Pat drove up to SF this weekend to drop off some skis and then I flew up to race the last summer Wavechaser race. It runs almost the identical race course as the USA Champs next weekend. Patrick did outstanding with a 2nd place finish to Carter Johnson..just 10 seconds behind. He said he had trouble seeing where the finish was and only started hammering with about 1 km to go. He loved the conditions, wished there was more wind (was about 20 knots). He's really moving well for the champs.
Then there was me. I was determined to fight my demons and race the Elite. I am freaked out about the mess under the Golden Gate Bridge after hurting my shoulder there one year. No XT, race the Elite. It was great under the bridge and great all the way to the turn buoy. I couldn't see Angel Island buoy..why not? been there before? Slowed to a crawl, lame in the ripping tide current mess and then limped downwind to blow in a staggering 15minutes behind Pat. Ok, back on my XT at Champs. I have more confidence in this ski, it performs well in the steep downwind(so does the Elite if you are charging). A great learning day for me...excellent to see the course again and get a little bump before the big party.

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