{"id":69492,"date":"2020-12-07T12:39:36","date_gmt":"2020-12-07T19:39:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/skiracing.com\/?p=69492"},"modified":"2020-12-07T15:53:32","modified_gmt":"2020-12-07T22:53:32","slug":"taylor-parker-biele-is-my-hero","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/skiracing.com\/taylor-parker-biele-is-my-hero\/","title":{"rendered":"Taylor: Parker Biele is my hero"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You might be asking, \u201cWho the heck is Parker Biele and why does she deserve hero status?\u201d Or, you might be asking, \u201cI know Parker Biele and why the heck does she deserve hero status?\u201d In either case, I\u2019ll answer your question shortly. But first, I want to explain what inspired me to write this article about Parker, provide some context for what insights it might provide, share her backstory, and conclude with some lessons we might garner from Parker\u2019s example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My initial interest in writing this article was Parker\u2019s sixth-place finish in GS at the U.S. Nationals races in Copper in November. This result was, in some ways, shocking to many given that Parker is a senior at Boston College (not a traditional ski racing school) and that this current apogee of her developmental trajectory would likely not have been predicted by anyone in the U.S. ski racing community given her ski racing history (more on that later).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was pretty excited to finish sixth. I was pumped because again, I had proven to myself that I could compete with the best even when they have way more training and resources. The best part was talking to Kirk [Dwyer] the next day and him smiling and saying, ‘Nice job, Parker, now imagine what you can do with training.’ My fire is larger than ever, and with the uncertainty of the season, each race is precious, and I plan to give it everything I have every time I\u2019m back in the starting gate.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Parker\u2019s outstanding result at what many would see as near the end of her ski racing career caused me to look at her performance from both psychological and Long-term Athlete Development (LTAD) perspectives. First, psychologically, questions I asked myself included: <\/p>\n\n\n\n