I was laying on the ground next to a couple of my other ski racer friends listening to some music to pump me up before my start. Everyone around me was singing along and having a great time. Number forty was in the start gate and I was getting stoked to send it!! I stripped down to my speed suit from all of my warm up clothes that I had on. I boot skied down to the start to cheer on some of my team mates before my run. Scottie was in the gate “Go Scooch!!” all of us yelled as he pulled out of the start. This went on for around ten more racers until I had to go click in for my run.
Thump Thump went my boots as my coach Cam knocked the snow off of the bottoms of them. Cam said to me, “Alright Ben when you pull out of the start gate you want to put your foot in the groove and ride it out. The track is getting a little sketchy and the ruts are deep. All you got to do is ski athletically and do what you do. Have fun Ben Good luck.” I told him thanks and slid down to the beginning of the start gate. There was around five racers in front of me so I was going through the course in my head trying to remember where I need to nail the course.
Before I knew I was in the start gate with the gate keep saying, “Racer Ready? Go!” I pulled as hard as I could out of the gate towards the first gate. The visibility was terrible and I could barely see seven gates in front of me. Not only that but the ruts in the course were so deep I was basically jumping to each turn. I was around half way down the course and I got flung from a rut to one side and ended up skiing backwards for five feet or so and managed to make the gate and turn my skis back around. The best part about this run for me was not the quality of my skiing but how much fun I was having going down the course. It was on of the most thrilling courses that I have ever skied so thrilling I was laughing through part of it and if you know me you know that is not usual for a ski race.
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