Done and done!

Trials are now over! Sunday was the 7.5km sprint race and things did not go very well. I seem to always have these up and down races when it comes to trials. I let the nerves get the better of me. It was pouring rain Sunday morning and the track was wet and covered in puddles. The friction of the rain makes it a lot harder to ski and turns the race into a strength workout! My legs were not feeling as peppy as Friday but I knew I just had to tough it out. I came into my first shooting, set up and had no rhythm for my prone shooting, I missed one. Back out on course slugging through the rain. Into my standing shooting, and I missed two, I knew that today was not going to be what I had hoped. I crossed the finish line disappointed, knowing that this was not my usual self. Zina won with 2 miss, then Megan with 3 miss, Mel with 1 miss and Claude with 1 miss. After looking at the percentages from the race it was down to Melanie and I again. It was like Olympic trials all over again. Tomorrow would be the race that would decided it all, again!

I rested up that night and focused on what I needed to do. I am a good shooter and a good skier and those are the only things I can control. No thinking about results, no thinking about what may or may not happen tomorrow. I woke up Monday morning to an almost dry track but it was a windy day. Zero went great, I was feeling confident in my shooting, my legs felt better than the day before. We started in the order that we finished the day before, so I started 20 seconds behind Zina. The first loop is a short 1km (because there isn't a 2km loop) so we all came into the range together. Megan, Melanie and I all shoot clean, we rip past the penalty loop and head out together for our first 2.5km loop. Megan pulled away from us a bit, but Mel and I stick together pretty close. Back into the range, Megan has one miss but Mel and I shoot clean again. We all leave about the same time, pushing each other more and more. First standing shooting and it is windy, Mel and Megan fire off their shots and both have 3miss I take a bit more time but still end up with 2miss. I leave the penalty loop just ahead of Melanie with Megan not to far ahead. Mel catches up quick and I can feel my legs burning, but I just stick on her. It will all come down to this last shooting, we get there at the same time again, set up, I blast off my shots nice and quick with only one miss, Mel also has one miss, I leave the penalty loop just ahead of her and think that there is no point hammering now, that we might as well work together a bit on this last loop. We ski up the last hill side by side, both our cheering squads going nuts! Taking turns taking the lead, as we come to the beginning of the last up hill I decided to start my sprint now, I blast off as fast as I can, sprinting and trying to move my body as fast as it will allow me! I cross the finish line about 12 seconds ahead of Melanie and with the 10 seconds she started before me that puts me in 3rd by about 22 seconds!

After adding up our two best races I was about 1.5% ahead of Melanie. It was a great 3 days of racing and I just want to say thanks and congrats to Melanie and if we only had 4 starts on the World Cup Melanie and I could spend the season duking it on there! 

Now it is two months of training before heading over to Europe mid November. Monday we are back up to the Haig glacier for some more yoyo camps. I was very excited to see some snow on the ground the other day and can't wait to start skiing in Canmore.

The boys also had some pretty exciting racing, keeping it close all weekend. In the end the guy getting the last spot on the World Cup team will be Nathan Smith. But after the first World Cup they will be sending one more guy up to race, because the men have 4 starts. Brendan had a little tumble the other week running and separated his shoulder. He is doing much better now and leaves for Europe on Sunday for a training camp with Zina and Matthias. 

Keep dreaming of SNOW! 

hugs

Rosanna

Claude right off the start

Me on my first loop

Megan Imrie

Melanie and I up the hill into the range

Zina

at the finish

Jan and I

B and I

p.s a BIG thanks to my family and friends who came out to cheer me on! You helped get me across that finish line!