WINTERBERG SELECTION RACE 1

This year the British selection races are both in Germany, on two different tracks, Winterberg and Altenberg. We will all race and our results will be given points, added up and then the teams selected for the season, deciding who will be on the World cup, Intercontinental and Europa cup teams.
Yesterday was the first runs down the Winterberg track, we have three days of official training with two runs a day, then race on the 1st Nov 9am.
So far its going well, I will test out a few different pairs of runners today, so see how they work on the ice conditions here, and then make a decision as to which ones to races on. I will keep you posted as to how the next’s few days go.

Start of the winter season 2011-12!

I am writing this blog to you from a little log cabin in Lillehammer, Norway, it sounds rather romantic, I am sure your all thinking along the lines of big sofas, log fires, hot chocolate and being all snuggled up warm… but disappointingly it is far from that! For starters I can hardly see the keyboard as the lights are so dim, and there is no light outside even though its only 10am! No fire exists or sofas, but some hard backed chairs instead! So why am I in this log cabin? No, its not any crazy challenge that I maybe on, but it is the start of the skeleton season. That time of year has come around again so soon. Last week the whole of the British Skeleton Team had a pre season review camp in Bath, going through the season ahead, setting goals for the team and each individual athlete, arranging travel and hotels, the list is endless in what we covered! So I found myself a few days ago packing up my bags, sorting out all my kit and equipment, buying up my favourite food goodies, such as tea bags, marmite, honey, yes honey a big necessity for me, I love the stuff! My comfort food!
All our kit went onto the vans that were getting driven out by support team, so luckily we didn’t have to transport it all up to London for our flights a few days later. Love travelling with just hand luggage, what bliss!
It will be my first full competition circuit since the Olympic year in 2009/10, so I am interested to see how I feel when I am back on ice and sliding again in competitions. To start with the whole British team are here in Lillehammer, we have our first day of sliding today, after having two days sorting out our sleds and getting them ready to be fit to slide! I am on the same sled, Arthur, that I was on at the Olympics, although like you would MOT a car, a lot has changed in him! Hope he behaves himself for me!
We have our first selection race on the 1st November in Winterberg a track in Germany, then a second race in Altenberg another German track on the 6th Nov. I will let you know how they go.

BT Olympic Ball

I attend the BT BOA Olympic ball that took place this year at Kensington Olympia on the 7th October in London, it was the biggest event so far with over 2500 attending. The month before I had been part of a photo shoot to promote the ball up in the BT tower in London, what great views we all had from up there! Great photo guys…
The ball is a great event with the aim to raise money for the British Olympic Association who organise everything that the athletes need to go and compete at an Olympics, from hotels to kit to travel, the list goes on. The ball this year raised over £700,000 an amazing amount. Thank you to everyone that donated, or bought the auction items on the night to help raise this huge amount. I need to find out now who won the bid to have me teach them on the skeleton track in Austria this year!
I would like to say a thank you to Watling Goldsmiths who lent me some jewellery for the night, I was able to go into their shop in Lacock which is just outside Bath, and chose anything that I wanted to wear with my dress. I felt amazing wearing their beautiful hand crafted pieces, so thank you Jane.