Ski World Cup in Cortina | Connie Hutter and the Mental Challenge: “It's Worth Talking About”

Not only did Connie Hutter travel as a Super-G World Cup leader, she traveled to one of her all-time favorite Alpine Skiing World Cup venues, the legendary Tofana venue in Cortina d'Ampezzo. Not only because of her strong performances this season, the Comberger native has developed into an absolute team leader, and a “conquering driver,” as ÖSV coach Roland Assinger summed it up. “Connie has made her way forward thanks to her consistency, which has given her more security, and then the day comes when everything falls into place. This can definitely be a role model for me,” said teammate Arianne Radler of the Zuschensee winner’s development. .

Both are united not only by their love of World Cup Ski Longboards, but also by a complex injury history. This also affected Hütter in the home World Cup, which was evident in the mixed slump in Zauchensee between strong Super-G performances. Because the day after her fifth Super G World Cup win, her mind wasn't keeping up with it, and the agony of the past was very present. “In a way I said to myself: 'I hope you don't hurt yourself now or get injured,'” the 31-year-old frankly admitted. “But I learned a lot from him. Skating is a passion, and that's what this sport thrives on. “You can't choose, and for me such successes are not normal. “It was only my fifth win and I was blown away by it after half a day. “It's not the end of the world, it's not a tragedy, it's just something we hear about.”

Mental challenges as a taboo subject

At that time I spoke primarily to the moderator staff and Nicole Schmidhofer. The ORF camera operator is much more than just a former teammate, he is both supportive and motivating. Both recently dedicated an episode of their podcast “Beyond It” to the topic of mental toughness, and spoke frankly about the importance of the processes that take place under a top athlete’s helmet during and after a race. “This is still a taboo topic, not just in top-flight sport. You can never look too deeply into someone, so it's important to talk about it, often with people who are a little outside of it,” said the Super-G World Cup captain.

In the best case scenario, she would like to extend that lead on Sunday and fight for the podium in the downhill race the previous two days. The Styrian woman's batteries are fully charged after visiting her home and stable, the focus is correct and the memories are also correct. Last year she celebrated a runner-up finish in the Super-G Championship, and this year she donned the World Cup leaders' red jersey for the first time in her career. “I had the honor once in 2017, but they took it away from me after just one day. A lot of people will be fighting for it again in Cortina.” The expectations will be “very great” even without the World Cup lead. the reason? “Cortina, that means: good food, beautiful mountains, and a really cool slope.” Well, then: a meal! I hope the thirst for success will be satisfied from the Austrian perspective.

VIDEO: Here's what team members think about Connie Hutter