Location: Slovenia

Race Type: Para World Cup

Representing: Canada

After some great racing and sight seeing in Russia the Canadian Team had one day to travel to Slovenia for the Para World Cup, it was quite the adventure. After a full day of catching flights and enjoying lay overs we then got to hop in a van and drive for 10 hours. We arrived in Slovenia at 9am the morning of training, I was pretty tired and the stress levels were high. Trying to make the most of spring riding conditions was hard but as a team we pulled through.

The Streets of Slovenia

Something I am learning as a athlete is that sometimes you have to race in less then ideal conditions. I was personally battling a health issue at the time so fatigue and snow conditions were not helping the situation. I had to remind myself of all the people supporting me from back in Canada and how thankful I am to be doing what I am doing.

Dropping In The Course

It was a rough day of racing and I wasnt happy with my performance. Although I placed 8^th I was not running the course to my full potential. This was a very good lesson for me. I was able to learn from my mistakes and get a taste of what competing on the road can feel like sometimes. As an athlete this experience made me stronger so that in the future obstacles like this will become less and less of a problem. After the race I was very excited to get back to Canada!

In the words of:  John Leslie

Location: Sochi, Russia

Race Type: Paralympic Test Event

Representing: Canada

I cannot believe I am in Russia! It is so amazing to be in the same spot that I will be competing in next year. Seeing all the construction and work being done to host the Olympic games has been life changing.

Travelling to Russia is an experience in itself. After leaving Whistler it took about 36 hours to reach our Hotel in Sochi.  Once we reached the hotel it was time to adjust to the time difference. From Whistler it is a 12 hour difference.  What felt like 6:00pm was now 6:00am. It took a few days but with a balance of sleep, exercise, and food I was able to adjust.

Landed in Russia

Once adjusted to the time difference it was time to move to the mountains. What a difference. I went from being in the middle of a construction zone to a beautiful high class village. The first day we tried to get on snow there was a snow storm the night before and the lifts were closed. It wasn’t that crazy but I don’t argue with Russia military men holding guns and not speaking English. I wasn’t too bummed because I could use the extra rest day.

2014 Mountain Layout

View From the Village

Our first day on snow was amazing! I have never seen so many cranes, trucks, and workers on a mountain before. We explored where some of the venues for the Olympics would be (Slopestyle, Halfpipe, Skier-cross, and our SBX hill). After getting yelled at in Russian we then proceeded to do some laps to get our legs back. After having a funky lunch on the top we called it a day.

Time to start training. Today we were allowed on course to do our inspection and start training the course. If I could describe the course in one word it would be, fun. Enough jumps and rollers to keep it fun, as well as enough turns to be smart about ones line. Challenging enough but not pissing my pants. All and all exactly what I am hoping to see in 2014. Training went very well for me. I was happy with my line and knew exactly what I need to improve on to be successful in the race.

The Course

Today I am going to give it all I got, I have gotten here because of the people that have supported me. With this being a bigger event then the previous two, there is more competition. My goal is to place top ten and 2^nd in Canada. Thank you everyone for the continued support and I will keep you updated with my results!

In the words of:  John Leslie