January 20, 2007 – It is amazing what a difference a week makes! I have been in Europe for two weeks now and my time here has become easier and more enjoyable with every day. Over the past week I have recovered from my jet leg and am able to get through the day without the help of caffeine. I am also much more comfortable with driving our standard transmission rental car amongst the European drivers and can easily maneuver through the 6 foot wide streets of the mountain towns. I am more familiar with hearing Italian and German and can pick out a few critical words when necessary.

After spending a week in the small Italian mountain town of Cogne, Andrea and I travelled through Switzerland to the small country of Liechtenstein to compete in the Swiss Championships. As we drove from Italy to Switzerland, we noticed an immediate difference between the two countries as soon as we crossed over the border. First of all, the speed limit on the highway was reduced from 130 km/h (in Italy) to 100 km/h (in Switzerland), and second of all, the Swiss drivers actually obeyed the speed limit! It also didn’t take long for us to confirm that the Swiss (and Liechtenstein people) are very friendly and helpful!

Upon our arrival at the ski site on the first day, one of the race organizers came up to us, introduced himself and in perfect english and told us all about the races and what was going to happen over the next few days! He explained to us that due to the warm weather and lack of snow the races were going to be held 2.5 km further up the valley. They had plowed one of the ski trails to use as a road and had a fleet of vans with snow chains to drive us up to the new ski site. The new ski site was very similar to what I expected a Swiss race site to be: a large alpine field with a cow barn! The only thing missing were the cows with their large bells and a traditional Swiss blowing on his Alpen Horn. Despite the somewhat remote location, the race organizers had turned the field into a very sophisticated race site, including wax rooms in the barn, an inflated arc over the finish line and the usual load speakers playing music.

At our first coaches meeting we were very happy to find out that our simple e-mail registration request had worked and that we were indeed on the start list! (We were also quite happy our registration difficulties of last weekend in Italy!) The organizers also spoiled us by providing us with a translator at the coaches meeting so that we would be able to understand what was being said. Overall, both Andrea and I were much more confident about the races and had a better understanding of what was going on.

The first Swiss Championship race was a 10 km skate race. I knew that the field would be competitive, as all of the Swiss girls who we had competed against in the OPA in Cogne the previous week were racing. Despite coming off a weekend of bad races in Cogne I still came to the start optimistic that I could be competitive with the European women. I felt great during my race and skied strong all the way to the finish. While I wasn’t quite sure of my placing throughout the race, I knew that I was skiing well. It wasn’t until the results were posted however, that I realized how well I finished. I ended up in 6th place, surrounded by Swiss girls who finished in the top 10 at the OPA the previous weekend. I was really happy with my race as it was the best so far of my season, and it was clear that I had recovered from my jet leg. It wasn’t until I got back to our house after the race that I did the math and realized that I earned about 100 FIS points from the race – the best points of my career. As I mentioned in my last update, one of my main goals of the year and for my trip to Europe was to ski below 120 FIS points, as it would make me eligible to start the World Cup races next year in Calgary and Canmore. It is a great feeling to know that I have accomplished this goal after only my third European race! I now hope to build on this result in my next races.

Our second and final race at the Swiss Championships was a 1.2 km classic sprint race. Along with the usual challenges of preparing for the race, Andrea and I also had the additional challenge of waxing our own skis. The trail conditions of the sprint course varied from ice in the shady sections to slush in the sunny sections, and the combination made for some difficult waxing. After waxing 3 pairs of test skis with every combination of klister we had as well as snooping on other team’s wax benches, Andrea and I chose our wax. We later realized the benefits of having a wax tech! While my qualifier went OK, I didn’t have enough grip to really challenge the top Swiss girls, including those who had just returned from the Tour de Ski. I placed 8th in the qualifier and was able to maintain my position throughout the heats. Overall, I had a decent race but I know that with the help of a wax tech I would have been able to put up more of a challenge.

After two successful races at the Swiss Championships, Andrea and I are on our way back to Italy. It is great to have finished our pre-WUG tour on a high note with some great races! We will now be meeting up with the rest of the Canadian World University Games Team in Torino, and then will head up to the race site in Pragelato. The next two weeks at the World University Games are sure to be exciting!

n our first training day at the Swiss Champs they brought our skis and equipment up to the race site with a snowmobile and sled. The next day they showed up with a giant tractor and trailer (unfortunately I forgot my camera that day!)

In Liechtenstein they have floating duck houses, complete with a ramp out of the water! (The ducks were missing in action when I took this picture, but we did see them using their house several times!)