MRS PRESIDENT SAYS…
RISE TO THE CHALLENGE!
As we hope for a return to skiing, the Ski Club’s honorary President, Chemmy Alcott, explains why this is the perfect season to push yourself
Teetering on the edge of your comfort zone? Then get set to push yourself to the limit…
So many of us are content with merely being as good as we currently are. When I was training for the Olympics, my strength and conditioning coach used to tell me that, unless I pushed those last three reps into the pain locker, I’d never build muscle, just maintain what I had. (If you’re wondering what the pain locker is, it’s that place where your body shakes and your mind is screaming ‘No, you can’t do it!’ yet you somehow find the perseverance to push through.)
Most Club Members will try to hit the slopes once every winter. We may have a lesson or two to shake off the rust, but few of us venture into ‘learning’. Especially when we get to intermediate level. We know we can safely ski the whole mountain, and we’re comfortable and content with our own ability. Few holiday skiers search for that adrenaline rush of being on the limit. That thrill of laying the skis over at the top of the turn, knowing that if you go 1mm too far inside, you will fall.
I can totally relate to this – I’m a holiday surfer and
this is how my year goes. I dedicate a week, if I can, to riding the waves. I start off in the white-water building confidence before slowly creeping further out to the bigger blue waves. By the end of the holiday, I have ridden a few decent long rides. Then I pack up my board until the next year. And the cycle repeats itself. I never actually improve.
Chemmy shows us how it should be done!
I believe that if you are healthy, happy and confident on the slopes you should be challenged. Actually, this applies to the bigger picture of life. We should all try and take risks in order to achieve personal growth. Now, I am not saying ski a black piste, tick it off the list and then go and try a backflip off a cornice, with no training. I am advising you to find an instructor, a race coach, a friend with more experience and greater ability to support you in your mission to reach new territory, both technically and geographically.
Personally, I find it an honour and a privilege to use my experience to coach others in this way. Alongside my husband Dougie Crawford, one of Britain’s best downhillers, we offer coaching for skiers of all ages and abilities. Our coaching company, CDC Performance, has clients ranging from seven to 82 years of age, with all the different capabilities and needs that come in between.
Lots of people assume that CDC stands for Chemmy Dougie Coaching, but it actually stands for Carpe Diem Coaching (Seize the Day), the words my mother used to say to me every race day while she was alive.
Let CDC Performance help you reach the next level this winter
I want to host environments where children and adults feel confident enough to take chances to improve their skiing – and race training is a fantastic way to do that. So many of us know how to turn, but how many of us can do it at speed? With the structure of a pattern of gates we can support you with the technical, tactical and psychological skills to improve. And for those visual learners, there’s the added bonus of chasing a four-time Winter Olympian down the course!
There’s a vast number of clubs poised to support you and your children as you improve. You can start on dry slopes and then join residential trips abroad. It’s a social, interactive and active experience I can recommend to anyone who feels stale or wants to push themselves out of their comfort zone. Due to the pandemic, many of you won’t have set foot on snow for almost two years, meaning there’s no better time to seize the day and take your skiing to the next level. So do those extra reps, find the strength, and who knows how good you will be…
Chemmy and Dougie offer coaching for skiers of all abilities and ages, helping skiers achieve their goals