Wednesday 8 October 2014

Lululemon Athletica Queenstown

With much excitement I'm stoked to say that I've been asked to be a Product Tester for Lululemon Athletica here in Queenstown :)
I popped into the Queenstown flagship store this morning for a fitting session and spent some time with the amazing and inspirational LL team. They are all super friendly and knowledgable about the extensive range of clothing available, it's suitable for all types of workout situations and leisure activities - Yoga, Mountain Biking, Running and now even Alpine Skiing...
Lululemon clothing is incredibly comfortable, exceptionally well made and very functional. It's quality and design not only looks good and feels great but it's also very flattering, even with ski racers thighs like mine!
I'll be working out and training and racing in the U.S wearing a range of Lululemon clothing, writing reviews and giving feedback on select clothing items from time to time.
I'm really excited to be part of such a great team, very grateful of their support and encouragement and impressed that they are prepared to connect with young athletes in the community.
Thanks Naomi and Lululemon Athletica Queenstown for the opportunity to be part of such an Amazing Team and Worldwide Brand!

Lululemon Athletica NZ Link: http://www.lululemon.co.nz/?sl=NZ

U.S Winter Training and Racing

I'm heading back to the U.S this summer to train and race with the Squaw Valley U16 Team.
We'll be leaving Queenstown on January 14th and basing ourselves just up the road from Squaw Valley in Truckee / Tahoe CA, we'll be away for 6 1/2 weeks returning to Queenstown on March 5th.
I'm looking forward to skiing some big open spaces and getting used to my new Super G skis, at 201cm they are going to be fast and perfect for the U16 Speed Series Races at Mammoth Mountain in mid February.
I'm hoping for good snow and training conditions while away, my focus will be to train and race to win with particular focus on self belief, self motivation and aggressive skiing.
Thanks to Dynastar NZ / Bobo Sports for my new skis, Dalbello Italy for my new boots and Outside Sports Queenstown for your ongoing support, I couldn't do what I do without you guys :)

Summer Training For The U.S

With winter now done here in NZ and last weekend off it was straight back into Spring Training for  winter in the U.S first thing Monday morning!
First up I need to shed a few winter pounds and up the aerobic levels somewhat so it's early morning Boot Camp ( 6am to 7am ) four morning per week ( Yes, before school too ) for 4 weeks and a weekly one on one session with my Personal Trainer at Fight Science Queenstown.
Once the Boot Camp is finished I'll move to two days a week with my Personal Trainer working on strength conditioning and speed and agility work combined with some altitude running at Coronet Peak before another Boot Camp prior to Christmas.
I'll treat myself to a week off over Christmas and New Year and then hit the gym hard for 10 days before heading away to the U.S on January 14th 2015.

Thursday 2 October 2014

NZ Winter Wrap Up...

With winter all but done here in NZ and with only two days training left with the team before I finish up skiing for 2014, I'd have to say that I'm pretty happy with my season overall and my race results were really very pleasing :)
The final round of the New Zealand Youth Series finished up at Cardrona last weekend, we had great weather with favourable spring conditions, the snow on Day One ( Super G ) was a little soft for my liking so my time was a touch off my best.
Day Two ( Slalom ) and Day Three ( G.S ) saw the temperatures drop overnight producing harder conditions for both races over the next two days.
I was happy with my SuperG, finishing as the fastest 1st Year U16 Female, my Slalom was solid also and that result secured me the Overall NZ U16 Third Place Slalom Title behind the two older 2nd Year U16 Legends Eden McKay and Georgia Bushell.
The last day of racing ( G.S ) I skied  possibly the best G.S race of my life, once again finishing as the fastest 1st Year U16 female athlete and therefore securing the Overall NZ U16 3rd Place NZYS Title behind SSNZ Junior Development Team Members Georgia Bushell and Eden McKay.
I want to thank my amazing coaches Igor Stros and Tim Cafe, both have believed in me all season and have encouraged me to believe in myself and push my limits and ski to win!
My Dad has once again been my team manager, supporter, ski man and number one fan, thanks Dad for all your support and encouragement and the 100's of hours spent with file and hot iron in hand.
My Mum has been my inspiration this winter, with her own health battles she's been the guiding light on race day, supplier of inspirational quotes and sound advice and has instilled a " Will Do Attitude " in me, thanks Mum this season was for you :)
Thanks to Ivan at Dalbello Italy, Gerald at Dynastar NZ and Eric at Outside Sports Queenstown for your ongoing support and sponsorship I would really struggle to be as competitive as I am without you guys behind me, hopefully I'll continue to build speed and strength and deliver good results in the U.S this summer...
Now it's back into the gym and early morning boot camp to lose some winter pounds, build some strength and work on my speed and agility, to my trainers Braden / Ari / Alex / Kelsie - Game on!
I'll be heading back to the U.S this winter ( Jan / Feb 2015 ) for seven weeks of training and racing with the Squaw Valley Ski Team.
I'm looking forward to catching up with my old buddies up there and cranking some fast turns on my new 201cm SuperG ski...
Stay tuned for updates and photos from my Northern Hemisphere Training and hopefully some favourable race results :)
AndieG