When we arrived at the Inawashiro ski resort I questioned whether there would be a race at all. There was absolutely no snow in sight. After spotting the competition site I realized how much work the Japanese organizing committee had gone through to truck in enough snow to cover the mogul course.

The Japanese media and fans came out in huge numbers to support us. There were over 300 accredited Japanese media and 7,000 fans who cheered us on for the mogul event. Neither the media nor the fans left disappointed as Aiko Umuera from Japan won both the single and dual moguls events. She skied really great both competitions. I finished second in the single moguls. Overall I was happy with my performance. The main difference that separated Aiko and I was the speed. I am looking forward to really focusing on this aspect in my training this summer.

After the event my coach Dominick and I traveled to the region of Toyama to coach thirty young up-and-coming Japanese mogul skiers. I shared with them my Olympic experience and how I prepare both on and off the hill to perform to my best. Of course I didn’t speak about all of this in Japanese! We had translators who worked very hard all weekend. At the end of the camp many of the young skiers shared how they had new goals and a new focus for their training and next season’s competitions.

But the real adventures of the two weeks in Japan took place in the restaurant and not on the ski hill. In Toyama, live octopus and other questionable sea creatures appeared on the plates in front of us. We squirmed like the octopus as we closed our eyes and chewed quickly to the thunderous approval of our Japanese hosts.

Judging by the cheers both on and off the ski hill you could say the trip was a success!

Cheers,
Jenn

(click to enlarge)