Oh all the feels. The first turns were unreal. When I say unreal – I mean unreal. Unreal in the fact that I was uncomfortable. I cannot remember the last time I was uncomfortable on skis. It didn’t feel real to me to feel so awkward. But I had to trust my rehab and know all the work I put in to get me on snow. That in itself gave me confidence in my abilities!
The anxiety of the unknown along the process was a challenge. How was it going to feel? Could I still do it? When I was stalling in my physical therapy I didn’t see the end in sight. I would think about skiing over and over to the point where I couldn’t sleep.
But not to worry – within a couple runs my discomfort shifted. I got my feet back underneath me. I started to feel my skis carve beneath me. I started to remember old cues my coaches had told me. I started to see the mountains how I used to. I started to smile. I started to feel again.
I still got it guys!
But don’t rest on your laurels. I have achieved a lot, yes, but I have a lot more to achieve to be where I want to be. I am still not cleared to return to full training which entails jumping and skiing mogul courses! So for the next month I will not be training so much on snow as I will be training in the gym. I lack symmetry in the end range of force production. I am working with my PT, strength coach, and new strength coaches I have taken on to get over this hurdle. Once I pass this test I can return to training like Tal again! LFG!
💛 💛
