Finding the Sweet Spot

In athletics, whatever the sport may be, there is a certain point or position in which your body finds its “sweet spot”…the ability to perform a certain element of sport particularly well. In baseball or tennis, it might be hitting the ball with the bat or racquet in that optimal location that will send the ball flying the farthest. I have transferred this idea to skiing and have tried to come up with certain elements that put you in that “sweet spot.” In skiing however, there are combinations of several factors that contribute to finding that suitable condition…technique, feel of skis, mind, body, etc.

This is on my mind because I have yet to find that sweet spot in my racing this year. After two weekends of racing, it’s been a rough start and I am left asking myself why? Is it fatigue, is it the need to get back into racing mode, is it the fact that I’ve been skiing on snow for only two weeks, is it the inability to push my body, is it my technique, is it in my mind? All of these questions contribute to possible reasons for my disappointing performances, yet they leave me with guidance as to what I need to work on and how I might be able to find that sweet spot. I have felt that sweet spot before and I know that it exists. Knowing that I have found it in the past, encourages me to find it again.

It is difficult not to be too hard on yourself when you don’t get the results you want. I have to remember that it is a long season and these races are just the beginning. A lot can change in four months or even one month for that matter! U.S. Nationals are four weeks away and I am aiming for good results there…in my hometown of Anchorage, Alaska!

Our racing schedule until U.S. Nationals is up in the air. We are supposed to race in Whistler next weekend, but due to lack of snow, the races may be cancelled or moved. I will keep you updated as to where my travels take me!