Laurenne Ross takes a year break
Sep 26, 2019·Alpine Skiing
American ski star, Laurenne Ross, has announced that she will sit out the 2019-20 season to rehab a left knee injury sustained during a warm-up run prior to her downhill training run at the 2019 FIS Ski World Championships in Are, Sweden. Her decision comes after a long period of mulling over whether or not she should completely end her career, or continue to pursue the sport she loves.
Laurenne, who suffered a severe knee injury at U.S. Alpine Championships late in the 2017 season, worked tirelessly to recover as quickly as possible in order to return for the Olympics.
This time around, the U.S. Ski Team veteran is in no rush. She knows she must honor her body and her health first if she wants competitive ski racing to remain an option for her in the future.
“I want to do it right: make sure I’m 100% ready when I get back on snow. 100% strong, 100% healthy — in body and in mind. I’m hoping to get back on snow sometime in the next few months, but that won’t give me enough time to properly prepare for this upcoming winter racing season,” Ross wrote in her Instagram post.
Meanwhile, through U.S. Ski & Snowboard's Athlete Career & Education (ACE) connections, she recently attended Dartmouth's Tuck Next Step program, a general management program for athletes and veterans to hone their business acumen and apply the valuable skills they’ve gained in their fields to the world of business as they begin the next step of their careers.
She will look to return healthy - in mind and body - to competition for the 2020-21 season, where the highlight will be World Championships in Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA - Laurenne’s favourite venue.
