Happy holidays! It has been a really long month of travel and competition for me which is why I haven't updated you sooner. However, I'm thrilled to say that in this chaotic month, I achieved my best ever World Cup results and am skiing well.
The tour commenced in Ruka, Finland where it is only light for a few hours. I think I saw the sun a total of two times, but I also got to see the Northern lights! We even went snowmobiling on one of our days off. The snow conditions were great and it felt good to have a bib on again. I qualified in fourth place (the highest I have ever qualified), but unfortunately took a tumble in finals to finish 15th. However, qualifying in fourth gave me the confidence I needed to keep my head up for the next two events in China.
After a crazy three travel days of flying home and then to China, we made it to Thaiwoo, a small resort four hours north of Beijing. I loved the course and skied to a personal best 7th place finish and then an 8th place finish on day two of competition. Although I am very happy with these results, I am hungry for more. The super final takes the top six competitors from final one, so I was just one spot shy. I'm hoping to improve for the next competition in Calgary on January 6th.
As for the Olympics, which I'm sure you are all wondering about, these three events were indeed Olympic qualifiers. It all depends on how and my teammates and I do, but I am currently ranked 10th in the world and 3rd on the US Ski Team. This definitely puts me in a good position, but it doesn't mean much until all the qualifiers have been completed. The next event is in Calgary, then two more in Deer Valley, and then the final one in Mt. Tremblant, Quebec. After these are finished, the US Olympic team will be decided on January 22nd. It's all very exciting for sure, but I am simply keeping my focus on what I can control: my skiing.
Thank you so much for your support this far, I wouldn't be here without your help. Keep an eye out for more updates and enjoy this video of my 7th place run from Thaiwoo - my best run in competition ever!