Saturday and Sunday were the super g and the super combined respectively, and both were a blast. I have raced super g four or five times in the past few years so I really haven’t had much experience with the skills required for it. I was bib 17 for the day, a better bib than I would have expected for having 95 super g points. I felt like I had a decent run, I made a pretty big mistake in this middle crazy section of the course but I skied really well above and below that. When I got down I was a little disappointed with my time but I had a great split so I knew that I was flying. I was only 0.3 out after almost 40 seconds so I knew that without that mistake I could have been in contention for a podium spot. The middle part of the course was absolutely crazy and bizarre. You come over a left-footer roll, go through two big gs-like turns, a right-footer delay to a left-footer delay that was about a 90 degree turn. The next gate after the 2nd delay was a chicane gate that went straight into a 3-gate left-footed corridor for about 100+ meters on the flats. You finished the 3-gate corridor over a knoll into another 90 degree right-footer off the jump. Needless to say, it was pretty confusing and only 2 of the first 7 made it through there.
The super combined, one run of super g and one run of slalom combined together, was one of the most fun days racing I have ever had. They redressed the super g from the day before, so there was no major changes. I knew what I had to do to improve on the day before so I was confident in my abilities. I was bib 25 for the race because I had no super combined points, only about 20 people had points for the race which made the penalty at the end a remarkable 90. I skied the whole run really well and I felt great about the run when I went through the finish. A lot more guys finished that run than the day before so I wasn’t too surprised to see myself a little back. I thought I improved on my second time down, but so did everyone else. I was 2.6 out after the super g and slid back from 16th when I came through the finish line to 25th after everyone came down.
However, this actually worked to my advantage because I was still the same amount of time away from the leader while all these people who were finishing in front of me were just giving me a better start position for the slalom portion (after the super g, the top 30 are reversed for the second run). I got to go 6th out of the gate for the slalom, and the course was perfect. I was a little unsure of myself for a while before the start but Peter got me back into the right mindset. I really attribute so much of my success to him, he has a way of making you believe that you are one of the best skiers out there and that if you ski well you will be happy with the results. I had been doubting myself because of the points that the top guys had, but Peter fixed me right before my run. Thank you Peter!!!
I watched the guy who went right before me and knew that I could crush this race. I went down the course and went almost as hard as I can and when I got to the finish I knew that it was a really good run. I looked up on the scoreboard and saw my name there and just fist pumped in the air. I had to go to equipment control right after and it took me about the time of three or four people for me to finish; I kept peeking my head out of the tent as the guys came down to see if I was still in the lead. I kept the lead for a while, then one guy knocked me down, then I held that position, then another knocked me down, and then I fell off the board. I knew I didn’t have a real chance for the podium after my first run but I still hoped and it was a little disappointing seeing my name fall off the leader board. I finished the race in 10th place overall, a great position after my first run. I was 4th on the run (.23 out of the fastest) so that gives me a lot of confidence for the slalom on Saturday.
A lot of my family and my girlfriend will be there for that race so I’m exited to try and make them proud in the slalom and GS.
.)) Alex Leever
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