Another day here in Lake Placid, I still couldn't go to the gym at the OTC, tomorrow I am going to sign up at the comercial gym in town (minimum sign up of 1 month) as it could take a week to get my OTC pass processed, I helped out with Tims new house he is building on the back of the section, staining the batons for the outside of the house, a few hours a day earns me my keep, pretty good really. Huge winds blew two trees over here (huge limbs of trees, the limbs may have well been trees) one hit the new house and the other hit the neighbors, power lines were blown over as well!

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sprint training

I had good sprint session this morning in the blazing sunshine, by body was loving the vitamin d, I went down to the running track here in Lake Placid it is very old, and not in suitable conditions for and races but good enough for my 30m sprints, the US national Luge squad where there being tested, lugers sprint train as well, that is something I didn't know. The track is where the opening ceremony for the 1980 Winter Olympics was held, so there are the flags of all the participating nations and the Olympic Flame monument, it is surrounded by horse padocks and stunning scenery. I was hoping to use the gym in the afternoon but my traning center pass is not printed yet, which means I am not allowed into the gym, it is a pretty amazing facility and they are strict as to who can come and go, so will have to wait till tomorrow. Tomorrow I am going to get my sled out and look at changing the saddle, I am a bit skinnier now than when I was measured up for it a couple of years ago so it needs changing for snug tight fit. Tomorrow I'll be doing some painting at Tim's new house he is building, earning my keep here.


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I just got a camera a couple of days before I left Wanaka, unbelievably, I have raced 5 seasons, travelled all over the world, and not owned a camera! I figured that I would just kick myself in the future if I had no photos to show off all my adventures, so this blog will now have lots of pictures to help tell the stories, this one is of beautiful Lake Wanaka, just a couple minutes walk from where I live i took the photo last Saturday.

So today was spent getting access to the gym at the Olympic Training Center sorted and visiting with all the people at the track and training center who have the authority to say yay or nay to us being here, in all it was a good day, and I went to the track and saw that he ice is slowly building on the lower track! But at about 2pm the jet lag sleep monster got me, and I dropped dead asleep until 6pm, I woke up to barbecued burgers ready and waiting for dinner, wonderful.

I have had a lot of difficulty sending out the email below, I sent it 3 times, I think the last time most of you should have received it, if any of you want to receive email updates through the race season then email me lou@nzskeletonracer.com and I will add you to the email list.

I am in the process of building a new website with the support of my new sponsors www.webfarm.co.nz, I hope to have this blog hosted on the new site and new video and photos page as well, I'll let you all know when it is up and running.

I took this photo from the top of the track today...
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contact me

Check out my current world rankings and results, see the Eurosport or Speed Channel broadcast schedule.

In Lake Placid

This is the first of my ‘on tour’ updates, if you’ve been added to my mail list and want to be removed or know of someone who would like to get regular updates of my progress then just drop me a line.
Finally the time of the year has come for me to pack my bags and hit the road again. This will be my 6^th season racing, proudly wearing the silver fern while zooming down the track at exhilarating speeds, in the most magical and exciting sport, that I am totally passionate about: Skeleton. This is an important race season, the Winter Olympics will be held in Torino next February.

I have been based in Wanaka for the winter, training on ice up at the Proving Ground (formerly part of the Snow Farm). A freak accident on a trampoline slowed me down for a bit back in April, but since then my training has been focused and good, I am the leanest, fittest, fastest I have ever been and in great condition. In July with support from Alpine Media, I took part in an on-ice training camp in Calgary with the US National Skeleton Team, I learnt so much at this camp, and since returning to Wanaka I have continued to improve my push technique and speed on ice at the Proving Ground.

On Sunday I departed Wanaka head for Lake Placid New York, I arrived about an hour ago, 55 hours after leaving Wanaka at 7am Sunday morning!!! I will be based for the next 4 weeks, dry land and on ice training before heading to Calgary for the first world cup of the season. The last day I slid in Calgary I took a second off my personal best time, so I am really looking forward to getting back on the track, repeating that run, and then doing it even better. I have 7 world cup races this season, Olympic selection will be made after world cup 5.

This season Kelly Moffat, Peter van Wees (The Nederland’s) and I will be coached by Tim Nardiello, coach of the US team, we will be traveling, training and living with the US team. The US have 3 women ranked in the top 10, working with them is a great privilege, I am lucky to have been offered this chance to work with and be surrounded by the best athletes in the world, I am sure some of their winning ways will rub off.

In the last 12 months I have had huge amounts of media coverage here in New Zealand, 64 newspaper articles or mentions!! 5 magazine articles, 4 TV interviews, and over 100 Radio mentions. And then there is the 52 million who tuned in to watch the world cup races. Pretty good coverage really.

This off season, the support I found in Wanaka has been overwhelming; Julianne Bray, New Zealand’s top snowboarder (she came 5^th in a World Cup in Chile last week) and I ran a joint fundraising campaign, we held an auction and a raffle and Radio Wanaka ran a fundraiser, all up we managed to raise $14,000! A HUGE thank you must go out to all the people in Wanaka who donated cash, goods or their time, and those who bid at the auction and bought raffle tickets. If this fundraiser had not been such a success I would not be over here now. With added support from Snow Farm, Base, the Skeggs Foundation, Olympic Solidarity funding, my brother and money I have saved, I have managed to raise $16250, once my equipment costs, airfares and insurance are taken out, there is not a whole lot left for the 5 and a half months of hotel, meals, training fees, race fees, car rental, and the occasional phone call home to Mum to cover… not sure how I’ll do it, it is going to take some clever budgeting but I will get there, in the past I have always found a way, and it helps that I am staying in my coaches basement for the time being. So if anyone has any ideas let me know. I have just had a trust set up to help me this season and through to the Vancouver Olympics, if anyone would like to know more about it they can contact John Guthrie at JGuthrie@business.otago.ac.nz

Apparently they turned on the refrigeration plant at the tack here in Lake Placid just last night, so soon we will have ice. Yay.

I will keep you all updated on how it goes…the fun part starts soon.

Louise Corcoran

PS check out the articles about my skeleton career in this months North and South magazine, New Zealand Fitness Magazine and next months Wilderness magazine.

Visit the Snow Farm, my major sponsor.

contact me

Check out my current world rankings and results, see the Eurosport or Speed Channel broadcast schedule.