With only a few hours in indoor snow domes
(since my operation and the debacle that followed) as practice, in November I
once again headed to Landgraaf in the Netherlands. I was going to get my
classification confirmed and to start building back up my strength and
confidence, and although the first races of the season were taking place, I
wasn’t planning on entering.
My classification went as expected, this
being my third assessment I knew the battery of tests and examinations that
would happen very well (in fact better than some of the classifiers as this
year I had some trainees working with me). They must have read my report from
last year when I fell off the balance board though, as this year I was able to
avoid it! The result of the classification was LW10.1, the same as last year,
and the most disabled category of sit skiers. However, this time my
classification was confirmed, so I shouldn’t have to be assessed again.
I used this trip both to reacquaint myself
with skiing, and to build on my work in my new rig. I even managed to surpass
this goal, and in training was skiing slalom courses relatively well - this was
a great surprise to me, as only a few weeks before I wasn’t sure if I was going
to be able to ski at all.
With this unexpected success, I decided to
give one of the races a go. Prior to this, during a discussion with a coach, we
had reached the consensus that I was fully capable of skiing the course, but
due to my increased weakness, I would struggle to get myself up if I fell.
Seeing as I was already there, I decided I might as well try, and went into it
with no expectations as just being there felt like a great achievement. The
first run of the race went rather well, I did end up toppling over, but was
able to get myself back up (the first time since surgery and in my new rig!)
and finish the run. The second run was not so successful, there was no major
crash, but my body was completely exhausted and after falling from the start
gate, there was no way I was going to be able to push myself back up.
Overall I was thrilled with the outcome of
this trip, and once I’ve got my next operation out of the way (which should be
much more minor), I can’t wait to get back into skiing more!
Quite a lot has happened since the last post
on my blog, once again I have been somewhat neglectful on the update front!
In July I went into hospital to have a
mitrofanoff operation, and this is where the story gets a bit complicated…
Following the initial operation, I had a series of complications (as my body
apparently took the list of potential complications as some sort of challenge);
this ultimately led to sepsis, an emergency second operation, and a short stay
in intensive care of which I remember very little. Overall I was in hospital
for three weeks, with two of them spent unable to eat or drink and being fed
directly into a vein by my heart. Once I came home I was still very weak, and
in total spent around six weeks in bed.
Thankfully I am doing much better now, and
although I do need another (hopefully small) operation to repair the result of
one of the complications, I am glad I chose to have the mitrofanoff as it will
make my life a lot easier, especially with regards to travelling and being
independent.
However, the summer wasn’t all bad, thanks to
a grant from the Liz and Terry Bramall Foundation I was able to purchase a new,
higher-spec monoski. (For those who know about this sort of thing, I upgraded
from a Tessier Tempo Uniski to a Tessier Scarver Uniski). Having to wait to be
able to use it was pretty torturous, and the first time I tried it was not very
successful, but I can now see the benefits it provides me with, and I have
great hopes for the future.
This year’s ski season has been amazing; I
have been reclassified as an LW10-1, took part in my first Europa Cup race, and
finally had my first giant slalom race - and that’s all without mentioning the
success my teammates had at the PyeongChang Winter Paralympics!
As has been the case for the past two years,
my season ended at the British National Championships in Tignes, France which
has had crazy amounts of snow this year (upwards of nine metres) which made the
conditions fun at times. Like most of the race camps, the week started with a
few days of training prior to the races, something I always find very useful as
it gives me a chance to acclimatise to the surroundings and I always make a lot
of progress when skiing with other sit skiers.
Our first day of training was focussed on
giant slalom (GS); I consider it to have been a great day despite having two
crashes that were followed by a coach asking me if I was conscious! The main
thing I was working on this day was maintaining control on the steep terrain,
and trying not to get too far away from the gates. This did not go entirely to
plan… On my first run down I lost control on the steepest section of the piste
and had quite a nasty fall, bending my back the wrong way over the backrest of
my rig in the process. After that I was pretty sore, but determined to carry
on. The next run started better, I was in control and handling the terrain
thrown at me, it was going well - until it wasn’t. Out of nowhere I caught an
edge and was flung up into the air, landing on the tail of the ski. Fortunately
I was completely fine after this crash; the same cannot be extended to the ski,
which snapped! (This particular crash was caught on camera, and I am rather
proud of it!)
The next day we worked on slalom, during
which my goals were pretty similar to those in GS, maintaining precision and
control on the steeper slope. Despite being rather stiff from the falls of the
previous day, I noticed a definite improvement over last year, and was feeling
a lot more confident in my own abilities.
On the final day of training we were due to
train slalom again, but that morning it was snowing heavily, so the coaches
made the decision to take us free skiing instead. This was a really fun day,
helped by the fact that pretty much as soon as we started skiing, the snow
stopped and the sun began to make an appearance. That day we skied all round
Tignes and Val d’Isère, a stark difference to just skiing the one training lane
we had become accustomed to. This gave us a good chance to experience more of
what the mountains had to offer, and to just remember that skiing is fun!
After a day off to rest, it was time for the
races, which, if you have been following me for the past few years, you should
know that historically Tignes has been a bit of a flop. First up was slalom,
and after the inspection I was cautiously optimistic. This was not to last
though, as for the third year in a row I managed to fall out of the start gate.
I would have been able to get myself up and continue, if it weren’t for the
fact that as I fell, I slid past the next gate, disqualifying myself and
getting the result of ‘Did Not Finish’ (DNF). For this I was furious (with
myself), as I knew I had the ability to ski the course, my struggle was just
with how steep the exit of the start gate is. Ultimately, steep slopes are just
something I need to practise, and I wiped away the disappointment by going for
a free ski with a friend.
The next day was giant slalom - my first GS
race at last! I was feeling rather content after my inspection, the start for
this race was slightly higher up the mountain than for the slalom, so I didn’t
have to face my start gate nemesis again, and I was more than capable of handling
most of the course itself). As I left the start gate things were going pretty
well, and I made it down about half of the course with relative success (I had
one slight wobble but I was able to recover from it). At this point I reached a
gate that I knew I had to be tight on in order to make the next one, and
knowing this I attempted to slow myself down so I would have the control to do
this. Unfortunately this led to me over-turning and falling, putting me out of
this race too. This failure did not bother me though, in fact I was thrilled to
have made it as far as I did, I don’t think anyone has ever been so happy to
DNF!
Overall I have had a great year, and I am
very thankful to everyone who has supported me to get this far. Now I will be
having a bit of a break from skiing for the summer (I will be keeping up my
indoor training though) and I should be having an operation at some point,
which will put me out of action for a while. Nevertheless I will be back next
season, and I am hoping it will be even better than the last one!
My last skiing adventure of the year took
place in Pitztal, Austria, where I was due to compete in two races, one of which
would be my first giant slalom race. As usual the races followed a few days of training
where I got the chance to build on my skills.
Having just taken ownership of the new chest
strap on my monoski I spent the first day of training focussing on
proprioception and what I could feel through various parts of my body. This,
with time will allow me to identify when to put my body into the best positions
to deal with the conditions I am facing. I also found the new chest strap a
massive help as it helps keep my trunk more stable as I can get it tighter much
more easily; it is also more comfortable than the old one, which is another
bonus.
We spent the next few days gate training,
both slalom and GS, I’m getting more confident skiing faster and closer to the
gates but I still have a lot to work on with regards to being smooth and
consistent. One big lesson I learnt was just how many layers I could be wearing
and still be able to move! (It was extremely cold all week, with temperatures
averaging at around -20° most days.)
Unfortunately when it came to the race days
there was no improvement in the weather. The day of the slalom race was
particularly stressful as to get to the glacier in Pitztal you have to go on a
train first. This train can only take nine wheelchair users at a time (and
around half of the competitors are wheelies) and I am not a very assertive
person, this led to me not getting on until the fifth train up, leaving me a
bit worried about timings. However, as my train pulled into the station, I was
informed that the race had been cancelled as the weather made it too dangerous.
The next day, GS race day, we headed out with
optimism as the sky was clear and the snow on the ground relatively good, I was
looking forward to getting my first giant slalom race done.Inspection took place as planned and then the
first run began. This was not to last, as it soon became apparent that a storm
was coming in - fast. This happened three skiers before I was due to set off
(bib 41 was in the start gate, I was bib 44). After pausing the race for a
while (just after I had taken off my coat in a -30°
snowstorm), once again for safety, the race had to be called off.
This was a bit disappointing but I will have
plenty more chances to race in the not-so-distant future, and with the
additional training I will be able to perform even better.
I recently made the journey to Landgraaf in
The Netherlands once again, this time to be re-classified and to compete in the
first slalom races of the season, I also took part in my first ever Europa Cup
race.
I wrote two years ago about the classification experience, but this time
round it was a little bit different due to the nature of my disability now (I
have HSP which is progressive and I have deteriorated significantly over the
last few years). Last time I was still able to move my legs and walk so the
session mostly paid attention to my leg function, but this time, after the
basic reflex and spasticity measurements in my legs the focus shifted towards
my arms and core. The classifiers realised pretty quickly that I have no
sitting balance due to lack of trunk muscle use, by my attempts to sit up
unsupported and by feeling my body as I carried out certain tasks to try and
detect muscle activation (at one point they thought they had found an ab - this
turned out to be my baclofen pump!). I also had the strength and coordination
in my arms extensively tested. Then it was on to the wobble board test - this
was very short lived as it instantly became apparent that I wouldn’t be able to
make any of the movements they were looking for.
The result of my classification was that I am
now in the LW10.1 class, this is for athletes with the most severe disabilities
who have no leg or core function, who rely entirely on their shoulders and arms
alone to ski. This was a bit of a surprise to me as it was quite a leap from
the LW12.1 I had been racing under for the past two years. (I had gone from the
second least disabled class to the most disabled class.)
After a day of training it was time for the
races, the first of which did not exactly go to plan. The conditions on the
course were not very good, providing a combination of sheet ice surrounded by
big mounds of snow, and due to this, I ended up falling half way down the first
run. As I turned the tail of my ski got caught in one of the snow banks,
whipping me over, unfortunately I landed in a bad position, so I was unable to
get myself up, putting me out of this race. This failure actually turned out to
be quite helpful though, as it meant I could watch the rest of the race (which
had some of the world’s best skiers competing in it), paying particular
attention to those with the same classification as me, so I could watch their
technique and try to implement it in my own skiing.
The next WPAS (World Para-Alpine Skiing) race
was much more successful. The courses had been set slightly differently to
account for the icy patches, making the conditions much more conducive to
racing. Knowing the state of the course I made the decision to ski relatively
cautiously, this worked well, allowing me to get through both runs 1 and 2
without any drama. Run 3 turned out a bit differently. It was all going pretty
smoothly until just two gates from the finish; I skidded on some ice and fell.
The few seconds it took for me to get back up may have been some of the tensest
seconds in my life, but I managed to finish the race in a respectable 4th
place. (And after looking at the results we realised that if I hadn’t have
fallen I could have taken 3rd place!)
The next day was supposed to be my first
Europa Cup slalom race, however, with the previous days being so busy, and my
condition itself causing quite severe fatigue, I was left absolutely exhausted.
After struggling to keep myself awake during the course inspection, I decided to
pull out of the race and dedicate the remainder of the day to resting prior to
the final race. This turned out to be a great decision as although I was still
pretty tired the following day, I could at least get my arms to do what my
brain was telling them. I actually managed to ski the first two runs pretty
well, with faster times than the previous days, but once again run 3 was my
downfall. I managed to topple over half way down, and just didn’t have the
energy left to push myself back up. Although slightly disappointing, it wasn’t
too bad, as I knew I had skied well leading up to the fall.
I came home from this trip having achieved
the goals I set out to. Namely getting my new classification and finishing my
first race of the season, now I just have to see what the rest of the season
has in store for me.
