Whittell grad aims to be first American woman in Olympic Skicross

Whitney Gardner realized quickly she was overmatched when she first competed in the Audi FIS Ski Cross World Cup.

The competition was stronger and more experienced. The jumps intimidated her. The features scared her. The courses were too challenging. She was constantly falling. She just wasn’t meeting her own expectations.

Ever since she transitioned into skicross from alpine skiing, Gardner had strove to someday compete on the world cup tour. But now that she was there, she had to admit she wasn’t ready. That was difficult.

“It was hard because it was my dream,” said Gardner, who grew up in a family of skiers in South Lake Tahoe. “I never thought I wouldn’t, but it was so distant. It was surreal I was able to compete. I didn’t know if I would have the opportunity again, so I took it.”

Gardner and her brother and coach R.J. Gardner took a step back after her first world cup races in late 2013 and early 2014. They decided the best approach going forward was to take off the following world cup races in 2014 and better prepare her for her next opportunity at it. She spent a bulk of that year in North America getting accustomed to skiing with people around her, competing in a number of NorAm races, getting in as many reps as possible and working to be mentally stronger while maneuvering courses.

Gardner returned to the skicross world cup in January, and she could tell a difference nearly right away. She still had some ups and downs, but she held her own. She competed in eight races and finished 21st in the overall standings.

With that season behind and after another offseason of training, the 21-year-old Gardner feels even more prepared for the upcoming world cup schedule, which begins Friday in Austria.

“I’m super excited,” Gardner said. “I’m nervous, of course. I have such a different feeling than last year and previous years for races. I know that I have a lot more to give. I’m really excited to get out there. I feel like I’m skiing really well.”
One major difference this season will be Gardner won’t have her brother present at the races. R.J. remained home this season to concentrate on his career. He does plan to travel to Europe for a few races later in the tour.

R.J. has been his sister’s primary skicross coach for the last three years. He’s coached others in it, and he found coaching his sister to be unique.

“There’s been pros and cons to it,” said R.J., who is seven years older than his sister. “On the one hand, I want to make sure she’s safe and not putting herself in a position to really get hurt because she’s my sister and I love her. At the same time, one of the benefits is I know what buttons I can and cannot push. … For Whitney, that was easy for me. The hardest part of coaching was easy for me because of that relationship.”

R.J. knows it’s sometimes best to go with a negative approach to get a positive reaction from Gardner. If she’s doubting herself about a course, he’ll agree with her and tell her to pack her bags and get on the plane for home. That usually does the trick.

R.J. and his sister will still Skype before and after races, but it will be different for both of them this season. He isn’t worried about her performance, though.

“At the beginning of the season, it made me a little nervous how she would handle this,” R.J. said. “I think her being more independent has boosted her confidence. She can handle all this by herself and be independent.”

Read Original Story ->