November 26, 2013 (Bruksvallarna, Sweden) – SkiTrax caught up with Canada’s Chandra Crawford in Sweden after she kicked off her competitive season in Bruksvallarna this past weekend. She placed 55th in the women’s 5km CL and 19th in the Sprint RF after qualifying 27th. Crawford, a 2006 Olympic sprint gold medalist and founder of Fast and Female, took a break from racing this past February and has been training on her own as she regains her energy and momentum.

While she has pre-qualified for Sochi, and her sights are set on the Games, she still has to make the team. Last year her best result was a sixth in the sprint at home in Canmore and the previous season she was on the podium twice with a sprint silver in Rogla (SLO) along with Team Sprint bronze with Perianne Jones in Milan, Italy.

How do you feel about your shape leading into the new season?
Chandra Crawford: My shape isn’t where I’d like it to be just now, but I have a great plan and am being patient and persistent, especially when I consider how challenging my last couple years have been.

How did it feel to put on your first race bib this season?
CC: I feel motivated as my every action and race builds towards the best possible speed and endurance I can muster for the Sochi sprint 78 days from now. In the meantime, the Davos skate sprint Dec 15th will be my first World Cup after a month of racing into shape in Sweden and I’m thinking about that puppy a lot as well.

What’s the scene like in Sweden this Olympic season ?
CC: Great as ever – great people who all love skiing.

You qualified 27th in the skate Sprint on Sunday – how did it feel to be sprinting again?
CC: I skied tight and slowly the first half of the qualifier, and the last half I opened it up and utilized my full height for some big strides and sketchily snuck in there for 27th.

Tell us about your quarterfinal heat.
CC: I was extremely stoked for the quarterfinal opportunity to race some girls. People were bailing, attacking… all that good stuff. Jennie Oberg had fallen early on and came back to pass again. It was very exciting and I did my best but came 4th in my heat [she finished 19th].

You ended up 19th – were you happy with this result?
CC: My goal was top 12 and I was really going for it. For the first weekend of racing in a coon’s age, it wasn’t a total disaster. Everything gets better every weekend this time of year as the body and mind get into Race Mode.

What’s up next for you after Sweden…?
CC: Idre and Ostersund are the next two races on the Swedish circuit, which I will attend with the Asarna team. I bunked with [Ida] Ingemarsdotter at the last race and she’s as nice as she is determined.

All the best this season…
CC: Thanks