No Kidding: Spring Series!

HEY SRD! Wow the trip to California for J2 Nationals was amazing! It was so much fun getting to know everyone from the East and West and over all an amazing experience.

J2 Nationals was not one of my best races. Although I brushed that off my shoulder and got right back home after a 14 hour car ride! When we got back to Steamboat ALL the snow had melted! Literally we skipped mud season and went straight to summer! It has been 60+ every day! Although almost all of the snow on the run we train on had melted :(.

The next week we had spring series in Breckenridge! The first day of Spring Series was so much fun, the majority of the us ski team girls were there, and it was cold and the snow was firm! I was running late in the back of the pack so the track was perfect! But about half way throughout the course I ended up catching my inside edge and going in the B-net. Which wasn't necessarily the funnest of all since it was my first time ever going in the B-net and breaking my Super G skis. (The following day i did not start the other Super G.) In the GS we had perfect conditions and our assistant coach Caroline Lalive was there so we were all pumped and ready to go! I didn't necessary have the best first run, so I started pretty far back on my second run and ended skiing out but finishing! The second day of the GS I was ready to go, it as the last GS of the year, and my coach had set first run! Unfortunately I had just started to grab my tuck as I was approaching the flats I just barley hooked my tip on the inside of the GS gate and straddled the gate going into the B-net again!

After getting cleared from the emergency room, I got back out on the snow the next and was ready for the SL, but after running the SL training course a few times I got really dizzy and my coach wouldn't let me race until I passed the impact test! So I went straight to the doctor but he wouldn't pass me and told me I had a grade 3 concussion. Luckily after having my concussion for more than 3 weeks now I am supposed to be cleared in a couple of weeks!!! Then off to Mt. Hood! Skiing would just be so nice if it was like volleyball, or basketball because they can go to the court anytime they want but when being injured or its summer it is so depressing not being able to ski! MT. HOOD COULDN'T COME ANY SLOWER!!

.)) Serina Kidd

P.S. Love the new American Ice suits!

Just Kidding: First NorAm's!

HEY SRD! Wow my season started out to a bad start but it just keeps getting better and better and better! lately I was just in Winter Park for speed week. It was a really great experience and it boosted my confidence in speed some more! On the first day of the Downhill race I had a pretty good result with 2nd for j2's (and I don't remember overall), and on the second day I got 4th place overall and 1st for j2's!!! :) Later that week we had Super G, the first day of the Super G race got canceled because we had too much snow but we got in some sick powder skiing! The following day we raced both Super G's, in the first Super G race I finished 2nd for j2's, and in the second Super G race I finished 3rd for j2's.

Last week I went to my very first NorAm race! This was a news flash. Although the race was really fun! I started last and second to last every race although it really wasn't to bad because they kept the course in considerably really good shape! The first gs I did not finish but the second one I think I finished some where in the bottom 10 but top 5 for j2's.. and I only raced one day of sl but I scored NorAm points!!! WHOOO!
 
I have now qualified 3/7 of the automatics for j2 nationals! So I'm looking forward to going down to Mammoth, California in a few weeks!

.)) Serina Kidd

No Kidding: Homecoming with Lindsey Vonn

Homecoming with Lindsey Vonn

Hey SRD! My summer and pre-race prep has been great so far! Unfortunately my team did not go to Austria again, but I still feel as if I have gotten as many days on snow this year as last year!

A few weeks ago I was at the Podium Project camp in Vail, it was such a great experience, with lots of gate training and a lot of feed back from different coaches!

While I was at the Podium Project Camp I got the opportunity to go to Vail's home coming which was really interesting because as you may of heard a kid from Vail asked Lindsey Vonn to their homecoming so she was at our picture party taking picture with us! WHOO! Also after the picture party my friend and I got to ride to the Vail Ski Academy with Lindsey Vonn in her car!! It just might of been the coolest thing of my life!

Following the Podium Project Camp I had my first FIS race/races in Vail. It was definitely a news flash for me! Lets just say FIS is really different! This race was really not one of my best races, I had okay results but overall my skiing was not quiet up to notch as it should of been. The first race of the day I ended up not finishing, and the second race of the day I finished 21st overall and 3rd for J2's.

This Saturday my team and I leave for Copper which we will be there for about 6 days! I'm really excited for this race since its my first SG race of the year!

.)) Serina Kidd

No Kidding: Catching up with Serina

SRD Racers at the Loveland Derby, Alex Leever, Alex Barounos and Serina Kidd

Hello SRD!!! wow everything has finally slowed down from my trip to Whistler and the Loveland race that I have finally had time to blog!

Whistler Cup was not a good race for me. To be honest I was pretty unfocused and had lots of problems. Well where should I start... the SG was a really run gliding super G and a fun pitch although I was really conservative and just didn't go for it! Then in the GS I was feeling pretty confident and had talked to my coaches on the phone right before my race so I thought I knew what I was doing but I got in the start gate and was so ready to go that I didn't look where I put my poles that before I knew it I had tripped the wand for the first time in my life! but, I didn't know I had tripped it until a second after so it put me back a little bit but I still finished that run in 30th.

On the second run I had a pretty good run and finished 9th on the run so I was 18th overall in the GS. Considering that I had done pretty well at our JO's and races before JO's in the SL I was pretty disappointed in my skiing at the SL race. I hadn't done very well in the SL US qualifiers so I was starting in the late 40's so by the time I was going it was pretty rough and I just went out and tried my best but it wasn't good enough. By the end of both runs in SL I finished around 20th.

Besides all of the racing I had a great time at the team dinners and parades and award ceremonies it was really fun getting to know all of the other US coaches!

Upon my return from Whistler I had the Loveland Derby! I always love the Loveland Derby because it's a great time to have fun, dress up, and score great points! After having such a let down at Whistler I put forth a lot of effort at the Loveland Derby to staying focused and doing well. On the first day of the Loveland Derby was pretty excited because I ended up winning the j3's and coming 6th overall!!!! By the second day of racing I was really sick so I just focused on finishing! I was pleased with my results on Sunday with being sick, 3rd the first run but 4th in the combined times and around 10th overall!

I may have been sick but it was a really fun time getting to race against my fellow SRD team member Molly Leavens and getting to know her!

.)) Serina Kidd

No Kidding! Serina dominates Junior Olympics!

HEY SRD!!! I haven't blogged in a while because I've been really training hard for the jo's and for Whistler Cup! My season has been great so far I couldn't of asked for a better season or better coaches. My coaches have really brought my far this year on the hill and mentally.

I went into the 2nd part of our jo qualifiers tied for first! The first day was sl and I was feeling pretty confident and just relaxed and laid down a good solid first run. On the second run I was in first and got a little stressed out like every racer but my coach told me to just have fun, so I went and had a blast, got a little late but still laid down a really good consistent run. By the end of the day I was in first for the overall but barely although there was still GS.

On the morning of the GS race I felt a little bit off my game but nothing that couldn't be fixed. When it came time to start I felt fine, but I didn't feel like my self by the time I got into the course my GS was okay at the top of the course and I was just happy to of made it down that far! Although as i came to the bottom of my run I approached the GORILLA turn and unfortunately got back and late causing me to lean in.. and fall.

After falling i was really ready to lay down a strong second run. I had a great second race, when I came down I was in first but little did I know that Katy Harris killed it and came down right after me only 7 hundredths in front of me! But that was okay because we were more than 2.5 seconds ahead of 3rd place:) At the end of the weekend I was pretty happy with my results and ended up second overall and qualifying in the first seed!

After Jo qualifiers i trained really hard, and really worked on a lot of my fundamentals!

When jo's finally came around the corner I was really excited! It was a good 3 hour drive down to Aspen so it gave me a lot of time to work on my homework. In Aspen we were staying at the Aspen Inn right at the base of the mountain which was really cool because all we had to do was put our skis on and we were right there at the lift!

At the first training day of the DH I was in 2nd, and the second training day of the DH I was in 4th. When it came the night before race day we had bib draw and I picked the latest of all the girls 30th, unfortunately I didn't have a very strong race run and finished 11th. But I kept my head up and was ready for the SG.

Once again we had bib draw for the SG and I picked bib 21! I was very nervous having to wait so long like the DH and have to hear everyones results but I stayed focused and had a fairly good run. I finished the SG run in 3rd only 12 hundredths off of first, and now the pressure was on to qualify for Whistler.

Later that night we had our parade and bib draw which was really exciting because I picked my lucky number 8 for the GS!! The following day was the boys GS race and they killed it especially my SRD teammate Andrew Hancock fishing in second place. My first run I had trouble and had to scramble for the finish but ended up third 94 hundredths out of first. I was really stressing out that I couldn't make up a second but I just went out there and skied how I knew how to ski, problem was I didn't get the second that I need only 8 tenths, so I finished second by 22 hundredths! Talk about pressure! Its worse now, only have SL to qualify for Whistler and the central girls are always tough! MY LAST CHANCE! I laid down a sold first run and stood in 3rd 2 tenths out. Thats a margin I can live with. I love to come from behind! My second run needed to be solid but fast and with out mistakes. It worked and I won the second run by 86 hundredths taking the SL by 1.65 total. And on the men's side another SRD teammate Andrew Hancock owned the mens SL winning by 2.3 seconds!! WHISTLER HERE WE COME!

But before I leave for whistler I've got to make a stop in Telluride to sew up the Smartwool Championships as I have the lead by 41 points! Then off to Whistler. I can't wait this is going to be an awesome US team and an experience of a life time:)

.)) Serina Kidd

No Kidding from Serina

Hey SRD! So far my season has been pretty good:) I had the Slovenia shoot out around new years, and did fairly well. I was there for 4 days but the first 2 days were just training and getting to know everyone. Those couple days were really cold. The first race day we had 3 runs of GS but only counting our best run. I had really 2 strong runs of GS and unfortunately I fell my third run, but by the end of the day I was in 2nd by 8 hundredths! Although in the SL race I had some trouble and just couldn't lay down a strong run. By the end of the weekend I finished 3rd overall for the Skofja Loka time trials.

The next weekend we had our JO Speed qualifiers/Smartwool race in Aspen which I was there for 4 days again. The first 2 days were downhill training runs. The first day we sectioned the course which was nice because I was really scared for it only being my second downhill race. When it came to race day I was a little conservative but finished 15th overall. The next race day was SG and I skied fairly well that day and finished first for j3's and 2nd overall. The second race day of SG we had a huge delay on the girls course due to bad fog, although when I went towards the end the weather wasn't quite as bad for me and I finished 2nd for j3's. Which currently has me tied for first in the JO qualifiers.

After a lot of training getting ready for our tech qualifiers my team took a week off of skiing and just caught up on school, then just worked on our fundamentals.

This weekend we had a Smartwool/USCSA race (college) in my hometown. The first day I started in the second seed and had a strong run and was in the lead by 4 tenths on the first run. On the second run I was ahead by only 8 hundredths but a combined time with almost 3 tenths ahead I managed to take the overall and 1st for j3's by over 2 seconds. The next day was a SL race and I was pretty nervous because I hadn't trained SL gates in almost 3 weeks. My first run was decent I finished 5th overall and 3rd for j3's, but I fought for it on my second run (having the fastest time) although finished 2nd overall and 1st for j3's.

This Weekend we have a race in Winter Park!!!

.)) Serina Kidd