2022/2023 Season Recap
With the 2022/2023 season behind me, I’ll share a few thoughts. After graduating from Middlebury College last February but reaming on the NCAA team until April, I had to decide about my future. I was finished with my education for the foreseeable future without a team. I didn't take any time off my dry-land training but spent a few months developing a plan. For the first time in many years, I decided not to ski in August and instead extend my summer and dry-land training. In September, I decided to join the Ontario Ski Team for a camp in El Colorado, Chile. With a group of one coach and three other athletes, it was easy for me to join and become part of the team. We spend a little over three weeks in Chile with some excellent training.
Only a day after coming home from Chile, I hopped on a plane to Europe for a training camp with the Canadian Ski Team as an invitee. We spent the first week in a very familiar place for me, Saas Fee, Switzerland. Challenging weather and tough snow conditions forced us to move to a glacier in Italy earlier than anticipated. We would spend a week and a half in Val Senales in full GS race preparation mode.
I returned home to Toronto for a week of dry-land training capped off with a fitness test at the CSIO. I then traveled to Panorama, BC, for my next training camp. We had good weather in Pano and great training with the Ontario and Canadian Ski teams. This was the final main training camp before race season started, where training gets sprinkled between competitions.
My first races of the year were in Colorado. First, with a pair of NorAm super g races in Copper Mountain, then four races in a row in Beaver Creek. After a shaky start to the season in my 2nd and 3rd disciplines, things turned around on the final day in Beaver Creek. After sitting in 4th after the first run, a good second run put me into the lead and, ultimately, the race win. Picking up my first NorAm Win and a crucial 100 points for the slalom standings. After taking a few days off, I was racing again in Steamboat Springs at the Murphy Roberts Holiday Classic—a cash prize race series with a strong field. I got a pair of 2nd place results in the giant slalom races, a solid start. The third day was the first slalom which I managed to win. On the final day, I was leading after the first run but struggled in the second run and finished a disappointing 7th. Despite my final day, my results earned me the Holiday Classic Champion for 2022.
After a nice break at home over the holidays, it was back to training for a short block in Quebec before the next NorAm races in Burke, VT. The NorAm series started strong; I was in the lead after the first run of the slalom. The second run wasn’t strong, and I moved back to third. There was bad fog the next day, and unfortunately, I straddled a gate in the first run, ending my day. We tried to race GS the following two days, only for both races to be canceled because of bad snow conditions. Part of ski racing. After this series, I returned to Europe and went to Adelboden, Switzerland, for training and a time trial for the Wengen WC. My duffle bag with clothes and equipment arrived a week later, but I made dew thanks to a quick shop and help from teammates. That Sunday was race day in Wengen. With my world ranking still not where I wanted, I had the last bib in the race. The conditions were challenging, and I finished my day with a DNF1. The rest of my time in Europe was spent racing European Cups, National Championships, and FIS races.
The season's final month and a half were based in North America. Beginning with a few days at home before NorAm races outside Ottawa, then Tremblant and back to Burke to replace the races earlier in the season. It was a busy stretch with seven races in 9 days. My results were mixed, but I left this stretch ranked second in the NorAm slalom standings with one slalom race left. Before wrapping up the NorAm circuit, I made my way to Kimberley for the Canadian Nationals. After a few days of bad weather and race cancellations, we finally began Nationals with a GS race. After the first run, I was in 3rd position, firmly in the mix.
I pushed hard in challenging conditions on the second run and won the national title. Two days later, I finished 2nd in the SL nationals. A good week heading into Whistler for the last races of my season. After solid performances in the super g and GS races, it came down to the last SL of the season. On the first run, I straddled 1/4 into my run. My race was over. With 2023/2024 World Cup spots on the line, the events of the day played out. Ultimately, I hung onto 2nd and earned a World Cup start position for all slalom races in the 2023/2024 season. With that, my season was over, and I achieved my main goal of the season. It was time to rest, get out of some cold weather, and start working towards my goals for next season.
A special mention to Ontario Ski Team and Georgian Peaks Ski Club. Thank you, I couldn’t have done it without your help and the support of my teammates and coaches. I’m, looking forward to next season!
