2010 Twenty Ten –

Athlete Blogs

Jono Brauer Blog - The best job in the world?

 

Dec 21, 2009 / 06:32:20 PM


Jono Brauer's blog, the ups, downs, ins and outs of life on the World Cup ski racing circuit

Living the dream

Ski racing, to many, is seen as the glitz and glamour of winter sports. Let me tell you there are some truths and untruths to this belief.
Damn straight there is some glitz and glamour and I bloody love this life. As an athlete you spend about two thirds of the year traveling the globe, a different country each week, new people, new skiing, new adventures. In Central Europe ski racing is in the top three sports in almost all countries. All World Cup races are televised live no matter the time or place to approximately six million viewers. That's not six million in total, that's six million each event.
There is a lot of media hype, sponsors, wheelers and dealers and some serious big dollars to be made, that is if you can climb to the top rung. It's a sensational life and I consider myself one of the luckiest people out there to be able to take part in what is often referred to as 'The White Circus'. At the end of the day I love skiing and skiing is what I do, every day! That's what I call a good life.


Then there's the reality

The other side of the fence however, not so glamorous. Yep we spend most of the year travelling the globe and I personally have done so since I was 11 and really got into it since 18. That's 10 years of living in and out of a suitcase for up to six months and seven years for up to three months away from family and friends with a new hotel, pension, airport, farmhouse or car to sleep in every other day. That is a total of almost seven years on the road, so far. Since turning 11 I have had one Christmas with my family and that was two years ago. 15 years of Christmas away. Now to the pain. To tally them up I have had 10 surgeries in 10 years with another five that I needed but never got around to, not to mention the daily ache of getting out of bed. After my first surgery at 18 the doctor told me that mine was the worst knee he had ever seen. Ever. He had been in the game for 30 plus years. Needless to say I feel them every single day. And it is not just knees that take a beating. If you have ever seen a big crash you will know that when one 'Rag Dolls', that's cartwheeling out of control, one is subject to breaking everything. And the rag doll can be a frequent occurrence.

Finance wise, skiing's a lot of take and not much give

When it comes to the cash well let's just say that the odds are against you to make your fortune from skiing. It is a long slog and there is a lot of dollars that go into becoming a successful skier. You know all that travelling I talk about, that's not free. Well not all the time. How about some maths? I don't want to add it up but feel free to do so yourself. 17 years of travelling the world. Approximately five months a year, a different country every, say, two weeks and a different continent about four times a year. Add cars, flights, accommodation and we haven't touched on food or equipment yet. I think you get the idea. I won't lie, I have been somewhat successful in this game. When I say that I mean I have been able to live and breathe skiing and not go into too much debt from it. This has only been possible thanks to my parents, family and the continued support and generosity of a handful of people.

Injury, a ski racer's way of life

At the end of the day we risk our life and don't get that much reward for it. However if you risk enough and take it to the top then the rewards can far outway the risk, but you have to risk a lot.

In the first two weeks of World Cup racing we have seen the following. Seven knee reconstructions, Three broken legs, a dislocated shoulder, a broken neck, broken arm, dislocated knee, concussions and a lot of pain. That was after six races. Just today we were chatting at lunch and we think that today's event, at Val Gardena, was the first World Cup Downhill run that hasn't seen a season ending injury, but that is not a certainty. And, guess what 10th place will get you for your troubles, if you're lucky you might see 50 Euros in your pocket. That's about $90 for being in the top 10 in the world out of over 9,000 male athletes. It's what I like to call thanks for coming.

Now having said that I'll say that I wouldn't have done it any different. Maybe tried not to crash so much but that's about it. Travelling the world from 11 years old is something that will teach you a hell of a lot more than your grade five teacher can, or any teacher for that matter. I have met amazing people, seen beautiful things and found myself in some crazy situations. All of which have made me who I am.


I am Jono Brauer, professional Ski Racer. You can read about me and my journey to the biggest stage in the world. The highs and hopefully ultimate highs, sweat and, well more sweat.

Get back here to the 2010 site and Mountainwatch.com every week or so to catch up on what has been going down in my world. It is sure to be nothing short of amusing.

Read Jono's Profile Here

tags: olympic, problog, jono, brauer, alpine, world, cup, ski, racing, downhill