"Technically, Kate is skiing better than she ever has," says her father, David Reed, of Montrose. "She has put a lot of pressure on herself, though, and that has been affecting her when she gets into the starting gate."
The pressure to perform well won't let up over the next few weeks, as Reed sets her sights on the 2006 Winter Olympics, to be held in Torino, Italy, in February. The 2006 U.S. Olympic Team will be announced on January 25, and Reed must give her best performances in upcoming weeks in order to make the team and fulfill her dream of competing in the Olympics.
"She knows she's in a position now where she can't make any mistakes," her father says, "but I know Kate, and I know that she can turn it around."
Reed could clinch a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team in her next competition, the U.S. Ski Team Gold Cup on December 30, when Reed will join the nation's best aerialists under the lights at Howelsen Hill in downtown Steamboat Springs. Typical Olympic selection for ski teams involves qualifying through a season-long series of World Cup events, however the winner of the Gold Cup is automatically awarded a wild card berth on the Olympic Team.
The event will be televised on NBC on New Year's Eve; check local television listings for time.
Until then, Telluride Ski Resort-sponsored Reed will be laying low at home in Montrose, mentally preparing for her upcoming grueling competitions. Following next week's Gold Cup, Reed has World Cup events in Quebec, Canada, Deer Valley, Utah, and Lake Placid, New York.
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