First Leg of WC Tour
We have just returned from our 3 week tour in Europe. Sorry we were not able to update this site more but internet connections and time we hard to come by. We wrapped up the races with some solid results in Speed. The 1st Super-G in Sestriere Italy landed us on the podium in 3rd place. Danelle hit a gate and it knocked her pole out of her hand so she had to ski the toughest part of the course with only one pole. A slalom run after the SG made up a super-Combined and we stayed in 3rd place for that as well. So two bronze medals in one day. The next days Super G was the last race of the series and we skied a decent run(but not our best) to a second place result.
Here is a quick summary of our 11 races. One second place, two 3rds, 5 fourths, 2 fifths and 2 DNFs. We are happy with the results from our first races in Europe. It was a great experience and we learned a lot in the last 3 weeks. We are looking forward to a long training block as we get ready for the World Cup finals and the Paralypic games. We really enjoyed our time in Rinn, Aptenau and Sestriere and thank those towns for all there effort putting on great events.
The World Cup tour has started. 1 Giant Slalom and 1 Slalom hosted by the town of Rinn Austria. We skied well enought to get 2 fourth place results but we feel we still have a lot more gas in the tank. Moving on to Aptenau tomorrow for 2 more slaloms and 2 GS’s . The snow in Rinn was some of the hardest snow we have seen. The skis were sharp and holding well. We were racing GS on the same hill that Franz Klammer won the1976 DH, a run that put ski racing on the map in the US. We are enjoying Europe so far and having some success navigating the public transportation system. We will update from Aptenau in a couple of days.
Race Season Under Way
The first Nor Am’s of the season are in the books. Two tech races in Copper and 2 SG’s and a combined at Winter Park. Danelle and Rob started off the season with a GS win and then posted a DNF in slalom at Copper. The first day of Super G at Winter Park was a great day for us. We had a really good warm up and then ripped the Hughes Course to win the race by 8 seconds. Day 2 of speed led to another victory but only a 7 tenths of a second advantage heading into the Slalom portion of the combined. A solid slalom run placed us on top of the podium again with teammate Caitie Serubbi in second. Winning the first 4 out of 5 races of the season is a great way to start. Now a little break for the Holidays and then off to Europe to step up to the big leagues at the World Cup.
Thanks to all our coaches at NSCD and the US Adaptive team for the hard work to help get us ready this fall. Keep an eye on this site in January for more updates from the World Cup. To read more about the Nor Am’s go to http://www.usskiteam.com/adaptive.
Podium Level Sponsorship
The Competition season is about to start and we are searching hard for Corporate Sponsors. Please check out our new “Podium Sponsorship” page on this website. It lists some of the potential benefits for your business if you get involved with Team Vision4Gold.
Our Calendar is set for the season. It includes Nor Am’s in Colorado, World Cups in Europe and the United States and the Paralympics in British Columbia. We will be skiing all over the world and we could help your business get world wide exposure. Should you decide to support us, all of your money will be invested in our racing and training budgets and help us achieve even greater results. Please check out the information at http://www.vision4gold.org/medal-sponsors and contact us with any questions. We encourage you to consider a partnership with us.
The National Sports Center for the disabled has named Danelle Umstead, the Athlete of the Year!
She was nominated by head coach Erik Petersen. “She had an amazing season. She won everything.” said Petersen.
Congratulations Danelle!
Vision4Gold on Facebook
Team Vision4Gold is now on facebook - check it out!
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Ski Racing Magazine;
Check out this link to Ski Racing magazine to see Danelle and Rob Training GS on Mt. Hood http://www.skiracing-digital.com/skiracing/20091003#pg15
Check out US Adaptive Team Bio’s http://www.skiracing-digital.com/skiracing/20091203#pg40