December 7, 2009 (Lillehammer, Norway) – The World Cup season is off and running for Team USA. We have spent the last 10 days in Lillehammer, Norway, training, and then we competed in two World Cups over the weekend (Dec. 5-6). When we first showed up in Lillehammer, there was almost no snow but since we arrived it accumulated quickly and we’ve had great conditions this weekend.

Saturday was our first event on the HS138 ski jump, followed by a 10km race. I have been feeling pretty good about my jumping and had a decent result, finishing seventh. Bill Demong also jumped well and was 16th, but it was very tight heading into the 10km xc ski race. Neither of us had great races, but we both moved up a bit in the standings – I ended up sixth and Bill was 14th, with Brian Fletcher and Brett Camerota finishing 41st and 56th, respectively. Although I was very satisfied with the overall result, I felt that I could have had a better race and I was looking forward to Sunday’s competition.

Sunday’s event was also on the Large Hill, and the jumping was a lot of fun. There were good conditions for far jumps and I was able to score the longest jump at 137 meters and Bill jumped 135m. The new rules in the ski jumping portion of Nordic Combined allow the jury to move the start gate up or down in order to accommodate for wind conditions, so after I jumped they moved the gate down giving everyone after me a 4-meter bonus in accordance with the new rules. Even though Bill and I had some of the longest jumps we were penalized for the higher starting gate and we ended up seventh and ninth going into the xc race portion of the competition.

The race went well for me. I was in a tight fight for the podium, but in the end I was out-sprinted and ended up fourth. All in all, it was a really good day and I’m satisfied with the results. After spending three months recovering and rehabbing from two knee surgeries and only having about three weeks of real training before the season I was not really sure what to expect from these events. I came in with an open mind about results and overall I feel good about where my level is.

Next week we are going to continue to train in Lillehammer. As of right now, the schedule is a little up in the air for the next two weeks. We are supposed to be going to Harrachov in the Czech Republic, but they’re having a hard time getting any snow, or cold enough temperatures to produce it.

We will have to wait and see I guess! Hopefully we will have some good results to call in by the middle of next week. Until then, we will continue to train hard and prepare for our main goal, which is the 2010 Olympics.

Johnny