Wednesday, December 17, 2008

World Cup Cesana - Cancelled Due To Snow


Amy's balcony full of snow - still 24 hrs of snow fall after this pic was taken!

Picture of the track buried in snow!!

Sunday, December 14, 2008

World Cup 3 Igls 2008



8th place! This is as well as I could have done today! I had two good runs with minimum mistakes, maybe I could have pushed a bit better on the first run, or controlled corner 9 better in the second, but if I think like that I’m getting into the world of if’s and but’s! I can accept the result and look forward to next weeks race in Cesana – a track I have done well on previously and on which I have aspirations for a top 6 finish!
Shelley Rudman deserves a mention for winning the girls race yesterday – the first British gold medal of the season, and the national anthem booming over the Tyrolean Alps! Bravo!
Also worth a mention is the huge amount of snow the region has had! It’s been fantastic for the scenery, and my gumption (great word!) This week, however, has also seen massive flooding in Italy and snow in New Orleans and Houston! The Worlds climate continues to change!

Friday, December 05, 2008

World Cup 2 Altenberg 2008


13th! Hold on, hold on! It's actually not a bad result, and here's why: I was 17th on this track at last seasons World Champs (some tracks suit some better than others!) and I've had a performance hangover from my bad result last week but I finished just one place behind Kristan who was World Champ on this track last year....
There are peaks and troughs to performance, sometimes you have it (when you are in tune with your equipment, you're physically in peak condition and you're wired into the track!) and sometimes you don't! I feel I'm beginning to climb up again and am optimistic for the next two races!
Updated links on the right include the results page of the FIBT site, which has live results if you can't manage to get to a TV! And also to my website which is being updated...the stickman is from my site!

Friday, November 28, 2008

World Cup 1 Winterberg 2008


17th! My worst result for a couple of seasons! But I have rationalised a reason, in that preparation is key, and so many things have to come together for a podium finish! You need to have a performance routine which gives consistency and a momentum to your competitions. I think I know what I need to do!
A positive was a great start of 5.02, which shows my approach to my physical training has been working well! I remain optimistic of some better results in the races to come!
The picture is of my sled and helmet with my main sponsors branded on! Very smart! I've just updated my website (click on the link on the right to have a look!) And also some other great news is that Skeleton is back on Eurosport! It's shown live, so hopefully you can watch my next races on TV!?

Saturday, November 01, 2008

British Selection Race 2 Cesana 2008


4th place! And 2nd overall, so I've qualified for the World Cup team! I'll take the result, but I was pretty lucky; and unlucky in the same breath! On the morning of the first two runs we were competing at 7.45 and it was snowing! Maybe it was the early morning or the extra cold, but I pulled my back warming up! I was quite pleased with my reaction - I was in tears! It showed how much qualifying for the Olympics means to me, as a bad result here would mean missing out on vital training at the new Vancouver track this season and chances of success at The Games would have also diminished!
Once again it was extremely close! And I was lucky that Andy Wood had a tough time of things which enabled me to pip him to the 4th spot. Chris Type performed extremely well, beating Adam Pengilly to 2nd place, with Kristan winning overall. The picture shows Skeleton can sometimes give you some bumps! Sean Dunstan with a nasty ice burn, luckily he's one of the Navy Skeleton team so was tough enough to slide again that same day!
Amy Williams and Shelley Rudman are on the girls World Cup team, so I'm looking forward to heading out to Lake Placid with them next week for training on the 2009 World Championship track! In the mean time some quality injury management is need back home in Britain to look after my back and be fighting fit for the season!

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

British Selection Race 1 Lillehammer 2008


2nd place after a two day, 4 run battle that was so closely fought that I only just beat Adam Pengilly by 0.02 of a second! That's over 4 miles of racing at 70mph! Kristan Bromley won, just 0.26 sec ahead of me; Andy Wood was forth. So now we head to Cesana, Italy for race two after which, points will be calculated and places assigned on World Cup and Intercontinental Cup. My goal is to be on World Cup to give me the most experience for Vancouver 2010!
My summer was super busy! I set up Boatshed Bristol as a business to back up my sport with my sponsors Boatshed.com. Also after getting back from the British Champs last season Lucy got to audition for, and won a place as one of the new Gladiators! That's been a lot of fun and is helping support her heptathlon, where she managed to win an England vest and score a great PB! So we'll both be training hard for the next year or so!
The photo is actually post dated from Cesana - one of the local cows who is shepherded by a dog around the valley here, has found her way to our ice bath where she's taking a drink!

Sunday, March 02, 2008

Igls British Championships 2008


2nd! I was beaten to first by David Swift who lived up to his name and pipped me by 0.11 of a second! It was a good week with the Army, Air Force and Navy teams out for the Inter Services, giving the race about 60 sleds and some military bravado (Nigel Booker sliding with a broken wrist!)
I also got the first real surprise of my life when my girlfriend Lucy met me at the finish after my second run, apparently it had been a big conspiracy and the whole team knew but me! Was great to have her and her parents support, thanks Pete and Jane!

Altenberg World Championships 2008


17th! After my World Cup season had gone so well, I had many aspirations about a top 6 result, but it wasn’t to be! There was one corner that killed my speed and at this level that was enough to put me behind! I eventually did work the corner out, but only on the last day! Although my last run showed my goals were realistic as it was the 6th fastest! I’ve learnt that I must thoroughly know every corner of a track, and that is one of the keys to success in Skeleton!
I also competed earlier in the week for Great Britain in the team race, in which one men’s and ones women’s Skeleton and bobsleigh have one run. We came 4th after Nicola Minicello drove the fastest bob run of the day, which is a great achievement considering that the race included the Germans on their own track!
The highlight of the week was my season long room mate doing the double and as well as being raked number 1 in the world he also became World Champion!! So once again we heard the British national anthem! Well done Kristan!
So not quite the end of the season yet, with the British Championships in Igls next week!

Friday, February 08, 2008

Winterberg World Cup 8 2008



10TH place! Another top 10, but but but….it could have been better! As always, ifs and buts don’t matter when the result has come out, it is as it is and that’s all that counts! I could have pushed better on the first run, I know that and go away from this race angry to get focused and perform at the World Championships in a couple of weeks! I know now that when I get it right I can be on the podium, and the races I don’t quite get right still have me in the top 10, so I’m optimistic for the future!
Overall I have finished 6th, which is a great World Ranking this season (the World Championships are a separate competition to the World Cup and don’t affect your World Ranking even though they are yet to come). Kristan Bromley won the World Cup for Great Britain this season after a great 2nd run under pressure today, so well done to him! I hope to be wearing the World Cup Leader jersey myself at some point in the near future!! The British mens team is also number 1 in the World this year!

Sunday, February 03, 2008

Konigsee World Cup 7 2008



9th Place, so another top 10 and I maintain my overall World Ranking of 5th! I felt pretty dissapointed immediately after the race as I has been 4th after the first run but dropped back to 9th after a few skids in critical sections of the track that bled speed! More consistent podium finishes will come with more experience, I'm sure of that! Kristan Bromley is proving this theory with another 2nd place to stay number one in the world with one race left!
Amy Williams did well with a 5th position, and I was asked to commentate on the girls race as it was the day before the mens. The picture is of me in the commentators studio, overlooking the finish area with the big screen and enthuiastic crowd which is always at World Cup events in Konigsee! Annie O'Shea had an amazing crash out of Kriesel, which gave great fuel for commentating and some great footage that I'm sure we'll be seeing for years to come!!

Friday, January 25, 2008

St.Moritz World Cup 6 2008


9th place! I hit a few walls and had an awful first start, but for that fact a top 10 result is pretty good! As an athlete you always want more, but I'm taking the philosophy that everything is experience for the only race that really counts - Vancouver 2010!!
St.Moritz is the birth place of ice track sports, Skeleton of course originating from the Cresta run. I met Nino Bibbia, the first Olympic Skeleton gold medallist from the Games held here in 1948! A legend in these parts! The picture is with him!

Friday, January 18, 2008

Cesana World Cup 5 & European Championships 2008


6th place in the World Cup race and 4th in the European Championships! Although I hit a few walls on the way down today and know a better result was possible, as an athlete in a performance sport I cannot dwell on if's, but's and maybe's! The result is not a bad one at all, and leaves me 5th in the overall World Rankings!
The picture is of our team, including athletes, coaches, our performance director and physio. Kristan Bromley came 2nd overall and won the European Championships, it was great to hear the national anthem! Well done Kristan!

Cesana World Cup 4 2008


2nd place! What a great result! And only 0.05 of a second behind Canadian Jon Montgomery in 1st! Lots of confidence to take into tomorrows 5th World Cup race on the same track (a race was cancelled in Sigulda, Latvia so there are now two in Italy to make up) World Cup 5 also doubles up as the European Championships! All is possible!
The race missed Olympic Skeleton athlete Patrick Singleton of Bermuda who is helping organise the efforts of the Sea Shepherd protesting Japans whaling programme in the Antartic at the moment! Recently in the news for having two of it’s members kidnapped when they boarded a whaling ship! A noble and worthy cause, see their website in my links, good luck Pat!