Hi All!

I hope you all are having a great summer!! This email officially marks my first update for the 2017-18 season! I know that it has been a little bit since I’ve been in touch with you, seeing as I am a little ways into my preparation training for the 2017-18 season.  I am so excited for you all to be a part of my journey, especially for this upcoming Olympic year!

US Ski Team Status & Olympic Year

At the end of the 2016-17 season, I was ecstatic to receive the nomination to be a part of the US Ski & Snowboard Team for my second year, as well as move up a few ranks to become a member of the “B” Team. This change in status and re-nomination to the US Ski Team was due to a few key performances, namely my dual moguls World Cup 3rd place finish in Tazawako, Japan and my dual moguls World Cup 4th place finish in Deer Valley, United States. As a result of this, I am now ranked 1st on the “B” Team, and 4th on the US Ski Team.

All of this sounds great, but what does this mean for my upcoming season? By being a member of the “B” Team and ranked 4th on the US Ski Team, I am guaranteed all World Cup starts that mark the beginning of the season, which include the World Cup Opener in Ruka, Finland, the subsequent 2 World Cups in Thaiwoo, China, before Christmas, and all North American stops in January 2018— a total of 7 World Cup events (click here to view the FIS Freestyle 2017-18 World Cup Calendar). This in itself is very exciting, but even more so this season because all of the 7 competitions in December and January are qualifying events for the 2018 Olympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea!

Now, because of my team status and last year’s results, I will definitely be able to make a hard run at qualifying for the Olympic Games (click here for Olympic team qualifications), which has been one of my big goals for the entirety of my mogul skiing career!! I am unbelievably excited to put all of my hard work to the test in competitions starting in December for what will be undeniably one of the biggest years of my career. But first, this season starts with preparation and training…

TeamSteam Dream Team

During this preparation season, I have been training the majority with my former club team (Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club – TeamSteam) and coaches Kate Blamey and Bobby Aldighieri. Therefore, I have been spending a lot of time in Steamboat this summer and each time I have training in Steamboat, whether it be for water ramping, strength training, or something in between, one of my parents graciously accompanies me there, ensuring I have the best training experience possible. (HUGE THANK YOU to them!! 🙂

Summer Training!

MAY
My TeamSteam teammates and I convened in Steamboat at the beginning of May to complete the first baseline testing of the preparation season. Testing includes the evaluation of various strength, cardio, endurance, and core exercises such as a 3 km run, back squat, bench press, and sit-up and V-up testing. Testing this early into the preparation season is quite important in order to monitor progress throughout the summer months. Afterwards, I got back into the gym in Park City, for the majority of May. During this time, I built a foundation of strength, endurance, and cardiovascular power that I will continue to improve upon throughout the preparation season. All of the hard work I’ve put into these elements during the early months of prep season will consequently make my on-snow training much easier, allowing me to entirely focus upon my technique for a longer period of time, thus resulting in greater improvements day by day.

JUNE
Technical training began during the month of June in Steamboat, with a week-long acrobatics and strength camp, where my TeamSteam  teammates and I focused on gymnastics-based skills that relate to moguls skiing, mainly simulating straight body line positions in backflips. However, the majority of the month consisted of water ramping and strength training. As you might know from my description of water ramping last year, I jump off of a plastic surface into a lake or pool with skis on in order to simulate on-snow jumping. This year, I have been working on similar jumps as last year: 360, back tuck, back lay, and back full, all of which I will complete on snow this season. My progress on all of these tricks is going really well; I have been able to clean up many of the deficiencies that were troubling my jumping on snow, paving the path towards consistent, flawless execution.

JULY
July has followed much of the same training pattern in Steamboat, however, in between the first two blocks of training, my TeamSteam teammates and I went on our second annual camping trip together!! For one night, we drove out near Steamboat Lake and roasted marshmallows, explored the surrounding woods, and told stories around the campfire.

Also at the beginning of the July water ramp camp in Steamboat, we completed a second strength testing. The results I saw from my first testing to the second testing were enormous; I improved immensely in every category and achieved personal bests in many! I still have a little bit further to push by the end of the water ramping season, however, I am excited with the monumental progress I’ve made thus far.

School, Volunteering, Etc.

As for my spare time and off days when I’m not training, I have taken the time to get going on my ACT studies and college applications. I took my first ACT in the beginning of June and was ecstatic about the score I received, yet I know I have a bit more room to improve, so I’ll be taking a second standardized exam at the beginning of the fall. In the meantime, I’ve been ensuring that I study a bit each day as well as researching colleges that I’d like to apply to. I am entering my senior year at Stanford Online High School and graduating in June of 2018.

Also, during my time in Steamboat, I have been volunteering a few hours per week at the local food bank – LiftUp. My time there has helped me to realize how important it is to give back, and how even a small bit of effort can make a big difference in one’s community. With each visit to LIftUp, I enjoy my time spent more and more and because of it, I am resolving to always continue to give back in some shape or form.

Back to Park City & My New ID One Skis and I are Ready for Snow!

Right now, I am back in Park City and ramping for one week with the US Ski Team, in order to change up the water ramp jump and to check back in with the US Ski Team and coaches. After this week, I have one more precious week at home in Park City and then I am back to Steamboat Springs for one more short water ramping block to tighten everything up before we head down under for our first on-snow camp in Australia for the month of August. My new ID One Red White & Blue skis AND I are unbelievably excited to get back to snow training soon!

Talk to you all soon…

All the best,
Olivia

Thank You to My Amazing Sponsors!