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Home again Posted: Wednesday November 28, 2001 3:13 PMNovember 23, 2001 It was pretty good to get back to the States after the first leg of the World Cup tour in Europe this year. I am not one to get homesick, but it was a really good feeling to land on home soil and to be reminded by a polite question from the customs person just where I was. "Did you just arrive from the flight from Munich?" "Yes." "Have a great Thanksgiving. Welcome home." What a big difference the little things make. That statement made the whole day, (and the trip for that matter) seem pretty special. I really can't complain. Europe is an amazing place to be, and I feel very fortunate to be able to race there. The food is always incredible. I enjoy the German fare and was famished when we first got there, so filling up was first on the list of things to do. Ryan, Lea Ann, Kevin and I packed the minivan to the roof with all of our gear and made the (what seems to be annual ritual) to the gas station pit stop. I grabbed a bratwurst and some kraut. Who would have thought that a gas station eatery would have such tasty kraut? The others held off on it, focusing on their "chacken" legs and bratwurst.
It was a short drive to our first stop in the small town of Konigsee in southeast Germany. Konigsee is one of those towns that is out of a fairy tale. It is an unbelievable setting with the track sitting just above a large lake, which supposedly runs thousands of feet deep below a group of snow-covered mountains. I have raced there before and have always been taken aback by the whole area. There is a sense of energy but at the same time calmness and culture in the land. Training on the track was fun. The track has a kreisel, which is a 360-degree curve that you ride for about three seconds. If not done correctly, it will put you on your side as you exit. Needless to say, that was the hot spot for spectators to watch -- vultures leaning shoulder to shoulder over the edge of the track, waiting for some road kill or at least a spill. A couple of curves down is a curve known as the "Ziel" curve, which until recently was the final curve on the track. It is one of the curves that has so much pressure it buries your head while going through. It can be nerve-racking for some, though I find it quite entertaining. This is another hot spot for people to see how sliders handle the G-forces that the curve dishes out. The race was spectacular with the times coming close to the track record. My Swiss competitor, Gregor Stahli, broke the push record by quite a bit and won the race after two heats. After a deficit of tenths of seconds on the start, I raced well enough to finish .15 seconds behind him for a second-place finish. Jeff Pain from Canada was not far behind in third. One of the best beers that I have ever had, along with dinner, and it was back to the hotel to prepare for the following day in the city of Nuremberg. There is a sausage "haus" that is among Coach Ryan's (and most of the rest of the team's) favorite places to eat, a place he discovered while living in the city years ago. It was an open grill that unloaded tons (literally, I am sure) of mini wieners as well as other regional foods. I got a 12-pack of sausages and the best kraut ever, (yes, it beat the roadside special -- go figure). Off to Innsbruck, Austria, that night and ready for training the next day. We stayed above the city of Innsbruck in the mountain town of Igls. The owners of the Grunwalderhof have become part of the sliding family and always make our stay as homey as possible. They house the women and men bobsledders as well. They served turkey especially for our holiday during the week. No kraut was present -- I wasn't mad. The track is one that I have been sliding on since my first year racing in Europe, but in the past has been a track that I hadn't been able to figure out. I did this time winning a bronze medal in the race. The meals after a race always seem to be pretty special. I don't have to watch what or how much I eat and am usually hungry enough to eat just about anything the hotel dishes out. We sat after the meal and mulled over the day and then went to our rooms to pack for the early morning journey. I hadn't read over my itinerary, so I had expected a five-hour flight to the U.S., plus another three after the four-hour layover. It was a 10-hour flight from Munich to Atlanta and then the remaining seven-plus hours until we would arrive in Salt Lake City. That was OK; I got to talk with my family and friends on the phone while at the airport, got to enjoy a bit more time with my teammates and the customs person reminded me just how great it was to be home again. -- Chris |
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