Hello and Welcome to my first Alpine Ski Racing post

Welcome to the launch of my new Ski Race Mom blog site. My name is Tracy Cook, and I'm super excited to share everything I know and continue to learn all about youth alpine Ski Racing. I often talk to many Race Parents who are all trying to navigate the many challenges of what to do, not to do, what to buy, what not to buy, and so many questions surrounding what's next in each age group.

Why I Started This Blog

I love to research and learn everything I can about a subject that takes up so much time. As Ski Race Mom, particularly in the Winter season, I spend six days a week at my daughter's training mountain, which takes 45 minutes to drive to. I often sit in the ski lodge working on my computer or head to the local Panera Bread for WiFi access. If it's a weekend and we aren't traveling to races, I'll ski myself and, occasionally, watch some training runs.

I began conversing with other race parents all about equipment, races, camps, and even clothing like base layers and neck warmers. I've started to educate parents on where to go for ski bags when to buy used skies vs. new, and what races they can miss and still be eligible to race in broader competitions like State competitions. I even joked with one parent that I should start a YouTube channel since I'm the go-to parent. That parent validated me and said, yes, please, I would be the first to subscribe. I've started this blog to help provide a single location for all things ski racing.

What you learn about with us this year

So this is a big year for decisions on where we are going with this sport. My daughter, who will be entering 8th grade in upstate NY, can pursue a more rigorous focus, which means taking a path to progress towards Division 1, 2, or 3 NCAA or sticking on the club level and competing on her local High School team. This is the year of figuring out which way to go, and I invite you to join us on this journey.

We will travel to Ski Race camps in Chile and Colorado along the way. We will consider what it means to race at a higher level and what that means for education. FIS racing happens during the school days and missing a lot of school becomes challenging especially if you're taking rigorous classes and want to peruse a professional career in your future. We will learn what it takes to be able to do both and what are the costs. Racing at the FIS level means a different level of commitment and figuring out if that's the right path.

I will also cover multiple topics on equipment, off-snow training, mental and physical challenges, and much more. I would love for you to join me by subscribing to share questions, requests for content, and research. The intent is to have a place to get all this information out there in one place.

Thank you for reading, and subscribe to be notified of new content as we embark on this inspiring journey.

Tracy

The Ski Race Mom

Switzerland Ski Trip '22