take a hike mate....

PHEW....

This blog has come a little later than planned as i happened to stumble across a young chap commenting about rich kids affording Ambition on a facebook page...... which obviously needed needed a reply. I've asked him to quote me all our prices and what we provide just to make sure his facts are correct.

Anyway, having looked at the thread it was about ski racing being elitest and only for the ones that can afford it. That is true in some respects as i have not seen many tramps around Meribel at easter, busking at night to buy their lift pass in the day. However, i have seen a fair few athletes and families give up alot to be able to do what they can on the snow, a lot of which is down to their choices and lifestyles rather than cash. At the same time, a better question i thought would be; are you really doing everything you can to make sure when you do get on snow, you can use the time well? Are you fit and ready when you go out or are you basically a slob doing nothing at home then expecting a miracle after 6 days on snow? And when that miracle doesnt come, then are you just whinging about cash and your lack of time on snow, safe in the comfort that 'if' you skied all season you would be winning?? NO, you wouldn't be winning because deep down you are still a lazy slob, no matter how much money you throw at it!! It's not just about having money!

So for us over the last 8 days, we have been beasting the fitness training. Originally we had planned to ski more this camp but the way this camp has worked out has been perfect, in fact we have desperately needed it and will need it more & more with all our athletes in the future (if we want to get anywhere). We need full days of slogging it out and sweating away to make sure we have even the smallest chance of success.... and not one of the guys here will be able to say they work this hard on a regular basis at home. Not one. That is because they have a group around them to push them here and that group is starting to work well.

So today was a hiking day. Sounds easy heh? Well, It wasn't!! 5.5 hours up and around the mountains in Saalfalden, up to the SteinAlm followed by St. Peters Hutt (thats not its name but sounds way better so we re-named it). Anyway, it started off easy but the steps got bigger and bigger until we were replicating the lunges we spent most of yesterday evening doing. We hiked to about 2000m before returning down in a huge loop, setting a nice burn in the quads in the process. By the time we arrived home it was 3.30 and we headed straight into the gym, before settling down to a nice BBQ this evening, with pretty much everything aching.

Tomorrow will be sprints on the road bikes again in the morning followed by a decent chill, meal out and hopefully some champs league footy action before the guys head home Wednesday. It has been tough but we plan on succeeding and all of this will for sure help us on our way.

So to the cheeky little guy that has just labelled Ambition as rich kids in an elitest sport, you can be rest assured that these athletes are doing rich kids all over the world very proud right now by working their socks off. Their time here only gives them an opportunity, it does not give them a guarentee.