Another Busy Summer

So after my most recent training camp last month I’ve been taking a few well earned weeks off. Well sort of.

My summer has been really hectic for a change. As many of you know I’m starting my A Levels this year and I had to decide (and agree with my school) what subjects I’m taking over the next two years. School have always been super supportive of what I do so it was great to repay them with a solid set of GCSE results over the summer. A Levels are a whole different ball game however and now I'm sorted with my subjects it's time to make inroads into them before the mountains and snow start calling again.

Last Saturday was the All England Championships. The pinnacle of outdoor racing, it has always been the best race of the outdoor summer circuit in my opinion. The atmosphere at Gloucester has made for some great racing down the years so you knew it would be a great day.

Gloucester was also where I competed in my first ever race,  8 years ago now, so I always find it quite a special and unique place to race at. I’d not touched plastic for almost 12 months prior to the champs so I wasn’t expecting to pull up any trees and sure enough I didn’t. However I’d just like to praise Snowsport England for continually delivering a great race and it was good to see so many senior racers coming back. It’s great to see racers like Georgie Hunt and Jimmy Greenwood returning to the plastic scene and just shows that the event still has plenty of magic and appeal in it.

The main highlight of the day for me however was to pick up the “Most Improved Junior of the Year” award for 2013. I was simply astonished when I received the award and it’s just great to be rewarded with something like this after all the effort that I’ve put in over the last few years. The names on the trophy certainly show how prestigious the award is and read like a who's who of English ski racing over the past 15 years. Dave Ryding, Benn Hall and Brad Morgan are all racers I admire and respect immensely so to have my name on the same trophy as them is a huge boost. I only hope that I can continue their run of talent.

Another big thing over the summer for me was to get all my equipment sorted for the up and coming season. Neil at Racer Ready did me a huge favour over the summer, sorting out an issue I had with my GS skis but over the weekend I’ve managed to get the final pieces together and get my new boots fitted.

I’d like to thank Matt at Head for his & Head's continued support and keeping their faith in what I do, I honestly couldn’t do the sport we all love without you. Another sponsor who I need to thank is Ski Bartlett. The UK’s best ski shop never fail to help out and always do a great job for any racer and I’d like to thank Sally & Terry for their fantastic support, help and advice.

The equipment is in place, all I need to do now is pull some decent results out this season - No pressure!

Away from all the madness I’ve been spending some long hours in the gym and out on the road trying to get as strong as possible for next season. The new season is less than 3 months away and by the time I stand in the start for my first race I want to be in the best shape possible to get the best results I can. That means being fit and strong enough to maximise as many training days as I possibly can. I’ve been following the fitness programme Ruslan set for me very strictly and hopefully we'll can see the benefits next time I go out training in October.