This post was originally featured on the Whistler Sliding Centre blog in a two-part series – with the forward written by Meghan Kines of Whistler Sport Legacies.
Sometimes, things just click. For whatever reason, the pieces fall into place, the puzzle comes together, and the results are brilliant.
This seems to be the case with Canadian skeleton athlete Cassie Hawrysh. In just her fourth year of sliding, and first year on the World Cup (she completely skipped the level below- the Intercontinental Cup) Cassie managed to place 10th overall in points, claiming two 4th place finishes (including here at the Whistler Sliding Centre in November) and several top 15′s along the way- all this in a sport that usually takes years to master.
Given her extremely fast rise to the top of the skeleton world, we reached out to Cassie and asked her to reflect on her season and how her pursuit of on-ice perfection has shaped her over the last year.
Just like on her own blog – No Key; Push to Start, (which may just be one of the best athlete blogs in Canada) Cassie gave us an honest, detailed account of her year’s ups and downs, lessons and regrets and a look ahead towards the ultimate goal- an Olympic medal.
As the sun begins to shine with a little more ‘oomph’, Skeleton/Bob tracks morph into their (literal) concrete summer identities – and sliders around the world return to a life that is the yin to their yang.
Personally, I wrapped up my season with a few more runs in Calgary – at Canada Olympic Park and a final few more in Whistler – at their Sliding Centre. In doing so, I came to discover my individualized feeling of “being done” for the year. My heart wanted nothing more than to keep throwing myself onto Phrixus (my sled), but my body and mind begged me to stop. Thanks to some self-awareness and the guiding voice of coaching reassurance, I wisely chose the latter.
Hundreds of runs and countless proverbial ups and downs all paint a beautiful picture of my rookie World Cup season. Even now, thinking about it all, my entire body tingles with the memories of an incredible Tour.
They say it takes a village to raise a child, well, I can tell you that it takes just as large of a team to raise an Olympic hopeful. Alongside Rider, Mel, E, Monty, John, Duff, Forbes et al. – an epic crew of truly amazing individuals – my future is undoubtedly on the road to success.
“Everything happened so fast!”
I’ve both thought and heard this statement more than I can remember since I was named to the World Cup team this past October. Speed limits are for bike paths, the wake-free zone on the lake and highways; my life didn’t come with governmental signage. When I found myself waking up every morning thinking about Skeleton, I realized I was finally pursuing my real dream …
“The moment I jumped off of it, was the moment I touched down”
This season, after having changed sports two other times in my life, I was once again referred to as, “The Rookie”. This title is a delicious entrée with a side of reality. The thing is, this “crazy” head-first world and I clicked from the beginning, and while I’ve attempted to verbalize what exactly it was about this sport that made sense to me, I don’t think it’s that simple.
Skeleton doesn’t ask permission to challenge an athlete’s mind and body, it comes by it naturally; so when we met – like any new relationship – there was an awkward phase. I didn’t quite understand the language and things moved really fast. I wasn’t entirely sure how to react when I made choices that suddenly had me on my ass. But I listened, learned and I believed in everything I was doing. We fought, we had breakthroughs, and together we learned how to get along. This isn’t to say, I think for a second that I have Skeleton figured out (anyone who does anything they love knows it’s a weekly, daily, hourly process) but our relationship was instantaneous and it was destined to be long-term – so my commitment is unwavering and my passion continues to grow…
… As our Rookie, I had the pleasure of never having been to 5 of the 9 tracks that we raced this past season: La Plagne, FRA, Altenberg, GER, Konigsee, GER, St. Moritz, SUI and Sochi, RUS* *Although none of us had been to Sochi, so it was even more interesting!
Each new track presented me with new adventures, new challenges, and new personal goals. I would sit down with our incredibly patient and understanding coaching staff both before and after races. The befores were always on point and I would leave feeling ready to (quite literally) take on the world, but those afters … they weren’t always easy.
“Unseen progress is still progress.”
In this, my first World Cup season, I secured two 4th places, and otherwise only fell out of the top 15 twice. I completed the WC circuit raked 8th and finished 10th in overall points – so how, you ask, could the aforementioned “afters” be tough? Well, anyone who knows me, or who has a basic understanding of my character – perhaps through my blog – might have an inkling that I can be pretty hard on myself. Pushing my way full force onto the Canadian World Cup Team in only just my sophomore year – was a result of hard work, determination, the support of those around me, performance, and a steel resolve to be the best at everything I do.
That being said, our goals do not consistently line up with our results. So crossing the line in what was often a position lower than I had been seeking meant dealing with just that. Aside from unabashedly bawling my eyes out, I had a lot of support when things got tough. Be it a coach, a teammate or a Skype call to mom and dad – I pushed through and got back on the ice every time; I always will. But … it is my belief that these moments are all for the best – because if we achieved absolutely everything we set out to do, it would all be too simple, nothing would ignite that fire in our hearts – and the entire process and unpredictable journey would be for not.
I read a recent blog entry written by my friend and Canadian Heptahtlete Jen Cotton – and while I myself, have touched upon this topic over and over in the past months, her words spoke to me in a new way, and they would be a shame to not share:
“Sometimes results take time, especially when you’re applying carefully developed strategies to real world situations. Sitting at the drawing board behind closed doors, it’s easy to make plans. It’s easy to visualize situations playing out a certain way… [and] to recall new skills when there’s no pressure, when you’re in a controlled training environment.But find yourself in proximity to that [announcement of, “track is clear”] and it’s a whole new story.Come race day you are probably going to switch your brain off and live in the moment. Everything you planned may come to pass just as you predicted, but, especially when attaining new skills, it is much more likely that you will default back to your usual habits.… Just because you don’t see the results you hoped for doesn’t mean the plan is flawed… Before you go off making big changes, make sure you give your plan a fair shot. Listen to your heart, believe in yourself, and keep your eyes on the prize!”
– Canadian Heptahtlete, Jen Cotton
There are less than 10 months until the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. And while planning committees and spectators around the world continue their countdowns, I plan to spend the moments between here and there, in the now.
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| Sochi, Russia (bird’s eye view) |
There is a great deal of work to be done – both on and off the ice – work that will undoubtedly test my limits and help me discover my true edge; an edge that will be sharpened and used to carve out my dream. Working harder than ever with my teammates and coaches, support staff, my family and my friends – time will, undoubtedly, fly.
So, while I have expectations that I will continue to set higher and higher, this level of sport requires a very special state of mind. Thankfully, I am learning to quickly turn all the exciting successes as well as those tough afters around – in both my heart and my mind. To step back … way back … and see the bigger picture.
“It’s not who you are that holds you back, it’s who you think you’re not.”
*** Cassie is currently in the running to become a 2013 Oakley Active Ambassador; Oakley Active celebrates women with a passion for sports and is dedicated to empowering women to be active while feeling beautiful. Watch her video and Vote DAILY for Cassie’s Oakley Ambassador Profile Here (voting closes May 8, 2013 at 11:59pm)
