KEY POINTS:
Two-time world motocross champion Katherine Prumm plans to do very little over the Christmas break. And few could argue she doesn't deserve the rest.
It has been a hectic year for the 19-year-old, who in September notched up her second consecutive world title.
Having prematurely realised her goal
of winning a world motocross crown before the age of 20, the big challenge for Prumm this year was to defend her title.
The Halberg Sportswoman of the Year nominee admits the pressure of living up to her number one billing got to her in the early stages of the series.
"It's always harder to defend your title than it is to win it the first time around.
"I've never raced with the number one before and it's a huge amount of extra pressure on you."
The year started poorly for the Kawasaki ace.
After working her way back from a knee reconstruction in late 2006, Prumm crashed out in her first race back in January and hyper-extended her back.
The injury set her back another six weeks and meant her preparation for the world series was extremely limited.
"I only really had five weeks on the bike before the first round of the world championships started. It made it difficult because I wasn't 100 per cent ready.
"Also I cracked a little bit under the pressure that I put on myself and ended up crashing in both rounds of the world championship and was only fourth after the first round, so that was a real disappointing start to the year."
But Prumm's response was typical of the grit and determination that saw her work her way to the top of the sport by the time she was 18.
"I came home from that round and just worked really hard, especially on mental focus and being able to get rid of the pressures you feel, and once I got over that I had a lot of success."
Prumm believes the key part of her success is the mental visualisation techniques she practises.
From the age of 14 Prumm has been reading psychology books and believes the mental side of her preparation is just as important as the physical to keep her at the top of such a demanding sport.
"When I was younger my parents got some books on it and we sort of read them together to get an understanding of it. But I felt I needed to do more on it this year, everyone expects you to win having won it the year before so you really have to focus on it."
On top of her strong mental focus, Prumm has a rigorous training programme.
There is a lot more to her training than simply "killing it" around a track on her bike all day, with Prumm's exercise regime including running, cycling and gym work.
It is no wonder then that Prumm has been taking it easy for the past month as she contemplates her tilt at a third straight world title next year.
In pursuit of that she plans to base herself in the Netherlands for six months.
