At the end of February 2012, while at Steamboat Springs for the U.S. Junior Olympics, I had a season ending injury during training. Unfortunately I tore my ACL, meniscus, and had a kneecap injury. I had surgery about two weeks after the accident and over this past summer I worked very hard to rehab myself back to full strength. Since I had missed the summer and all the opportunities to train during it, I went up to the Lake Placid Olympic Jumping Complex the weekend after I was cleared. I spent two long weekends jumping in Lake Placid in September and October. These early jump sessions allowed me to prepare and work on my tricks so I would be physically and mentally prepared for the start of the 2012-2013 ski season.
This ski season officially started for me during the last week of December during my school’s winter break. The first day on snow for me was a little nerve wracking but I was able to work through it by staying positive. The mental aspect of this injury has proved to be the hardest thing to overcome. However, the first two weeks back on snow I was able to train the moguls and do a lot of jumping. I was able to work on my technical skiing on the flats, and was able to flip again. Being back in the air felt amazing! Working my tricks on snow and training the moguls helped me to feel prepared and ready to go for the start of the competition season. It felt great to be back, and I couldn’t wait to start competing again!
