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Risto
Whitney’s slalom technique is a nice blend of finesse and power. Photo: billdoster.com
Do you ever feel like it’s a continual Whitney vs. Regina battle? I definitely feel like she’s my biggest competitor. The thing I think that we have that no other woman has right now is the competitiveness — the need to win. I know that she has the same drive as I do. That’s why we’re just a little bit ahead of everybody else right now. Karina has the ability to be great, and she proved that a couple summers ago when she was on top. Karen and April are always consistently there. But Regina and I have that extra drive right now. She’s a super powerful athlete, and I feel like I’m the same way. We work hard and we want to be the best. At the end of the day, we both just want to win. It comes down to whoever happens to be better that weekend.
How do you explain your decline toward the second half of the season? I got lost with chasing the world record. Instead of going into the competitions knowing how capable I am as an athlete, I went into the tournaments with the wrong mind-set, and it showed.
You’ve been out for a few months ever since your knee injury at Soaked. How have you been dealing with this setback? When I got injured, it was my reset button. It turned out to be a really awesome experience, actually. I push so hard all the time. I really don’t give myself a break. It allowed me to reset my mind, reset my focus. I feel good now. I know I want to come back with a renewed mind. I was able to relax and not feel bad about sitting on the couch. God knew I wasn’t going to take the break, so he gave me one! I took advantage of my vacation (laughs).
