Team Trials Races 1 and 2 (out of 4)

We had team trials the past two days. They were delayed twice due to weather. But  we ended up having pretty good ice. It was about 1 to 2 seconds slow, which is pretty good for this time of year.
But Here is the rundown.
I took 14th in race 1 and 11th by .01 seconds in race 2. My goal is to be in the top 10, which obviously did not happen. I was not happy with the way I slid. I know I have only been sliding for about 4 months total but it is still hard for me to not accomplish my goal. BUT I have 2 more races next week to break into the top 10 .
Here are the positives. I pushed (the start of the race) personal best times Race 1- 5.55 and Race 2-  5.52. This is AWESOME for me. Last year I was struggling to push 5.80. Another reason I am pumped about my push is, I thought 5.5's would be a career goal for me. Needless to say I am VERY happy about this. All my summer training has paid off. and to push in the 5.5's at Lake Placid is very competitive at all levels. I am going to have to change my career goal to a 5.3.

As I mentioned previously I am not too happy about the results thus far. BUT I know God has plans for me here. I work as hard as I can and humbling myself to encourage all the other girls. I have 2 more races to be where I want to be this year and I have to remember the end goal is 2014.
 I put on a shirt today and the saying on the back is " In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps"  Proverbs 16:9. and I thanked God for that little message and reminder because I am striving for a big goal and though I have laid out a logical way to get there, that may not be His way. He could have the same goal for me but a different way of getting there.

I will keep yall updated on next weeks races. PLEASE be praying for me in this journey. It's REALLY tough, but BEYOND INCREDIBLE..

Oh and shout out to my boyfriend Paulie. Southern Miss beat SMU the other day.(he is the Football Strength and Conditioning coach)  They are 6-1 now. BEAST MODE!!

Week 1 on the "Ice"

So here is how my schedule was supposed to be set up this week...
Get in On October 9th and Get on the ice on October 10th - Now.
Well This is What Happened this week...
Day 1- Monday
    I am Half peeing my pants getting ready to go down the track out of anxiety... BUT then I walked outside and was like hmmm... I think I am warm...No wait...I think I am really warm.. Then I came to realize I am Hot... The Temp was mid 70's .. And if you do the math  its hard to keep ice on a track when it is 70 degrees outside. So needless to say sliding was cancelled.
Day 2-Tuesday
  I was under the impression that sliding was canceled. And I was RIGHT! So this is what we did...Tanned...After we worked out of course

 Day 3 Wed-
It was Hot AGAIN.. So we didnt slide..By this time my nerves were settled and I was JUST PRAYING that the weather would allow us to slide!

Day 4 Thurs-
I awoke to tremendous news. WE GOT TO  SLIDE.  Before we slid we took bets to see what our first downtime would be and whoever guessed closest won. Well we were all guessing slow times since it was still about 55 degrees outside. (a fast time for girls is 57ish) So I guessed 1:03.97....The first sled went down and they slid 1:14. THATS SOOOO SLOW.  Well I lost that bet. But I didn't complain because I kind of wanted slower ice for the first day back. When I went down it really wasn't too scary. I was a very bumpy ride due to water build ups on the ice, but other than that I LOVED IT! and I was ready for the Next Day of sliding.
Day 5 Fri-
I awake to pouring rain.. Which means CANCELLED SLIDING.. AHHHHH I am getting anxious here, they told us we may slide tomorrow (not gunna happen) But I am hopeful.

    Our team trials is next Thursday and Friday. We will get 4 days total of practice before then. AWESOME ha. But what can you do? We are all in the same boat and I am just excited to start sliding again this year.


  I would really like to thank all of my sponsors That have contributed . I appreciate everyone! Yall are amazing and God totally has blessed me!!
  I am still fund raising. I have $648 left to pay off on  equipment I have bought and I need to raise money for travel expenses. If you  or anyone you know are interested in sponsoring me I would really appreciate it. Just get ahold of me and I will give you the details. KristinaKHull@gmail.com or 719-651-3124.

God Bless-
Kristina

Getting Ready to Go

6 Days until I get back on the ice.
My Feelings ..... Excited...Anxious...Nervous...READY!
I have not been on the ice since March, needless to say I am ready to get back. On October 10th everyone will be experiencing the same emotions.. I am not going to lie, I will probably feel like I am going 100mph the first few days. After that I am hoping the it will all slow down again.
It's funny because I am here in Mississippi where it is 80degrees and I am sure When I head back to Lake Placid I am going to be able to see my breath all day. Drastic change to say the least.
I am also in the process of packing my life into 1 bag. That's right you heard it.. A women , is going to pack for 4 months into 1 BAG. I would say i deserve a medal just for that.

I have been trying to replay the Lake Placid track over and over in my head, I also watch video to time up my driving. This is the video I use of the lake Placid track to make mental run throughs... This is a Helmet cam from an actual Skeleton Athlete. I know it seems like we don't see much from this view...and its TRUE. This view is actually a lot more than what we see because our face is dragging on the ice half the time, so we see about 6 feet in front of us.

I also found some video of a couple of my runs last year so you can kind of see how the sport works

I think that's enough video for now! haha I am excited about US Team Trials which will be occurring on October 20 as well October26. From there I will know if and what circuit I will be racing. The Olympic team is not chosen until the Olympic year so I still have time to develop as an athlete.

Last thing! I am still looking for sponsors for this year.It's 100% tax deductible!  If you are interested please let me know and I will give you detailed information. The quick version on how to donate is as follows.

Make check out to : Utah Skeleton and Bobsled Association
Send to:  Utah Skeleton and Bobsled Association
              P.O. Box 581131
              Salt Lake City, UT  84158
INCLUDE: Kristina Hull Skeleton Support on memo line

And a note with YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS

I appreciate the support and encouragement from everyone! I am blessed!