My Greatest Ski Day

July 12th 2008 Groveland, Florida

I’ve done well this year May 3, I received a qualifying Slalom score of 14.2 points and I needed 14.1 points, then June 28th I received a Trick qualifying score of 2620 points where I needed 2550 points.

The knee is better but it’s still sensitive and I’ve had to be very careful to not injure it again. I’ve not jumped since June 14th and I’m not 100% sure if the knee will be able to handle the landing of jumping over 40 feet in the air. So far this year, I’ve only focused on a single event at each tournament but we are getting closer to Regionals and Nationals, so I need to ski all events today.

The first event is Tricks, and as always I nail the start and have a great trick pass with a score 2720 points; most likely this will be a National Record. Great way to start the day. Second event it Slalom (also know as wakes) and I way a personal best 15.0 which is beyond amazing for anybody much less a 57 year young man! I never dreamed that I could possibly score anything near this value. Wow things are really going great!

Where we go, the last event… Jump.
Jump 1– I go about 10.8 meters and loose the handle. I’m told by my ski buddies to use a special glove that will help me hold one.
Jump 2 – I use standard gloves and jump about 10.8 meters again, but again I loose the handle in the landing.
Jump 3 – I change gloves and use ‘clinchers’ and go about 11.1 meters and land so hard that I break the rope! Wow clinchers really work.
Jump 4 – I’ve made some adjustments in body position, approach to the ramp, and where my eyes focus as I go over the jump. I travel 11.3 meters and I hold one! Wow 11.3 meters – a new personal best. Not enough to get me qualified for the Worlds (12.7m) but now I’m getting closer.

Today was the greatest performance of my ski career. Two personal bests and a 99% performance in the third event.

Regionals coming up in two weeks, and hunting for 12. 7 meters in jump…