Off-Snow Homework

by Melissa House

Last season was my second season back from injury, and by the end of it, I finally felt like myself on skis again. As the months went on, my skiing got easier, and I reached several goals I’d set for myself, including one I'd labeled a stretch goal when I wrote it down.

I was ready to carry that momentum into this season. And then, no snow. It's hard not to feel behind before I’d even started.

Waiting gave me time to look back through my training notes. I've kept notes on my racing off and on for years, but last season I wrote down what I worked on almost every training day. Reading through them reminded me of things that clicked, like finally understanding level shoulders because of a drill Coach Steve did with bamboo poles, and the afternoon slalom sessions that helped me start to really feel my line and body position.

I wrote down goals for this season too. Skill goals, stretch goals about races I'd like to do, and one super stretch goal about results. I'm going to keep the specifics to myself, partly because some of them feel a little lofty, and I don't want to seem overconfident. But also because there's a difference between believing I can do something and announcing it to everyone. I don't know if I'll hit all of them. I'm pretty sure I can hit some.

My husband and I have been watching a lot of World Cup interviews lately, the FIS series, plus some Mikaela Shiffrin has been doing. It's been interesting to hear these racers talk about confidence and competition. How in ski racing, you're part of a team (and I think of both Palisades Masters and everyone in Far West Masters as my team), but you're also an individual. And as an individual, we’re really racing against the clock, and the course, and yourself, more than against your competitors.

One of the racers (I wish I could remember who) said something that stuck with me: you need confidence to meet your goals. If you set a goal, you have to believe you can achieve it. Because no matter how much effort you put in, if you don't have that confidence, you're much less likely to get there.

So, that's what I'm working on this season. Having the confidence to trust what I've learned, to do the things I've been practicing, and not get too caught up in perfection. I hope I can do enough to remember my skills before the first race. And who knows, maybe that super stretch goal is possible too!

What about you? Are you working on confidence this season? Do you have goals you're trying to reach—lofty or otherwise? I'd love to hear about it in the comments.

And if you're interested in writing something for the Forerunner, reach out to me at forerunner@farwestmasters.org.