Starting My World Cup Journey
My name is Annika Hunt, and this is my second season as a Toko athlete. I am 18 years old, and I am currently taking a gap year—training, racing, and traveling the world. I recently raced my first World Cup in Levi, Finland, and I wanted to share some of my reflections on the experience. While this isn’t typical E-blast content, I hope it offers insight for aspiring World Cup skiers looking for a rookie’s perspective.
Joining the Team in Levi
A few weeks before my World Cup debut, I joined the U.S. Women’s World Cup team in Levi. I was nervous to enter this group because I felt like an imposter to these World Cup veterans, and I was intimidated by the women. But the team was very welcoming, and honestly, living and training with these women was not so different from what I was used to.
The only real difference I had to adapt to was the more rushed daily training schedule. There is a set start time for each training day, so we show up, inspect, and start at that designated time. Typically, I like to take a few freeski runs before I train in a course, but to make the start time with this team, I couldn’t take any warm-up runs most days. Additionally, we had to stay together during training, so there was no time to fall behind. That routine pushed me at first, but it also helped me adjust quickly.
Finding My Place
Overall, though, the transition was pretty easy, which was a huge help going into my first World Cup. Having time to adjust and train with the World Cup team helped me feel less like an imposter and more like I actually belonged racing there.
I learned that training, traveling, and living with this team isn’t so different from my own program—even though the stakes are higher. It showed me that the top athletes aren’t necessarily doing anything special to be at their level. If you work hard and want it badly enough, I think you can reach the highest level more quickly than you think.
Race Week Nerves
As race day approached, I grew more nervous but also more excited. I kept reminding myself that there were no expectations of me and focused on what I was technically working on.
All the World Cup athletes started showing up a few days before the race. We ate with them at the athletes’ meals and trained with them. To be honest, I was starstruck at first.
Seeing Myself as a Competitor
Training with so many of my idols, meeting skiers I had only seen on TV, and simply being surrounded by these athletes was an incredible experience. Still, I had to start seeing myself as one of their competitors if I was going to treat this race like any other. That was the most challenging part of racing my first World Cup: treating it like any other race.
Nevertheless, I tried, and honestly, I had a great mindset going into the first run. I went through the inspection and warmed up as usual. I listened to my music and only watched a few racers on the TV in hospitality.
One of my teammates told me that during her first World Cup, she watched the entire top 30 on TV before going up for her run, and that made her feel like she wasn’t part of the race. So I took her advice and watched only a few skiers.
When I went up for my run, I was nervous but also very excited. Standing at the start, it finally felt like any other race.
A Tough First Run—but a Powerful Lesson
Unfortunately, the race did not go as planned. I crashed early in the course, but things happen! While I am disappointed that I didn’t finish my first World Cup, I was still able to take something away from this experience.
I learned that although there are more cameras, fans, and banners than any other ski race, the World Cup is not as foreign as we make it out to be. I also learned the importance of treating it like any other race.
I was inspired and motivated even more to become a World Cup skier after getting a small taste of what it is like. My World Cup debut in Levi made me excited to race more World Cups this season, but more importantly, it left me with a newfound motivation to train harder. This first taste didn’t just motivate me—it made me hungrier than ever to earn my place in the World Cup.
Looking Ahead
In addition to her debut in Levi, Annika also raced the slaloms in Gurgl and the Copper Cup, gaining valuable experience with every opportunity on the circuit. We look forward to following her progress throughout the season and watching her continue to grow on the World Cup stage.
About the Author: Annika Hunt
