New year, same hustle

Like I said last blog, I would review the past year and look at my goals for next year in this blog. This is a perfect day to do that, since it is also the day my waterski club the WSCP has the annual 'polar bear plunge'. Even though this is the first year since I ski there that I have not actually jumped, I'm still taking this opportunity to start this new year by sharing my goals.

Setting goals for an entire year is very difficult, since there will be a lot of things that I can't account for right now, which will change the path I'm on and the things I'm able to do. Still it's good to have something to work towards and be focussed on. It also helps to have a bigger picture in my mind, which will help overcome disappointments which will inevitably occur throughout the year, because I'll know there are multiple ways to achieve the ultimate goals of this year. One more thing I'd like to say before actually discussing my goals, is that I do believe that any time of the year is a great moment to make a change. Thus there is no need to wait for a new year to have resolutions and make a change for the better. Because of this, I've already started to make some changes to work towards future goals, like taking better care of my nutrition and working out more and in a better way. This is something I want to continue throughout this year, because it will help achieve my goals, but it is not a resolution limited to 2017, thus: new year, same hustle.

All right, the goals! The first thing that comes to mind are goals in terms of actual skiing results. Having ended 2016 really close to running a 13 meter pass in slalom, this is something I want to do as quick as possible in 2017. Since this is not far off, this is not a good goal for the entirety of 2017. Looking at how fast other skiers realistically progress played a part in setting a good goal for 2017, I hope to do more, but I think doing 4@12 is a good goal to work towards, especially in training. 2016 hasn't been the best year in slalom regarding competitions for me, so that PB is pretty far behind my trainings PB at the moment. I hope to work towards having these PBs closer together, which means I'm able to perform the best I possibly can at competitions as well as in training. To do this, throughout the year, I want to put more emphasis on the way I handle emotions before a competition. Of course, realistically, a competition is still just a snapshot and it's impossible to have a PB each time, but I hope to ski consistently closer to my abilities by creating a mantra before I ski at competitions. This will also help in another goal in 2017, which is very exciting news. I will be competing at my first world championship this year. I think it's good to be able to meet other skiers who perform on the world podium in my age category. This will be extremely motivating, hopefully bring about new friendships and overall be a great experience to carry with me for later.

In tricks I hope to add another 1000 points to my PB. This is a goal that gets increasingly hard the more I'm able to do it. However, I feel like it is still possible this season, even though it will be challenging. This means I have to really push boundaries, learn tricks I'm a little afraid of, spend lots of time on and off the water doing drills. Last year I have not spent as much time working on tricks off the water as I could. It's hard to motivate myself to do this more, but I know that it's the only way to reach my goals, so I will commit to doing more drills off the water to improve especially my tricking, but really it works for all disciplines.

Finally, in jump I expect to be able to improve quickly in the beginning of the season due to some changes. First of all, I have ordered new jump skis, which are 6 inches bigger than the ones I have now. This will take some time to get used to, but ultimately will help me fly further! Also I have been working on the 3/4 cut, which will fall into place in the next season. This should start adding meters to my PB rather quickly in the beginning, if I have the guts! I want, and expect to break the 30 meter barrier in the next year by doing this.

Most importantly, these improvements in skiing will help me achieve the ultimate goal of 2017. This is something I've been working towards since last year and also the main reason for me taking a gap year. I hope to be attending university in the US, but on a waterski scholarship. This means that I don't have to pay full tuition, which is an essential perk, since tuition in the US would otherwise be too much. Also this means that I will be able to ski so much more than now. There will be the possibility to ski 4 times a day, on school days! Plus the fact that the season in the southern states of the US is much longer than in the Netherlands. I know that this is not easy to achieve, since others at my age are further in skiing, therefore I have to prove my abilities before the next school year!

I am very excited in working towards my goals and taking you on the journey as well, keeping you updated as I go, be it good results or disappointing ones. My main goal for 2017 is to keep learning as much, or more as I did in 2016, because I have grown so much as a person and as a skier due to new experiences, challenges, highs and lows, but I wouldn't change anything for the world!