Back to my Primary School

Last week as apart of the VIS ambassadors program, I returned to Middle Park Primary in Melbourne, my old school. Since I left Middle Park over 16 years ago now, things have changed a little as you can imagine! One thing remained; the enthusiasm kids have at that age for sport.

I brought with me some 2010 Olympic uniform jackets for the kids to try on, showed some videos and talked about what its like to be an elite athlete competing for Australia. I had a great time meeting a lively group of students who were fascinated by the sport of ski cross. Hopefully in a few years some of these kids will have the opportunity to represent Australia in a sport that they love.

Video Blog Episode 4

A bunch of new experiences; Audi ice driving in Sweden, teh Freestyle World Championships in Voss, and the Olympic World Cup Test Event in Sochi, Russia....

Enjoy!

Episode 4- Winter 2013- Katya Crema from Katya Crema on Vimeo.

Great end to the season

I am happy to say that I have finished off my World Cup season strongly (and in one piece), with a 15th and 8th place finish in Åre, Sweden. With three top 8s this season, my results put me into 16th place in the overall World Cup rankings, making it my best season finish to date. 

This weekend in Åre was a double event, making it a long intense four days of competition. Before things got started though, we made the most of the Audi ice driving experience available to World Cup athletes. Driving fast on ice is almost as fun as skiing fast on ice!

On Friday I qualified in 14th place, with only the top 16 women going through to finals. In my first heat  I was in third place and attempted a pass into second which didn't end well. I got caught on Simmerling's skis beside me and crashed in the turn. A little disappointing but happy that I'm feeling confident to take some risks and put it on the line. After all, that's what this sport is all about!

In yesterday's race I had the twelth fastest qualifying run and was only 0.25 of a second behind fourth place. 9 girls within a quarter of a second; the times were extremely close! In my first heat I completely missed the start and was in fourth position coming into the first turn. I was not giving up that easily though! I made a pass into third place through the first bank turn, and then another risky pass on the negative turn, forcing myself in second place. I made it through to the semi finals; my second time for the season. In the semis, this time I had a great start but managed to catch an edge before the first turn, forcing me to miss the gate. Extremely frustrating! I finished fourth in the small final after making a big mistake in the mid-section of the course. Again, disappointing but happy with my 8th place result none-the-less.

All in all, it's been a fantastic season. I have made some major improvements with my skiing, particularly when it comes to head-to-head racing. I performed well in the two major events of the season; 8th at the World Championships and 11th at the Olympic Games test event in Sochi. I also had a personal best result of 6th on World Cup, and a personal best overall World Cup ranking of 16th. Unfortunately I couldn't bring home a medal this year, but I'm expecting good things to come for next season!

A big thanks to my teammates for being great training partners this season. Also to my coach, Matt Lyons; our guru ski technician Marcos Ruiz; the physios who joined us this winter, Anthony, Claire, Nick and Markus; John Marsden who got me incredibly fit and strong for this season and who joined us for a few weeks on tour in January; and importantly to my family and friends at home for being so supportive day-in, day-out throughout the whole year. I couldn't do this without you!

Start section.

 Proud to be representing ISFT.

Through to the semi-finals.

An attempt to get rid of my goggle mark in the afternoon sun....

Test driving some fast Audis on the lake.

Training with Sami Kennedy Sim (Photo by Yannick Enting). 

Northern lights. This photo doesn't do it justice!

8th at World Championships

Yesterday is up there as one of my career highlights. I finished in 8^th place at the World Freestyle Championships in Voss, Norway. This was my third World Championships event, and like all major competitions (but this one in particular!) the pressure was on.

Fortunately we were lucky to have blue skies and sunny weather for the whole week. This almost felt like a first for us this season when it comes to racing.

Two days of training on the course meant that by race day, I was more than ready to go head-to-head with the best girls in the world for a shot at the World Championships title. The course was very technical, with some cranking bumpy turns that lead to quick transitions and some big airs. I was ‘feeling it’ after training, and knew that if I could put together a clean qualification run, I should be fast. I qualified in 9th place, my second best qualification this season.

Qualifying fast is one thing, but Finals is a whole new race. Besides gate choice, the top 32 men and women start from scratch. In my first heat, I had a great start and took the whole shot from the first turn. I maintained my lead over Alize Baron of France, and crossed the line in first, progressing through to the semi finals. In the next heat, with third gate choice, my start was solid but there wasn’t enough room from the right gate to get into first or second. I snuck into third and didn't give up the whole the way down, looking for an opportunity to pass. Unfortunately the opportunity didn’t arise; Baron skied extremely well and left no room for overtaking. I finished in third place in my heat, so 9th overall. To my luck, a disqualification of one of the girls in the semi final due to ‘unfair contact’ pushed me up to 8th.

Teammate Anton Grimus also had a great day, finishing in 7^th place. Two top 8’s at the World Championships for the Aussies; not too bad for a little team!

We have just arrived in Åre, Sweden, where I will be competing in two World Cups over the weekend. These are my final events for the winter, so let’s hope I can finish this great season strongly, increase my World Cup ranking (which is currently at 16th), and produce two more great results.

 View of the ski cross course. Courtesy of Anton Grimus.

Qualifications.

An impressive jump on the slopestyle course.

Moguls.

 Lambs head. A traditional dish in Norway. Can't say I was brave enough to try this one....

From Russia with Love

Russia…. Definitely an experience.

We arrived in Sochi for the eighth Ski Cross World Cup of the season. Along with almost ever other winter discipline, this race was a test event for next year’s Winter Olympic Games. 

After two days exploring the rapidly developing city of Sochi located on the Black Sea, we drove to Rosa Khutor, the mountain where the Ski Cross event will be held next year. Basically built from scratch for the Olympics, the town is brand new, still unfinished, and has an almost artificial feel to it; somewhere between a movie set and Disney Land. Cranes fill the skyline all the way down to Krasna Polyana, a town 10km down the road. There’s a lot of work to be done for next year, but given the investment and resources they are pumping into this project, hopefully it will be finished in time.

On our first day free skiing, the mountain instantly exceeded my expectations. The top gondola gives access to some of the most incredible skiable terrain. With spectacular views of nearby Georgia, the mountain’s peak is steep, rugged, full of chutes and couloirs, and almost entirely off-piste. If you’re coming to watch the Olympics next year, I recommend bringing some big mountain skis to make the most of this resort.

After watching the Border Cross World Cup on the same course a few days earlier, I was extremely excited to ski the track. In terms of size, speed and length, the track was by far the biggest and most difficult this season. It is definitely on par with the 2010 Winter Olympic Games course in Vancouver, and the Winter X Games course in Aspen; two of the best courses I’ve ever skied. 

Like the majority of our World Cup season this year, the weather dictated our race schedule. The first two training days were cancelled due to rain. We were hopeful to get qualifications off on day 3 but that was also postponed due to heavy snowfalls and fog. Once again, we were forced to do training, qualifications and finals all in the one day.

Luckily the weather cleared just enough on day 4 to get the race off completely. I qualified in 14th place out of 42 which I was happy with. In the first round of finals, I pulled out of the start in third place, but managed to make a pass into second, and again into first on the upper part of the course. I led for the rest of the way and crossed the line in first. Through round one and into the quarterfinals! In the next heat, I was in third place again but couldn’t manage the same manoeuvre to pass into second or first. I finished the heat in third and was therefore knocked out of the semi finals. Overall I placed 11th. Given that this is the location for next year’s Olympics, I was very happy with my result and know that there is definitely room for improvement for next year. 

For a view of the course from my perspective, take a look at the head-cam footage I took during one of my training runs. 

SX training run- Sochi2013 from Katya Crema on Vimeo.

After a solid two days of travel from Russia and a short stay in Prague, we are now in Czech Republic for the next World Cup. 

Marielle and I pumped to get through to the quarter finals after an exciting heat.

A close third place in quarter finals behind Marielle Thomson (CAN) and Karolina Reimen (POL).

The course builders sketch of the track.

The Olympic countdown clock in Sochi (courtesy of SSA).

Almost like a home ground advantage? Fog wipes out the view in Rosa Khutor.

Rosa Khutor (Courtesy of SSA)

Marcos at work at the top on finals day.

Great viewing spot of the track in Sochi.

Brand new. Rosa Khutor.

Disney Land??

Video Blog Episode 3

 

Episode 3 - 2013 Winter- Katya Crema from Katya Crema on Vimeo.

Welcome to Russia

After my less than average performance at the World Cup in Germany last week, we traveled to Switzerland for the Europa Cup Ski Cross event in Davos. It was a good opportunity to get my confidence back before coming to Russia for the next World Cup. The training day as well as the first of the two Europa Cups was cancelled due to weather. The sun finally came out on day three, making for a great race. In a deep field including numerous World Cup girls, I qualified in 4th and ended up finishing in 5th, just missing out of the big final but winning the small finals heat. Great to get some more head-to-head action and brush off Germany's misfortune.

On Sunday morning we flew to Sochi with a short but sweet stop over in Istanbul, Turkey. We made the most of the 8 hour layover by visiting the Blue Mosque, as well as Istanbul's hot spot Taksim Square. A bit of an adventure and definitely a place I would like to visit again sometime in the future.

Now to the part of the season that I have been looking forward to for some time now! Sochi, Russia. The location of the 2014 Winter Olympics. We are here this year for an Olympic test event; basically a trial to make sure things run smoothly next year. It seems that the entire city is under construction; new apartments, hotels, roads, footpaths... plenty of work to be completed in the next 12 months, but none-the-less an exciting and vibrant city. A world away from home and other parts of the world that I am familiar with.

Tomorrow we will leave the city and drive a couple of hours to Rosa Khutor, the mountain where the Freestyle Olympic events will be held. I'm looking forward to checking out the course, and seeing what's in store for the big event next year!

The Blue Mosque, Istanbul.

Local cuisine in Istanbul. How a real kebab is done.

Mama making the flat bread.

Turkish delight heaven. Couldn't resist....

Spice market in the Bazaar.

Anton Grimus making a musical appearance at a local bar in Istanbul.

Sochi under construction.

One of many new hotels under construction in the city.

If you're looking for a good coffee in Sochi, make your way to Jet Bar. These two lived in Sydney for 8 years, and have brought their barista skills back to Russia.