going to do the same thing the next day are the people I am going to surround myself with. If I can make it with those people I can make it with any group of people.

The people who you want to be around will help you become the person you are today and I am glad that I am surround by honest, hard working, give all people.

Blogging not so much

2010-03-29T19:23:00.000-07:00

Sorry to those who were relying on my blogging for the latest and greatest on the Paralympics. I always try to put my best foot forward but some times that foot is the rubber one and when that happens things tend to not go so smoothly. So again I do apologize. The Paralympics were grand. I will say that for the Winter Games we were on par with the Olympics. For the first time that I can remember we got to use the medal plaza for our awards. The village was, with the exception of the Canadian Alpine Team, they stayed at the hill, full. All nations that participated in the Biathlon, Cross Country, and Alpine were all nestled in to the village. The US, Italians, and Australians were all in one dorm, each having their own floor. It is a beautiful complex.
The hill was just as beautiful. Having got to race on it in 2009 I knew what I was going to be seeing but to be there with a grandstand knowing it was going to be filled to the brim. I was able to walk up into the Grand Stands before any of the events began and it was breath taking.
The events were fun. The first week was filled with rain and fog so events were turned upside down. I got to do my Downhill training run on the first day of downhill training. The Standing guys had to wait until the race day. After the guys got done the fog moved in and we were done. So the next day we moved into slalom. The schedule went like this, Downhill training, Slalom, Giant Slalom, Downhill, Super-G, Super Combine. I don't think that I have ever run such a weird order. I had fun there. Not my best performance but I had fun. I was able to make the decision that this was going to be my last international race. I am sure that I will keep my toe in the sport but I am going to actually focus on cycling. I am excited for this. I am about to start a new chapter in my life. I might even get a real job. Crazy ain't it.

The weather

2010-03-16T21:43:00.001-07:00

So the weather here in Canada is like riding an unknown roller coaster. I am getting whiplash from all of the different types of weather that we have experienced. When I arrived at the village there was no snow on the ground and it was raining, just slightly. four days later there was four feet of new snow on the ground and the Smurfs were making snowmen eight feet tall. Today it pissed rain all day and the snow washed away. I am not sure of to make of this place. Do I tell people that it is a great place, because when the sun is out it really is beautiful, but if it raining while skiing I am not going to tell anybody how great that it because that sucks. My teammates had to race in it and I am most likely going to have to as well. I am not sure what to tell my folks. So last night at the meeting we were told misting to light rain, and it effing poured all day long. Tonight we were to light snow to rain, so should I expect a blizzard to torrential down pour and flash flooding reports. All I know is that I am going to have four pairs of goggles ready, three jackets, two pairs of gloves, and a dry sock. On the bright side I can add this to the list of shit you never thought you would do while skiing. I have skied in the rain before but not at a Paralympic Games. It will be a nice wrench in the works for those who need perfect conditions. I just plan on have a ton of fun and living life to the fullest.
Ooh yeah I should probably let everybody know that I finished fifth in the slalom. Not my best showing of slalom technique but I am happy. I will be able to move on to the rest of the events knowing that there is going to be no more pressure. I am here to have a good time and enjoy my friends and surroundings.

Opening Ceremonies

2010-03-16T21:42:00.000-07:00

So I have been asked the last couple of days what my favorite part of the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Paralympics were I don't have to think long to respond, "The part where we walked in." This for two reasons, first was that there is nothing more amazing then to walk into a stadium that is 60,000 full and they are there for you, second is the fact that was all I got to see. Hind sight is a bitch but I was thinking about performance and staying up until midnight the night before the scheduled downhill didn't sound like a good idea. So my Opening Ceremonies consist of me riding the two and a half hour bus ride with the team to BC Place, going through the airlock, then sitting with team USA, then marching into the stadium with Team USA, and then sitting for about 10 seconds and then walking out, and then back on to the bus with other wishing to depart early, and finally getting back to the Village seven hours after we left.
My Family attended and they enjoyed it very much. They did the drive up after ceremonies had finished. I am glad that they are here. It is fun to be able to share this experience with my family, specially the Aunts and Uncle that made it up from Texas. Unfortunately for them with all of the rain and fog they will only get to see one race, the Slalom, for the downhill, super-g, super combine were postponed until later in the week when the weather was supposed to be better. That is the bummers of an outdoor sport and those who can handle it are the ones that are going to win.

What it means to be at the 2010 Paralympic Games

2010-03-11T12:23:00.000-08:00

I have made it to the Village. It is an amazing place here. I feel like I am back at college except I know everybody and everybody is here to perform at their best. There is the feeling of an elite society that are here to do what they signed up for and do that at the best that they can. I am glad to be here. I am glad to be apart of this elite society. There are twenty-seven Alpine skiers representing the Country. I am representing one of fifty-three athletes, that is as an individual I am represent 5.8 million people. I hold that on my shoulders and walk proud. I am proud to be an American. I am excited to be competing for America.
I have had a couple of good days here so far. The first day was just a chill day. I got to explore the Village a bit. I bought the souvenirs that I wanted for myself. Expensive, but luckily I got to use my Visa gift cards well, thank you CTAM and USOC. I also made it to the hill. What a cool experience to be able to stand in the finish coral before the racers and spectators showed up. Standing there was truly breath taking.
On the second day I went free skiing on my downhill skis to get used to those again. The skiing was fun. After the skiing I went up and watched the test skiers of the downhill. They all did really well and it was cool to see what my family is going to see. After that I went to the gym and did got a workout in and then chilled the rest of the day.
On Wednesday we got to run the downhill. The downhill is going to be fun. Unfortunately there is a lot of new snow and a lot of fog. We were on a three hour delay. I did get to run but the men's standing did not. I was happy that I got to run. It is done and over with and even if the next run is just the race I will be ready and happy. And on that note today's run was canceled due to snow. There was at least six inches of new snow here at the Village so add a bit more and that is how much there is at the mountain. The great news is that there is more on the way. Downhill always brings out the best weather.
I get the day off and I get to have another day to get ready. I am ready.

Vancouver 2010

2010-03-11T12:22:00.001-08:00

I have made it to Vancouver. I have my credentials, my backpack, and my ski boot. I am ready to ski. Yesterday was a ride for sure. After a great night in Denver with Kevin, our physio, John Whitney and I made our way to the hotel for team processing. Four times I have been through the gauntlet of getting Paralympic apparel, not once did I imagine that we could get more, and yet each time I go through I get more clothing then I know what to do with. This time through I came out with three duffle bags full of Ralph Lauren and Nike. I brought so much clothing with me I don’t need to do laundry while I am here.
Today was the travel day. Starting way too early we ate breakfast and got onto a bus to the airport. We got there three hours before the flight left for Vancouver. I would understand the time schedule if we had to check in everybody’s luggage, but we didn’t. USOC took our luggage the night before and all we had to do was check-in. Once in the terminal I took Rob and Danelle up to the Red Carpet club seeing that I was flying internationally and cause I could. The flight was no problem up in first class. I like upgrades. Now I am sitting on the bus heading up to the Whistler Village. Things should go easy from here on out.

The final prep

2010-02-27T16:01:00.000-08:00

So I sit here today realizing that the beginning of the final race series is here. What has gotten me here and where have I been? Well I should start at the first camp that I attended on snow in the fall, a three week camp that consisted of two weeks of training and a week of racing. That was in the summit county area where we trained out of Copper Mountain, workout in Breckenridge, and stayed in Keystone. Our races were in Copper Mountain and Winter Park. I was able to win all of the races and actually score points in the Giant Slalom in Copper Mountain. After the Holidays and a bit more training out of Winter Park, I was off to Europe for the World Cup Series.
The first races were held in RollRinn, Austria, where both Innsbruck Olympic Downhills were held. I had a horrible Giant Slalom and an awesome Slalom there. That Slalom would be the last great race in Austria. I had a lot of good runs in Abtenau, Austria, but never in the same race. After that we traveled across Austria and the upper bit of Italy, practically to France, where we stopped at a little hill called Sestriere. I guess it isn't really that small, the Olympics and Paralympics. I got my groove back. After an expected middle of the pack finish in the downhill I put it down in the Super-G and the Super Combined. I finish the series with two more silvers and a bronze. I left Europe with three slivers and the bronze.
After a week off I went up to Winter Park for some awesome training on Cheshire Cat, some Super-G and Giant Slalom. Next I went up to Kimberly, BC, for a speed series, well more training for me. I was there to help others with lowering points but I was there to train. I was skiing most of the morning. I like that hill, very rollie and nice quick steep pitches on wide runs. I won all of the races here as well but again not really a race for me, no international competition, mostly regional racers.
Now that puts us at the last set of events. I competed at the Wells Fargo Bank Cup and World Disable Invitational. I managed to finish second in both races. The World Disabled Invitational was raced on my twin tip all mountain ski. From Winter Park I drove down to Colorado Springs, packed up my car for April 3rd and then drove up to Vail for the final camp.
The Camp went really well. I have found new confidence in Giant Slalom, which doesn't amount to much but I feel better. The Slalom and Super-G training was top notch. After a bit of shopping in Dillon I made my way west to Carbondale to get ready for the World Cup Finals in Aspen. I am ready. This is just training for the real event in a couple of weeks. We have gotten our suits and jackets for competition but still await to get our Paralympic gear on the 7th. I am still trying to weed out the things that I don't need through the rest of the month. Not sure how I am going to do that but I am sure that I will figure that out. Until then I am ready for the games. These races here in Aspen are the final tuning to tactics and technique needed for Whistler.

Vancouver 2010 Paralympics or Bust

2010-02-22T21:17:00.000-08:00

Well it is official, I am on the road with the grand stop being the 2010 Winter Paralympics in Vancouver, BC. CRAZY!! I won't be home again until April 3rd. That is a long time from now but I am sure at the end of the trip, it will feel like time just flew by. So let me tell you every where I am going, first stop is Vail for a final team training camp, then onto Aspen for World Cup Finals, then down to Denver for team processing, up to Vancouver and Whistler for the Paralympics, and a little vacation while driving to Big Sky, MT, for nationals. That covers from today until April 3rd. CRAZY!!!

I think that this camp is going to be awesome. Not to many people are taking advantage of the free housing and the good training in Vail. I am glad to be here. Four guys and girls, with five staff. Pretty nice ratio. There has also been a fair bit of new snow here. The new snow is great for covering all of the rocks that reek havoc on skis but it will mean soft conditions for training. I guess you can't have the best of both worlds and I am just glad to be training with the team again. These training days will be the last until we get to Vancouver. I am sure it will be great.

Jan 10th and 11th

2010-01-11T20:42:00.000-08:00

Travel day was an easy day. After washing the stink of cigarettes off of me I packed my bags, ate breakfast, loaded up the cargo, watched the first run on the slalom World Cup, got into the van, and drove to Abtenau. Abtenau is just outside of Salzburg, Austria. The drive, which took us the length of Austria, only took us 2 hours. I am so used to driving 2 hours and not be at the ski hill yet. I got checked into the room and then went to lunch with Rob and Danelle where we were joined by Marcel and Stephani. I had a pizza with thinly sliced ham and cheese. After that I unpacked a bit and then took a nap that led to dinner. After dinner we went to the opening ceremonies in the little town square. The ceremony was a good celebration where the local kids did a performance of the Lion King in German, strange but okay.

I finally got a good night sleep and didn’t want to wake up. At least I woke up hungry, which was good since I didn’t eat much at dinner. Abtenau is hurting for snow. There truly is only a ribbon of death that is the race hill. If you were to ski out of the ribbon you would be skiing on the lightly covered pasture. The snow that is there is good snow though, all manmade and completely firm edge-able. I had a good day except for the racing bit. The first run was slow, with mistakes on the little pitch into the flat on both runs, with the second run being a complete stop. My skiing was good on the second run so I am not that disappointed but which I could have had a better day. Ooh well, there is tomorrow. I will indeed go for the win and hopefully a spot on the overall podium but that is an afterthought.

Jan 8th and 9th

2010-01-09T23:33:00.000-08:00

So I didn’t get to blog yesterday because the day never ended and I wanted to get some sleep. So starting on the morning of the 8th, which started way too early at 3am, I was ready for the GS. I thought I was ready at least. It snowed up here but it is really humid so the snow is full of water. Well at night that water froze and made the slope slick in spots, not New England boiler plate frozen, just slick. My head got in the way once I saw that. I knew I could ski it but for some reason I thought, as Ian my coach put, I needed to micro manage my foot instead of trusting what I can do. The first run was horrible. I made it but it was slow, so slow that I was last. So, on the second run I thought I would redeem myself by just going for it and doing what I know I can do. It was going so well, I kept my foot in the fall line and I trusted the ski on both turns and I was nailing it. Just as I thought I was out of the woods for the truly slick spot I tipped in and slid on my hip, no big deal usually I just pop right back up, well I slid into a mashed potato burm and my ski and outrigger were stuck. After I floundered for a while I got back up and finished the run, again skiing really well. I wasn’t necessarily disappointed not thrilled. I know that I have it in me to do really well and I showed moments of brilliance so I will bring what I know I can do in the GS to Abtenau to show everybody that I can be more than a one event racer.

We didn’t get off the hill until really late and had to be back up the mountain for an opening ceremonies banquet. We had about one hour to shower and change and pack for today. At the banquet we quickly learned that we were way too early, by like an hour or so. We ate dinner before the rest of the world and proceeded to head outside so that we could be announced back inside the tent. It seemed in a matter of minutes though that the whole place was filled with smoke and I felt and smelt like an ashtray. Austria has yet to catch up with the rest of the world with where and where one can smoke, even France has made changes. After a long awards ceremony, Stephani and Chris both made it up on to the podium, and Danelle and Rob were recognized for their 4th place finish. Once the awards were over we headed back to the hotel where I got a quick treatment on my IT band, pack the rest of my bag, and went to bed. That night I slept like a rock in between waking up at 3am where I forced myself back to sleep.

The morning of the slalom came with no new snow, which was fantastic. I quickly proceeded up the t-bar to go ski the newly groomed run. Unfortunately but what I am grateful for is the run I went to ski was groomed last it seemed. The snow was too soft and my ski was prepped for the boiler plate stuff. I was having a hard time trying not to ski to hard which just isn’t a good warm up. I gave up just after one run and proceeded to make the journey up to the start of the course. To get to the top of course it required going up a 12 min chair lift, skiing a thousand and one slalom turns down the Olympic downhill course and then skiing through a tunnel. The hill was fantastic to ski down, a great mix between hard, man made, and soft. The fog made it even more interesting partially because I hadn’t skied to the start yet and I had no clue where I was supposed to be going. I made it on the first try. I accidentally skied off without Kevin, our physio, and Jared, our tech, oops. I was having way too much fun to wait for them.

I inspected the course where I quickly forgot the majority of the course and barely remembered where the key gates were but, makes me look ahead when I race. I didn’t have that much time to hangout before the race started but, I tried to procrastinate as long as I could. When I got to the top I thought I had timed it right but, I still seemed to have way too much time to waste at the start. Kevin did a nice little message and stretch there in the start on my IT band, I did my jumping drills, stretched some more, and I tried to help the moral of my teammates who are still trying to get over the whole world cup skiing thing. What seemed like a life time but only took a couple of minutes I was done with my first run. Somehow without my complete understanding I was sitting second after the first run. When I came through the finish I would have sworn I was not at the front of the field, for that run was poop. I ran the upper section in the low and late line and half way down I had to remind myself how to ski, not that I was skiing that bad but I wasn’t skiing up to my full potential.

For the second run I definitely didn’t remember any of the course except for three parts, I knew the pitches were straight and fast with sucker gates at the bottom of both, there was a flush into a delay after the roll somewhere, and the last thing to remember was the hairpin into another hairpin. I rode up the chairlift with Karo and she was asking about all of the combinations and I couldn’t answer because I didn’t know where they all were. After a quick turnaround I was back up at the start for the second run. This time around everything seemed rushed but there was no fire to put out. Caitie and Gwen were up first then quickly followed by Rob and Danelle. I got to wait for the rest of the VI field and almost the entire standup field. After Rob and Danelle left the start Kevin rushed up to the ready area, quickly massaged and stretched my hip out, I got undressed, rushed into my ski, kicked the burm that had formed, launched into the air, landed, scared the pants off some random guy, and then just hung out in the start. Once I was on course I realized how fast the course was. The first 5 or 6 gates were gone in seconds, from there I just remember telling myself to go faster and faster. I couldn’t have been on a single edge for that long because I all I remember was thinking about keeping my ski going straight down the hill. All of the combinations and crazy gates came and went very quickly and without any difficulty. At the finish the announcer confirmed that I had a great run. Next I had to wait for the last standing racer to come down. I waited and waited, until finally she finished and the announcer took his sweet time to announce that she had won by two one-hundredths of a second, .02 seconds. That was so, so close. Even though I lost the race, I knew that I had won that run. After a lot of hugs, euro kisses, and congratulation to and from everybody we were off the hill and headed home by 1:45. Awesome compared to yesterday’s 4:30.

We were to set off for the awards banquet at 7:30 that night so I managed to do a recovery workout with Caitie and Danelle on the stairs and in the hallway, cleanup, have Kevin put my SI joint back into alignment, and take a nap, all before 7:30. I didn’t even start to pack really. The banquet seemed to go forever with a fashion walk of an Austrian brand of ski clothes and skis. Not all that impressed. I got my award and Danelle and Rob, 4th, Caitie and Gwen, 6th, Stephani, 4th, and Alana, 5th, all got recognized for their top 6 finishes. Once back Rob, Danelle, John, and I went to a Karaoke bar and enjoyed each other company for a couple of rounds and a couple of horribly sung songs. Overall I had a great race and good company to share it with.

Jan 7th

2010-01-07T13:28:00.001-08:00

Today was a good day. I was up early for some reason but didn’t feel so bad with the jet lag. We went up to the mountain and did some training near where the races are going to be. Lets me just say I am glad to be a girl and get to go towards the front of the race for there are 102 racers tomorrow and I am starting the first run 19th. We trained on a course that was fully tracked out by the Austrian’s in the morning. There was too much new snow to set a new course in the limited time that we had on the training hill. The training was a good insight to what we will be racing on tomorrow and how rutted out the firm snow.
After training I went out and made up my own recovery workout patched together from what I have seen back in Colorado Springs. With no real schedule here for recovery I had a good time making stuff up as I went along. After that I basically did nothing, exactly what I needed to do. I have been on the computer most the afternoon, deleting unwanted music, deleting duplicate messages, talking with Jon Graff, the magic man from Rev-360.com, and then writing this. I did venture out for a grocery run and dinner, so I am not a complete hermit but pretty close.
The race is tomorrow so I must be going…

Jan 6th

2010-01-06T12:25:00.000-08:00

a.m.
You ask what happened to the 5th, well that was mostly consumed be traveling on a plane and a van, then unpacking, dinner, a meeting, and reconnecting with the world. I was able to sleep until 5:30am so that went really well. The beds are Euro size, meaning small, two twins right next to each other, and the pillows are actually pillows, not slightly fluffed sacs of nothingness. The hotel that we are staying in is located just outside of Innsbruck. There is a train right across the street to get into town if wanted, planning on that tonight.

p.m.
Today was a good day. We went skiing at the race hill and it is beautiful up there. I can see the entire valley and beyond from the top of the upper lift. I was able to ski the downhill that was raced on in the 1976 Winter Olympic Games and it is a fast one. I love the snow but not the terrain. I am having fun challenging myself with the slicker snow. I am really grateful that we ran GS on the manmade snow in Winter Park. I didn’t really look for the race hill but I am sure that I managed to ski it, hopefully, if not oh well, I will get there eventually. I did my T-bar riding in today. I did a couple of runs just at the bottom which is nice for I could probably make 15 runs in an hour.

After we got back I went with some team members to the old part of Innsbruck where I found my favorite, probably the only one that I know of, Schnapps and Liquor store. At this store you get to choose the size and shape of the bottle and then which liquor you want. I went with the simple Fire Liquor in a cool little bottle. We then proceeded to have bratwurst from a cart in the middle of the square. The brat was very filling and we headed back to the hotel where I proceeded to have a nap. After some internet surfing while watching live ski jumping, a team meeting, dinner, and a shower I am ready for bed. Tomorrow we are training some GS with the Brits on the lower practice hill.

Europe ’10 World Cup

2010-01-05T10:34:00.000-08:00

Jan 4th
This is the begining of my European World Cup trip. It is going to be a memorable one for sure. I am currently sitting in First Class on my flight to Chicago where I will connect to Munich. I am going to enjoy this trip and it will be great to see everybody again.
I am proud to say that I was able to check in all four luggage pieces free and the check in lady was very kind and helpful. I feel bad that she had to lift all of that luggage for I did not pack lightly for this trip. With that all set and done it is time to enjoy and relax for this is a long one.

I did manage to get into Business Class for the flight over the pond to Munich. It was very comfortable but the movies were horrable. Only a couple new ones and those were all messed up, audio going out and such. I was dissapointed about the entertainment but the flight was easy. Our flight attendent was awesome. Lots of wine and refreshment thourghout the flight. The steak was par, but what can I complain about when I was eating steak with a metal knife and a full glass in my hand. I was able to sleep a couple of hours at the end of the flight.

Once in Munich the process was pretty simple. We got off the plane, got our passports stamped, grabbed our luggage, and then loaded up the vans. Pretty easy. Luckily all of my luggage made it and seems not to be damaged. Everything seems to have been searched by TSA, with some hap hazard repacking I might add. The drive to Innsbruck was uneventful. I made sure that the radio was answered for Ian, the iPod kept good signal, and made sure that Ian followed the giant white van.

Day one is in the books now I am just trying to keep my eyes open a little bit longer.

A Great Ending

2009-12-20T17:53:00.000-08:00

This year seems to be to full to account for it all. I have had my ups and my downs. I have had my moments of brilliance and my moments of stupidity. I have both success and failure. This year like many of the years in the past has been jam packed full of adventures and excitement.

Almost a year ago today I was getting ready for the 2009 World Cup Season in Europe, S. Korea, and Canada. I am about to embark on a similar adventure in two weeks. I will be going to Rinn and Abtenau, Autria and then on to Sestriere ,Italy. I then have another NORAM in Kimberly, BC in February. After another couple weeks of training I will be at the World Cup Finals in Aspen, CO leading up to the start of the Paralympics in Vancouver, BC. I am ready to go!!

Just 15 months ago I was competing at the Beijing Paralympics and now I am just three months out of the Vancouver Paralympics. I enjoy doing both sports for the reason I am always striving to do better in every aspect, whether it is about transitioning from one sport to the other or just to be better at the individual sport itself. I don't do two sports for the glory, I do it because I love the sport. Skiing gives me the freedom to be able to go just as fast and just as far as my peers. Cycling allows me to be with friends that also don't stand still and love to better themselves.

I get to bounce back and fourth between two very awesome groups of people, where we are all family. Skiing brings fourth brothers that I have never had and cycling bring a since of unity even though the ability is vast. I am glad and honored to be apart of both teams. This season has solidified that, having trained months with both sports and always welcomed not matter where my adventure takes me.

2009-12-16T16:12:00.001-08:00

So the season has officially started. I have been skiing for the last five seeks and it is going great. I have been training at Arapahoe Basin, Breckenridge, and Copper Mountain. I have been able to get onto most of my new equipment and am skiing great. My winter is off to a great start.
The team has been skiing together for the last two weeks and it has been a blast. I have gotten to get to know my teammates better and I am looking forward to the European World Cups where the almost the whole team will be there. We are looking strong and ready. We have skied at two NORAMs so far and are ready for two more coming up tomorrow and Friday. I won both the Giant Slalom and the Slalom in Copper and am ready for the Super-G and Super-Combined to finish out the week.
First on the list of trips is to go back to Colorado Springs for the holidays and to spend time with the family. After that the next stop on the list is the World Cups in Rinn and Abtenau, Austria and Sestreire, Italy. I leave January 4th and will be racing through the 23rd.

The Begining of Another Season

2009-11-11T14:23:00.000-08:00

It is fall once again and I have finished one sport and focused on the other sport. The track team went on to bring home 11 medals from the Para-Cycling Track World Championships in Manchester, England. I did not join them, I was in the gym getting ready for the up coming Winter Paralympics in Vancouver, CA. I really haven't done anything all that exciting...
Vacation!!!!

I got to go to San Antonio for a Military Paralympic Camp at Fort Sam Houston. I got to teach disabled soldiers how to ride bikes. I also got to hang out with my Aunt and Uncle in San Antonio. After San Antonio I went to Reno, NV to watch my dad fly his little fast plane around in circles fifty feet off the ground. That is an amazing thing to watch and to see in person. They fly feet apart at 200+ miles per hour. Every time I watched my dad race I had goose bumps. I thought skiing at 60 miles per hour was frightening but there is no way I would every fly that plane. After my dad was done planning evil ken evil we drove down to Las Vegas and went to Interbike. I had a blast there, though I couldn't walk afterward. I am looking forward to going back again next year to represent. After a long drive home with the most annoying dog ever, Abbey, I was home a blissful two days and then I was off to Boston for a Ski Ball. I had a great day there, got to catch up with Keith for a awesome meal in China Town.

I went home for a little while and then hit the road for one more trip, Utah!! My favorite state in the country, where even the Dairy Queen closes at 8:30, lame. I was there for the National Park and Recreation Congress. I then got to go to Palo Alto, CA for another Ski Team function. After a wonderful trip to California I went home.

Well today was the first of what will be many days of training for this season. Nothing to spectacular just some free skiing on the twin tips at A-Basin. The was awesome good snow, not a lot of people, and beautiful weather. I am staying up here in Keystone for the next couple of nights. My new skis have been mounted and I get to go play on the slaloms and Ian is going to break in my Super-Gs for me.

Until next time cause I need to go and update my USADA location form.

Winter Has Come to Colorado

2009-10-11T13:08:00.000-07:00

Winter has come and I am not ready for it. First of all I am not in what I would call skiing shape. Most tell me that I have set to high of expectations but I want to be the best is so the higher the standard the better I will be. Second I don't want to pull my ski clothes out of storage just yet. I want to wait but for tonight and tomorrow's Rockies games I am busting out the largest down jacket that I own, gloves as well.
Last night and today I spent almost 20min just de-icing my car. That is just wrong for this time of year. I was mountain biking last year and now I am reduced to rollers in the hot box. So not cool. Ooh well, winter is here and I must face it. All that really changes is that instead of riding my bike to sports med and the gym, I get to negotiate a couple of iced over stairs and handrails and the slippery path. I get to ride my road bike on the rollers instead of borrowing a mountain bike to cruise the front range. So now I must face the reality that winter has come, it may disappear for awhile but it will return.

2009 TT Bogogno, Italy

2009-09-12T06:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the TT in Bogogno, Italy. It was a great course, corners, hills, false flats, downhill straight away. I had a good go ate it as well. Started the day off way to early, not having packed my bag until that morning. Made the mad dash for breakfast having to wait for 20 or so Asian Tourist. Departed the hotel at 7:15 for a 10:15 start. Greta and I were able to get onto the course to just roll a lap. Once we got back I found out that I was going out first in my class, meaning nobody to chase down. With that mess up I got to have Craig follow me in the car, thanks the lord Jeebus. Start went well, Greta had just passed the start for her second lap and I just went. Shortly after loosing sight of G, Sarah Story passed me and I paced off of her for a bit longer. I was having a good ride, trying not to over do it but not to slack off. I was able to take all of the turns with good speed at that, and then there was the stair step of hills. So the hills consisted of 3 minor climbs with the last two covering 1 kilometer. On the first hill I was doing great then I went to shift down to the little chain ring and my chain fell off to the inside because in my moment of no focus I forgot to shift the rear casset into the middle instead of leaving in the small gear on the inside. oops. That is why I am happy that I had a follow car and was able to get quick help from Chad who was riding shotgun for Craig. After that nothing dramatic happened and I rode like hell. I knew that I was behind at the end of the first lap so with encouragement from Craig over the radio I pedaled like crazy and mad up that time plus some more.
Un-factored I was 1st with a time of 32:30, Paula (New Zealand) 32:49, Barb 32:55.
Factored Barb move up to 32:04 and took the white jersey. Oh well I will make it up next year.
Greta got 2nd, Jenny got 2nd, Karissa & Mackenzie got 1st, Clark & Dave finish in 5th, Amazing, Craig V and Mike went 8th and 9th respectively. Good day for USA!!

Guess I am something

2009-09-09T08:52:00.000-07:00

I had a really cool experience today and I am very proud of myself for it. While here in Europe I don't check my email much but try to do it daily. Well today I had a bit of a shocker, my third and never really even been used email account, allison@jonezyrocks.com, had a message waiting for me. I was completely taken aback but initially thought it was a system email from google or something like that. It wasn't though. A person, other then family, actual read my blog and bio. Who knew that I could be found. After responding to the email I figured two things were going for me. One was the fact that the money that I invested into my website and the many hours that my sister and I have spent on it was well worth it. The second thing is that since I now know that people, other then family again, are reading what I have to say, i thought it would be smart to step up my game on the blogging. So here it is, I am going to keep better attention to my website and to both blogs.

Italy...

I love Italy, even on the muggy days. It is beautiful here and the people are very nice. The scenery is amazing and I am glad to have finally made it here during the summer and see just how green it gets. The company is also awesome. There is a new guy, normally referred to the FNG, but he has out right skipped that position with how nice and professional he is. During camp I was the escape from his roommate and now he stepped up and has been my escape from my roommate. We are staying at a very nice hotel and the staff here are awesome. The seemed to have already forgiven us for the fact that we can not speak Italian and are butchering what every we try to say in Italian, ie Poste Cardo when looking for a postcard.

So far this trip has gone by way to fast with not much getting done. Craig G. has had us riding only once a day, what a concept. I am not sure what to do with myself during the rest of the day. I am definitely getting more and more anxious for the race and I have had to stop myself multiple time from trying to second guess what I should and shouldn't do. Some race tomorrow, Oz, Alejandro, David, and Anthony, while the rest wait until the following day to slay the course.

Why make things simple, it would be boring otherwise!!

2009-08-29T20:59:00.000-07:00

A teammate of mine talked the other day about being in the moment. I understood the comment and the idea behind it but I don't think I have every experienced "Being in the Moment" outside of sport. Is this a bad thing? Am I not enjoying life to the fullest? Should I slow down and just focus on today, the moment?

I have been pondering this for the last couple of days and I think that I am getting a better understanding of where I think that I should be. I should be right where I am. I am doing what I love to do and living a life style that I am almost content with. I have a lot of ideas in my head of what I would like to do when I grow up and face the world outside of sport but I don't know if that world is what I am imagining it as. I have only a couple of friends that would carry outside of sport and I am willing, almost wanting, to make more. I am not sure what life has in store for me but I am sure I will enjoy the ride. I might be making some new radical decisions that will most likely shock the world for those that don't truly know me and what my desires in life truly are.

How do you call it the end when life isn't over yet? I know that I am ending one chapter in my life but I have always had two or three going on all at once. So with end of one why not start another or two. I know that I want to go back and pass the FE exam but I also have had some other prospect come into mind that I might go take advantage of. If I got my way I would live the craziest life style possible that I could live. I have no intention on making things boring or dull. Exciting, fun, and risk taking are what I have in store for my biography.

GS is ugly

2009-07-25T10:24:00.001-07:00

As much as I try I just can't grasp GS. GS is not complicated but it frustrates me every so much. The crappy part is that I can't stand the passive nature of the staff. I know that they want to see us all succeed but at times I don't see the passion for the event. There is no energy in the way they critic, "It is looking okay." tends to be the common statement. The problem is that it isn't okay, I have to be beating the men on our ski team in order to be competitive with the Woman's world cup field. I am not there consistently and the staff seem to be in neutral with helping me out. I was skiing the drills awesome, there was little to no spray, shoulders level, movement in the leg, and and aggressive line. Now I am back to skiing like I did last year, stiff legged, tipped in, pinchy, and spray through the whole turn.

I hope that I can get it together by the World Cup Season. Slalom is up next in the camp and I am really ready for it and I don't want to go through the potential pain in my arm. I know that I can get through it with little worry but my thoughts are focused on cycling right now. I am excited about racing and am ready to crush the course. All is to be positive in my head and I am ready for it.

Questions

2009-07-04T11:42:00.000-07:00

I have to propose a big question to myself. I am hoping that my coach will help me out in this decision. Do I stay with the ski team or do I go independent so that my cycling career does not flounder. After this last race, US Nationals/World Team Trials, I realized that no matter how much I tapered on the bike the training on the sis killed me. I am now questioning what my performance will be at the road Nationals/World Team Trials with yet another ski camp before the event begins. This is what is boggling my mind any help....

Mt Hood

2009-06-27T07:58:00.000-07:00

So a lot has happened since I last posted to this blog. I went to Korea and Whistler with the ski team and Manchester, England with cycling. Cycling has been awesome this year with some new PR's in England which was amazing considering it was May and I had only truly been riding for six weeks. I enjoy the bike so much that I look forward to hard workouts. You can see the results even though you feel exhausted at the end of the day. Training has hit an all time high even though I ride the same roads over and over, there is something there that makes the repetitive rides enjoyable. After Whistler I hope to find the same feeling on the skis. Bliss is such a great feeling I want to experience as much as possible and in any way that I could.

Hood is has been amazing. This is a camp that has had an impact with the whole team. Everybody is make huge leaps and bounds with their own ski technique and working together as a team. The staff is also amazing this camp, there has been no wasted time with redundant drills, which are sometimes necessary. We are being treated like adults and the respect is a major two highway, where athletes are respecting staff, staff are respecting athletes, and athletes are respecting athletes. There are no true rookies here yet so we are not a full compliment in the house but we are a great group of veterens.

Training for me has been awesome. I am back in the stiff boot and I feel great. Things are finally going forward and I am not struggling against an unknown force. I am a bit excited that we are not doing Super-Combined, slalom is awesome but it takes a higher toll on my body and now I will have a better chance of being ready for Nationals in LA, ooh yeah forgot to mention that I leave for LA in a couple of days. Scary...

La Molina - World Cup

2009-01-11T11:22:00.000-08:00

Hello All,
I have arrived in Europe, with no bags. I luckily brought my ski boot on the plane with me and extra under wear, thank God. I am excited to say that my clothes bag arrived yesterday afternoon and my speed skis arrived today. Unfortunately we race tech, ie Slalom and Giant Slalom, here in Spain. I am fortunately borrowing Laurie's skis until mine arrive.
On the flip side the mountains here in the Pyrenees are a lot like those of Colorado and Utah. There are pinny trees and great snow. The hill that we are skiing on was used for an Able-Bodied World Cup in December so it is phenomenal, steep and hard. We went exploring, I was on Stephani's slalom ski and Brad Alier's poles. The snow was soft on the rest of the mountain.
The hotel is fun, we have mini apartments with kitchens the size of what Haley's first New York City apartment. There is a workout out room that is very expensive, so I won't be going in there. The tuning is happening in the parking garage with giant heaters keeping everything warm.
We are racing Giant Slalom for the first two days then two days of Slalom after that. So for now that is all that I have, until next time,
Ali

Skiing is Such Bliss

2008-10-27T22:12:00.000-07:00

I love skiing. I love being able to go out and just rip it. I haven't exactly gone through the summer progression of drills just kinda of jumped back into the swing of things. Yesterday was my first day back on skis since SkiTAM in April. Amazingly enough I feel pretty good considering I am on a new boot and ski. My foot is in pain but I think that it is the combination of not skiing and new boot cause today the pain was about half that it was yesterday.
We are skiing up at Copper and the weather is awesome. I think that I am bringing my bike back up with me on Wednesday cause it is in the upper 60's and beautiful. I got to the gym today and I realized how spoiled I am at the Olympic training center. I mean the gym at Break. Is nice but nothing compared to what is available at the OTC.

The snow has come!!!

2008-10-21T23:28:00.000-07:00

I am so excited, I might get to wear my new winter jacket tomorrow because it is snowing in Colorado Springs. YESSSSS! I am so excited!!! I am also getting ready for everything to start up here. I already have a condo in Keystone for a week of early season training in Copper. I can't wait. Found out Jared, our ski god, got my new skis and boot for the season, wahoo. I did a whole bunch today.
Went to the prosthetic shop and am getting a new foot shell to replace the current one that I have, which has two major holes and the heel is about to blow out. I got the access to the condo in Keystone, visited a doctor friend of mine, she gave Greta and I scrips for the new prosthetic stuff, tested out the new USADA online form, started to discuss photo shoots with SKINS, and may have scored some tickets to the Av's game on Friday.
Today was a good day. Yeah. I still haven't finished moving, bummer, but there is tomorrow in the snow :) I am going skiing in a week :) I might to an Av's game :) I get to hook up with friends at the game :)

Growing Old

2008-10-20T13:18:00.000-07:00

What I don't get about growing old is when to exit. I recently went down to visit my great great aunt. She had lived her life active all of the way. She was still mowing the yard at the age of 84. Unfortunately with all old folks the calcium just doesn't stay where it was supposed to be and she fell over and broke her hip. She was in a nursing home for a while but now she is in the care of her daughter and live in friends. She doesn't walk anymore and care takers don't get her outside all that often. I feel as though she has lived her life and is just waiting for the grace of god to take her.
As a society what do we do? Do we end the suffering or do we try to make her rehab against the odds of rehabilitation? I think that we should look at what is left for her to accomplish in life. Her husband has already passed away. There is nothing that she needs to get done, her daughter is grown, her grandson is grown. I think that I have gotten to the point that I know that her next big act is her exit and I see nothing wrong in that. I hope that she does not suffer and goes to God peacefully. I don't expect her to live forever and I hope that others can share my opinion in this.
I just hope that I am treated the same way for I don't want to linger when I have done all that I can do. I what to exit and go on it what ever is to come. I don't what to suffer and I don't want to plead, just everybody understand that it all comes to an end and everybody must face it so except it.

Colorado Springs Chill'n

2008-10-20T09:08:00.000-07:00

I suck at this blog thing. I never get on and write but I also think about what I should tell the world. I am doing great. I did nothing for a month and now I am in full gear getting ready for the ski season. I got to move from the barracks to the nicer resident living quarters on complex, so that was exciting. I have been enjoy good and shitty weather, typical for fall in Colorado. So what have I done since my return to the United States. Well I chilled for a couple of days and didn't even try to re-adjust my sleeping hours, I just went to bed at 8pm and up at 4am. I got a lot of shit done in the mornings, and my boyfriend slept through it all. I then went to Dallas, Texas, to visit some relatives and then I did the White House Visit with all of the Olympians and Paralympians, no Micheal Phelps was not there, neither was the Basketball team.
I then cam home and vacation was done, straight to the gym. I also managed to break my socket of my leg and was required to use crutches, uugh. My body hated it, not only was I lifting for the first time in months was also trying to move rooms and that was not cool. My body was in complete rejection. I then got my leg back and to my surprise it was "marble" blue with sparkles. If you know me I don't do sparkles. Apparently they ran out of black fabric material and the owner really thinks blue looks good.
I then got a mountain bike to use for the time being at least until the snow doesn't allow it any more. I have had a blast this weekend. I feel over a couple of times but if you know me I laughed first and then got up and got back onto the bike. I had fun, lots of it. Oh yeah, the bike that I am using is a full suspension carbon Specialized that one of the national team members used last year. I made sure that I put padding on the top tube so that my right leg didn't destroy the carbon, and I have used it very much so. Lindsey Bishop took out for a joy ride yesterday and I was a little giddy school girl. I like mountain biking, it is fun. I might actually have to invest into a bike for my self.

The TT and the beginning of the Vacation

2008-09-14T19:41:00.000-07:00

I was happy that morning. I was very happy that day. We got to go out on the later bus so we got to hear how everybody did. Matt had mechanical issues, David had to change his position so he didn't do that well, Oz won, and Pepe was third. Not a bad start to the morning. Mike had just finished his first lap when we had arrived and he was looking strong. We still had about two and half hours of waiting until we were going. I had a bit to eat and then started going. I had yet to ride the entrance to, on, and off the dam. I got all geared up and was off riding around 1:15, I started at 3:15. I wasn't able to get a great head of steam into the unknown territory but I at least got to ride the slip and slide. It was fun. I had some minor shifting problems but those were easily solved. I then hung out for a while while Ron and Anthony got ready to go. Ron was off at 2:25. I then got all ready and started warming up on the rollers. Craig took off with Anthony to follow him on the first lap. He was playing the very eager father roll making sure that all of children were ready for the race. I was as ready as was going to be. I was the second to last athlete to go for the single bikes. I new that I could catch the girls in front of me but I didn't know whether or not Natalie from Germany would catch me. I figured it would be towards the end of first lap. I got started and was pumped. I played it smart. Took the hill with a high cadence and pushed it up over each hill. I wish that I went faster in some sections but I still won the race. I knew I had done well at the end of the day when I could here the announcer saying that I was coming with a very fast time. I got to embrace a very upset Barb because she had forgotten about the factor and the announcer was telling everybody that I had won the race. i knew that I would end up second because of the factor but I knew that if we were at worlds I would be wearing gold. I had the race of my life. I can't ask for more.

I started celebrating right away. The next day I was off to the wall and got some more souvenir shopping done. The wall is amazing. The fact that somebody thousands of years ago wanted a large wall and it got built. It was amazing to see how it just zigzagged the landscape. I went Mary Riddel, former ski teammer. I thought some of my teammates on cycling team liked to talk but she is just as bad. It was fun though, we got to go in a BOCOG vehicle and not the public shuttle. We got there quick and painless. Later a group of us went to an Irish bar with a couple of the Irish cyclist. It was a ton of fun. I got drunk and ended up at another bar with "Gus", and didn't make it home until 3:30am. I slept all of the next day. We then went to an acrobatic show, which was amazing. Three subway trains later we were back at the Village. We then wrangled up Craig and made him keep a bet that he had made, 5 golds and we get to put USA into the back of his head. If we would have gotten 8 then it was a tattoo. Craig looked like a little boy going to the dentist for the first time. We have lots of photos.

It was a great ending to the games and I am having a good vacation.

The 3km Pursuit

2008-09-10T22:16:00.001-07:00

The 3km pursuit is by far my least favorite event, but I always seem to do okay. The morning started off really early with a 6am wake, yes I know in the real world that is not that early but when you are used to getting up at 7-7:30, 6am seem early. A quick survey of all of the gear to make sure that I have everything I needed. I some how managed to leave my keys at the laundry drop-off so I had to run and grab those. I then got onto the bus with all of the other early morning riders and there were a lot of bikes on this particular bus so once I was in, I was stuck. Get to the track, very slowly today, and I ran off after getting my road bike down to the infield to get my traditional panoramas of the velodrome.

I then realized that they were putting me on all Mavic wheel, big deal in cycling. Because of the new wheels I had to get used to how the front wheel moved so I did an early warm-up on the track, on race gear. I was feeling awesome. I followed a CP4 from South Africa for a while and then she started to scare me with her bike handling skills so I backed off of her and did my own thing. After a while I had a little gaggle behind me and I didn't feel like sharing my draft so a did a little sneaky move by getting off of the track and acting like I was done, let the group go around me and then I jumped back on. No international crisis occurred so I was satisfied. Finished my warm-up and got off of the track and started a semi cool down because I still had an hour before my ride. I stretched and got some carbs into my system and then started to get my leg ready for the race. I went after barb again but I got to go against a rider that is more my ability but still has 2 legs.

Thanks god for the toe strap. I got up to the start, Craig the gentleman walked me up all the way to my bike. I get all strapped in and ready to go. I wasn't paying to much attention because next thing I know there is 11seconds on the clock. I gear up for the start and off I go. On the second down stroke I pulled up on my stump came out of the pedal but thank the gods for the strap for all I had to do was step down and I was still attached to my pedal. I would have hated to have had to make me and the New Zealand girl have to restart. I also had a really good start and I didn't want to try for another one. I had a good starting split which set me up for fast splits from there on out. Eventually I knew that I was going to be passed and I was ready for it. The pass just came a lot later then I am used to and then to my amazement I was able to pace off of her, not draft but pace. I fell about 20 meters back and then mustered up the strength and drive to match her pace. Unfortunately this happened with only 4 laps to go and she was going to finish right in front of me. Usually people get out the way right away but her brain shutdown and she didn't move. I gave a quick yell and she still didn't move, then I gave another one and she got the hint and got out of the way. If she hadn't moved on the second yell I was going to have to go up and around her which isn't fast that late in the race.

Barb ended up winning the race because of the factor but she did get a new world record for the CP3 category. This race was the closest that I have ever been at any competition. Jenny advanced to the gold medal round and finished 2nd and Greta was 5th only a few seconds out of the medal rounds. I packed up my track bike and then I then headed back to the village where I talked to my madre and boy back home. I can't wait to get back to everything in the States but at the same time I am glad that I am not dealing with all of the politics that is completely taken over all television, radio, and newspaper.

The 500m

2008-09-10T17:03:00.000-07:00

I love to race, I truly do. I have this ability to get my self all worried about it and then I am there and there is not a single thing I can put into my mind to get me off my high horse. I had a good day all around. I woke up in an otay mood after an emotional train wreck the night before, no need to rain on today’s parade. I was very excited about the race and just wanted to get there and get it done. I knew going into it I wasn’t going to win but I wanted to turn some heads doing it. I always seem to get on the bike premature. I only need a quick warm up but I get excited and get on the bike 2hr before need be. At least today my leg actually felt like it wanted to work, where as yesterday I couldn’t get it to warm up worth shit where I finally gave up and just did my efforts. Back to today.

I got to watch all of my teammates go first. Good for me in ski racing bad for me on the track. I don’t want to see times or to see what is going on, impossible at the track where you have no choice. I watched Jenny win by a land slide in the mixed LC1/LC2/CP4 class. Greta had an okay ride but nothing spectacular. The factor really makes a difference. Barb rode before I did and she was the first CP3 so I got to see how badly her times were going to adjust before I went. I was ready and psyched to go. The weird thing that I am not used to but should start practicing is letting somebody else take my bike to the line without me and then I have to hope to get to it, or I just need to start carrying crutches, but that is a drag. Everything from here on out went by very quickly. I got all strapped in, got set, 15sec started to count down, Craig called out 5 to go, and then I was off. The only thing that I remember is that my rear wheel was wiggly and I could stay on the black line. Other then that I knew that I was going faster then I had ever gone before. At the end of the race I was so happy I rode the back straight where all of the fans were with my hands and head held up high. I went half a second faster then I had ever gone.

The next highlight of my day was riding back on the bus with the Irish boy, Enda and Gus. They could start their own comedy skit and become the world’s most famous comedians. It is hilarious. I official was invited to O’Shea’s, the only Irish pub in Beijing on the evening of the 13th, when their races are done for a pint of beer. I can’t wait. I am going to be pissing my pants from the laughter not the beer.

The rest of the day went without much, ate, meeting, slept.

Sept 6th Journal

2008-09-06T19:23:00.000-07:00

The rest of the team has arrived, well they arrived days ago, oops. It is nice to finally have everybody here but it was also nice when it was just the girls, Mike, and Anthony. Pepe was voted team Captain by the majority of the team. I am getting to know Eric, the new sougier(sp). Really cool guy, hard worker, and a good sense of humor. Michelle has been a god sent. I usually have major conflicts with asking for help but she gets it. I feel comfortable at a race finally. I am not the same attention needing person I used to be. I can handle my own problems now , I do not need someone to hold my hand anymore. I have com to respect my ability and my drive. I know I can do it, I don't need somebody to point it out. I have the power.
To night we walked into a three ring circus filled with gimps, amps, and blind. There will be awesome people watching capability. For one night I have no competition, just a gathering of gimpies joined to celebrate an event where we are the stars of the show.
I will get to walk amongst friends. I will be apart of a whole. We represent the elite of the elite and there is going to be thousands there to applaud us for accomplishing where we have gotten.

Sept 3rd Journal

2008-09-06T01:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was interesting. My laundry bag was lost and then once I got it I found out it was ripped and one of my jerseys was stained beyond belief. Luckily I don't need it to race in. We had a bit of down time but I really didn't have time to lay down in. I called Mom, Sis, and Justin and had a good chat with them. We went to the track in the morning/noon time. The sun rises really early here so the day is kinda funky. China doesn't do time zones so it's like being in New York with Colorado's time. I keep forgetting to bring my camera on the bus rides to and from the venues.

The bus ride to the Velodrome. First we get our own lane. Which is pretty cool for getting through traffic. The bus drivers must believe though that they may only drive in the lane because they make a mad dash over to the lane and then a mad dash out of the lane to the exit. No sense of readiness, it is an "oh shit, there is the exit and I don't want to miss it." Part of the drive is along this canal. There are fisherman with ginormous fishing rods squatting on the embankment getting the morning catch. There are tons of apartments along the journey. I know China has 1/6th the worlds population but they make NY housing look small and pathetic.

There are also more historical housing and complexes along the way, mostly settled on top of a hill so all below can see their might and beauty. They are truly amazing. These little shrines and small empires on their hill top over looking the world below them. I wonder what it was like in the centuries past how they dominated their surroundings. China has such history and awe there is no way to take it all in with the little time that I am here.

The Vegetation here is amazing as well. Thick lush bushes and willows that swallow the landscape. It is mice compared to the big cities back home where all you see is concrete boulevards and houses as far as the eye can see. Here urban meets jungle in a harmonious fashion. Yeah there is concrete but there is also green and not just green. Flowers, ponds, and rustic trees supported in every environment. I wish the States could grasp the idea that fake plants do not brighten the office, but it shows just how lazy we truly are.

Anger

2008-09-03T06:28:00.000-07:00

Don't bottle the Anger. I am trying to learn this. I am also trying not to let anger guide my emotions or dictate my action. I am going to know that shit is about to hit the fan. I know that people are going to get on my nerves and I know that I am not going to agree with everybody's decisions. I am better then them and I can get through this without going psycho and agro with my teammates. I can only control what is with in my abilities and every thing that I can not control that I get angry at is a waste of time. I like this train of thought for it might keep me sane through these games.

We had a very good day today. I did a decent time on the track for a standing 1 lap and tomorrow is a full on race effort but only 375m and not the whole thing. Craig keeps asking me what I would like to do and then I tell him and then he goes and suggests that maybe I should do something else and then still gives me an option so then I ask him what he thinks I should do and then he tells me what to do. It is a round about way of getting a task designed but it seems to work with Craig without being mister nasty pants. I laugh at it every time.

I think things are going really well. I got the afternoon off and I made good use of it. I watch an episode of Dexter: the second season, with Greta, had a good chat with Sean, and then had team dinner and meeting. I think I enjoyed myself well. I am looking forward to riding tomorrow with race intensity. I am sure that it will work out well and I am sure that I won't get pissed off at anybody. I think it will be a good race simulation and I am ready for it.

Overloaded

2008-09-01T05:26:00.000-07:00

I am completely overloaded. There is so much exciting things to see and do here I am unable to take it all in. The TT course to freaking sweet. I can't wait to race it. The "Hill" is nothing that I haven't been able to ride before. At an easy pace I think that I could have gone up it no problem. I got to ride it twice today and I am already trying to figure out where I can take more time out of the competition and where I am going to be able to beat my teammate. The drive out there at "Star"'s pace sucked but could easily be reduced to about 30mins at my pace. There is a special lane for the Paralympics and we were being passed by all of the other traffic, pathetic. I tested out wearing my water bottle cage on the back side of my socket, the only available space I have with no more room on the frame. It worked out pretty well, I must say but if the weather is what it was like today I won't need a water bottle at all. The road alway has shelter from the wind except for one section and that is it.

After lunch we went to the track and this is where the overloading really kicked in. First I forgot my newly painted stomp cup, Greta thankfully ran back for me and grabbed it. Once I was at the track I realized that I left all of my gears at the room, and there was no chainring on my bike, oops. Again Greta came to my rescue and had one that I could borrow. After that I pretty much was on top of things. I had a good and quick first session. I can't wait to get the track racing done and over with and get onto the road TT.

Once we were back at the village I got busy. After cleaning up I got my clothes over to the laundry facilities, cut the another leg off of my Skins, got a water pot for the morning coffee (came with a converter so now I can also use the grinder), and then watched the video of my teammates acting like baffoons on the bus over to the track. Dinner was good as usual. I must say I haven't eaten this well at a Paralympics since my first one in Salt Lake City.

A Taste of the Village

2008-08-31T04:48:00.000-07:00

I have arrived to the Paralympic Games. I am stoked to be here. The Village is awesome. I haven't even explored but a tiny bit of the whole thing. We are staying a football field away from the cafeteria and the transportation depot. I am looking forward to exploring the next couple of days. There are different gardens in between each building and a stream going in between the two USA buildings, that I know of so far. The people are very nice here and very helpful. The US delegation staff seem really cool and nice to be around. Greta Neimanas is my roommate and we are already setting up everything. I have taken my bike out of the box and there seems to be no damage, yeah. I liked the set up here because we got to see our luggage at all of the check points and make sure there was no damage. Once we got off of the plane and through security our bags were there and there were tons of people to herd us around and help out. When then got to be reunited with our bags when we checked in for the first time at the village and then the bags made it to our dorm pretty much the same time that we had gotten our keys to the room. I think that these games are going to go very well. I do wish I had some family here but it is nice not having to worry about them and their safety.

We are going to ride the road course in the morning then off to the velodrome in the afternoon. I can't wait to see either site. The weather is really nice and comfortable. I expected more humidity but it isn't that bad, nice mix between Colorado and Oregon mountains. Flying over what I think should be what the road course should look like I am looking forward to it. Everything is lush and green here.

Once I can get my brain cells working I will be able to describe more but for right now I need to go build a bike and get shit ready for tomorrow.

The Travel

2008-08-30T09:05:00.000-07:00

I write to you today from the airport in San Fransico. I am on my brief time off of a plane awaiting the long haul over to Beijing. I am so stoked for this. I feel that all I have to do is ride my bike. There is last minute getting to know my bike or bike repairs that I must accomplish before I can start traning and racing in upcoming couple of weeks. The anticipation is here and I am excited. I am ready for this spectacular event not matter the outcome because I know that I am going to do my best.

About the trip so far. I finished every thing that needed to be done around 12:00 am. I got to double check everything before eating breakfast at 12:15 am. Justin spent the wee hours in the evening/morning sleeping while I finished my stuff. He walked me to the bus and then said farewell. We left the OTC a little after 1:00am. I slept the majority of the bus ride up to DIA. They had all of our gear lineded up and ready to check in. After waiting 15mins or so we were checking in and then heading over to security, ask me about that some other time. I slept some more at the gate before sweet talking my way up to business where I slept through everything but the food and beverages. Now I sit here waiting to get onto the next flight over the pond and into Beijing.

I will update the rest of my travels once I am in China.

The Undiscovered Country

2008-08-12T19:38:00.000-07:00

If you know anything about "The Undiscovered Country" you would know what it is. It is "Time". You never know what is to come. You never know what to expect. Well you would have an idea but you never really know what lies waiting for you. I can tell you that in 20 days I will be in China. What I will be doing I do not know. I am so completely anxious for these games. I feel like a cyclist, I look it.

Long Island RailRoad

2008-08-05T06:28:00.000-07:00

I find it very amusing to take in the scenery well riding the Long Island Railway. The further you get from Manhattan the nicer the houses look a street or two away from the tracks. The tracks look like any other track system, really shitty next to but fine a stones throw away. There are the buildings that are so nice, the ma and pa porch swinging type, but then you look closer at the neighborhood and realize you have a better chance of being mugged then being greeted by the girl scouts selling cookies. Steadily the cars get nicer, the yards more manicured, and children's toys left outside. There is the occasional dismantled car lot where the piece is more valuable then the whole.

Then there is the "Drunken Dunkin". I was just sitting there killing time, feeling guilty about not buying anything, and low and behold I was being asked out on a date by a toothless stranger. It started off with gentleman asking for bus schedule, me not being the local am clueless, then making conversation. The typical question for the beginning of any hit-on conversation, "what is Colorado like? Cold?". No actually it was 104 last week. Straight into can I give you my phone number, to if you have time I could take you out, show you the town, and get to know each other. I was trying not to laugh the entire time. He was so cute, the way you think a 3 legged bunny is cute, and I couldn't understand half the words that came out of his mouth. I was the no thanks responder, not that I have had a lot experience or anything, I just couldn't think of any thing else to say with busting out laughing.

Tour de Airports

2008-08-04T12:30:00.000-07:00

Ooh, how I hate the Colorado Springs airport. Small town people meet main stream travel and world. It is funny to sit and watch those non-savey travelers try to get their large electronics out of their bags, take there shoes off, take their belts off, pack only small amounts of liquid and put them into a clear bag, and then to finally remember to keep their boarding pass and ID on them when going through the metal detector. You could make great reality tv by just setting up camera at security.

The angry travler is also just as amusing. All rational thinking has long disappeared and stupidity is in full swing. Agro people are just to funny to watch. You can see them getting more and more frustrated with no real cause. They stomp up and down trying to get retorical questions answered that won't slove any problem at all.

Then there is he happy family, where the kids are in a fantisy land full to exploration and mom's and dad's chasing after them. The parents allow the kids to be happy as long as possible because they are about to co fine the kids to a small seat for the next 3 hours where the child is going to go from sweet and innocent to noncompliant and unknown frustrations. Hopefully they will wear themselves out and fall asleep as soon as they are on the plane.

Denver got smart and put in a new belgium brew pub so that have the chance to numb yourself before boarding the plane. The best flight is where you fall asleep before take off and wake up after landing. That is the best way to spend the 3 hours of being confined with 300 other people in a 20ft wide flying metal tube. If you can't fall asleep music and a book or a movie is another survival trick. Keep the mind occupied

Serenity

2008-08-03T13:30:00.000-07:00

It is in amazement that I am now riding as well as I am. The rides that I used to save for special suffering are now plain endurance rides. I used to ride into my reserves without knowing it and end up useless the next ride. I am now riding there with no worry of the bonk occurring. I ride to ride not to train. Knowing that each ride I go on is leading to an ultimate moment of glory, no matter what the result is I will know that I will have given it my all on the day of competition and the weeks, months, and years leading up to it.

It is not every day that you can think of one thing and not freak your self out. I don't worry about the outcome just the journey to get there. I met a person who is now regretting their past because of what it has done to their body. I will never regret a thing. Yeah I will make some decisions that could really screw things up but they are just apart of the journey. If every thing were to go as planned then thing would be really monotonous and boring. To look at an obstacle and laugh is the best look on life that one could take. I have seen many obstacles and I am still here today. If I were to regret any decision I would never of accepted have excepted who I am.

You can sit here today and judge what you look like, how you behave, and what your decision should be, but you will never you. I am me and that is all I have ever asked to be. I am the jack of all traits and have no allegiances to one stereotype of being. I represent my self to the best of my abilities and that is all ask to do. I may ask questions about others but it is only to get insight into what the reasoning was and to understand it, not to judge it. I don't want to be judged but to be excepted for me.

Giggles

2008-08-02T18:29:00.000-07:00

I get the giggles every time I fathom me starting a Blog. I then realized that there is only one way for people to really understand who I am is to tell them. Everybody can see the external reactions to life and in general they are interpreted right but never really sure so I want to make sure that I am seen for who I am.

I will give you insight to where I am right now. I am getting ready for the Beijing Paralympic Games and I am very happy. I am riding really well right now. I think I have a handle on life and I am finally taking control of where my life is going. I can go either direction in my life and still be completely satisfied with my life. I am no longer being guided by my family but taking their advise into consideration and then making up my own life.

I ride my bike almost everyday and each ride I do gets a little easier or I go a little farther in the same time. I can see the results in both my riding and in my body. I have never been in this good of shape in my life. I want to do more though. I feel as though I have just scratched the surface of my potential and I want to take it for a ride. I want to branch out and find a living that is for me. That fulfills my dreams and aspirations.

As you read this you can be questioning the dreams that I have already accomplished. I have skied for my entire life and I have done really well at that. I haven't seen the world outside of skiing though. Every where I go is winter, snow, cold, skis, and no external memories. I want to go around the world and experience it. I have been to New Zealand and actually seen it but every where I go I do not get to see it.

One day in the not so distant future I will find it and I will exploit it for what it is truly worth.