Confidence is beginning to regain some life
By Hannah Campbell-Pegg Wed, 27 January 2010 @4:00 PM
It is amazing how much passion you can lose for something when it’s -25 degrees outside. It is a dry, aching cold... that reaches your very core. We have ventured North back to Latvia, I have spent the whole week with the only part of my body visible being my eyes! Every time you take a breath, the dryness travels to your lungs and what was meant to be a refreshing breath, ends up being a struggle for one! After spending my season based in 0 to -10 degree... and yes there is a huge difference between -10 and -25... This has been a drastic and unpleasant change! But at least i am not the only one experiencing it and more importantly, that I have to experience it very infrequently!
Our hotel at present is a Latvian 4 star hotel... Don’t let the ‘4 stars’ fool you. There is a great difference between Latvian 4 star the rest of the world 4 star...firstly the price is very different... here we pay probably what you would pay if you were to stay in a 2 star hotel! Secondly, you can hear the slightest noise anyone makes in this hotel... throughout the night all I can hear are people on the toilet, snoring and slamming doors. A common place for internet usage is right outside my bedroom where the Austrian athletes have decided to take up residence whispering sweet nothings to their girlfriends on skype! The most frequented visitor I have outside my room is one depressed athlete, as he did not make the Olympic team... so the conversations are long and full of depressed answers in the form of grunts.
This week was the European Championships... yes, as I have admitted before, my geography skills are somewhat lacking... however I am aware that Australia is not situated in Europe...I competed as a guest. As my races this year have been a little less than desired in performance, my coach and I decided that i needed another competition before the Olympic Games and here I would gain some good race experience and also, I had nowhere else to go!
As the story generally goes with my life... things didn’t go according to plan... I’m not sure if it is the drastic change in climate, the long season with months of travel or food that leaves us under nourished, or maybe it was just the water... however gastro decided to greet a majority of luge athletes and coaches with enthusiasm...
Firstly one of the Slovakian athletes was sick... then our assistance coach, then the Austrian athletes, then the head coach... and so the cycle continues... calling from what sounded like his death bed, my coach told me that he could not come to my race...
How a race works in Luge, is that the coach ‘presents’ you and your sled at the start... so a few sleds before you race, the steels must have their temperature measured (too hot and you’re disqualified), you have to go outside, be weighed with your sled, then your coach wipes the ice on the start clean and lays your sled down, tapping you on the back for encouragement when the green and the 30 second count-down has begun... Before all this, your coach takes care of your sled, consistently measuring the temperature of the steels and cooling them down so that they are ‘legal’ for the race. As with most athletes, I have no idea how this procedure works, as usually I am in the start house getting mentally and physically ready to race!
Luckily Willi (one of the Norwegian athletes I train with) came to my rescue and took care of my sled, with the help of the Slovakian coach! Despite all this the race went well... two of my fastest times ever on this technical track! Out of corner 15 my visor completely fogged up and froze, leaving me blind as to where I was driving on the track on both runs. However this was the same for every athlete! I was happy as I finished with my best placing in a race - 17th; however an unofficial result as Australia is not situated in Europe! My once fading confidence is beginning to regain some life and I’m feeling ready to tackle Whistler!
From here I had another hellish travel day... drive from Sigulda to Riga (1 hours), delayed 3hrs in Riga due to snow storm in Frankfurt... get out of the baggage area to be greeted by red police tape and told we cannot go in or out for 40minutes... get to the car rental to find due to my delays they have given away my car... perk... I got an upgrade in car for the price of economy! And then begun my drive to Heidelberg. Here I will have a well deserved 2 day break, then to Munich, fly to Zurich, fly to Los Angeles, one night in Los Angeles at a dingy airport hotel, then fly to Calgary... I’ve already begun to predict the amount of tears I will shed with my excess baggage!
It’s 8 days training in Calgary and then my coach and I are Vancouver bound! It’s all happening so soon however the closer it’s getting the more excited I’m becoming!
Hannah
