Le News from LeBlanc: Crested Butte Prater Cup

Team LeBlanc at Crested Butte

Hello everyone, I just had one of the most important races of the season. Last weekend I went to Crested Butte Colorado for the Prater Cup (J4 Junior Championship Qualifier).

The Super-G was very slow and flat. We first came out of the gate directly on to a pretty steep pitch. After the first pitch, we had to carry our speed and go uphill. After the uphill section, it became flat for about three gates. Then it dropped over another face for about three gates. It continued on to more flats. Next, the course came on to a catwalk for five gates. I thought I was going one mile per hour. After the catwalk, a big sweeping delay came up around a bank. The course then dropped off on to an intermediate pitch for about ten gates to the finish. The GS was basically the same but with out the first pitch and the uphill section onto the flats. The slalom went down the last intermediate pitch.

Overall in this race, I didn't finish very well, mostly because of how small I am with all the flats. In the Super-G I got 13th. In the GS first run I got 16th. In the GS second run I got 9th. In the slalom first run I got 8th. And in the second run slalom I was having one of the best runs of my life until I got to the eighth gate from the bottom and a gate came quick and through me off guard sending me out of the course.

The race ended up taking my two best finishes, 8th and 9th. They then took those places and seeded me. I was in the 3rd seed. That means that at Junior Championships I will get to run between 16th and 24th. I guess it is a pretty good start. I also think I will do better at Junior Championships than I did at the qualifier because Steamboat Springs (the location of the Junior Championships), is a steeper and more challenging hill than Crested Butte.

Stay tuned. I will get back to you after the Junior Championships.

 .)) Gus LeBlanc

LeBlanc's Le Blog: Back on the Podium!

Hello Everyone, I have been through some great races these past few weeks. Overall I came out with some great results. Two weekends ago, I had my first Super-G race ever! I ended up pretty well. As a first year J4, I got 5th, 4th and my last race I was coming out of the start and caught an edge and fell. Then I got back up and finished the race ending up 10th overall. The race that I got 4th I started 103rd, and missed the podium by only four hundredths! Anyway that was a really exciting week!

This weekend I had a pretty intense SL race in Winter Park. We had four runs. My first run I felt fast but just a little conservative. I ended up 5th in that race. My second race I skied kind of the same way, but wasn't very conservative. I ended up 6th in that one.

The next day on the first run I laid one down. I ripped it and let everything out. That run I got my first podium of the year, 3rd! I was so excited. After that run I was so pumped up so I let it all out again! I ran 15th to last on my this run. I rocked it. When I came into the delay, I got a little late, then hit a rut, then started to hip check. Right as I was about to go down, I pressured my ski and shot right back up. I didn't loose much time. I kept charging the rest of the run. I ended up getting 5th.

I was happy about my whole weekend and was proud to be promoting SRD!

.)) Gus LeBlanc

Just an After Thought

Hello everyone,

Happy holidays to all! Vail has opened to the public now! We got to go free skiing around the mountain a little. We need some snow! We'd be skiing some awesome powder! Anyway, things have been going pretty well for me. The mountain has been pretty hectic because of all the crowds. Other than that, everything is awesome!

We just had some pretty intense training at Golden Peak today. It was a GS down our steepest pitch called After Thought. The course was sheer ice. About three of my runs were decent, one of them was totally amazing, and the others were just crazy Bode runs. My last run, I caught my edge, and went flying into the air. Then I landed straight on my back, then slid right into a gate, and taking the panel right off of it. It hurt pretty bad, but it's definitely not going to keep me from ripping it up this year! Happy Holidays once again! See you on the slopes!

Cheers, Gus

.)) Gus LeBlanc

LeBlanc at the Vail Gold Peak Competition Center

Hi everyone, I had a pretty intense two weeks of skiing. Our courses were steep, icy, and cranky. The cool part was that I got to ski next to all the World Cup guys. I was watching them, and they were really smooth. They move to their outside ski early, and are off it right away.

During those two weeks, I got a chance to talk to some of the members of the U.S Ski Team. I talked to Ted Ligety, Andrew Weibrecht, and Cody Marshall. Also, the women's U.S.technical team came to our school to talk. They gave some really good advice on how to keep following your dreams, and never giving up. I will definitely use the advice, to to become more successful in my ski racing career.

.)) Gus LeBlanc

LeBlanc's LeBlog: Off to Loveland!

Hi everyone, I just got back from San Diego CA. I had a pretty good time. The dry land there was intense, but it was easier than the high altitude up here in Vail.

I start skiing on October 20th in Loveland. I am so stoked! We're going to train GS and SL. After three days of Loveland, a week later I am going to Copper with the RMD team. That's going to be really exciting! We'll be training next to the U.S. Ski Team!

After all the early season camps are over, I start Ski Club Vail. We start ski club on November 1st. It's going to be awesome. Ripping it up on Vail Mountain and supporting SRD.

I can already tell it's going to be a great ski season!

.)) Gus LeBlanc

SRD Welcomes our newest athlete, Gus Leblanc!

Hi everyone, it has been a great summer. I am so excited to be on the SRD team. Winter is right around the corner. Can't wait to rip it up on the slopes.

The past few weeks I have been doing some pretty intense dryland training. Some of things I do are jumping on a ball, hopping from rock to rock on one leg, and running bleachers (ect).

School has been going well. I have been working hard and studying to keep up my grade point average.

I am also excited to go to ski in Copper. I was invited because I made the RMD team. I can't believe that I will be skiing besides the best skiers in the world. In a couple days I will be going to San Diego. I am going to stand up paddle board the ocean and do some more dryland on the beach. I Can't wait! When I get back I will be going to slopes right away! See everybody on the mountain! Cheers, Gus

.)) Gus LeBlanc