As I return home from New Orleans, I try to not let the one problem we talked about most the last couple of days happen to me; forgetting the problem. Many people approach many of the worlds problems with an "out of sight, out of mind" attitude, but the reality is we are one world, the environmental issues affect all of us. We were blessed with good news that oil is no longer spilling into the ocean at this moment, but a lot of locals were actually scared by this. They think that just because the oil is now blocked, that the rest of America will think the problem is over and solved. This couldn't be farther from the truth, the truth is that once the oil is stopped, the clean up can actually begin.

Did you know that over 60% of the oysters eaten by Americans come from the gulf? That is an incredible large number considering how much ocean we have! It is a good thing I don't like oysters, but for those that do, this affects you! Are you a fan of shrimp? I do like shrimp that that is too bad because Gulf shrimp accounts for 73% of the American supply. I guess that affects me now too! So maybe you don't like seafood at all but you do like the beach? The Gulf beaches are the main attraction of a $20 billion tourism industry, and many of those beaches are closed. Still haven't got you? Do you have a passion? My biggest passion in life is skiing. I love to ski, I love the mountains, I love the mountain people and communities. Everybody can relate to having a passion, and for people near water and the ocean Sport Fishing is their passion. In 2008 24.1 Million recreational sport trips were taken in the Gulf. Imagine your passion being ripped away from you for an undisclosed amount of time.

I am not going to pretend I am a model citizen, or even that I know a lot about being a good environmentalist. My parents have some property that we are restoring to it's original wetland state with the help of California Waterfowl and the State of California. I think that is a pretty cool project that can make a difference. I try to recycle, turn off lights, pick up trash when I see it, but there are plenty of times I don't, and lastly I must have a huge carbon footprint for all the traveling I do to chase my passion around this world. I am NOT a crazy radical environmentalist, but this trip taught me about the need for us as humans to start to care right now!

My passion is perhaps one of the most threatened. Climate change is going to hit the snow world first. We will always be able to run around a track, or create a hockey rink to play in, but who knows if we are going to have snow in 50 years to ski on. Those that live in Europe or are frequent visitors like me know how things have changed over there and how much the glaciers are shrinking. How much of that is natural or how much of that is human caused we will never know, but there are certain things we can control.

I think the skiing industry are leaders in the entire world with the realization for the use of clean energy. I am proud to be a part of this industry, and every time we hear about a resort choosing to use clean energy, or making steps in that direction it puts a smile on my face. Vail/Beaver Creek just won the 2015 Alpine World Championships and is promising a carbon free event, that is pretty cool!

So the question now is what can we do as individuals to help the people most affected by the oil spill? The answers is I don't have a great answer, but I know what they will appreciate the most is us simply caring. They have a huge battle ahead to face, and us not forgetting about them is going to make the difference in them staying positive and productive with the clean up and restoration. What can we do to help the world that is affected by climate change? We can start off by caring for the world we live in. The world cannot be sustainable with a culture reliant on oil. We have the technology to use clean energy, but we do not have the culture to change. Until that change happens, all we can do is care about our own impact and help change the people around us to care as well.

If this post hits you at all write a comment, let us know what you are doing, or how you feel. Let me know if you care!

Thanks for listening,
Stacey

Today was a big day. After getting to meet all the athletes last night at dinner, we got on the bus this morning like good friends. There were 10 of us athletes and a bunch of people from the Sierra Club, Athletes for Hope and some of the athletes individual charities to help make our experience worthwhile and ensure the exposure we all wanted. Mike Richter and Andrew Ference represented the NHL, Mike Alstott and Ovie Mughelli represented the NFL, Leilani Munter is from Nascar, Krista Bradford is a fellow snow junkie and X-games snowboarder, Chanda Rubin from tennis and Gary Morgan and Loree Smith from USA Track and Field. On the plans for today was a tour of coastal wetlands of Louisiana to see where the oil has reached and what damage it has done.

We had about an hour bus ride out to one of the docks where boats are still allowed to come in and out. During this time we listened to some experts about what we were going to see and got some of the scientific info about everything from the why oil is toxic to why the oil rig blew up in the first place. As someone who has only heard what was going on from the news, it was incredible to get a new understanding of the problem. We also got to listen to a few of the athletes talk about their inspiration to be on the trip and how we are in a place to make a difference.

When we got to the dock we were greeted by some members of the media who were to accompany us on the boats. Mad Dog from CNN was there which was exciting for me, as I watch more CNN then any other channel (most of the time it is the only channel that is english speaking)! I was on a boat with Chanda Rubin and one of the most knowledgeable guys in all of Louisiana, Darryl Malek-Wiley from the Sierra Club. Darryl could answer any question thrown at him about the history and culture of Louisiana, the problems from Katrina and the oil spill itself. He gave unbiased answers and straight scientific facts which I didn't expect from the Sierra Club. I have always thought of the Sierra Club as a super liberal/radical group and Darryl proved my judgement wrong.

What we saw on the boats is more then I can write here. There was oil, lots of booms, a ton of birds, dolphins, and marshland that are all affected. We didn't go near any oil slicks or huge patches of oil on the surface of the water, but they think this is because of the the use of dispersants that have separated the oil and have it hiding under the surface. The oil is obviously there because it has covered sections of the grass in the marsh, and the pelicans have oil on their bodies. What struck me the most is the loss of marshland. This is not necessarily due to the oil spill, but from natural erosion caused by a lot of help from humans. The levee system that is suppose to protect New Orleans from storms has diverted the flow of fresh water and the silt that comes with it away from the marshes. This has caused a change in flow of the currents and allowed salt water into the marshes that can not take the salinity. Hurricane Katrina took out 200 square miles of wetlands itself and we learned a football field size of wetlands disappears every 45 minutes. Oil companies have also cut out straight lines of marshes for their pipelines which has a very dramatic affect on how the water flows. The problems in this area run so deep I cannot comprehend it, and the solutions to fix it are so few and so underfunded it is hard to comprehend this as well. Simply put, the wetlands protect the coast of New Orleans and Louisiana and they are no longer there to do their job. They are so fragile, and the last thing they need is a coating of oil.

After the tour, we raced back to the city for a tele-press conference. It was cool to see the other like minded athletes share our stories with the media. Then, in order to start and end the day in a spooky way, we all went on a Haunted Buildings of New Orleans tour. I didn't know America had a city with so much history and culture the way New Orleans does. Think Pirates of the Caribbean mixes with cowboys of the wild, wild west... such a cool place! Do you believe in ghosts?

Be back tomorrow when I can gather more of my thoughts of how the skiing world and myself can help this tragedy.

Stacey

I have just arrived in New Orleans, Louisiana for a very exciting opportunity. I am here with a group of 10 Athletes from all different sports to take a tour of the Oil spill and raise awareness not only for the environmental tradgedy in this area, but for the reality of widespread problem the oil spill has cause down the entire chain of life, and to advocate for the use of renewable energy and freedom from oil . Being from California and the mountains, all I know about the situation is what I have heard on the news. I am really excited to learn with my own two eyes and experience what is happening first hand. I hope I can share with the skiing world a little bit about what I will see and hear over the next 2 days. We may not be affected directly by this oil spill, but we are all humans in this together and knowledge is power!

At dinner tonight we had a guest with us that represented the youth of the Vietnamese community. The Vietnamese community makes up a very large percentage of the fishing business here and are some of the hardest hit, not only by the loss of jobs, but because of a language barrier, and culture where the males are the providers to the family. When they cant provide for their family, they have seen a rise in Domestic violence and depression. That is just one quick example of how this reaches beyond the ocean.

Tomorrow we are getting a boat tour of the coastal wetlands. I am very unsure of what I will see. I hope that I can remain positive throughout the tour and take in all that I see!
Be back soon!

Stacey

Creative people are such an inspiration. Ideas that make a difference and allow for change big or small is part of what makes the world go round. We are constantly bombarded with bad news and evil in the world, but when you experience something good, it makes all the bad go away even for just a little while. I was part of a project recently that made me feel like that. 

Skier vs. Skier started as just an idea. To bring together athletes from two sports and share and learn with each other in an environment without distractions. We could find similarities and differences as athletes, as competitors and as people. We could share and learn, teach and be taught all at the same time. Going into the event I had no idea what to expect, and coming out of the event I am glad I did not miss it for the world!

A group of professional water skiers and snow skiers arrived in Mammoth, CA to start the event with nothing but an idea. Nobody knew what he or she was getting into other then a promise of a good time. The event started with a day of training on snow. The water skiers had said they had skied a bit before, but none of the snow skiers expected them to bring skills out quite like they did. That was the first sign that there was obviously a crossover between the two sports. They had amazing balance, even the ones who had barely skied in the past, and the touch they had with their edges on the snow was something that takes most people years and years to learn. It was automatic to them, they never even thought about it.

Conditions in Mammoth were so amazing that everyone wanted out of the gates and a chance to free ski and hit the park. I thought the water skiers did a great job in the course, but when we hit the park they were absolutely fearless. Never before have I seen people who have hardly been on skis take on a 40 ft. tabletop without thinking twice. I mean... come on, that is just crazy. Mammoth provided a private lunch in the mid-mountain lodge, and then the whole crew set of on a fishing adventure. Mammoth is known for it's amazing snow pack in the winter, but in the summer when all that snow melts, the fishing is off the hook! (No pun intended). It was most peoples first time fly-fishing, and just about everyone caught a fish thanks to our expert guiding of Harry Blackburn and Finley Torrance. Athletes are used to a non-stop life-style, so not to let us down, we rushed back to Mammoth and were all part of a life web-cast hosted by one of the athletes Marcus Brown. Marcus is an inspiration for the way he shares his sport with the world. He does a ton of work to let the world know about water skiing and the life-style, which I think we can use some more of in the snow ski world. It was great to be a part of his program, and who knows, maybe we can get something similar going on our side!

The next day we spent the morning back on snow. We had our park competition that consisted of "best crash" and "best trick". The judge of that comp was Errol Kerr (aka- Jamaican Ski Team- Team of One). He questionably awarded his team the top prize in both categories. Next we went to the racecourse where the first run was to set a handicap, and then the next two were the race. My team officially won the "most honest" award since our handicapped time was the slowest out there. Again, there was some suspected cheating going on. Check out this quote from Marcus Brown;

"This (event) gave us a chance to realize that our community is bigger than our own sport, and can expand beyond any boundaries we thought existed. To realize that there is a common thread between us all...For instance CHEATING. I thought the act of cheating in sport, for personal gain, was limited to water skiing. However, this couldn't be farther from the truth as Errol & Co of Team DESTROY ALL (obviously NOT a "team of one", that's false advertising) so kindly illustrated for us. And even though I soon realized that all sport probably has a certain percentage of cheaters, I always felt that when caught in the act most would show some sense of remorse and concede they had falsely acquired their successes.... and give up their title to the true champions. Again, Team Destroy All shattered those expectations...by failing to admit failure."

After the race we jumped in the vans and headed to the airport. It was lake time and I personally couldn't have been more excited to see some palm trees and hang out in a bathing suit for a little while. It took me 4.75 seconds to get from the van to the water and jump in! We spent that afternoon watching the slalom skiers show us their stuff and getting some tips for our own attempt. I have water skied before, but nothing more then getting up and crossing the wake a few times. It was really a different feeling for me to try to make turns in the water where the force is coming from a boat rather then gravity. Social hour really kicked in when the sun went down that evening and we learned a lot about our new friends. Fun was being had all around and the next morning came a bit early to some...

Waking up to the sound of a boat is the way to go, I am convinced. The next morning was jumping time! There weren't as many instructions for this, mostly to just face the fear and GO. I can tell you after my little Olympic mishap, I have a bit of a fear of landing flat, and there is no truer flat landing then landing on water! Teammate Julia Ford and Myself both flailed through the air on the first jump, and then stuck the second jump. We were cutting across the wake to get more speed by our last jump. If there was something I wish we could have done more of in this event, it was the jumping. It was so fun, and has an obvious crossover to our sport. It can definitely help me be a better downhiller!

After everyone got their turn on the jump, including the pro jumpers, which was really, really impressive, we packed up again and headed to LA. Our night in LA was for the purpose of sharing more time together and letting loose a little bit. Athletes are so focused all the time, and we embrace our chances to let loose, and that is all I will say about that!

There was a ton I learned during this event but a few things stand out. First, I always thought water skiing was a stagnant sport. Your feet are locked in to one place, so I never saw that much movement. But, I learned that there in an incredible amount of athleticism involved and these athletes are among the best in the world. The Second thing I learned was that water skiers present a ton of passion in what they do. We have a ton of passion on snow as well, but it is different. Some times our passion is lost in the competition of the world cup circus and Olympics, and the media blitz that hits during the winter, but the realization that when you truly love what you are doing nothing else matters puts a new perspective on my winter. Sure I am out there fighting for the podium and great results every time I step into that start gate, but if I am leaving everything out there on the course, doing everything I can to get better and loving the process, then nobody can ever take that away from me.

Thanks to Steve and Dana Garcia and Militia Clothing for coming up with a great idea, an idea that made a difference in many peoples lives!

 

 

Here and there and everywhere has been my program lately. It has been a spring full of opportunity, fun and experiences that will last a lifetime!

I left you last after a week in Washington D.C. and here in Mammoth with Governor Arnold Schwarzennegger and after School All-Stars. Turns out that was not my only Arnold time this spring. A few weeks ago myself and 6 other Vancouver Olympians from California met up in Sacramento to have lunch with Arnold and his Senior Staff at the Stanford Mansion. The Stanford Mansion is used to host foreign dignitaries and the Governor keeps an office there as well. It was a beautiful house and a very healthy, tasty lunch! We then got a tour of the house and I got a chance to sit in the Governor's desk (made me feel very important!).

Next, we jumped in vans and joined a motorcade for a couple miles to a middle school where we talked to the kids about following their dreams and never giving up. They were super responsive and eager to ask questions. They were all equipped with California flags and well practiced at chanting U-S-A! It was amazing to hear and see, and one of those moments that makes all the hard work worthwhile. The Governor then presented us with a Certificate of Recognition and a Seal, which are now front and center in my bedroom. It was all so nice and thoughtful of this great state, made me proud to be a Californian!

Back in the cars, we set out to San Francisco where we were lucky enough to attend the Giants (baseball for all my foreign fans!) game that evening. Pre-game we got to meet some past Olympians from the Northern California area, and have a quick bite to eat before we were shuttled down to the field for a ceremony. The past Olympians were introduced and then the Vancouver Olympians got to throw out the first pitch. I am happy to report I threw a strike right over the make believe plate much to the liking and expectations of my family. That was really special, but it was also great to get to watch the game with my fellow athletes and to get to know them better.

That was one long day, but super fun. I raced back to Mammoth the next day and jumped on skis to coach some 11-14yr. We taught them to go off jumps and it was really cool to see such young kids pushing themselves and facing their fears. Unfortunately I could only coach half the camp because I was involved with another project of which I am going to tell you about in my next blog. I will just leave saying the next blog will be about one of the best weeks of my life!

Be back soon!

 

 

What an exciting week this has been for me! On Tuesday I flew to Washington DC with the rest of my American Olympic Teammates. On Wednesday we got an incredible opportunity to visit the White House and meet President Obama, Michelle Obama, Vice President Biden, and Dr. Biden. They were all very nice and incredibly welcoming. Our Alpine team got to share about 5 minutes with each couple, and they shared stories with us about skiing, and life. I feel very blessed to have been in the White House with such great company.

I flew home on Thursday and was quickly put back to work racing with kids almost half my age in the Far West Championships. It has been a long season and I look forward to taking my boots off for awhile, but I never mind helping out these kids who have so much passion for the sport.

As the racing continued into the weekend, my schedule ramped up to a new level of busy! Mammoth Mountain was the host to an amazing program called After School All-Stars. ASAS is a nationwide program founded by Arnold Schwarzenegger. It provides activities to inner- city children to keep them off the streets and out of trouble. About 50 of these children were selected from Las Vegas, San Diego, and Los Angeles to come to Mammoth and experience the Mountain Environment.
They were given lodging, lift ticket, equipment rentals, and meals all from Mammoth. And... the best part was Mammoth donated $5 from every lift ticket bought this weekend to ASAS, and I can tell you it was busy! I heard the totally amount was near $50,000. Thanks to Rusty Gregory and Mammoth for the generosity and giving these children such a great experience. I truly feel that this weekend can make a difference in their lives.

As I mentioned above, our Governor founded this nationwide program, and we were all in for a surprise when he showed up in Mammoth to show his support! I got to ski with him all morning showing him around Mammoth, then briefly left him to go compete in the race, and came back to have an amazing lunch with him on the Sundeck in Mammoth. We talked a bit about the Olympics, and where how he learned to ski not in Austria, but in Mammoth as well. He was very casual, so most of the conversation was laid back. I had a great time skiing and talking to him, and was impressed he was so interested in my story as well.

Sunday night I was so tired, but my eyes were so wide open at the week I had just had. I am so Lucky!!! This week may seem a bit boring compared to last week, but I will never forget the amazing experience, the people I met, the people I got to work with, and the children who's lives I have had the opportunity to change. This is the stuff that makes all the hard work pay off!

Be back soon!
Stacey

Ever heard of an Olympic hangover? well I think I have a case of it!

What an incredible experience the Olympics are, I really wanted them to just go on forever. It is amazing how people from all over the world can convene in one place with such happiness, joy and passion for the same thing, sport. From an athletic point of view it is all about performing, but when I take a step back and look at the whole picture the Olympics takes the world away from politics, what a powerful event!

I was very happy to make it back to World Cup Finals this year after not making it last season. Finals is a really fun event, as the very best boys and girls meet for a final race of the season. The highlight of this years finals was the Team Event. My team got eliminated in the first round unfortunately, but I think all the athletes aggreed that the new team event format was much, much better then in the past, and a ton of fun as well. Thumbs up for the new team event!

After a brief stint of North American and National races, I finally have made it home. I got to go skiing yesterday with the Mammoth Junior Team, and took on one of my former coaches in a duel race. The snow was awesome and the sun was shinning. What more can you ask for? All I can say is; I love California!

Coming up this weekend is a really exciting event called the Mammoth Invitational. It is an fundraiser to help provide the athletes on Mammoth Mountain a chance to become world class. I am very proud to be a part, and I will write you after it is over to share details.

Be back soon!
Stacey

Coming into the games I wrote you saying I couldn't wait to share every step of my journey with you. I had that journey already laid out; everything I wanted to happen was set in my mind.

Coming into these games I have been having the best season of my life, and for the first time ever feel confidence in my skiing day after day, and I felt that anything was possible. I was not a favorite, I was probably not even on the map to a lot of people, but in my heart I knew that I could get up on the podium, and was set on doing what I needed to to get there.

And then Bammmmm...

I don't remember much of the training run that led up to the crash, and none of the crash itself. The first thing I remember is being under the helicopter and having the snow pelting me in the face from the wind. My Co-pilot covered my face with his hand and I just shut my eyes and tried to put the pieces together about where I was and how I had gotten here, but that was useless, the memory still hasn't come back. I remember a lot of people around me and being very overwhelmed by them, but knowing I was going to have to go through this process, so just settling in and keeping myself calm by thinking about getting back up on the mountain and skiing. I was freezing, and I think I asked for blankets about every minute to try to warm up. My temperature when I got to the hospital was 91 degrees (33 degrees Celsius). They gave me a blanket that was blowing hot air into it called a bear hugger, and I curled up in that while all the tests were coming back negative. I knew I was ok, I have had concussions before and I started to come around a lot faster this time then in the past, so I knew it wasn't that bad. When they released me from the hospital, I went straight back to my condo and sat in the shower for 20 min. I was still so cold, and pretty shaken up, but it was then that I set my mind to being the strongest and bravest I had ever been and getting back up on that hill to get back at the course that took me down the first go around.

Cancellation after cancellation gave me a great opportunity to rest my body. I woke up day after day wondering how everything in my body could hurt, but how nothing was actually "hurt". But what I really wanted was not to rest my body, but to just get back out on the course so I could know that everything was alright, and that skiing was just skiing and I could still ski with the confidence I had before. The cancellations gave me too much time to think, and too much time for everyone else to talk about how crazy that crash was. I started doing therapy right away and felt a little bit better each day. The next training run finally got off 4 days later. I got nervous when I inspected the course, but that was nothing to how I felt in the starting gate. I was actually talking myself into just doing the run, instead of using the run as a training tool to find how I could fast on race day. My technician was so good about trying to distract me, and trying to keep me calm, and without him I would have been even more of a mess. The training run was the hardest battle I have ever had mentally. Once I got on course I kept telling myself to fight, to stay forward, to stick my nose in it, but my body would not listen. I made it to the finish though, and knew I would not let myself feel like that on race day.

The next training run was also cancelled, but I did get the chance to go skiing and felt more like myself. The turns were fun, I liked the wind in my face, and I wasn't scared by every little bump or mistake that happened under my skis.

On race day I felt like my self, maybe even better. I think I used up all of my nerves on the training run day, and I felt so calm, prepared, and ready to rip. I ran 4th which was good, cause I knew that I wouldn't have time to wait around and start thinking, and I knew there was a good chance of there being no delays before I went. I felt like it was a good run, although I could have tucked more, and there are a few spots that I wish I was a bit more aggressive. I had some really fast splits, but the section of the course I fell on was a really, really slow split. I don't remember backing off in that part of the course, but subconsciously I must have. I was 3rd fastest on the bottom of the course. Everyone was happy for me for just getting back out there and finishing 11th, but I came to Vancouver for something, and left without it, and that broke my heart.

I did everything I could to overcome a situation that I was not prepared to handle, a situation nobody else out there was also dealing with, a situation that was because of luck of the draw. There are a ton of what ifs...what if I had not of drawn second for the training run, what if the forerunners were better, and our coaches could have predicted the amount of air I would get at a higher speed, what if the first girl down didn't back off so much, what if they had cancelled the race before me instead of after me.... They could go on and on, but the reality is that my dream Olympics started with kissing the net at 65mph, missing opening ceremonies because I was too sore to sit up, spending hours and hours in therapy everyday, testing my mental ability to throw myself back down the course that I was lucky to walk away from the first time down, and then fighting for an 11th place finish that was good enough in everyone's eyes but my own.

The emotion that goes into an Olympic competition is unbelievable. One chance every four years is a lot of work for a small moment in time, and it was hard for me to accept that what I had worked so hard for, what all the blood sweat and tears was for can be gone in a second. I just saw my video of my crash for the first time yesterday, and I know I am lucky. I hit that fence with a lot of speed, and normally crashes like that don't end up so well. I thought the blood, sweat and tears were supposed to bring you glory when you want it the most, but maybe all the blood, sweat, and tears were to make me strong enough to handle the cards I was dealt. My coaches summed it up perfectly saying, "you were not strong enough to recover from the mistake, but you were strong enough to take the hit and walk away."

I am just barely settling in to our team accommodations in Whistler.

Our team opted out of staying in the village which has both pros and cons. Our team will be able to stay focused on our events with minimal distractions, and we have control over our diets with our own chef, but we also miss out on meeting all the other Olympians and other things that are part of village life. Last night we stayed down in Vancouver for processing and uniforming. We got a sweet video message from President Obama and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger which got us fired up for sure! This morning we did a team press conference before we headed to the mountains. I am definitely much more at home with the snow and mountains around then I was in the city.

First training run is tomorrow and I am looking forward to seeing the course and getting back up to speed. I will be updating at every step along the way, so stay tuned!

Stacey

Check out our sweet new clothing!

I finally have a day off and a bit of time off racing to feel like I can take a deep breath again. We just finished our series at St. Moritz, and I am happy to report that while St. Moritz may have gotten the best of me the past 5 years, the 6th time was a charm and I finally left that beautiful valley with a feeling of accomplishment.

I was 12th in the Downhill which was the first time I have ever been in the points in the DH at St. Moritz since 2005. The SG went well also finishing in the points for the second SG in a row in 25th from bib 48. It was not a great result by any means, but It was my best SG result in almost 2 years, and I feel like I am making baby step back into being competitive in that event.

Enough about results though, I am super excited and looking forward to the next few weeks. I am back in Kaprun, Austria right now for a pre- olympic training camp, and then will fly home to Mammoth very soon. I get a few days there to do laundry and repack and maybe visit a few friends, and then I am off to VANCOUVER!!!! It sounds weird to call myself a 2-time Olympian, but I put in a lot of hard work the last few years to make it back a second time, and I hope I can represent America to the best of my ability. The Olympics are such a special event unlike anything else, and I look forward to sharing with you what exactly they mean to me over the next few weeks.

Be back soon!

Stacey

Hey Friends and Fans-

I was without internet in Cortina to keep you up to date, so here it goes. I got my first SG points since Finals in 2008 (over 18 months ago). It was only 1 point for 30th but I am all about baby steps and I will take some confidence away along with my 1 point. The downhill
didn't go as well as I had hoped. I was 25th. I was skiing well in
the training runs and put too much pressure on myself for the race.
One thing I have figured out over the last year is I don't ski well when I am nervous, and I need to be relaxed. I will remember that for sure going into the next series in St. Moritz.

As for St. Moritz, I have a little bit of a vendetta out for that place. I have never been fast there, and i am bound and determined to figure out that hill and get a good result there.

One more thing to mention. All the Ladies of the World Cup donated our bib to be put on an auction on Ebay to raise money for Haiti. We need all your help to get the word out and get bidding. I am really excited about this idea and hope we can make it a success and help make a difference in a suffering country. Julia Mancuso put this project together, so thanks jules and LETS MAKE THIS HAPPEN. Here is the link.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Stacey-Cooks-Cortina-race-BIB-to-benefit-Haiti_W0QQitemZ
320478758799QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item4a9e05c78f#ht_500
wt_1182

Thanks, and be back soon,
Stacey

PS- Olympic Selection comes out today, so keep your fingers crossed for me.

 

Team Success! We just got back from a quick trip to some Europa Cups in Italy. My team (mainly made up of Myself, Leanne Smith, Keely Kelleher, Alice Mckennis, and Chelsea Marshal) has been battling it out this year and we each have found our own successes. If you can remember my blogs from last year, we struggled hugely as a team, but we had a good prep period this fall and have had a better start to the season. I think we all are just having more fun and believing more in ourselves and each other. It is great to have teammates to lean on! This week was Leanne's turn to shine as she took a Europa Cup Victory! I had some decent results myself, 5th and 6th, but was really aiming for the podium. No matter what, it was great training for our next race in Cortina. We are back home for a few much needed days off in Kaprun, Austria. Here is a picture of our team enjoying a great meal at the top of the new Schmittenbahn in Zell am See. Left to Right is Alice, Leanne, Chelsea, Keely and Me!

Good Luck to our team in Maribor!!!
Stacey

 

Hello All,

I am finally checking in with you all after a long break. I spent the summer and reviewing and refocusing and it seems to be paying off so far this season. I have been top 15 in the last 3 Downhill races and cracked the top 10 for the first time in almost 3 years yesterday. That felt really good, and I hope to keep the ball rolling. It sure was a long time coming and it is true that the "downs" make the "ups" even sweeter. I am headed of to Caspoggio, Italy (spelling?) to try my hand at some Europa Cup races tomorrow. Got to watch out for those young girls!

I'll be back soon,

Stacey

I was walking through the parking lot at Main Lodge, Mammoth Mountain yesterday and passed a couple loading their car with their ski gear from the day. Nothing that unusual except it was a convertible with the top down, and the skis were sticking up out of the back seat. I thought to my self, "only in California would you see something like that!"

The spring skiing this year has been absolutely some of the best ever. It's not because we have more snow then in the past, we are actually still below average for snowfall this year, but the snow is just not melting yet. It was 70 degrees Fahrenheit here yesterday, and you can still go wherever you want on the mountain. Awesome is the only word to describe that.

I was out coaching the Rossignol Race Camp last week with my great friends from Rossignol, and instead of doing drills and running gates like the camp is meant for, I took my group to the top of the mountain to experience a rare, but amazing phenomenon that only hits the resort a few times a year. When the wind blows the right direction, and there is the perfect amount of new snowfall, the bowl at the top of the mountain will become perfectly smooth and absolutely ripable. You have all the space you want, you can go as fast as you want, and you have no obstacles standing in your way. Ultimate Freedom! I would take "Wind Blown Mammoth" over any power day! It was so much fun, and I was really excited to see my group all come down with smiles on their faces outside of a race course! And then I went and took a few more runs on my own. I just couldn't get enough of it.

Other then still really enjoying skiing here at home, my spring has been filled with a quick trip to the beach in Southern California which was really refreshing, some backcountry skiing, hanging out with friends here in Mammoth, and making plans for a summer of working hard to enable myself to reach my goals next season. Things are looking good, and I will keep you up to date as the summer moves on!

Check out the video of my Backcountry trip on my Facebook page!

I have been getting A LOT of messages lately from my Facebook fans asking the question "so what now?" The World Cup season has ended, ski racing has been taken off the airwaves for the most part, but the athletes must go somewhere, right? Well, yes, we defiantly go somewhere, and to the surprise of many, the season is not actually over quite yet. For those of us that did not make it to World Cup Finals in Are, Sweden, the schedule sent us to either Nor-Am Finals for the North Americans, or Europa Cup finals for the Europeans. I was really bummed that for the first time in 4 years I was not part of World Cup Finals, but on the other hand it is always nice to return to the Homeland! Nor-Am finals were in Lake Placid, New York, home of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics.

After Nor-Am finals, our team finally get a few days to breathe before we travel about as far across the United States from New York as possible to Alyeska, Alaska, the host of the 2009 Nature Valley US Alpine Championships. The World Cup provides such a long, draining year, that sometime national championships can seem like a bit of a drag, but when they are in Alaska, not one person complains! It is amazing there. The mountain and racecourses are AWESOME, we get lots of daylight, and well, who wouldn't want to go ski in Alaska? I am a few days out of travelling there and have the same excitement as I do for the first race of the year.

After Nationals, I have one more series I participate in at my home mountain, Mammoth Mountain, California. These FIS races always prove to be very competitive and a good opportunity to help point profiles going into next season. So, I have about 3 weeks left to go before any real time left, but the spring sunshine always makes this one of my favorite times of the year.

Off of that subject, I was just listening to the radio and heard some lyrics I thought was very appropriate for a country girl, or anyone going through a bit of a hard time. The song in by Brooks & Dunn, called Cowgirls Don't Cry, and here is the chorus. Check it out if you like country music, it's a good song!

Cowgirls don't cry
Ride, baby, ride
lessons in life are going to show you in time
soon enough your gonna know why
it's gonna hurt every now and then
if you fall get back on again
Cowgirls don't cry

 

Right now I am writing you on a bus in between Stuttgart and Munich. If you pull out your maps you will notice all the ski areas that are not at all anywhere close to here. So how did I get here? Well, the rest of the Women's World Cup and I are asking the same question. We also are trying to figure out how a 2-hour charter flight from Sofia, Bulgaria, and Munich Germany has us yet to reach our destination 17 hours after departure.

Sunday morning I woke up to a very normal and familiar situation. Super-G race in front of a great crowd and on an awesome hill, and I was slow... again. I was 31st for the 3rd time this year, which is arguably the worst placing in a World Cup race. After the race is when the day turned slightly unordinary. Back at the hotel the entire World Cup crew packed up all of our stuff into a semi-truck and then packed ourselves into the 5 buses to transport the crew the Airport in Sofia. Our buses were assigned by teams, ours being the Canadian and American bus. It didn't stay that way for long though, as some of the Austrians came to join our self-proclaimed "fun bus". The 3 hour police escorted bus ride was probably more eventful then it should have been as a game of cards in the back of the bus took over all calmness and sanity, but provided some good entertainment.

We arrived at the airport and were treated to one of the easiest airport processes I will probably ever have. Check in was quick and we walked completely stress free through an empty passport control and straight onto the plane. As a frequent traveler I have to say, it is so nice to be on a plane where you actually know the person next to you, let alone the entire plane! Everything was going great, and I was looking very much forward to getting to bed. Then, as we were about 300 ft off the ground ready to land, the plane abruptly pulled up and aborted the landing.

I have had a lot of adventures on airplanes, including hitting birds and emergency landings, but as the captain got on the microphone and announced that we were being diverted to Stuttgart, I thought to myself, "this is a first." Apparently it was too foggy in Munich for our aircraft to attempt to land again. We landed in Stuttgart without any problems at about 11pm local time. We sat on the plane until about midnight while the airport and FIS decided what to do with us. Boredom might have gotten the most of us at this point as the highlight of the entire trip was a life preserver incident that might have us never invited back to Balkan Holidays Airline, but makes me laugh out-loud upon the smallest thought of it. They eventually decided to get another fleet of busses to drive us to Munich. We then sat outside customs until about 1 AM waiting for the busses when we got the word that they weren't coming until 8 AM. So we went across the street and sat in the lobby of the Airport Movenpick Hotel until 2 am when I finally got a room to sleep in. Throw a few-hundred ski racers and staff at an unexpecting hotel at 1 in the morning and all chaos breaks loose.

I slept like a rock and even hit snooze on the alarm clock at 7:20 am, which was another first, I can't ever remember using the snooze button before! I threw down a quick breakfast and boarded the now 3-bus non-police escorted caravan to Munich. I very much would like that to be the end of the adventure but unfortunately it will not be over yet. Once we get there we pick up our cars, drive 2 more hours to our apartment in Kirchberg, Austria to pick up our Giant Slalom gear, and then drive 2 more hours to St. Anton, Austria where I will race tomorrow. I think I will sleep very well tonight! There is a little satisfaction knowing we are all in this together, and that the European girls get to experience a little bit of what us North Americans get on a much more frequent basis!

I have been very impressed with the patience that everyone had displayed in this process. Right now I have Renate Goetchel sitting in front of me and Britt Janyk and Kelly Vanderbeek sitting across from me, and no one would ever guess we are competitors, it would appear like we were all friends from long ago. I think it is really nice to get the chance to see the people you compete against on a daily basis as just normal, everyday people!

There are plenty of other stories to tell about our Bulgarian Adventure, but I think that is for another time!

 

I delayed writing my next blog on account that I had no inspiration on what to write about. I want to write out a blog about skiing, but as things were, that would probably have been a very negative subject, and any more negativity was something that I wanted to avoid.

Anything I could have written about that was positive most likely would not of been about skiing, and since this site is all about skiing, I think all of you readers would have found that rather boring. So I simply didn't write.
As I have said before, things were not going well. At the end of January, I had 6 World Cup points. 6 points. If I had 600 I might have had just over half of the points the World Cup leader had, but no, I had a whooping 6 points to my name.

Things were pretty grim, and my confidence had tanked both on the hill and off. I don't completely understand how, but somehow my coaches still had the confidence in me that I was clearly missing, and decided to give me a shot at World Championships and they named me to the team. As excited as I was about the nomination, I was also struggling to somehow find the courage and inspiration to continue on the same path.

In the last World Cup race before World Champs in Garmisch, Germany, I was the slowest by almost 2 seconds when I came down and didn't know how much more of that I could take. I drove that night to Val d'Isère, France, arriving after midnight in order to make it in time for the 1 hour of free skiing on the race hill that the race organizers allowed us before the super-G race.

My first time down the hill, I was in shock, my second time own the reality hit of how technical and difficult this hill was, and my third time at the start, I was in tears wondering how I was going to make it down this super-G course when I had no confidence about my skiing and couldn't even free ski down it without problems.

I hit an absolute low with frustration and insecurity pretty much consuming me. That night after watching some video I threw my hands up and said "you know, I just don't care anymore." I defiantly didn't understand at the time, that what I thought was giving up, was actually the moment that may have helped me turn things around, the moment that helped me understand what I needed to do was just stop and breath a bit. The next day in the super-G, I didn't have a great result by many standards, but I skied the hardest turn on the hill well, and was fast on the bottom part of the course. It was a small building block, and a place to start.

The next few days I had a chance to get used to the hill without the pressure of the race. The training runs got better and better each day, and by the time the next race came around I felt like I had a plan and was ready to charge the course, and not just ski it. In the downhill portion of the super combined, I surprised my self with a 7th place result.
The slalom was not so stellar, but who cares when I finally had some speed to work with! I was looking forward to continuing to improve in the last training run before the downhill race, but that was cancelled along with the 1st scheduled race day because of too much new snow on the track. I knew I had to keep my same plan throughout the cancellations, and be ready to go whenever that happened. When race day finally came around I felt like my plan was still in my head and going to work. I was running 5 and happy to be in the start.

During the run, I felt very confident about my line, and I hit the few sections I wanted to well. I crossed the finish line knowing that I gave my best effort, and I was going to be happy with it no matter what. Habit this year is to look at the bottom of the scoreboard for my name, and I was psyched to find I was not there, and even more surprised to find my name at the top, and ahead by nearly a second!

I got to stand in the leaders box for one racer too! Lara Gut was the next racer down and she ended up with the silver medal. I ended up in 9th place, and while I may not be a World Champion, I had a victory for myself. I remembered that I could ski fast, and that I can compete with the best in the world, and most importantly I know why I was able to! I hope that I can keep competing for the next few weeks to finish out the World Cup season.

Wednesday, 07 January 2009 13:47

I got the chance this year to return home for Christmas for the first time in three years. The past few years I opted to stay in Europe in order to prepare for the Giant Slalom that always falls the weekend after Christmas. This year it seemed to make more sense to sacrifice one weekend on the tour in order to spend a bit over a week at home during the holidays.

The first few races this year have not gone well for me to say the least. The chance to return home gave me the opportunity to completely refresh myself, my state of mind, and my love for skiing. Instead of pounding it out every week on the World Cup, I decided to take a step back, and as I am on the plane on my way back to Europe, I am sure glad I did.

Of course, when I made this decision to go home, I kind of forgot to mention it to my parents. I had told them that I was staying over to get some more training in, and continue racing, but I gave them quite the surprise when I showed up on the doorstep the day before Christmas Eve. The look on my moms face was probably the best part of my entire time at home.

Christmas has always been a special holiday in my family, and to spend it with my entire family makes it even more special. I think that is something a lot of people take for granted, but you learn real fast when you spend a Christmas away. And nothing can beat a homemade Christmas meal, but then again you are reading a blog from a girl who loves food maybe more then anything else!
My mom and I also enjoyed a moonlight cross-country ski around our neighborhood even though there was no moonlight. It was more like a skiing by brail adventure, which I figure might come in handy if the same weather patterns continue on the speed circuit. I have not been able to see anything anyways because the weather has been so bad at every race this year.

I also got in 3 days of some amazing skiing in Mammoth. I have not free-skied that much in a long time, and I really needed it. I was raised as a skier, not a racer, and I know nothing will help me more to get out of this slump then getting a good touch on the snow by free-skiing. I hit three perfect "California" days with amazing snow conditions, blue bird sky, and warm enough to ski in a sweater. If you haven't experienced California skiing, I have to say you are missing out.

Now, I could not be more excited to get back to racing. My next race will be in Altenmarkt, Austria for a downhill and super combined. Last time I raced there it went pretty well, and I am looking forward to starting my claw back into the game. I know I can compete with the best in the world, otherwise I would not be kicking around still, but putting the pieces together to get there is harder then I would have ever imagined. It gives me a huge respect for the girls that are in front right now, and an even bigger desire to work to get there myself.

Tuesday, 16 December 2008 17:45

Does it snow everywhere I go? I think so! There has been the age-old saying "if you need snow, just schedule a race," and this year it has been holding especially true. My team's only home race was plagued once again this year by an incredible snowfall, which was great for the mountain, but not so good for racing.

I always find it amazing how hard the crews are willing to work to make the race happen. The races went on as scheduled, but conditions proved to be tough and my day ended fast without qualifying for the second run of the Giant Slalom. We packed our bags and headed straight up to Lake Louise.

Some of my best results in my life have come from Lake Louise, and I always am very excited to return hoping that I may continue my good fortune year after year. This year was not to be there either as I had a big mistake in the once again weather plagued Downhill race, I was denied a second chance downhill start due to a cancellation, and displayed a less than stellar performance in the Super-G race. If there was anything I learned last year though, it was that I cannot judge a season in December.

So as I packed my bags to head to Europe, I took a little piece of advice from my grandpa. "Keep you head down, and your chin up." My head is down in the fact that I am going to work my butt off to figure out why I have not had results so far that I expect of myself, and my chin is up in the fact that I will stay happy and enjoy the beauties of this lifestyle, even when things aren't going right.

We arrived here in Europe on Tuesday to find the weather followed us here as well. As we were supposed to head right away to St. Moritz to get in some practice races during the Europa Cup's put on there, we were actually redirected to our European "Hometown" of Kirchberg, Austria to wait out the storm for a few days. It snowed a ton in St. Moritz.
The race crew was able to pull off two of the three races, a Super-G and a Super Combined. It was really nice for my confidence to be able to get on the race hill before the World Cup stops here this week. I have had demons on this hill in the past, and hope that having a few days here without the pressure of the World Cup will have allowed me to figure out a few things to be able to get in a good result when it really matters.

Our team is in good spirits despite the weather woes of recent, and we are ready to have some good races. I hope you can watch the races wherever you are.

Friday, 31 October 2008 13:23

I don't think it is as much as a preview for the season as some people take it to be, or at least I hope it not to be a preview after my performance! This California girl apparently still has not learned how to ski on glacial ice. Lucky for me the World Cup tour will not face another hill like Solden for the rest of the year. I really do wish I could have skied better there. It is definitely one of the best atmospheres to race in, and the weather is always awesome.

Despite the result for me, there were a lot of positives to be taken out of Solden. For one, I have a new technician this season, and it was great to have him in the start before we get to the first speed race of the year in Lake Louise. Not only do the technicians make sure our equipment is ready to rock, but a trust is also built between racer and tech that helps provide me with lots of composure in the start. They get to know not only the needs of our skis, but the needs of us before we leave the starting gate. Sometimes those few perfect words of wisdom are what give me the magic on course to do my best. I know that my technician, Aaron Haffey, has my back and always wants the best for me, and that is important to figure out before I go blasting out of the gate at 120 kph!

Here is another positive from Solden. I remember at a race last year that Julia did not do so well in, she had a surprisingly positive attitude afterwards. I asked how she did it, and she said "you know, I had one good turn up there that I am happy with!" Courses are normally 35 plus gates, but she was able to take a positive outlook of the day from just one. In Solden, I had a few good sections of gate mixed in-between what my coaches called a "rodeo ride," and I thought of Jules when I was happy with that, and able to take away from the day a few positives.

So there you have my outlook on the first race of the year, and with that said I am very excited for the next few weeks. I will start training again in Colorado soon, getting ready for my only race on home soil in Aspen. Then after that the real fun starts with the first downhill race in Lake Louise. Speed training has been going well, and I can't wait! I will be back with you all soon.