March 01, 2013 (Val di Fiemme, Italy) – Like their female counterparts the Norwegian men, took the gold in the 4x10km relay event at the FIS Nordic Worlds in Val di Fiemme, Italy on Friday and once again defended their title. But spectators were on the edge of their seats as a late race bid by Sweden’s Calle Halvarsson threatened the four final contenders including the famed Petter Northug (NOR).

Northug responded on the final Zorzi climb as he and Halvarsson shook off Russia’s Sergey Ustiugov and Italy’s David Hofer making it a two-horse race. Halvarsson was still leading over the final bridge to the finish but Northug quickly caught his rival and took over the lead down the finishing lanes for the win by a 1.2s margin.

The battle for bronze was won by Ustiugov who sprinted fiercely for third over Hofer denying the host nation spot on the final podium. It was a close finish in the 40km event as the top five all crossed the line within 12s of one another. Teams USA and Canada finished 10th and 12th, respectively.

Waxing played a large role as race day dawned at a balmy 10°C. The pack stuck close together on the first two laps of the race as Sweden’s Daniel Richardsson and Russia’s Evgeniy Belov set the pace. Germany’s Hannes Dotzler was also high up in the fray, animating the action with an attack on the final lap, which was marked by Norway’s Torde Asle Gjerdalen. The USA’s Andy Newell was well positioned near the front throughout the race and was a strong 5th at the exchange. Canada’s Len Valjas skied well over the first two laps as well but dropped to 11th as the 10km-leg ended.

Leg #2 saw Germany’s Tobias Angerer leading a seven-man group, including Norway, Sweden and USA. However, a motivated chase group soon caught back on to double the size of the lead group, that included the USA’s Kris Freeman who was well-positioned near the front as Russia’s Maxim Vylegzhanin assumed control at the front. Canada’s Devon Kershaw in 12th tried to bridge to the leaders.

Local fans cheered loudly as veteran Giorgio Di Centa (ITA), at his 9th Nordic Worlds, seized the opportunity to attack on the Velena climb on final lap. But Swiss superstar Dario Cologna jumped on his tail, followed by Vylegzhanin, Angerer, Johan Olsson (SWE), and Eldar Roenning (NOR) to create a lead group of six. Freeman and Kershaw did not make the selection, with the American skier handing off to Noah Hoffman in 9th at 1:14 back with Kershaw tagging Ivan Babikov in 12th.

The start of the third leg saw the top six nations stay together with Norway, Russia and Sweden exchanging the lead. Japan’s Nobu Naruse, whose squad was putting together a brilliant race, chased in seventh, followed by the Czech Republic in eighth. USA’s Noah Hoffman had a strong leg with the 5th fastest time but the team remained in 10th as Babikov fought in vain as well. On the final lap Sweden’s Marcus Hellner attacked as Russia’s Alexander Legkov responded along with Sjur Roethe (NOR) as four leaders charged to the final transition as Germany and Switzerland suffered behind.

The final leg of the race started slowly as the strategizing began at a training pace. Suddenly Germany’s Axel Teichmann was able to regain contact with the lead group, while the other trailing skiers also gained back time including the USA’s Tad Elliott. On the second lap of the leg, Elliot was positioned in seventh as Finland’s Matti Heikkinen put in a surge and bridged to the front group putting his team back into contention. Canada’s anchor, Alex Harvey, was too far back to fight for contention.

As the finish approached, the lead group – now six strong – picked up the pace forcing the chasers to dig even deeper. Sweden’s  Halfvarsson finally initiated the attack before the on the last climb up Zorzi and the only skier able to respond was Northug. But the Norwegian veteran was on to Halfvarsson like bees to honey and suddenly they emerged at the front of the race alone contesting the gold. The storming Northug gave Norwegian fans what they were hoping for and defended Norway’s relay title yet again. The USA finished in 10th and Canada ended up 12th.

Full results HERE.
Full results detail HERE.

February 28, 2013 (Val di Fiemme, Italy) – The powerhouse Norwegian squad led by Marit Bjoergen charged to victory today in the women’s 4x5km CL + FR at the 2013 FIS Nordic World Championships in Val di Fiemme, Italy, while Team USA’s Sadie Bjornsen, Kikkan Randall , Liz Stephen and Jessie Diggins, scored a best-ever fourth place. The Canadian women did not finish.

Leg #1 of the race kicked off with the classic mass start as Canada’s Dasha Gaiazova skied strong near the front of a pack that included Norway, Finland, and Russia. The USA’s Bjornsen was also positioned in the top 10. During the second lap, Norway’s Heidi Weng chose the inside track vs the slicker centre lanes to take the lead.

Chasing Finnish skier, Anne Kyllönen crashed and got caught up in the fencing to lose 15s. Weng attacked on the climb gained her a massive 20s gap, which second place, France’s Aurore Jean, and third place, Russia’s Julia Ivanova, fought to earn back. Meanwhile, American Bjornsen had moved into sixth spot, while Gaiazova appeared to run out of steam and fell back through the pack. At the end of the first leg, Weng tagged off to her teammate Therese Johaug with a healthy 20s lead, followed by Finland and Russia in second and third, USA sixth, and Canada 11th.

Leg #2 saw Norway way ahead, while the scrap for silver and bronze continued with Russia moving into second spot and Poland’s Justyna Kowalczyk jumping up to third, while USA’s Kikkan Randall maintained her sixth place spot. Farther into the leg, the Polish ringer threw down a gutsy attack to assume second place and gain time on Norway’s Johaug.

Finland’s Kerttu Niskanen also put in a big dig to bring her crew back into contention, moving up to third. Meanwhile, Kowalczyk heroically caught and passed Norway’s Johaug, leaving Sweden and Finland behind to fight over the bronze medal position. Still in sixth, Randall tagged off to teammate Stephen, with Canada’s Perianne Jones coming through in 12th to tag Emily Nishikawa.

The start of Leg #3 saw Norway’s Kristin Stoermer Stiera quickly pass Poland’s Paulina Maciuszek for the lead, while the battle for bronze heated up, with Finland’s Riitta Liisa Roponen fighting Sweden’s Anna Haag tooth and nail in a back-and-forth nailbiter. Their efforts allowed them to overtake the flagging Polish skier, as they trailed Norway by a massive 35s.

Farther back, USA’s Stephen looked strong and smooth as she cruised up the field to take over fourth place. Back in the medal fight, Haag delivered a big attack the final time up the Zorzi climb to put a gap into Roponen, while Stephen continued to gain time with Russia’s Mariya Guschina in tow.

At the end of the leg, Stiera tagged off to Marit Bjoergen maintaining a 25s lead over Sweden, with Finland crossing in third at 30s. Stephen delivered a 4th place hand-off to US anchor Diggins at 55s in arrears with Russia fifth at 1:03. Nishikawa handed off to Brittany Webster at 3:27 behind.

With such a large advantage going into the final leg, Bjoergen proved unstoppable on her uncontested charge to win the gold medal by 26s over Poland. Sweden’s Charlotte Kalla quickly dropped Finland’s Riikka Sarasoja-Lilja for second spot, while Diggins battled fiercely with Russia’s Yulia Tchekaleva.

The bronze medal was far from sewn up as Sarasoja was obviously struggling. Tchekaleva overtook Diggins and then caught Sarasoja to assume third, while Diggins continued to advance. In the end, the Russian skier was too quick for Diggins, but the young American hunted down the fading Finn to claim fourth for Team USA at 1:12 – the team’s best ever result in that event. It was a tough day for the Canadians as their anchor Webster did not finish.

Full results HERE.
Full results detail HERE.

February 27, 2013 (Val di Fiemme, Italy) – Check out this video interview courtesy of CCC with Canada’s Ivan Babikov after he narrowly missed out on the podium in the men’s 15km individual start free race at the 2013 FIS Nordic World Championships in Val di Fiemme today. His performance marked the best-ever result by a Canadian male in the 15 kilometre individual start skate-ski race at the Nordic World Ski Championships

February 27, 2013 (Toronto, ON) – We are excited to announce the standings for the SkiTrax FIS Fantasy Fiemme Worlds 2013 Contest after the Team Sprint events. Racing is getting hotter in Val di Fiemme as the weekend nears. Read our coverage of Team USA winning historic GOLD in the women’s team sprint, courtesy of Kikkan Randall and Jessie Diggins here.

The competition is just as sizzling in the contest there’s a tie between the top three teams for first place, all in a stalemate at 140 points. The teams are CATZ4LYFE, Team Northug – antoine-briand, and Max’s.

For the complete contest standings after the Fiemme Team Sprint please click HERE.

SkiTrax FIS Fantasy Fiemme Worlds 2013 Contest Prizes

* 1st Prize – Salomon SLab package skis, poles, boots, bindings (value $1,497)
* 2nd Prize – Alpina ESK Ski Boots (value $419)
* 3rd Prize – Fischer Carbonlite Poles ($339)
* 4th Prize – Bjorn Daehlie Exclusive US XC Ski Suit (value $300)
* 5th Prize – One Way Skate 7 Roller Skis (value $250)
* 6th Prize – 2XU Long Sleeve Thermal Compression Top and Elite Socks (value $195)
* 7th Prize –  Ski*go Large Wax Box with XC kickwaxes/cork/scraper (value $190)
* 8th Prize – Fresh Air Experience or High Peaks Cyclery Gift Certificate (value $100)
* 9th Prize – Auclair Micro Mountain Olympic Gloves + Earbags (value $65)
* 10th Prize – Buff Headware (value $23)

Good luck to all contestants and thanks to FIS, Fiemme 2011 and all of our great sponsors including Salomon, Alpina, Fischer, One Way, Bjorn Daehlie, Fresh Air Experience, High Peaks Cyclery, Auclair, and Buff Canada.

SkiTrax is North America’s leading Nordic skiing publication and the official magazine of the United States Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) and Cross Country Canada (CCC).

February 20, 2013 (Val di Fiemme, Italy) – The 2013 Nordic World Ski Championships begin today! Val di Fiemme welcomes over 700 athletes from 57 countries – all names have been unveiled. Let the games begin. Opening ceremony is today at 6pm in Trento and Val di Fiemme

The time has officially come and the curtains are about to be raised tomorrow on the 2013 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Italy’s Val di Fiemme. Over 700 athletes from 57 countries and five continents are going to take the field today (Qualification Rounds XC Men and Women) and will be battling it out until the 3rd of March.

Almost 60 nations will be represented in Cross-country, Ski jumping and Nordic combined competitions. The first training days have already taken place inside the XC Stadium (Lago di Tesero) and SJ Arena (Predazzo).

The World’s best skiers are about to test their abilities on the snow in order to grab a World medal. In cross country, the Norwegian armada will be counting on double Olympic champion Petter Northug who will attempt to improve his Oslo 2011 record of five medals. Dario Cologna, Alexander Legkov (2013 Tour de Ski winner) or Markus Hellner are certainly his main opponents, but the list is way longer and includes also Italian Giorgio Di Centa, Roland Clara and Federico Pellegrino, ready to fight hard in front of their home crowd.

On women’s side, Justyna Kowalczyk of Poland and Marit Bjoergen of Norway will be drawing everyone’s eyes on them, even though Johaug, Steira, Kalla or Randall will surely be in the mix.

The first cross-country qualifying rounds will kick off today at 10.45 am at the XC stadium and everyone’s invited to support athletes from all over the planet from place like Togo, Nepal, Brasil or Perù.

The 2013 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships opening ceremony is scheduled for tonight at 6pm in central Duomo Square in Trento. The national squads will be parading through the picturesque city centre and gathering beside the majestic cathedral, on the square where the torch will be lit and a fantastic show will entertain all the guests with dancers, actors, climbers and much more. The very last minutes of the ceremony will take place in Lago di Tesero (broadcast live on video walls in Trento as well), 150 paper lanterns will illuminate the valley together with fireworks.

Learn more about the courses and legendary climbs of Val di Fiemme HERE.
Read about past World Championship winners in Val di Fiemme HERE.

www.fiemme2013.com

Competition Schedule
During the 2013 FIS World Nordic Ski Championships there will be 8 individual gold medals up for grabs between the two genders (Skiathlon, 10/15km F, Sprint C, 30/50km C) and 4 for team events (team sprint, team relay). In total there will be 36 World Championship medals handed out over 11 days of competition. Stay tuned in with the complete competition schedule listed below.

– 20.02 – Qualifications Ladies 5km – free technique – 10:45 CET
– 20.02 – Qualifications Men 10km – free technique – 12:45 CET
– 21.02 – Sprint Ladies and Men (Qualification) – 10:45 CET
– 21.02 – Sprint Ladies and Men (Final) – 12:45 CET
– 23.02 – Ladies Skiathlon 7.5km C + 7.5km F – 12:45 CET
– 23.02 – Men Skiathlon 15km C + 15km F – 14:15 CET
– 24.02 – Team Sprint Ladies and Men (Qualification) – 10:00 CET
– 24.02 – Team Sprint Ladies and Men (Final) – 12:00 CET
– 26:02 – 10km Ladies Interval Start – free technique – 12:45 CET
– 27.02 – 15km Men Interval Start – free technique – 12:45 CET
– 28.02 – Ladies Relay 4×5 km – 12:45 CET
– 01.03 – Men Relay 4×10 km – 13:30 CET
– 02.03 – 30 km Ladies Mass Start – classic technique – 12:15 CET
– 03.03 – 50 km Men Mass Start – classic technique – 12:30 CET

February 20, 2013 (Whistler, B.C.) – Join Olympic and World Cup gold medalists Devon Kershaw and Alex Harvey, along with rising stars Len Valjas and Perianne Jones as they compete in the Haywood Ski Nationals – the last major domestic racing event before the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

More than 600 of Canada’s best cross-country skiers will race in the 2013 Haywood Ski Nationals, the largest of three Nordic national championships to be held at Whistler Olympic Park, March 23 – 30, 2013.

The Olympic Park is the site of the Sea to Sky Nordic Festival where Canada’s elite winter athletes will compete in Biathlon Nationals and North American Biathlon Championships, Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined Canadian Nationals.

With hundreds of athletes on site for biathlon, cross-country, and ski-jumping/Nordic combined, the event will “return us to the excitement of 2010 Olympics,” says event chair Sherryl Yeager.

“We’ll have more athletes, more races and more adrenalin pumping in this two-week period than we did in 2010,” says Yeager. “This event is going to give you non-stop all-day high-level racing from Canada’s best.”

Whistler Olympic Park is the site of the 2010 Winter Olympics and offers world-class racing trails and a picturesque recreational trail system that meanders through old growth forest in the Callaghan Valley. This is only the third time the Ski Nationals have been hosted in the Sea to Sky Corridor in 20 years. They were first held in Vancouver in 1991 and at Whistler Olympic Park in 2008.

All events are free of charge for spectators.

www.skinationals.com

January 10, 2013 (Soldier Hollow, UT) – Check out this great video with athlete interviews and exciting race footage from the final day of competition by Willy Graves at the 2013 U.S. National XC Championships held in Soldier Hollow, Jan. 2-8 – plus more great photos courtesy of Ian Harvey from TOKO.

January 07, 2013 (Soldier Hollow, UT) – APU’s Sadie Bjornsen (USA) and Stratton Mountain’s Sophie Caldwell (USA) were 1st and 3rd, respectively, at the U.S. National Championship’s 20 km CL women’s race. Both women are headed next to the World Cup in the Czech Republic. Each spoke about their race, competing with each other and working the course together, and expectations at the Liberec World Cup. Bjornsen also talks about competing with her brother while growing up.

Torin Koos (USA) won his first US National Title in a distance race, his second US title of the week and eighth National gold. Koos spoke about the 30km CL race at Soldier Hollow, his history of athletics at the University of Utah, his friends from school, his first World Cup, and the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics as part of his affection for Utah. Koos also sees the sport of Nordic ski racing maturing in North America.

January 03, 2013 (Solider Hollow, UT) – Check out these interviews with newly crowned U.S. XC CL Ski Sprint Champions Jennie Bender and Torin Koos. It was a spectacular finish for Bender in the women’s Classic Sprints, especially after coming off a summer of both mono and Lyme’s disease. Bender talks about acclimating to the altitude, returning to ski at Soldier Hollow, recovering from her double illness, and is looking forward to testing herself in the distance races. In the men’s competition, Koos qualified third and then led most of his heats to take the victory. Hear his thoughts on racing at Soldier Hollow and his excitement for the rest of the 2013 U.S. National Championships.

For the report, results and photos click HERE.

November 08, 2012 (Canmore, AB) – In response to recent comments on reducing the distances of the Open 50 and 30 km mass start events at the Ski Nationals the Events Committee would first like to acknowledge the importance of the National Championships as a celebration of our domestic racing program. We would also like to recognize the hundreds of hours of volunteer time invested in making the Ski Nationals and our other sanctioned events a success every season.

The concept of change was first raised at the April High Performance Meeting in Canmore citing among other things the opportunity of junior and senior skiers in the event racing against one another with our World Cup team on the start line. Our top athletes and coaches at the meeting thought that this was an interesting idea and that the shorter distance would appeal to more skiers given the rigors of just coming off of the World Cup circuit and the prospects of reduced training time for those in Canada because of spring snow conditions.

From the Events Committee perspective it was felt that the concept could further the re-introduction of a Canadian Long Distance Championships during February. The lull in national racing focus during this period has been recognized as a challenge for domestic skiers after the January NorAm period and the Ski Nationals.

Recent comments suggest the tradition of the distance event in offering a unique challenge to participating skiers would be lost. The committee appreciated that for some this is a very important race, but in the same vein, an opportunity of increasing the profile and prestige of our larger loppet events and developing closer ties with these events is also important in forming strong ties within community. In fact a singular mid season distance event could enhance the profile of the distance champion.

The 30 /20 km combined distances resonated well with the Ski Nationals Organizing Committee in June, as the change represented a shorter day for volunteers after what all Ski National organizers feel is a very grueling week. Ending the on snow portion of the final day earlier would lead nicely into a more controlled Awards banquet in the early evening.

Over the next couple of weeks the Events Committee will review the recent on line comments provided by athletes and others and have a second look at the schedule for March 30 in consideration of typical snow and temperature conditions for this period, plans by the Organizing Committee and developments within the sport.

Please do not hesitate to email your comments directly to the Committee c/o ddyer@cccski.com.

Thank you for your input.

October 18, 2012 – The FIS Final Inspection before the 2013 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Val di Fiemme was held on 15th October in Cavalese (ITA). Representatives from FIS, the Italian Winter Sports Association (FISI), the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and their host broadcaster RAI, as well as marketing partner Tridem Sportswere very optimistic when reviewing the preparation work that has been carried out by the local Organising Committee, which also includes representatives from each of the valley’s towns of the valley and region of Trentino.

At the conclusion of the presentations, FIS President Gian Franco Kasper summarised: “I am in particular very positively surprised about the amount of creative side events that are planned to promote the Championships and create a real Ski Festival for everyone who attends. Naturally, there is still some work to do, but preparations are well on track and less than 125 days ahead of the event, we can be confident that everything will be ready on time.”

Both venues in Lago di Tesero for the Cross-Country races and the Ski Jumping hills in Predazzo have been fully renewed in the past couple of years and they were already successfully tested at the beginning of 2012 with the Tour de Ski, Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined FIS World Cup competitions that confirmed the excellent work carried out from a technical, functional and structural perspective. The Tour de Ski 2013 event to be held in Val di Fiemme on 5th and 6th January 2013 will be the final test for the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships.

The official presentation on the current state of preparations by the Fiemme 2013 Organising Committee was followed by various on-site inspections and working group meetings in specific areas. Observers from Falun 2015 and Lahti 2015 also attended the final inspection as part of the FIS Transfer of Knowledge programme designed to exchange information and lessons between Organisers.

March 09, 2012 (Midway, UT) – Check out some great photos from Day 2 of the 2012 US Junior XC Ski Nationals, where the top junior skiers contested the freestyle competitions. Find the full report HERE.

Full results for all categories HERE.

Alaska Cup standings HERE.

March 06, 2012 (Rumford, ME) – Ski conditions are expected to be very good for The TD Bank J2 Nordic Ski Championships being held at Rumford’s Historic Black Mountain of Maine, from Friday, March 9 through Sunday, March 11, 2012.

Elite teams of 14-15 year-old Nordic racers from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, New York, and elite guest teams from Colorado and Wisconsin, will arrive at Rumford’s Black Mountain of Maine Friday, March 9th for three days of intense junior Nordic ski competition.

228 Athletes are registered for this last major Nordic race of the season at Black Mountain of Maine. This event is being hosted by the New England Nordic Skiing Association (NENSA) and the Chisholm Ski Club.

“The Chisholm Ski Club is looking forward to hosting this event,” said Chief of Competition, Roger Arsenault. “This is an exciting event and it’s the first opportunity many of these top junior skiers from the Northeast have had to compete against each other. We are also very pleased to welcome the teams from Colorado and Wisconsin to Rumford.”

Arsenault continued, “The snow made for the US Cross Country Championships in January has held up very well over this very busy competition season and we have accumulated quite a bit of natural snow on top of it. We anticipate conditions will continue to be very good and the club is working to make this an outstanding event for both the competitors and the spectators.”

Arsenault also commented “The Black Mountain of Maine lodge, the tiered parking and bridge access allows both recreational Alpine skiing and Nordic competition events to take place without conflicting with each other. The lodge’s second floor and upper tier parking are always reserved for Alpine skiers on competition days.”

J2 schedule (As of Monday, March 5th. Please check HERE for most current info.)

Friday:
– 9:00 am Course open for inspection
– 9:00 am Race Headquarters open for packets and bib pick-up
– 12:30 pm Coaches Meeting in Base Lodge Conference Room
– 3:00 pm Men 5 km Free Technique- seeded wave start
– 4:00 pm Women 5 km Free Technique- seeded wave start
Flower ceremony immediately following each event

Saturday:
– 8:00 am Course open for inspection Bib pick up in Race Headquarters
– 8:30 am Coaches meeting in lower level of the Timing Building
– 9:30 am Women 5 km Classic- seeded wave start
– 10:30 am Men Free 5 km Classic- seeded wave start
Flower ceremony immediately following each event.
– 11:30 pm Sprint course open for inspection
– 12:00 pm Stadium layout open for inspection
– 2:30 pm Women 1 km Free Technique sprint – seeded wave start
– 3:15 pm Men 1 km Free Technique sprint- seeded wave start
Flower ceremony immediately following Sprint event.
– 6:30 pm Banquet and awards held at Mountain Valley High School Gym.

Must have ticket to enter. Banquet complimentary to all athletes, Team Leader and up to 7 coaches. All others $15.00. Tickets available in Race Headquarters while they last.

Sunday:
– 7:30 am Course open for inspection Bib pick up in Race Headquarters
– 8:00 am Coaches meeting in Hand Timing Building
– 9:30 am Mix Medley Relay 2.2 km, 2.5 km course
Flower ceremony and awards immediately following completion of team scoring

Entered as of Sunday, March 4, the Maine J2 Team (by seed):

Women:
1. Sarah Doak, Caribou
2. Sarah Wade, Mt Blue
3. Lizzy Landry, Portland
4. Ellie Teare, Yarmouth
5. Elizabeth Martin, Freeport
6. Dana Hatton, Cape Elizabeth
7. Emma Houston, Mt Abram
8. Caitlin Teare, Yarmouth
9. India Lucas, Oxford Hills
10. Ihilia Lesnikova, Yarmouth
11. Laura Frank, Portland
12. Lucy Alexander, Harrison
13. Emma Torres, Yarmouth
14. Samantha Pierce, Merriconeag
15. Audrey Garcia, GNG
16. Hanna Renedo, Orono
17. Rachel Ingram, Winthrop
18. Jesse Saffeir, Merriconeag
19. Natalie Wicks, Marranacook
20. Julia Rand, Windham

Men:
1. Aiden Clarke, Gould Academy
2. Ryan Washington, Caribou
3. Carter Hall, Yarmouth
4. Braden Becker, Yarmouth
5. Thomas Faraday, Mt Abram
6. Marcello Duluca, Gould Academy
7. Kamran Husain, MWSC
8. Sam Alexander, Yarmouth
9. Rylee Knox, Leavitt
10. Mitch Harris, Thornton
11. Jasper Houston, Yarmouth
12. Sam Wood, Mt Ararat
13. Dustin Ramsey, Hampden Academy
14. Eli McCurdy, Merriconeag
15. Sam Pratico, Falmouth
16. Graham Roeber, Merriconeag
17. Sean Beaulieu, MDI
18. Ethan Harriman, Maranacook
19. Gabe Mahoney, Falmouth
20. Julian Pelzer, Cape Elizabeth

Maine Coaches:
– Deven Morrill, Cape Elizabeth
– Buzz Bean, Mt Abram
– Sally Bean, Mt Abram
– Kalie Dunn, NYA
– Sara Dominique, Maine Winter Sports Center
– Erin Hatton, Bowdoin
– Bob Morse, Yarmouth
– Aaron Duphily, Chevrus
– Amber Dodge, Maine Winter Sports Center
– Meagan Toussaint, Yarmouth

Event Schedule HERE.

January 06, 2012 (Rumford, Maine) – Famed sports reporter and commentator Peter Graves was on site in Rumford, Maine at the US XC Ski Championships and spoke with women’s 10km FR individual start winner Jessie Diggins (USST-CXC) after her race. Sport insiders have spoken often over the last year about the near limitless potential of  the 19-year-old. Graves also caught up with 15km FR men’s winner Tad Elliott, Caitlin Gregg (formerly Compton), and Sylvan Ellefson.

Interview with Jessie Diggins

Interview with Tad Elliott

Interview with Caitlin Gregg

Interview with Sylan Ellefson

November 21, 2011 (Caribou, ME) – The Maine Winter Sports Center is pleased to host the 10th Mountain Division Junior Nordic and Junior Biathlon Championships in 2012. These events serve as Maine’s state-wide junior championships and offer Maine’s best young cross-country skiers and biathletes the opportunity to show their skills at the highest level of junior racing. For the 2012 season, the 10th Mountain Division Championships have been slated for Rumford and Fort Kent, Maine.

The Chisholm Ski Club will host the 10th Mountain Division Nordic Championships in conjunction with the USSA Cross-Country Skiing Championship junior 10km set for January 6th, at Black Mountain in Rumford, Maine. In the men’s division, look for Tom Rabon (Burke Mountain Academy) and Nick Michaud (Bates College) to battle it out for the title of Maine’s fastest junior man. If either should falter, Cam Reagan (Bates College) will be waiting. On the women’s side, Rachel Hall (Middlebury College) is the one to beat. Shelby Aseltine (Bowdoin College) should offer challenge.

The 10th Mountain Division Biathlon Championship will be run in conjunction with the January 21st Biathlon NorAm competitions hosted by the 10th Mountain Center in Fort Kent, Maine. The field is open on both the men’s and women’s side in this competition as a young crew of biathletes begins to grow. Chester Jacobs (Yarmouth) has the most experience on the men’s side, but Presque Isle natives Jesse and Jon Rochester will be hunting their first victory. The women’s field is crowded with young talent: Tara Humphries (Yarmouth), Danni Anderson (Mapleton), Emelie and Zoe Chace-Donahue (Freeport), and Anna Soderberg (Caribou) may all stake their claim to the title.

In hosting these championships for our young nordic athletes, the Maine Winter Sports Center looks to honor the role that the 10th Mountain Division played in not only helping to win the second world war, but also helping to found the modern ski industry in the United States. For more information, please contact the Maine Winter Sports Center at (207) 492-1442.

www.Mainewsc.org