It was almost 7 years ago that I wrote about the death of two ski racers, David Poisson, a French downhiller, and, closer to home, Max Burkhart, a German athlete who was attending Sugar Bowl Academy, where my daughters used to go to school and where I was a long-time member of its Board of [...]
I received an email from the father of a 14-year-old boy who has decided not to continue his ski-racing journey. He wrote: “I am feeling super challenged this year with the transition (and honestly, it’s my ego getting in the way). Just wondering if you have any advice on how to transition out…” His message [...]
My first “A”s series of races of 2024, the USAT Multisport National Championships are just 10 days away. I’m already starting to think about and get organized for the races. My goal for big races, particularly those that require air travel, is to front load and organize all of the tasks that burn cognitive and [...]
It happens every winter. In December, January, and February, I get calls from national team athletes and parents of young racers who are struggling mentally in their ski racing and they have big races coming up. They want me to somehow fix them quickly. Though I think I’m pretty good at what I do, I’m [...]
After what was a long and demanding winter, the 2023-24 race season is now over. You’ve had some down time to catch up on school and get some much-needed rest and recovery, both physically and mentally. You may also be already looking toward next winter. But before you file the 2023-24 race season away, you [...]
What do Mikaela Shiffrin, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, Petra Vlhova, Alexis Pinturalt, Sofia Goggia, Corinne Sutter, Marco Schwartz, and several other World Cup ski racers have in common? They all sustained serious injuries that ended their seasons prematurely (except Mikaela who has missed several races so far due to a knee injury). As my title suggests, [...]
In today’s installment of Meet My Partners for 2024, I introduce you to SYNC performance ski apparel. SYNC manufactures the highest-quality performance ski clothing for alpine skiers. It clears the bar of what I'm looking for when I'm skiing: performance, comfort, style, and function. SYNC is also committed to supporting ski racing and helping young [...]
In today’s installment of Meet My Partners for 2024, I introduce you to Atomic ski equipment. For anyone who is involved in skiing, Atomic is a brand that is well known as a world leader in our sport with a stable of some of the best skiers in the world including Mikaela Shiffrin (alpine ski racing), David Magnini [...]
An unfortunate reality of being a committed triathlete is that you will likely experience minor, yet nagging, injuries with some frequency during the course of your triathlon career. You know what I’m talking about. Those little injuries that don’t involve serious physical trauma to muscles, tendons, or bones (usually just a pull rather than a [...]
Setting expectations for your children is an essential responsibility of being a ski racing parent. Expectations communicate messages to your children about what’s important to you and establish a standard toward which they can strive. But expectations can be double-edged swords. They can be a tremendous benefit to your children’s ski racing and personal development, [...]
