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Adam's Blog “Hi, welcome to my blog. Read on to see what I’ve been up to…"
4th March 2010 - The Vancouver Olympic Games Certainly it's been an emotional ride. The tragedy of Nodar still pains me, and while I understand how the world works, I was disappointed with some of the comments made by the Vancouver Organising Committee. I understand inquiries are taking place, and I truly hope that my new role will enable me to have an input and that EVERY possible effort is made to minimise the chances of this happening again. My performance still disappoints me. Not adapting to the different nature of the track quickly, and making the wrong decision on runners is very frustrating... If I'd performed well and was still slow, I could at least hold my hands up and say, "I wasn't good enough". As it is, I wasn't, but for other reasons. Amy's performance still brings a big smile to my face. It was superb. And to see thousands of people turn out on a chilly day in Bath for her open-top bus ride was amazing...Afterwards there was a celebration at the Uni (of Bath), which was totally deserved and great for Amy, while somewhat difficult for me, as it served to remind me again of the mistakes I made. The Election result was brilliant and I really want to make a positive difference... The IOC is an interesting and unique organisation, and I will have to spend time learning it's nuances to be most effective. The morning I was officially voted into membership, I had breakfast with President Rogge, and was later introduced to all the other members, including Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Prince Feisal of Jordan... What would my grandmother say?! All in all, the Vancouver Games were a great spectacle and a privilege to take part in. Though the Canadian public were unaware of the seemingly unethical behaviour of the Organising Committee & funding body (across most sports), they made great hosts and I hope their enthusiasm, passion and welcome are repeated in London and the UK in 2012. Finally, a huge thank you must go to the Volunteers who worked tirelessly for our benefit. It was an honour to be able to thank them on behalf of all the athletes during the Closing Ceremony. Roll on Sochi 2014! Hopefully my swan-song, but I guess only God knows that one.
24th February 2010 - The Election I'M IN! I got the most votes and so am be elected onto the IOC Athletes' Commission, and also as a member of the IOC! That obviously is part of God's plan. It's a real privilege to be elected by my peers and I will represent them to the very best of my ability... Now the work really begins. Other stuff - The evening after the race the team had a celebration with Amy in Whistler, and Ruth came along which was lovely... Nicola G from Atos Origin was also in the restaurant, so that was great to meet up. As I've said before, a BIG thanks to Nic and Atos, who took me on and sponsored me as a young athlete, and have continued that support over the past five years (and also for putting Ruth up in their hotel that night to avoid a 3h journey home to Vancouver!). Had a great day skiing on Whistler and Blackcomb mountains - the first in six years. HUGE ski areas, great snow, perfect sunshine and the longest Gondola ride in the world. Thanks to Terry Holland for organising and Maya and Snorre's patience with my ability on skis... Also managed a day of being a sports fan after some last minute campaigning yesterday - speed skating, curling, ice hockey and also short track later tonight... Had some good times with Pastor Derek from Lake Placid, who was a chaplain in the Village, and also a nice afternoon in Vancouver with mum and dad (and dad's crazy Union Jack hair!).
19th February 2010 - The Race What a disappointment. All that hard work, preparation, planning, energy and thought from many people, and it just didn't happen... I guess my Lord and God simply had different plans. The first race day I had even less control than training, despite the more conservative adjustments, so I was just skidding in the corners and losing speed all the way down... I made another change for day 2, which helped, but with no time to adjust to it, the improvement was no-where near enough. I guess I know it's not the case, but it's very hard not to feel like I've let down all those who worked so hard around me. I had a great team and I'm very grateful for their support.
BUT WHAT ABOUT AMY?! WOW - SHE WAS AMAZING... I'm so pleased for her and our team, and very proud of what she's done. To win on that track, in the circumstances of the massive home-field advantage, was a phenomenal achievement, and Amy deserves all the plaudits.
17th February 2010 - Training is done, the race is now imminent... The last three days of sliding have been difficult. After lots of preparation over the last weeks and months on this, I seem to have struggled with getting the right set-up on my sled. I have been slow, off the pace, and struggled for control when I steer. After a video session with coach Woody, we may have come up with a plan. Though changing things the night before the race is rarely a good idea, in some ways I have little to lose, and it may mean more control and higher speeds. Let's see.
13th February 2010 - Day 3 Fairly uneventful day today, though I did meet Arnie! The Terminator was in town, so that was quite fun... Oh and I seem to have upset the IOC with my poster campaign - they wanted A4 not A5! Apart form that I moved up to Whistler Village with the rest of our skeleton team, so I am now settled into my Olympic home.
12th February 2010 - Day 2 WHAT A DAY It began with more campaigning - introducing myself in terrible German, French and Russian (and reasonable English), with many, many handshakes to-boot; and finished on the physio couch at 1115pm having some treatment on my knee - it's been playing up again and got cortisone-injected on Wednesday. Tonight's Opening Ceremony was fantastic - a real spectacle, a great show, and a big highlight parading around the stadium with Team GB behind the Union Jack, and with 60,000 people cheering at you... The tingling sensation we all know, is definately greater in that environment - so much so that it was all a bit much for one of our young skaters - normally a bit of a lad, but tonight ended up with emotional tears rolling down his cheeks... But that wasn't the real story. The death of Nodar Kumaritashvili is a stark reminder of the of mortality of us all. Sports people tend to think they are invincible, but the tragedy that unfolded earlier today proved otherwise, as this 21 year old Georgian died while pursuing his dream. Though we slide on the same tracks around the world, I never knew Nodar. It is a sad day, and one that reminds me of the brevity of this life we all lead. A day that should make us ask what will happen to us when it is our turn. A day to consider where we stand before God...
Until next time.
11th February 2010 - My Olympic Day 1 VANCOUVER OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES! So after 3 Intercontinental Cups after Christmas to qualify, and a week and a half of Preparation Camps in Lake Placid and Calgary, I finally arrived into the Vancouver Village earlier today. It's been a difficult season this one, mainly as a result of injury and inconsistent form. As you may recall, I had hoped to overtake two American's who were ahead of me in the rankings, which would have qualified us three mens spots, but I only caught one. This meant that the 3 IC races turned became selection races between me and my friend of many years, Chris Type. Though he's been solid all season, I managed to finish ahead in all three, but it certainly wasn't easy. And it wasn't easy to see my pal who has worked so hard for many years, miss out on his dream and make the Olympics... Today has been a fun day - we have had a "flag-raising ceremony" where Team GB was officially welcomed into the Village, and then tonight we had a Reception where Princess Anne was present. We had a little chat - she's very friendly. Outside of those I have been putting up posters and shaking hands with lots of people in my bid to get elected onto the IOC Athletes' Commission - lots more again tomorrow... Oh, and the Opening Ceremony too! Until then...
30th December 2009 MID SEASON SELECTIONS Each Christmas the Selection Committee of British Skeleton check how everyone is doing and possibly make some changes according to performance (or lack of), and/or strategy. This time, similar to last season, I am being moved from the World Cup to the Inter-Continental Cup, for the next three races. This is more of a strategic decision as I missed a race because of my hamstring injury, but am now able to make it up as there is an extra post-Christmas race on the IC circuit. First race is next Thursday - 7th Jan, but is unfortunately not televised or streamed live on the FIBT website... I'll let you know. I'm currently resting in bed with a chest infection! There's always something... Have a happy New Year everyone!
19th December 2009 ON THE UP Well, with some help from a team mate on a different circuit (gave me a few steers), the race in Winterberg went fairly well. My push start improved in terms of ranking, and I drove fairly well to finish 13th. It may not sound great but with a very low start number and the track slowing significantly throughout the race, it was only one place lower than my best ever World Cup result there. It also meant I finally got some reasonable points and moved up the rankings a little. After Winterberg we travelled about five hours east just inside the German-Czech border, to a town called Altenberg. It was cold. We raced yesterday in -14 degrees C! Brrrrrrrr. In my three races prior to this have finished in 24th, then 17th, then 13th, so I was hoping to continue the trend. Training had been solid, though I was feeling a bit tired and so hadn't pushed hard all week... When my turn came around - I was still starting near the back - the cold weather meant that the track was the same speed. I pushed off hard and ran for what seemed like a mile as the start there is very long and flat. That said, when it comes to on average, a 25m sprint, this is obviously very relative... A good run on a track where mistakes can be common, put me in 11th place after run 1. Then a quick turnaround to get ready for the second - 5mins with the physio, some mental rehearsal, then the final warm up again... The top half of the track was spot on, then a mistake in the tight 360 degree "Kreisal" corner cost me some speed, but not too much. It was another solid run which gave me a final position of 10th. I finished top Brit and have also moved ahead of a couple of the other British guys in the rankings. I am still a race behind from the injury, and there may be an opportunity to pick it up on the lower Inter-Continental Cup circuit after Christmas... But that's one for the Selection Committee. Either way, after a terrible start to the season, things are picking up, and hopefully this will continue through to the Olympics. To qualify I need to be at least 3rd British male in the rankings, and also around 15th in the World Ranking List (I'm currently 26th), so lots of work ahead. Thanks to the staff who have worked so hard for us over the first half of the season, especially through some tricky moments. Have a great Christmas everyone. I'm off to my parents, Ruth is coming, and my Sister and her family will be there too. Should be great.
10th December 2009 UK TO CESANA TO WINTERBERG UK: After 6 weeks in North America, we came back to the UK for a week off. I had a very intense week of rehab on the knee and hamstring, which went pretty well - thanks to Danny & Pricey who caned me. CESANA: Then onto Cesana, Italy, the venue for the last Olympic Games and generally a track I like... Having picked up the hamstring injury from two weeks previously, I again had to prove my fitness by pushing a 4.99s in training, to be allowed to race. More nervous tension. I warmed up well, and while it still wasn't felling prefect, I was confident of doing the business... I did! Pushed 4.88s so I was very pleased with that. Training went ok - I seemed to be driving solidly but was not especially quick - and unfortunately this was the same in the race. I only really made one mistake at the bottom on my second run, but could only manage 17th place. It was very tight throughout the teens and had I pushed close to my best I would have squeezed into the top 10. While frustrating, I know there is more to come, so I will try to gradually improve on the start and the finish position over the next two races before Christmas. WINTERBERG: Although the name would suggest otherwise, Winterberg could not really be described as a Winter wonderland - they seem to see more rain than the Caribbean during hurricane season. The amount of sun I've seen here over the years, makes the UK seem like North Africa! Anyway, apart from that, it has not been happy hunting ground for me over the years either - my best result is 12th, and on a track where the push start is vital, my injury issues aren't exactly a bonus. Still, anything's possible in a crazy world. Race tomorrow...
Oh, one other piece of news... I just got engaged to Ruth!
24th November 2009 WHAT NEXT?! After the disaster of Park City (Salt Lake City), I was pretty vexed. But, I thought, with a return to the venue of last season's epic World Champs, on one of my best tracks, things should pick up. With a hard push the previous afternoon, followed by long day's travel across the US, my knee was quite sore again, but with some hard work and fancy taping from our physio Liz, I was able to push ok during the first couple of days training. At this point I must also thank our other physio Pricey, for all his hard work in Whistler... With the dodgy knee, I was unable to do much rehab and general physical conditioning, and my legs were a little stiff. So after the second training day I had an easy swim in the hotel pool followed by a stretching session - in the jacuzzi! It was a tough session, I can tell you. Unfortunately, it did turn out to be a problem as I over-stretched a little and strained one of the smaller muscles in the back of my thigh! Once I'd worked out what had happened, my heart sank... To cut a chunk out of the story, the coaches basically took the safe option and pulled me from the race. This was probably sensible, but certainly didn't make me feel any better - one almost-last finish, and the next, I didn't even start! The other thing is, it means I have to do another push test to prove my fitness. Joy. So with seven races in all, and each one counting towards to total points score for Olympic qualification (I'm currently ranked last on the World Rankings), things are looking decidedly sticky. Still, let's just see what the big man in Heaven has got planned. I'm in Bath training hard and rehabing this week, and things have gone very well so far. All being well, I should be on a plane to Italy on Sunday for a race next Friday.
14th November 2009 (Apologies for the absence...)
THE SEASON HAS BEGUN
Though not exactly to plan. Unfortunately, this is an understatement. After three weeks of on-ice training and equipment testing in Europe and North America, I arrived in Whistler, Canada, for two weeks Olympic training... Having only had half a week practicing there before (compared with everyone else’s two weeks), I was a little slow at the beginning, but then picked up steadily. At the end of the first week, I tried a 100% push and was really pleased with the time – training had obviously worked out well and I was feeling confident with the race season was getting closer. My driving on the track was also coming along nicely. Then in the second week during a jumping session (and just nine days before Olympic qualification races were starting), I felt a pop in my L knee and it gave way on me. My first thought (apart from “Aaargh the pain”), was that I’d ripped my cartilage again, would need an operation, and my Olympic ambition could be over… I hoped I was being melodramatic. So we headed into Vancouver (2h drive) and I had an MRI with a dye injection to find out. After several phone calls and discussions, locally and across the Atlantic, it was decided that nothing structural was damaged, and the thought was that I’d injured a fat pad somehow. Anyway, it improved quite quickly over the next few days so I was able to walk with little or no pain and on the last day of ice training, I pushed off very steadily, which was reasonable.
Then we flew to Salt Lake City for the first World Cup (Olympic qualifier) of the season. On our first day here (Monday 9th Nov), I had to prove my fitness to the coaches, so had to push within 5% of my best or I’d probably be on a plane home… It was a tough ask, but I managed to pull it together on the second attempt, albeit in some discomfort. Training before the race went ok, though I was a little slow because I was taking it easy on the starts, and while I wasn’t going to set the world on fire because of the knee, I was confident of a reasonable result. So after three training days, race-day arrived. I pushed off hard, which was quite sore but bearable (though over 1/10th off my best), then as I jumped on my sled, my balaclava slipped down over my eyes! I could be barely see! The first 3 corners were just about ok, 4 & 5 pretty hopeless and then I was sliding blind after that. Needless to say the run was pretty shocking and I finished a desperate 24th... It is totally frustrating – as if the knee wasn’t enough, then this happens, which makes life a whole lot more difficult over the coming weeks and months... More lessons in trust... In Lake Placid now, so will have to reproduce some of my World Champs form. Racing on Friday at 6pm GMT. Until next time.
8th September 2009 SKELETON IN THE SUN I am currently in Sestriere, Italy, enjoying the sun while push training on the indoor iced track here... Training has generally been going well over the last few weeks and after just six push sessions I am just 0.06s off my best time back home in Bath - hopefully this will translate well this week on the ice. That said, with the current strength-in-depth in Britain at the moment, I am ranked only 9th of the Brits on our push track! Still, with some more training over the two months until the World Cup starts, I am confident of taking 0.10-0.12s off this time, moving back into the top three on the push, and ready for the big Olympic campaign. Bring it on!
19th June 2009 PRE-SELECTION! One bit of excellent news, is that I have just found out I will be pre-selected onto the World Cup until Christmas for next season. This is as a result of my World Champs medal, and will take off some of the stress at the start of the season.
17th June 2009 MID-SUMMER UPDATE After the Worlds I flew across the US to Salt Lake City for another weeks training. As with Lake Placid, the track was really accommodating and helpful and it was a very good week of sliding - this is important as the World Cup starts there next season. After this I had a brief spying trip to Whister to watch the Canadians training. Although the people at the track there were very inhospitable and actually told me not to watch, and even escorted me down and away from the track, I had gained some valuble insights into the Canadian sliding, and it was a very useful and worthwhile exercise. Then I got home and had a couple of weeks off before starting Summer training in preparation for the Olympics next February. I had seven weeks of good work but then had to have a knee operation last week which will put me back about six weeks - very annoying. Still, going into the surgery I was in good shape, and am still confident of a strong push in the Winter.
28th February 2009 WORLD CHAMPS - FINAL RESULT The following morning I was still struggling to come to terms with everything from the previous day… But I had to follow the same routine – breakfast, kit ready, short weight session, finish sled prep, quick lunch, off to the track. So onto the 4th and final heat. Again in reverse order, and this time I was sandwiched by two local boys from the US – friends on the tour, one of whom is the track record holder… This time my push was a bit slower, but that was all that was wrong – it was a blinder!! Again I crossed the line in the lead, and again with a good lead, and again, the wait began… I was in the leaders box wondering where I would end up – it’s tantalizing, just stood watching athletes and numbers – highlighted green, means they’re ahead, red and I’ve overtaken them… First I saw the American fall behind – the red number. Then a German came down - they've been strong all year and were going well here, but I got him; then another German – I was in the top 6 at least! Next came one of the Canadians – stacks of experience – former two-time World Champion and Olympic silver medalist. A mistake at the top, then a couple more on the way down – the screen was still showing green in his favour, but the margin was dropping – I was catching him. Then over the line and… “Yes!” I was into the top 5. Next came the leading American, and he wasn’t able to match me either, up into 4th!... Now the guy in third was a long way ahead of me going into the last run. I hoped, I really hoped, but thought the gap was too big... He pushed off – green split by about half a second, next split – still green comfortably, next one – green, but a little closer, final split – still green but only just… Into the last corner and I just didn’t know… RED! I’d beaten him! I was a World Championship medalist! Wooohooo!!!! I nearly fell over, well I kind of did... In the end the guy in the lead before the final run dropped back behind me so I won the silver. My last run was quickest by a massive three tenths and the overall result was six places better than my previous best result at a World Champs. I must say I was pretty stunned – 15th to 2nd in two runs just doesn’t happen in skeleton. Many people have subsequently said I was robbed, and should be the World Champion. I do feel I was the best athlete that weekend and feel slightly aggrieved. But… I went there to put four good runs together, which I did very well, and if someone had offered me the silver medal at the start of the week I’d have taken it straight away. Finally, I really must say thank you so much to UK Sport for their confidence in our programme and significant, on-going, funding support. And of course, Atos Origin, for their sponsorship – it really has made a significant difference to this result. You see, for the last three years I have used that money to spend a few weeks extra sliding in March at the end of every season, to test equipment and work out the best driving lines and technique. And this made a huge difference. Thanks also to everyone who has helped and supported me over the years - family, friends, coaches, support staff, EIS, and of course my Lord and my God, who has guided me through it all... Your help has combined to made a direct impact in winning a World Championship silver medal for a British athlete. Thank you.
27th February 2009 WORLD CHAMPS - DAY 1 After three solid, if not amazing, training days, it was time to race... As with most of this season, the build-up had not been ideal - I managed to bend my sled (and myself) the previous week during a crash in St Moritz. Thanks must go to Barbara Hosch and her family for having me stay with them and looking after me so well. Also to Rachel for the hours she spent fixing my sled in the days just before the Worlds started. Legend! So race day finally arrived. It was a balmy 7 degrees C - the skeleton equivalent of a August afternoon in the Costa del Sol. If you start in the top 5 this is great because the track slows down quite dramatically, so it is a real advantage. Unfortunately for me, I was starting 22nd! I knew a really good run was vital, to stay relatively close to my rivals and give myself a chance to pick up more spots in runs 2, 3 and 4 - I figured if I could get up to about 12-14, I'd be in with a shot. I had a really solid run, but it was only good enough for 15th place. The good news was that I was only 0.16s behind 10th and a reasonable 0.76s behind the leader... Run 2 is always done in reverse order of position, from 20-1. This was great for me because I was off 6th this time, and so would have an advantage over the guys ahead of me... I put one down! It was a great run and when I crossed the line, I was leading by a reasonable margin. Now the wait began. Down came the next guy, then the next, and the next - I was still leading; into the top 10, into the top 8, top 6, 5, into the medal zone! "Come on!" And then into the lead! It was close - I was just 0.05s ahead, but I was leading the World Championships!!! Fantastic. I thought the bad draw would kill me, but it worked out pretty fairly over the 2 runs... Then the jury got involved. After some long and heated discussions, in their wisdom (please note the satire), they decided to cancel the second run. If they were that keen on keeping it fair, they should have cancelled both. Cancelling neither would also be fair for all, but just taking out one run - it was a joke. I felt robbed. And my motivation to continue had definately decreased a lot. I had to keep reminding myself that it was out of my control. That most if the things that had happened this season were out of my control. But that God was in control - He'd got me here and I came to put down four good runs, so still had two to go. It wasn't easy though.
10th February 2009 NEWS FLASH I've just found out I've been picked for the World Championships in Lake Placid! The men's team will be Kristan Bromley, myself and Ant Sawyer and the race will on on the 27th and 28th Feb... With some of the World Cup guys struggling and a couple of good results on IC from me, I thought I had a chance, but you just never know. Anyway, I got the nod and am really quite pleased! The race should be on British Eurosport for any skeleton anoraks out there.
7th February 2009 LAST RACE After a 27h journey from the far side of Canada to the Barvarian Alps, I arrived in the beautiful village of Konigssee, about 20 minutes from Salzburg. I was somewhat tired. The track, and the place, have always been favourites of mine, so after some sleep, I was looking forward to getting going. On the flip-side, it's the home track for the Germans and generally a real strong-hold in terms of results - I suspect they were expecting at least gold from the men and women, if not a sweep, considering their strength this season. Training started reasonably, though I was having problems in the two key areas of the track. After some advice form the coach (Walter Stern) and some standing and watching others, I sorted one of the problems by the end of the 4th training run (of 6). The problem was, I still couldn't fix the quirky straight there, which is about as straight as polo... Again, I watched others, chatted to Walter, and spent some time analysing the video; by which time I thought I'd worked out what to do. So by the final training run I had sorted it to an acceptable standard. Then came the race: I got drawn first which I quite like. I pushed off, though with a ropey technique, but was really smooth and controlled through the top section. Then came the first and main test - the "straight". I nailed it! Execution went almost perfectly to plan. Next the 360 degree corner known as Turbodrome! The waves in there are like those seen in a Hawaiian surf comp... Again, some decent driving, which was then followed by a clean run to the finish line. 48.23 seconds and a new British track record - YES! But I was only half way and the rest had to follow... I waited, and watched... At the end of run 1, I was lying in second spot flanked by the local boys. After a long wait, the reverse order meant I was the penultimate athlete to take to the track. When I got to the line the German in 3rd at the half way point was on his way down... Boom - he put one down with a 48.09! My turn: I pushed off well and this time nailed the technique (0.07 quicker). The top - again smooth. The "straight" - like a knife through butter - even better than the first one. Into Turbodrome, but those surfers were getting excited - the swell was picking up and waves rising - not as good as before, but still reasonable. The rest: silky! And 48.06! Get in!! Leading with one person to go, watching a clock tick by seems to take an age. He started well, was having a solid run. It was going to be close... 48.22 and 0.07 behind me... I won! For only the second time ever, and my first international victory. Very pleased. (The Germans were 2nd, 3rd and 4th...) The rest of the team had mixed results but Chris Type finished the IC series 2nd overall, and Donna Creighton was 3rd overall, which qualifies her for the World Champs (well done DC).
31st January 2009 INTERCONTINENTAL CUP & THE WHISTLER EXPERIENCE After the disappointment of the race-off, I headed back home for some treatment to get the injury sorted (thanks Pricey). Next stop on my varied skeleton tour was an IC debut with two races in Cesana, Italy on 23rd & 24th Jan. Having partially written off the rest of the season, I decided to use the opportunity to try out a new sled which seemed to have lots of potential - thanks must go to UK Sport and British Skeleton for enabling me to test it out... I went out a week early to try and get used to the sled, which seemed to test quite well, though as with anything new, there are always a few teething problems which kept me up late throughout the training and right up to the race. The first run of Race 1 was very good and I was leading by a big margin. Then I did a good job of messing up the second run and finished 2nd. I was pretty gutted. That said, congratulations must go to my friend and team-mate Chris Type for winning the race and becoming the first Briton to do so at this level. The next day I was still annoyed with myself about the first result, and slid poorly on the first run - and was in 6th. Then, just before my second run the guy in front of me crashed and delayed my start... I put my clothes back on and waited for the green light. Then it turned without much notice - I pulled my clothes off bent down and pushed off straight away to make sure I crossed the timing eye in time... Problem is, I had left my helmet on so couldn't see what I was wearing on my body - I still had my body-warmer on! What a muppet. I realised half way down the track when I felt much warmer then usual and felt a mini parachute around my neck! The run was decent but was obviously slow, though fortunately I only dropped back one place and finished 7th=. Bizarre weekend. The following day I flew off to Whistler to train on the Olympic track. Most athletes were due to have 20 runs over two weeks. I had 8 in four days, but slid well and was still pretty competitive, and second quickest of the four British men during the training... It's a great track - fast (nearly 90mph) and quite technical, with a few quality sliders having some big crashes. Well, that's all for now. More soon on my final IC race and anything else that might come along...
4th January 2009: NOT TO BE. Having been drawn first, and with lots of tape and strapping around my thigh, I pushed off in a staccato fashion with an unintentional limp. It was about half a second off my best start time here, which is a million miles in this game, but still half a second quicker than two days ago. The run was reasonable though certainly not spectacular, and after we'd all slid, I was in third and nearly a second behind the guy ahead of me - a long, long way back... The leg had held out this time, but was starting to tighten up. Being so far behind, and with the leg getting worse, I took a tough decision to pull out of the second run and avoid risking 6 more weeks on the sidelines... Gutted... In the end, Andy Wood beat Ant Sawyer convincingly. So what does this mean for me? I get dropped from World Cup to Inter-Continental Cup. This has the knock-on effect of almost certainly missing out on competing in the World Champs, only getting about seven training runs on the Olympic track (instead of 20), and also makes the prospect of loosing my funding very likely... I'll probably have to get a real job in the Summer! I must just say how grateful I am to Atos Origin for the excellent support & sponsorship they have given me over the past few years, and which they have kindly said will continue through to the Olympics. It will be a huge help this Summer in particular. ...I'll be back here in a few weeks.
3rd January 2009: MORE GOOD NEWS... With the impending race-off to select the top 2 (from 3) to go onto the World Cup for the rest of the season, I set about training after Christmas feeling fairly confident and looking forward to putting in a good show. Unfortunately, while doing a sprint session on Monday, I managed to tear my adductor (inside of thigh). According to the Doc, it's a Grade 1-2, which he said is at best, 10 days, and worst case, six weeks to be fully fit... Hmmm - Monday, Tuesday, Wed.... Sunday - six days. Not good... I'm currently out in Austria having slid yesterday and today, and while the leg is improving steadily, it still hurts just to jog along. I saw a therapist earlier who said definately not 100% tomorrow - far too risky, maybe 80%. So I'm going to have to hope the leg holds together, drive out of my skin, and count on a significant mistake from one of the others. If I had any, I wouldn't be counting my chickens! So with a DQ, 3 cancelled races, and now this, I'm a little frustrated.
27th December 2008: RACE-OFF!!! Having anxiously waited around all day on Monday for a decision, nothing happened... The following morning I waited a bit and then phoned the Selection Committee chair. The phone just rang... Then in the early afternoon the call came in. He/they had decided on a Race-Off for the second & third spots on the World Cup. Basically the guy in the team below the World Cup (Andy Wood), has done very well on his circuit and is ranked in the top 3 there, meaning a possible substitution could take place, if a World Cup athlete was not ranked top 12. I presume that because Sawyer & I didn't get the opportunity to do the final race which should have been a strong event for us, and my DQ, they went for this option... Personally, and perhaps controversially if they read this, I think it's a cop-out. In my opinion Wood should have been selected first because he had done everything asked of him, while Sawyer & myself were outside of the top 12 (Bromley is ranked 11th so stays on WC). Then, the Selection Committee either go solely on ranking points (which would mean Ant), or they go on performance: I have beaten Sawyer in all 3 WC races this season and would have been ranked 12th had the Selection Committee decided to overlook my crazy DQ, and include those race points. Anyway, Andy Wood, Ant Sawyer & myself have this Race-Off on 4th January in Igls, Austria - we fly out on the 2nd, top two go onto the WC. The stakes are high, particularly for me - with no points from one race already, not making the WC again will mean too few races & thus loosing 90% of my funding from April, as I will not be able to qualify for the World Champs. Also I will not get to race at the Olympic track in Whistler in Feb. Still, what will be, will be... Ciao!
20th December 2008: CANCELLED. CANCELLED. CANCELLED. So the team left Igls, Austria, for the the Italian Alps about 1.5h west of Torino. The track is in Cesana near Sestriere and the sun is almost always out. Not this week... From the moment we came out of a tunnel into the mountains, the snow was falling - in bucket-loads. When we arrived at the hotel there was about 20cm (8 inches), but it just kept snowing, and snowing and snowing - for 3 days, and when it finally stopped there was well over 2m of it (over 7 feet)! The coaches and jury from places like Austria, Switzerland and Canada said they'd never seen anything like it... So the race got cancelled. The rest of the team went home, but as I'd been DQ'd from one race I had some points to make up so headed back to Igls for two Europa Cup races there (EC is the bottom level of international skeleton racing with World Cup at the top, Intercontinental Cup next, then EC). Training went well and I was quickest in most of the runs, so was hoping for a victory earlier today, which would go some way to helping the points situation. Then the snow arrived again! The races were cancelled again and so ends the first half of my season - bit of an anti-climax... Since the snow seems to be following me around, it might be an idea to place a bet on a white Christmas in the UK!!
We now have a big meeting on Monday (22nd) to find out who stays on World Cup. If my finish position from Altenberg is included, I'd be ranked 12th which would keep me on the WC. If not, I could get dropped to IC. Ant Sawyer is also out of the top 12 and ranked above me, though I have beaten him in all three races... I'll let you know.
15th December 2008: IMPROVING (easy when you've just been disqualified!) A topsy-turvy week in Igls (Nr Innsbruck), Austria, for WC3... With the pressure on to deliver a strong performance, I started the week well and got another personal best time during training. This however, meant little in relation to race day, as I had discovered already this season (and more than once). As the week went on I started to feel the pressure a little more, and in combination with a sore leg from slipping over, I was feeling more and more stressed about the whole thing, and consequently struggling more in training. So, with training runs complete and my final positions in the high teens, I was feeling quite low - the last few weeks had gone pretty badly, I'd been away from home for several weeks, was missing family and friends, and was not enjoying myself... Then, I simply remembered that it was just a skeleton race! Really not important in any way - even if I got dropped from the World Cup team after Christmas, I could still go to the Olympics, and even if I didn't make the Games in Vancouver 2010, it would really not be the end of the world. Instead I picked up my Bible, started to read, and started to do what I should have done all along - trust in God. I read from Matthew where Jesus said, "Come to me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest", and then later, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me". So really, I had nothing to worry about whether I was enjoying myself or not, or whether I finished first or last. As it turned out, I had a great push time (new personal best) and slid well for both runs. After run 1, I was in 5th but it was very tight behind me. On the second I made a mistake on the push which cost me at the bottom, so I dropped to 7th. Still, though an up-and-down week, it's reminded me what's important in life...
8th December 2008: DISASTER STRIKES! I got disqualified in World Cup 2... The previous week all athletes had their sleds checked to make sure they are legal and in line with the rules. We weren't sure about the height of the sled so asked the Head of Materials (from the International Federation) to check it. He did, said it was too high, and then asked if we had bow in the runners (which is what we put in when we slide). The response was yes, so he said take it out, which reduces the sled height. Then he re-checked it and said it was fine. We asked for confirmation and it was given. Unfortunately, the rule book is unclear and when I had a random sled check after the Altenberg race on Friday (5th), the jury said that you measured the height WITH the bow in, and hence disqualified me. I put in a protest but to no avail. Consequently I am now 37th (or there abouts) in the world rankings and have put myself in a very tough position to maintain my position on the WC after Christmas when we travel to Vancouver for Olympic training, along with competing at the World Champs - I need to be in the top 12 to definately stay on... For the record, I trained well before the race in Altenberg (top 5 in training), then made another silly mistake when it mattered and ended up 13th, before the DQ. Must improve. Next race is this Saturday at 1230 GMT in Igls, Austria. Unfortunately, the weather is due to be poor with a low world ranking my start number will be very low and hence make life even tougher. Joy! Until next time.
29th November 2008: World Cup race 1 - Winterberg, Germany... Not a great start to the international race season - I finished 13th. Basically, I don't know how to drive this track properly as I have not been here that often and it is very subtle. I also made what turned out to be a big mistake near the bottom on the first run, which cost me about 0.20s, and since I was only 0.09s behind 10th place in the final standings, I should have made the top 10. This would have been ok. I pushed quite well again so am pleased with that, but need to go back and watch the race video, analyse how I can improve, and come back stronger (and more often). The British men's team struggled generally though Kristan Bromley was reasonably happy with 7th, but Ant Sawyer was also disappointed with his 17th. Onto the good news, British Eurosport have now decided they would like to have Skeleton on their channel again, so we are back on TV! I'm told it's live on Eurosport 2, with the next race on Friday 5th Dec at 1200 GMT (also Results are live on FIBT.com).
That's all for now...
8th November 2008: After two weeks in Lillehammer, Norway the British skeleton athletes took part in the first of two Selection Races to pick the team for the World Cup until Christmas. Training had been close between the top four men – one of the last training days we were just 0.13s apart – with just three to get picked, and the fifth guy not far behind, so there was plenty of tension in the air… I was also very unsure of how my push start would be following my hip operation and subsequent lack of training. So, off we went – four runs over two days with the total time to count. Finish positions give a points score, which when added to the second race points, give the final Selection position. Tied points then go to countback on total time over both races… My first run was steady if not spectacular, and I was in second – 0.06s behind the leader. Then I picked up a little and was quickest on the second run, closing the gap to be just 0.02s behind over night, with the guy in third just 0.07s behind me – v v tight. I was quite happy to be in this position as everything was to play for, and I was v pleased with my pushing which was surprisingly decent. The following morning I woke up feeling quite sore due to my lack of training and condition, but still managed a good push on run three. Unfortunately I had a poor run and dropped back into 3rd place and 0.31 behind the leader – probably too much to catch up in one run – and 0.12 behind second… My final run was very good and again I was quickest. But not by enough. I remained in 3rd and was 0.28 behind the winner (Kristan Bromley), and just 0.02 behind Ant Sawyer in second. I was slightly disappointed but am happy to be ‘in the mix’ and provided I stay in the top three the Selection positions make no difference… On to Cesana, Italy. After some decent training runs by all of the top 5 athletes, everything was still to play for, especially in Cesana where one mistake can add a big chunk of time. Our number 4 guy (Andy Wood) went off first and had a poor run. Then off went the 5th ranked athlete (Chris Type – “Typey”). He had a strong run right before I went. Stupidly, I was not concentrating properly and focusing on the wrong things. This led to me having a shocking run – the worst of the week by some margin – and I was 0.80s behind Typey… In skeleton terms, this is light years. Kristan came down with a strong run (similar to Typey), and Ant’s was decent which meant that after Run 1, I was back in 4th by some distance (0.5 behind Ant). If things stayed like this, I’d be out of the World Cup (i.e. missing Olympic training in Vancouver, the World Champs, and loosing my funding at the end of the season)… Better start the fight-back. Run 2 was much better – still made a mistake in key corner, but caught up with Ant and now 0.5 behind Typey. Was going to be a long day and night waiting for day two. Run 3 – Excellent! All key areas were driven well and it ended up being the quickest run of the race by over 0.20s… I was still in 3rd but only 0.09s behind Typey who drove strongly for all four runs. Last run in reverse order. Started a bit slowly but drove the top well. Then a mistake in the key middle “Toro” section – recovered it quite well, but lost speed. Bottom section needs to be good… It was. I finished ahead of Ant which meant my World Cup spot was secure. But could I over-take Typey? No! He put down another strong run which was a tiny bit quicker than me so he beat me by 0.11s to finish 2nd – his best in a selection race. Nice work fella! Kristan was solid throughout and made no key mistakes, so won the Cesana race comfortably… And as for me, I was relieved. I made it hard for myself, but got through in the end (just!). Selection Results – Men’s top 5 (Points; Race 1; Race 2; overall time) 1. K Bromley – 20 ; 1st ; 1st ; 7:30.76 2. A Sawyer – 13; 2nd ; 4th ; 7:34.28 3. A Pengilly – 12; 3rd ; 3rd ; 7:31.79 4. C Type – 12; 5th ; 2nd ; 7:33.97 5. A Wood – 9; 4th ; 5th ; 7:36.03 After a week back in the UK training, I am now in Lake Placid, USA (2009 World Champs venue), before heading back to Europe to start the World Cup series in Germany in the last week of November. So I’ll catch up with you (all?!) then.
August 08: Well, the new website’s up and running, thanks to Pete Rhodes at All for Good and William Withers at Crystal Thought. Here’s my latest news: With the summer sunshine (above the clouds and rain), not surprisingly there are no races until October. In April I had hip surgery (bone shaved and repairs of two cartilage tears and a partial ligament tear), though I must add it wasn’t because I crashed as some have suggested! Just wear and tear, and my parents giving me dodgy hips. So I’ve just been getting on with physical training to try and get fit again. I’m nearly there but still need a few weeks before I can begin full training to improve my push – lots of sprints, weight lifting, push training and core training. Apart from that, I was at a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday which was fun, though I heard Liz was disappointed she missed me; been working away for the British Athletes Commission in the run-up to Beijing – especially in regard to the BOA bye-law being subject to a high court challenge by Mr Chambers; and meeting my girlfriends dad for the first time! I think I passed the initial test - no need for any more operations just yet…” |
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