DFL, now what?

[eleeski]

First, congratulations to Darren Janzig - our worthy MM Trick champion. You rock!

 

I, on the other hand, am Dead ... Last. Kirk also ended up DFL in slalom but he skied well (and held his seed) and was in the running for an overall spot. Last time I came in last it was OK because I missed winning by one frame on the timer and I skied great. Placement is not that important when you ski well. DFL sucks when you ski badly enough to earn DFL. Worried more today about the zero scores I seem to be putting up too often when it counts.

 

How do I get back on that nice stand up streak I had going a while ago?

 

Eric

 

[thager]

@eleeski Eric, You qualified and skied at Nationals. Sure doesn't sound like a last place finish to me. Hundreds of us never even got close to the minimums to get that chance at the "Big Show."

You were already a "Winner". Now, go buy some real skis so you have a better chance next year.

; )

[eleeski]

@thager Thanks for the kind words. I will be back next year - I just have a lot more work to go to get there.

 

Eric

[eleeski]

Reading my posts, it sounds like I'm complaining. Sorry. I'm really looking for the techniques that you guys use to get your best performances.

 

Maybe I should retitle the thread "seeking the zone".

 

Eric

[Jody_Seal]

Eric you know the rule! blame it on the driver!!!

Glad to spend time with you at the Nat's. I am sure you will rebound and we will see your desert rat self back at San Marcos next year in full Lee force!

[BCM]

@eleeski - I find that when I am focusing on the competition aspect too much, I forget to have fun skiing and my performance suffers. After a big tournament, I find that spending some time skiing for the sake of skiing helps me get things going again. I spent 4 years skiing in college. During that time I would start skiing in late February trying to get things going for our first tournament in early April. I would ski 8+ sets a week. I then was skiing tournaments every few weeks through Collegiate Nationals in October. I skied well, but was constantly focusing on the next tournament. In the past few years I have only been able to ski a few times a year and two years ago, after only skiing a handful of sets I set a new practice PB. I have found that taking the pressure of competition off of myself for a little bit has greatly improved my skiing as I am more relaxed. I am also enjoying skiing more than I did before. I am also a runner and have found that when I but a lot of pressure on myself for one big race, I often over train and endup injured or fatigued at the time of the race. The best races I have run, I have registered for the morning of or week before. Its not the pressure of the competition itself that impacts my performance, but the pressure in the weeks prior...

 

I am different than most however. I have competed on a regional or national level in several different sports and have always been relaxed the day of competition because at that point all you can do is what you trained for. I get more worked up trying to be sure that I am prepared...

 

I say, go ski for the sake of skiing. Ski because its fun, not because you are trying to dial in that next trick before the "Big Show". We should all ski because its FUN!!!

[bishop8950]

I am glad I checked to see what DFL meant, funny.

 

As for how to ensure peak performances, I am still working on that. My piss poor performances this week leave me unqualified to give any credible input!

[Horton]

Stop all this! 2013 is OVER! Start fresh. Go get 2014. Everyone is back to Zero.

[eleeski]

@BCM Poignant words. I have been able to still have fun despite aging. This year has been tougher - outside issues, no Kirk to ski with and a (hopefully) minor injury has limited my time on the water. But your words highlighted that the skiing has not been viscerally fun. Really, I haven't enjoyed the time on the water. Thanks, I now have a new focus.

 

Of course, it is all Jody's fault...

 

Regardless, Nats was great fun. Connecting with old friends, meeting some new friends putting faces to some of the ballers here. Liver got a good workout! Got to get back next year.

 

Eric

[klindy]

Great to spend a few minutes with you at nationals. Also thanks for your thoughtful ideas on how to improve things.

[BCM]

@eleeski - I recently went through something similar in another sport. I was trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon and wound up getting injured before the qualifying race due to over training, I was too focused on the end result and forgot that I had to get there first...

 

A year or two ago we temporarily lost access to our slalom course and we wound up free skiing a bunch. Open water with friends and family, it was a blast. We even pulled out an air chair and wake skate for a while and basically screwed around for a weekend. There was no coaching and no PBs, just lots of laughing. It was the best weekend I have had on the water in years...

 

I currently live 3000 miles from my favorite ski partners (dad and brother), but when I get to go home and take a few ski rides with them they are the best rides of the year...

 

@OB - good article, I think the process section is very important for skiing. Should you focus on running the pass or how to run the pass...