The Catamount Tribune presented by Redstone Apartments and Lofts is an avenue for UVM student-athletes, coaches, staff, alumni, and fans to tell unique stories in their own words. This edition of the Catamount Tribune is written by Tim Kelley '13, the assistant alpine coach at UVM and 2011 men's slalom national champion. Interested in sharing your story for the Catamount Tribune? Please click here.
It was a gray, dreary Vermont spring day. A huge snow storm had just rolled through a couple of days prior to the 2011 ski championships, which is great for recreational skiers, but terrible for racing conditions. We want ice, so that way the track doesn't deteriorate and it is a fair race no matter what bib number you have. Unfortunately for us, a warm night with a mix of rain and snow left the track in rough condition. The race crew did a great job throwing salt (which firms up the surface) and the track was in the best possible condition it could be in considering the conditions.
RELATED LINKS
CatamounTV Highlights: 2011 Men's Slalom
After a solid first run with a few mistakes I was sitting in third place, behind my teammate
Jonathan Nordbotten (first) and New Mexico skier Petter Brenna (second). I knew both Nordbotten and Brenna were very fast skiers and that it was going to have to take a great run to beat them. For the second run of a race they do what is called the "flip 30." This is when they reverse the order of the top 30 finishers from the first run so that the person in 30th place runs first, 29th runs second, and so on until the winner of the first run runs 30th. I was running 28th on the second run, and the warm conditions continued to deteriorate the course. I remember waiting in the starting gate to kick out for my second run and blocking every thought out of my head except for one "trust your skiing and attack." I kicked out of the gate, the butterflies vanished and I was able to execute my plan. As a crossed the finish line I instantly looked back at the scoreboard and saw my name at the top of the list. There was a large crowd for a college race. Being a native Vermonter and a UVM skier, I got a louder cheer than most and to this day it is one of the best feelings I have had as a ski racer. The crowd support was huge for me that day, in the start of the second run I could see the crowd, and I heard them cheer as my name was announced. It motivated me to give that run all that I had. I waited anxiously at the bottom to see if my time would hold up against Nordbotten and Brenna. Unfortunately for them the rough track caused them to fall and not finish the race. It's never the way you want to win a race, but that is ski racing.
Racing on your home hill is a huge advantage, especially on a trail like Main Street with its steep pitches and tons of terrain changes. It is one of the most difficult slalom hills in the United States. The snow is always very firm, which may catch some western skiers by surprise. Countless training runs down the hill in the season leading up to the NCAAs was a huge confidence boost for me. Now as a coach I want to instill that confidence into my student-athletes. Our entire alpine team is composed of seniors eligibility-wise. They have all had three or four years of training on this hill. The biggest advantage that the home hill provides is the added level of confidence that allows you to ski up to your full ability without worrying about memorizing the terrain of the hill.
Qualifying for NCAAs is a huge accomplishment by itself, but getting to compete in an NCAA championship at your home hill is an amazing experience that very few student-athletes get during their college ski careers. My advice to current skiers is to enjoy every moment of it and use that special energy from the crowd, and all the excitement around the event to fire them up for competition. They all have had great races on this hill throughout their careers, so they need to trust their skiing and use the confidence they have from that knowledge and experience.
