Missed the wedding!

So it turns out that the transport starts at 2pm to head up Mount sunday, not the transport heads up the mountain on sunday at 2pm... Yeah, we missed the wedding, I guess everyone thought that someone had told me that the wedding was on saturday, I spoke to all of my family the few days before, but the message never got through... so the best man, the video guy (Mark) and the flowers all missed the wedding. I am told it was a great wedding in a beautiful location, with lots of sunshine (and wind) spectacular views and a perfect posie of wild flowers. The reception was a lot of fun with some brilliant stories and speaches made, the good thing is that all my family find it quite halarious that I missed the wedding, I guess one day I will too.

Went for a run out to tunnell beach this morning, I am feeling real fit, and alot healthier than I have after previous seasons, even though I lost 7kg. I have a funding application due in next week, and need to get started on my plan for tackling the whole funding issue for next season.

But tonight, the Highlanders are playing the Sharks ( that means as much to me as it does to most of you), and being in a rugby mad country, and going to the most rugby mad university I thought it was time that I took part in the most sacred ceremony most otago students experience, the highlanders playing at carisbrook. Mark, my flatties, me and hopefully Kelly and jodie are all going to the rugby, I dont think kel has terrace tickets (cheap seats for students, they keep us separated from the normal population, we will be like the wild animals penned at the end of the stadium that keep the employed fans entertained between the play), but we'll catch up anyhow.

here is a very cool picture take by Gets (www.fotogec.com) of me compleatly air borne out of krysl in Altenberg, if you go to his site you can see the next photo of me kissing the ice.

Me in corner 15 during the Lillihammer world cup

Photo by Tea Karvinen

Getting sconed in the head by Kristan Bromley GBR during the Brittish Champs held last January at Altenberg.

Foto by Tea Karvinen

Perfect form.

Photo by Tea Karvinen

fixed the link, photos added.

follow this link to see some sliding photos, I will add some more over the week.

Sunnies, sunshine, beautiful blue kiwi skies and university.

I am at uni right now trying to sort out my enrollment, I have a huge dilemma not sure if I should carry on with Physical Education, or switch to marketing, need to make up my mind today, because classes started last Monday.... I finally made it home to Dunedin, the only glitch was finding out that I wasn't booked on the flight from christchurch to Dunners even thought my bags had been checked right through from Munich and my ticket said that I was, I did get home but on a later flight (got to spend 3 hours in Christchurch with my Dad, stepmum and little sister which was cool), the journey from Konigssee to Dunedin took about 45 hours and I only got about 3 hours sleep on the frankfurt singapore leg. Spent yesterday shopping for an out fit to wear at my brothers wedding, not as easy as you would think, what does a female best man wear when the wedding is ontop of a mountain? Got a very funky, sexy black outfit. I drove on the left side of the road today, it was surprisingly easy, I didn't even have a single moment of confusion(except I keep hitting the window wipers when I want to indicate), but my little Mini 1275 GT doesn't drive quite like these flashy rentals we have had in Europe, I keep looking for 5th gear and forgetting to use the choke. Glad to be home in my new house, looks like the next few months are going to be spent painting walls, polishing floors and planting the garden with Mark.

(see all the famdamly soon, love louxxx)

18th at the 2004 World Champs

The party last night was big, Iain went for a 4am swim in the icy waters of Lake Konigssee and we are a little groggy this morning. We had a crew of supporters at the world champs with us, John a lecturer from Otago University who has helped me with fundraising, came out and saw the first day of competition and 3 friends of Ben's (who are based in Europe)came out for the last day and the party (it is such a small world, it turns out that my dad was their 3rd form PE teacher back in Christchurch).

We left Konigssee at about 2.30pm after watching the 4 man bob world champs on eurosport, Kel and I left Ben and Iain behind, Iain is off to Lillihammer for another week of sliding with the Brits, Ben is off scoping the world looking for somewhere to work in Canada, and Kelly and I are half way through a 39 hour journey from Konigssee to Munich, to Frankfurt to Singapore to Christchurch to Dunedin to my home in Corstophine. Thankfully I have a few very busy weeks ahead of me, so I wont get too many withdrawal symptoms from lack of speed, ice, thrills and spills (spills that reminds me, on my last run, I was going that little bit faster and my helmet slipped, and when I went into corner 16 my chin hit the ice rather than my visor and I got kiss from the track, I nice little ice graze, and a bit of blood on the face, great TV footage for eurosport while I was in the leaders box). My Brother Ben gets married on the weekend and I am the best man! University started last week and I haven't even enrolled, and my boyfriend moved into our new house while I was away so I still get to unpack all my stuff. I just hope I get a few weeks of warm weather before the winter rain kicks in in Dunedin.

World Champs 2004

Well, I am now in Singapore airport, and it is 29 degrees out side (ahhhh I'm melting). Last day of training, was pretty usual for me, I had some of my slowest times. The first day of racing was snowy, I drew 11th so had a pretty good start. My first run was a PB down time and a PB push, but my second run didn't go so well, I messed up on the exit of krysl and was half second slower, not what I planned for race day. Half a second is a HUGE mistake. So I went into day two in 19th place, with 6/10 of a second gap between me and the person a head of me, I was pretty annoyed with my self. Day two, my plan was just to relax and enjoy my last runs of the season. I was in a pretty different head space, it was good, i wasnt focused on times and placings but rather the process of getting a good run in. I got two PB's, and took a hundredth of a second off my PB push. My push has been awesome this week, less than a 10th behind Tristan Gale and Melissa Hollingsworth! So overall I finished 18th (caught the girl ahead of me). It was a fantastic race, the atmosphere at the world champs was great, the after party was wicked, huge out door party concert in the snow. Kelly came 21st Ben came 21st and Iain came 33rd.

12th in training!

Just a quick note to tell you all how training is going, had a couple of good days, yesterday i had a fantastic run, it was awesome, I finished 12th out of 24 women! Awesome, my second one was a little skiddy and i came 18th, but I know i can do it, so i just need to repeat it now.

Konigssee, 2004 World Championships Skeleton and Bobsleigh

We arrived here on Saturday and spent the afternoon wondering around Salzberg soaking up the atmosphere. Yesterday after getting our accreditation we headed to the track and watched the Mens 2 man Bobsleigh World Champs, it was nice hot day, 7 degrees, real t shirt weather! Team captains meeting last night was as entertaining as ever, there several new nations here for the skeleton world cup. America, Canada, Germany Switzerland, Austria, Latvia, Finland, Denmark, Burmuda, Korea, Japan, Great Britain, Holland, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, France, Itally, Croatia, Czech Republic, and there will be a few more that I have missed. We have 4 days of training then 2 days of racing then I go HOME!

Funny story, KELLY MOFFAT has earned the name KELLY FIESTY FINGER BREAKER MOFFAT. When we were here for the international training week before Christmas, every one went out to the local disco on the last night, when we were leaving this packed bar, some local guy grabbed Kellys arse, and with out looking at him Kel grabbed his hand and gave it a good twist, i remember kelly saying "that will teach him". So yesterday, a local slider and good friend of the kiwi team, Michi came around and it turns out that a freind of his knows the guy that grabbed her arse, and it turns out that Kel broke his finger! No doubt in the future he will be choosing carefully which bums he pinches! The same night Kel snatched a cigarette out of the mouth of a young guy on the dance floor who was puffing his smoke in our direction to his astonishment she dropped it on the floor and stomped it out.... apparently in a discusion at the local high school about smoking laws, a girl was telling the class that in New zealand people hate smoking so much that they snatch cigarettes out of peoples mouths when they see them! Ha.

In Innsbruck

We had a fantastic meal in Prauge on Wednesday, at a real good authentic Italian, and it was cheap too! We went and saw Lord of the rings ( with czech subtitles) in a HUGE cinima, we were looking for Ben (he played a Ranger and an elf) but didnt see him. It made me real home sick for our stunning country. It was a bit strange being in one of the most imprssive european citys (with archetecture that just blows this humble kiwi away) and watching a movie full of breathtaking mountain scenery from home, the other side of the world. We got back to Altenberg and decided to leave on Friday for Insbruck, (kel leaves today with the americans and goes straight to Konigsee). We drove for about 7 hours on the autobahn, even that is a cultural, compleatly foreign experience for a kiwi! Our car can go nice and fast. We arrived last night at the Landersporteim, the athlete accomadation from the olympics, and once again they let us stay with out a booking, i think every time i have arrrived here it has been late at night with no booking, they know us here now, and find room. We knew there was sliding here today but did not know the time so we headed up to the track about 9 am and found half the world cup field sliding, but the track manager has given us some sliding time for tonight at 6pm, which is better than sliding with 30 others. The Itallian Champs are on sunday, i am not sure if we will stay for them or go to Konigsee on saturday.... So now we are checking out the town, doing washing (it cost $NZ20 to do 2 loads!) and email.

I should mention the halarious communication issues we have had all week in Altenberg, the host of our pension (which is like a cross between a bed and breakfast and a hotell), was an old lady who couldnt speak a world of english. she thought that 5 of us arrived on the first day but only 4 did, she set bbreakfast for 5 and didnt understand that there wasonly 4 when we tried to tell her, on the 4th day she realized that only 4 of us were here, and wanted to know where the other man was and wanted money off him, we had a huge argument (I think, she did a lot of angry sounding words in german and kept saying 45 euro, and we kept saying no. she kept saying something like kwatch kwatch kwatch, which means lies or rubish. Ahh it was entertaining. We had the same problem yesterdaz when we were trying to pay up and leave, thankfully a young kid was staying who spoke a bit of english. Any way it has been a laugh, and I really need to learn how to speak German. Sorry but the spell checker is not working.