We are now two months into 2016, and from what I, my skiing friends and Chill Factore coach, Carl Ryding can see I have moved into the year with steep postural and technique improvements. Not only am I more central and more forward in my skis, I can use both my edges when turning, allowing me to carve. That is not all I admit though, I am now pole planting whenever I can when free skiing and implementing the pole plants, and occasional cross-block of the gates.
I am only able to train every other week in England due to the long long drive up to Manchester, either straight after school on a Tuesday or as we discovered this last weekend after a late Saturday night, a nice early start hitting the slope 7:00 to 9:00. Surprisingly, or not, I am absolutely shattered after that.. These training sessions never give us a chance to rest.. not that I am complaining one bit. I have been quietly mentioning to myself that I wouldn’t do 4:25 or 5:45 wake up’s if skiing wasn’t just my passion or obsession but my side office. Skiing and ski racing gives me one of the greatest pleasures in life, the chance to go hell for leather fast, alongside the immense adrenaline rush and the sense of freedom I get. Excluding all of those, the thought I can and am competing for my nation is desirable, I cannot muster any words to verbalise the immense satisfaction and pleasure I get… Having my name against GB’s flag was incredible, not only that but to have ‘Now it’s Molly Griffith skiing for Great Britain’ hitting me at high speeds is one of the most implausible feeling I can describe.
My on slope training is as vitally important as my dry land training, which is why I train for over 4 hours a week in the gym, strengthening and conditioning my muscles needed. For all my races, my body needs to be as fit as it can to allow my body to be as streamlined as possible. I am planning to be involved with ParaSnowsportsGB’s Summer, Autumn and Winter training camps alongside all the competitions.
At the moment I am conditioning my body for my recreational skiing trip with dear family and friends in less than a week for eight days. A year ago, my parents and i took my body 9 weeks post op skiing with my skill not being the only thing that improved. Sadly, last year I could only manage four days of the eight day trip. This in turn, left a very sad Molly at the bottom of the hill, hoping and hoping my parents would let me back on, but unfortunately given I couldn’t let alone walk without assistance there was no way they would allow me back on the slopes, especially my favourite Sankt Anton Blacks!
This year is a new year, another chance to improve on just four days but ski for the full eight day trip. I imagine, given all my training, I will easily be able too. This year’s trip is placed just a few weeks before my last two races of the season. Obersaxen’s Swiss National Championships are on the 19-20th March. Between that weekend and the consecutive one, where I shall compete again in Slalom, will be in Tignes for the Brits, is a few days training in Austria before travelling back over to France!
I am mentally and physically in a good place to smash, and boss these races! Lets see what they will bring.
Molly Griffith 