Downhill racing

I had a great time racing Sunday. There were 3 women in my class (women 19 and over). We were fairly close (9:00, 9:17, 10:05). I came in third which gave me medal and qualified me for nationals. Being 3 out of 3 doesn't matter; what is cool is that if I keep racing DH I think I could get good. I'm going to stick to beginner for the season, then decide if I want to move up to sport next year. I don't see myself racing at a higher level than sport. The courses get scary technical. I also had a better time than a couple men my age as well as some of the uner 18 Crowd. I need to start practicing on gravel and high speed turns. I actually cornered better on my practice run. I also need to get use to my shifters...I didn't have a hard enough gear (several times). I also didn't pedal everywhere I should have. I'm half tempted to put the same shifters on my xc bike to get use to shifting. I have a lot to work on...but I think I could shave condiderable time off with some practice. There is another race @Mt hood in 2 weeks. Dry Hill will be another game. The other women have raced at Dry Hill. The course is very steep. I really like my new DH bike! Gettig home at 11:30pm and then going to work the next day is tough.