Athletic Trainer On The World Cup Tour

It has been a whirlwind of traveling and working over the past three months. I did spend the whole month of November working with the team in my home state of Colorado, which was nice. That last training camp ended with the Aspen World Cup race. Now, I am in Europe. I arrived here in early December, working with the younger group in the Europa Cup circuit, and now have been with the tech skiers on the World Cup circuit. I think the toughest part of this job is the traveling. We are never in one spot more than 4-5 days, many times only a night or two before we drive to the next mountain. I have been to nine countries in Europe over the past two and a half months. That is alot of traveling. My two favorite spots have been the Dolomites in Italy, and Val D'Isere, France. The mountians are amazing. The season is coming to an end, and I am headed back to the United States to cover NorAm Finals in Lake Placid,NY and then Nationals in Alaska.

Begining of Race Season

The first World Cup race of the season started in Solden, Austria. I arrived in Munich on 4th and from there had my first speedy Autobahn experience to Switzerland and Austria. Training was on Glaciers for the whole month of October. The views were amazing and being on a moving glacier added even more to the experience. There were times that you could look over to the side and watch the glacier you were skiing on calving, falling with such force that it sounded like long thunder and would shake the very ground we were standing on. Amazing! Solden was a great first race, and the girls were healthy and anxious excited to start the season. Solden gave me a chance to experience the work that needs to be done at each race. I am at the start (the top) for every race. We will have a doctor at each race that is organized and guided by me. The girls all have a things that they do at the start that I help with, wheither that be stretching, warming up, rub downs, etc... The most surprising thing for me at the race was all the media at the top of the course. Cameras are always in the athletes face and you are constantly jumping over cords and dodging cameramen. After the Solden race I jumped on a plane headed back to the states. I arrived home on the 26th of Oct.

Training Camp in Chile

Overlooking Santiago (when the smog was minimal) and skiing at 12,000 ft, I have to say Chile offered amazing training. We trucked all of our equipment up a gnarly switchback road for over an hour, unpacked our gear into a quirky A-frame house that had questionable drinking water, and sat down to enjoy a vibrant sunset. Looming close by was the impressive 18000 ft. Cerro El Plumo. Over the next few weeks we were blessed with cloudless blue skies, spring snow, and fast training courses.

But don’t let that description trick into thinking it was a vacation. These girls work hard. A normal day consist of getting on the hill while the sun is just barely peaking up behind the horizon, taking run after run while coaches critique their every turn, and not to mention the exhaustion of turning forty times within a minute long course. They may be done skiing at lunch, but they have dry land training, treatments, video and meetings to fit in before the sun tucks back behind the mountains. And it’s not only the girls that work hard. A team of coaches, ski technicians, and medical staff also put in long hours on and off the hill.





We trained at two resorts located on the same mountain range. It can be quite a circus packing and moving all the equipment and people that support an international sport team.

New Zealand Training Camp

Traveling with the US Ski Team in 2008!


U.S. Women’s Ski Team
New Zealand Training Camp
August, 2008

The snow might not fly in Vail for another few months, but the women on the US Ski Team have already set their edges and ripped up some solid runs in the Southern hemisphere! One of the first training camps of the ‘08-‘09 season started in New Zealand and everyone (myself included) was anxious to get on snow. What a place it was for getting everyone back into the winter season. The views were breathtaking, the snow was in good condition, and the team was healthy.

(Picture 1) New Zealand Mountains

The medical staff that travels with the team consists of a physical therapist, a doctor, and myself, an athletic trainer. This trip, Dr. Jack Eck from Vail Valley Medical Center traveled with us. He has worked with the ski team many times before and the trips to New Zealand are his favorite. The three of us work closely together and provide the women medical care far from home. My role as an athletic trainer includes prevention of injury, injury evaluation, emergency management, treatment of injury, aiding physiological recovery, and health education. I am with the team from sun-up to sun-down, on and off the ski hill.

(Picture 2)Tara Cook PT, Dr. Jack Eck, Brandie Yeik ATC

New Zealand was a great trip! Between on-hill training and dry-land, we did get to play a little. I got suckered into a thrilling jetboat ride, checked out a local sheep station, and tasted some of New Zealand’s famous wines. Next, we are off to Chile!

(Picture 3) Early morning on the hill


(Picture 4) Traveling with the ski team takes a lot of equipment