Rachelle Rogers Winter Season
Well, much that I didnt want it to end, the 2012/13 season has finished for me. It has been a mixed season with results, but in other ways, it has been fantastic. I have come a long way since last year, it wasnt going to be easy, but Ive cleared the hurdle now and its time to move on to the next challenge! The new GS/SG skis and getting through my A-level exams this summer! Much that I would love to just relax for a while to unwind, its time to get stuck back into my academic work. Time to start getting out my coloured pens and paper, and start putting together a revision timetable.
Highlights of this season are as follows:
- British U18 Slalom Champion
- British Slalom Championship Race 3rd place (this is my first senior national podium at the British)
- British Jnr 1 Giant Slalom Vice-Champion
- English Jnr 1 Giant Slalom Vice-Champion
- Winning the 1st run of the British National Junior Slalom Championship race and then fighting to finish the 2nd run, despite falling over and hiking scoring a solid 127 FIS points! haha (: > this was possibly the most entertaining race of the season for me!
- Val Thorens FIS Super G 2nd place
- Garmisch FIS-CIT Coupe DEurope Giant Slalom 1st place
- Bormio FIS Junior Race Slalom 3rd Jnr 1
- Kreuzberg FIS Junior Race Slalom 2nd Jnr 1
- Kreuzberg FIS Junior Race Slalom 3rd Jnr 1
- 29 finishes, 16 DNFs 7 of which were crashes or straddles and one where I shut my eyes as I thought I was plunging into a GS gate, but actually just ended up going the wrong way round! *cough* blonde moment *cough*¦ This year, I have achieved a considerably better finish to DNF ratio compared with last year (where I had a total of 8 finishes and 17 DNFs) which is in itself a result. Something a wise coach told me Always fight to finish, because you never know and that is what I have started to do this year, ok I dont do it all the time, but it is coming!
- And lets not forget, having fun! This is always going to be a highlight, but so is learning new things, I have learnt so much from this year, and all of it will help me become a better athlete as things start to click into place! (:
FIS Points:
- Season Best in each discipline: SL = 49.33 GS = 62.04 SG = 68.26
- Personal Bests achieved this season in GS and SG.
- Dropped SG points by approx. 73 points, GS by about 18 and SL by 15
So all in all a pretty good year! And despite things not quite going as they could have done at the British Champs, I was very surprised and I feel privileged to have been awarded the Kirsteen McGibbon Memorial Award by the Ladies Ski Club at the British Championships. This award was set up after the tragic death of Kirsteen McGibbon in January 1996 and is dedicated to her memory. During the British Junior Championships, the trustees of the award choose a female athlete. I am very grateful to have been awarded it this year. It is a very special award and in the trophy is engraved the quote: Always head towards the distant hills, Our future lies silhouetted on the horizon¦
Which is exactly what I am going to do!
Oh and Im going to put an album together of this seasons highlights on my Facebook page, so dont forget to have a look!
Penultimately, I would like to say a big thank you to all those who supported me for the 2012/13 season: Surrey Sports Park, Rossignol, Sports Aid, Sport Haslemere/JCAD and Thule.
And finally, this year wouldnt have been what it was without Ambition! This season has been great with them, yes there has been a few ups and downs; but Marc and Jo, my two coaches, have helped me to climb out of my rutt and get back on track to becoming a successful skier. I have learnt to look at success and failure through a different eye and have learnt from them more about what it takes to become a strong, determined and better athlete. The set up at Ambititon was exactly what I needed: a balance of school and skiing each day, not having to worry about cooking or cleaning because Monika (their excellent and amazing house mum) is there not only to take that pressure off the athletes, but to look after us all as well. Not to mention the great access to a range of local training pistes and the gym in Haus Tirol. For me, Haus Tirol is a home away from home.