Tips From Olympic Ski Racer Laurenne Ross About Staying Resilient During This Pandemic

Do you follow Laurenne Ross (@lalalaurenne) on Instagram?If so, you have probably seen the creative at home workouts she has been sharing on her story during this time of physical distancing. We got super inspired by what Laurenne is doing to stay mentally and physically healthy right now and wanted to spread that inspiration along to the Keely’s Camp community. Our interview with this bad a** olympian/artist/adventurer is sure to bring some much needed brightness and motivation to you during these challenging times! Be sure to follow along our Instagram story for a Keely’s Camper specific workout by Laurenne!

Fun fact about Laurenne… she created an amazing photo book and you can buy Approach HERE.

Hi Laurenne! Can you please tell the Keely’s Camp Community a little bit about yourself?

“I’m Laurenne – a World Cup alpine speed skier. Super-G and Downhill are my favorite events, and the ones that I focus on during the World Cup season. I was born in Alberta, Canada but moved to Oregon with my family when I was 7. Since then (1995), I’ve been skiing at Mt. Bachelor (my club team is MBSEF): learning to love the snow and wind, and eventually discovering how much I love going really fast….which is how I ended up racing Super-G and Downhill full-time! I’ve been racing World Cups for about 10 years now. I’ve been on the World Cup podium twice and am 2-time U.S. National Champion. But skiing isn’t my only love! I grew up as a musician as well, and was also really involved in gymnastics until the age of 14. I have many passions, and althoughskiing is currently my greatest one I am absolutely in love with many things that this crazy world has to offer….”

What has training been like for you during this COVID-19 pandemic?

“Training over the last few weeks has been pretty tough, but it’s been fun! I have really enjoyed getting creative with at-home workouts, and getting back out on the trails (and off the spin bike!) has been so wonderful and rejuvenating for me.”

How are you staying physically/mentally healthy while physically isolating?

“I’ve found the most important thing for me physically is to have structure and create a schedule. If I can figure out how my next week of workouts is structured by Sunday, then I feel more at ease knowing I have a good plan in place. As far as creating a workout program, I’ve just taken a lot of my knowledge from past training blocks (I’ve been on the US Ski Team for 15 years!) and created a program that can work with the limited equipment that I have at home. I’ve also been trail running, ski touring (very mellow, easy and safe!), and cross-country skiing a bit, so it’s been wonderful to get outside.

As far as staying mentally healthy goes, I’ve been journaling a ton since spending a lot of time at home. I’ve also been spending 30-45 minutes every morning doing a meditation practice, and have been reading a lot about focus, presence, and athletic performance. It’s so wonderful to have more time to read, learn and grow! I feel like I will come out of this time of seclusion more knowledgeable and emotionally healthy.”

Have you picked up any hobbies while spending more time at home?

“A lot of my time has been spent cooking lately, which is something I normally don’t dedicate a ton of time toward. But it’s been so fun to learn more about different food groups, spices, veggies, and how to be creative with what you have. I’ve also beenspending some time knitting and listening to podcasts and audiobooks.”

What are your goals for the 2020/2021 ski season? What are you working toward?

“During all this downtime I’m focused on improving my mental resilience and focus. It’s incredible how imperative a solid mental practice is to performing at your best, and I know I have the potential to be better in this area. I’m working on trusting myself more, even in just day-to-day activities like walking up my staircase with my eyes closed, or jumping up and down from a physio ball to the beat of a song, or even just playing piano with more trust. I think these small things can really have a big impact and pay off when I get back on my skis!

I try not to focus on objective results, so I don’t have very specific goals for this season. But I am constantly striving to be better, and I know at my best I can compete with the best in the world, so the results will come if I keep working hard.”

What advice would you give your 14 year old ski racing self?

“Don’t worry too much about results….pay more attention to the process. Go free skiing more! Enjoy time with your friends and family, and go play in the mountains as much as you possibly can.”

What’s your spirit animal and why?

“I can’t decide, but I’ve taken a few quizzes and have frequently been told that a wolf is my spirit animal. I kind of feel more like a bird…maybe a condor or a hummingbird :)”

Lastly, we want to know about your new photo book, Approach! Will you tell us about it and where we can find it?

“I’ve always wanted to create a photo book, and recently I have been really interested in the practice of film photography. So I compiled some film photos taken with special film that uses a unique chemical makeup to distort the color output…it’s a very colorful and fun book that was such a joy to make!”

You can purchase Approach HERE.