March 04, 2013 (Nove Mesto, Czech Republic) – Kate Fitzgerald (USA) bettered her performance landing on the top step of the podium at the Slavic Cup in Nove Mesto on day 2 of the competition in the women’s 10km CL Pursuit, leading an American sweep of the top three spots, with Sophie Caldwell and Rosie Brennan finishing second and third, respectively.

Patrick Caldwell was the best American finisher in the 15km men’s event placing ninth, followed by Eric Packer in 20th, and Peter Kling in 28th. Jakub Graef (CZE) won the event.

Women’s 10km CL Pursuit HERE.
Men’s 15km CL Pursuit HERE.

January 09, 2013 (Canmore, AB) – The CCC has announced its list of qualified athletes for the Junior and U23 World Championships in Liberec, Czech Republic, January 20-27, 2013. The following athletes are selected to represent Canada at the event. Find out more about the event HERE.

Junior World Championships

– Frédérique Vézina Club Nordique M.S.A – CNEPH
– Maya MacIssac-Jones Rocky Mountain Ski Racers
– Cendrine Browne Fondeurs – CNEPH
– Katherine Stewart-Jones Nakkertok
– Anne-Marie Comeau Club Nordique M.S.A – CNEPH
– Raphaël Couturier Skibec – CNEPH
– Alexis Turgeon Skinouk – CNEPH
– David Palmer Black Jack
– Ezekiel Williams Nakkertok
– Scott Hill Team Hardwood – NDC TBay

U23 World Championships

– Andrea Lee Strathcona Nordic – NDC TBay
– Marlis Kromm Foothills Nordic – AWCA
– Heidi Widmer Foothills Nordic – AWCA
– Annika Hicks Canmore Nordic – AWCA
– Andy Shields Lappe – NDC TBay
– Patrick Stewart-Jones Nakkertok – AWCA
– Russell Kennedy Canmore Nordic – AWCA
– Colin Abbott Whitehorse

Selection Synopsis
The following athletes are selected to the World U23 and Junior World Championships in accordance with 9.8 of the criteria.

1. Criteria 9.b: In accordance with the criteria the race winners in each event, including each of the four categories (U23 men and women; Junior men and women) were selected as follows:

– Frédérique Vézina Junior Women – 10K skiathlon
– Maya MacIssac-Jones Junior Women – sprint
– Cendrine Browne Junior Women – 10K fr
– Raphaël Couturier Junior men – 20K skiathlon, 10K fr
– Alexis Turgeon Junior men – sprint
– Andrea Lee U23 women – 15K skiathlon
– Marlis Kromm U23 women – sprint
– Annika Hicks U23 women – 10k fr
– Andy Shields U23 men – 30K skiathlon
– Patrick Stewart-Jones U23 men – sprint
– Russell Kennedy U23 men – 15K fr

3. Criteria 9.8.c: The remaining positions up to four men and 4 women for each class were selected considering on the balance between sprint and distance athletes based on consideration of the ranking lists (refer to 6.8.c) for men and woman from the designated selection events.

Junior Women
– Katherine Stewart-Jones was selected considering her third overall placing on the distance ranking list(172.11 CPL) including a 2nd place finish in the pursuit and 2nd place finish in the skiathlon10K;
– Anne-Marie Comeau was selected based on a force majeure. Due to illness, Anne-Marie did not race at the trials event. Anne-Marie was selected based on her demonstrated international potential to achieve the objectives in the criteria based on her results at the Canmore World Cup, NorAm events in December 2012 and her 18th place finish at the WJC 2012.

Junior Men
– David Palmer was selected based on being second on the distance ranking list (184.14 CPL) including 2nd place finish in the pursuit and15K.
– Ezekiel Williams was selected based on being third on the distance ranking list (183.75 CPL) including a 2nd place finish in the sprint, a 3rd place finish in the pursuit and a third place finish in the 15K.
– Scott Hill was selected based on being 4th on the distance ranking list (183.34) including 6th in the pursuit and 4th in the15K.

U23 Women
– Heidi Widmer was selected based on force majeure. Due to a significant fall in the sprint heats, Heidi was eliminated from the sprint competitions and was diagnosed with a possible concussion. Due to this mishap and based on medical advice, Heidi did not race in the 10K free event. Heidi was selected based on her demonstrated international potential to achieve the objectives in the criteria based on her previous international and domestic results. Consideration was also given to Heidi’s 2nd place finish in the pursuit and 2nd place qualifier position in the sprint,

No other U23 women were selected from the distance ranking list due to not being able to meet the U23 IPB distance standards(refer to 9.7 in the criteria) and being too far behind the distance ranking leaders in total CPL.

U23 Men
– Colin Abbot was selected on being 3rd on the distance ranking list (186.44 CPL). Colin placed 3rd in the skiathlon and 4th in the sprint.

Best Wishes from the selection committee to all the selected athletes and staff for a successful Championship in Liberec.

– Michael Badham CCC High Performance Committee
– Lisa Patterson U23-WJC Trip Leader, CCC HP Coordinator, Eastern Canada
– Stéphane Barrette CCC Director of Coach and Athlete Development
– Godefroy Bilodeau participating under a Level 5 coaching assignment
– Thomas Holland CCC Director of High Performance

February 16, 2012 – Russell Currier, 24, a rising star on the US men’s biathlon squad, surprised even himself when he scored a career-best sixth place in the 10k sprint at the IBU Cup in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic last month – read more HERE. He then proved he could do it again when he matched his sixth place in Kontiolahti, Finland last weekend. It was an historic day for the entire US squad, with the team’s best showing ever in a World Cup. Lowell Bailey finished 5th, while Tim Burke placed 13th and Jay Hakkinen was 16th. SkiTrax caught up with Currier after his breakthrough results and here’s what he had to say:

The coaches and I had no idea what to expect out of the sprint race on Saturday. I came down with what I think was food poisoning the day before and wasn’t even sure if I should race. I didn’t feel 100% Saturday morning, but I was close, and with the way shooting and ski speed had been going lately, I made the call and decided to go for it.

I like the course profile in Kontiolahti. It’s very basic and has a good variety of climbs. The -15 Celsius weather wasn’t as fun. I’m not a fan of racing in a buff or with tape on the face, but I didn’t have much choice in the sprint race.

My shooting has felt good the past couple of weeks. Our coach and I worked on bringing my range times down a little bit. I was able to shave off a few seconds for the race on Saturday, which ended up making a huge difference.

Ski speed felt decent considering I had to duck out of the mixed relay the day before. I don’t know what food it was, but this is not the first time this has happened to me in Finland. I didn’t have anyone that I knew was fast around me. All I could do was break the course down into increments and do each one as best as I could. On the last loop, I only had a few splits. Hearing that I was in the top eight helped get me through the last flat section before the finish.

The whole race felt surreal. My goal was to get in the top 40. With the way I had been feeling the day before, I was just hoping to make the top 60 for a pursuit start. The whole day for the men’s team was a tremendous success. It was officially the best day the US men had ever had. I was honored to be able to say that I was part of it.

The pursuit was another good day for our team. I moved down to 23rd, but it was still a good race for me. Prone was decent with one in each stage. I would have liked to have shot a little better in standing, but I wasn’t the only one struggling with shooting that day. Pacing and tactics were much more professional in Sunday’s pursuit than the pursuit in Nove Mesto. My legs felt a little heavy and stiff so I was very surprised when I found out afterwords that I had the 10th fastest ski time.

The IBU Cup field is more competitive than ever. You could say the same thing about the WC field to, but the IBU field has taken the biggest increase the past couple of years. Biathlon is such an up and down sport it’s not always fair to compare results from day to day. I can finish a race and give a better analysis of how it went than the result list can. I’ve had a few mediocre days on the IBU and WCup circuit this season. The sprint race in Kontiolahti was just one of the very good days.

Both races this past weekend were a confidence boost for the athletes and staff. We’re not working any less hard or professionally than the Euros. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be up on the result list. The weekend was simply a good example of this and our organization as a team.

January 17, 2012 (Toronto, ON) – We are excited to announce that over 200 teams have entered the inaugural SkiTrax Fantasy FIS Marathon Cup 2011/12 International Contest and here are the standings after the 50km Jizerská Padesatka in the Czech Republic. Team  jesters has taken the early contest lead with 109 points, followed by TeamDanmark in second with 104 points, and Poiss maraton team in third with 101 points.

View the full contest standings HERE.

The next event on the FIS Marathon Cup calendar is the 60km free technique Dolomitenlauf in Austria on Jan. 22.

FIS Fantasy Marathon Cup Prizes

* 1st Prize – OneWay Premio 10 WCup Skis, Diamond Storm Premio 10 Poles, SNS Premio Pilot Bindings. (value $1,350)
* 2nd Prize – Nipika 4-nights for 2 people in luxurious cabin, including Trail Fees (value up to $1,160)
* 3rd Prize – Alpina ESK Ski Boots (value $449)
* 4th Prize –Halti XC Race Suit Hemmo Set (value $269)
* 5th Prize –  Fischer RCS QF poles  (value $225)
* 6th Prize – Cross Country Canada e-Store Gift Certificate (value $200)
* 7th Prize – Fresh Air Experience or High Peaks Cyclery Gift Certificate (value $150)
* 8th Prize – Rottefella Xcelerator Skate/Classic Bindings (value $120)
* 9th Prize – Auclair Micro Mountain Olympic Gloves + Earbags (value $65)
* 10th Prize – Buff Headware (value $40)

Thanks to all of our great sponsors, including One Way, Nipika, Alpina, Halti, Fischer, Cross Country Canada, Fresh Air Experience, High Peaks Cyclery, Rottefella, Auclair, and Buff.

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).

October 20, 2011 (Dachstein, Austria) – The complete Czech Cross-Country team with fourteen skiers and four coaches have been finishing their last glacier altitude training block on Dachstein, at about 2,800 m above sea level. It takes five minutes to climb up from the colorful fall to freezing winter. And when sunbeams glitter on the white snow plain, mountain tips touch blue skies… the workout on the 10km packed course flies by faster.

“I’m satisfied but not really cool,” the Czech Cross-Country team leader Lukas Bauer says to www.czech-ski.com. “Every year it’s the same. You cannot breathe up here properly, you get tired faster and on top of that my knee has hurt now and then. On the other hand, I can see that despite some setbacks I did not lose too much from what I had trained before.,” Bauer adds while stretching his legs on a bench in front of the guest house.

Czech skiers as well as Czech biathletes have been staying only a few meters lower, beneath the low gondola station. Czech Nordic combined team and ladies’ Cross-Country squad have been staying down in Ramsau. Service staff has been driving for meetings with SRS companies to finalize the selection of material for upcoming winter. There is much more on the training schedule than Cross-Country skiing; running with ski poles, or jogging to relief the body from high training load.

“I’m happy guys could swallow what we had prepared for them. However, we will not find out if we are sucessful until first races,” the Czech Cross-Country team head coach Miroslav Petrasek says. He’s been focused more on five distance specialists. Vaclav Korunka has been responsible for four Czech sprinters.

At first, skiers patiently do some photo shooting change their training and competition gears and line up for a team photo. “The old down!” sprint specialist Dusan Kozisek commands.

Main highlight of the season is definitely the FIS Tour de Ski. “There’s no other option. It would be absolutely beautiful to win it for the third time,” Lukas Bauer dreams and is happy about having the Tour longer by one stage. “Then I want to focus on World Cups. Only if Tour doesn’t go well and there is no chance for the Overall World Cup I would try Vasaloppet,” Bauer reflects on forthcoming season.

“It won’t be a relaxing season whatsoever. All skiers are professionals and they want to win. They can only adjust their program,” Miroslav Petrasek adds. Czech skiers would like to perform well on their home turf in Nove Mesto. The head coach is hoping for a good result of youngster Jiri Horcicka at the Junior World Championships in Erzurum, Turkey.

How does the new cooperation model between Petrasek and Bauer look like? “Lukas has fulfilled what has been required at joint training camps. I can see what his shape is. If he needs me, he can come,” the coach explains. Bauer though does not consult with him the overall training plan. “It’s on me. I need to adapt my training schedule so that it fits with German training blocks and I do not go tired from one training period to another. I know what I need. The main thing is not to make any mistakes in winter when I feel some overload,” Bauer explains.

Also ladies have been training in an unlikely big group. Experienced A team duo Nyvltova and Janeckova were joined by trio Chrástková, Schützová and sprint specialist Grohová. “We are happy to come to the first World Cup with a relay team,” the ladies’ coach Jiri Simunek quotes. “We will see how it goes and decide about future program,” his assistant Tomas Kaspar adds.

Preparation of the two best Czech ladies was slowed down by health problems. Ivana Janeckova was two weeks on antibiotics, Eva Nyvltova has been coping with torn tendon in her sole. She got injured during a running competition. “It happened somewhere around 6th kilometer,” she describes. She was in the lead and in pain finished sixth. Since then she has had taped foot and has gone to laser treatment. Skiing has been limited only to skating. “It should be OK now,” she says.

The Czech Cross-Country team is returning from Dachstein on Sunday. On Monday, October 31 they are leaving again for the final training block in Norway. FIS Cross-Country World Cup kicks off only one week after Norwegian opening in Beitostoelen.

May 11, 2011 – Martin Koukal decided to leave the Czech national Cross-Country team and will take part in distance races next season.

World Champion in 50 km Free from Val di Fiemme 2003, bronze medalist in team sprint from Oberstdorf 2005 and bronze medal winner in relay from Vancouver 2010 decided to leave the Czech national team in favor of loppets.

32 year-old skier from Nove Mesto na Morave plans to return to World Cup racing in the 2012/13 season to be able to qualify for the World Championships in Val di Fiemme 2013 and Winter Olympic Games in Sochi one year later.

“I’ve been in the World Cup very long time and I feel I need a change. It will be a challenge and I like challenges very much,” said Koukal to the Czech media. “Koukal will take part in at least to training camps with the Czech national team and will race at the World Cup in Nove Mesto. I want to have overview about his shape,” explained Czech head coach Miroslav Petrasek.

February 02, 2011 (Nove Mesto, Czech Republic) – Italy’s Dorothea Wierer won her third race of the Youth and Junior Biathlon World Championships, finishing off her successful competition with a gold medal in the Junior Women’s 12.5km Individual event in a time of 40:56.8 and with only two missed shots. Olga Galich (RUS) received only one shooting penalty to grab the silver medal, 25.4s behind the dominant Italian. Florie Vigneron (FRA) also scored nearly perfect on her shooting, missing only one shot. She earned herself a bronze medal, finishing 1:14.7 back.

Canada’s Audrey Vaillancourt just missed the top 10, receiving only one shot on the final round of shooting. She finished 11th at 4:03.0 behind the winner. Team mate Yolaine Oddou (CAN) was just behind in lucky 13th, while Grace Boutot (USA) led her team mates with a 39th-place finish. Emma Lunder (CAN) wound up 52nd with Corrine Malcolm (USA) in 63rd.

Results HERE.

February 02, 2011 (Nove Mesto, Czech Republic) – Simon Desthieux (FRA) won the 15km Individual Junior Men’s race at the Youth and Junior Biathlon World Championships in a time of 41:36.6 and with only two missed shots, while Benedikt Doll of Germany missed four shots to finish second and 27s off the pace, followed by Nikolay Yakushov (RUS) in third with only two shooting penalties and 32.4s back.

Canada’s Scott Gow continued his excellent record at this year’s Worlds finishing ninth with only three misses and 1:52.6 off the leader. “I was so happy when I crossed the finish line to see myself in ninth position. I still can’t believe it,” said Gow, who is a rookie on the Canadian Biathlon Team’s senior development squad this year. “My skiing was as strong as its been all week and my shooting was really solid so I’m very happy with my entire performance. I accomplished what I came here to do.”

Eathan Dreissigacher (USA) led Team USA in 38th, with five missed shots and a 5:14.2 deficit. Vincent Blais (CAN) finished 39th, Aaron Neumann (CAN) was 61st, Benjamin Greenwald (USA) was 79th, Raileigh Goessling (USA) took 87th, and David Gregoire (CAN) did not start.

Results HERE.

February 01, 2011 (Nove Mesto, Czech Republic) – Canada’s Scott Gow led the North American charge for the second straight day at the Youth and Junior Biathlon World Championships posting back-to-back 16th-place finishes.

Maxim Tsvetkov (RUS) earned the world title in the youth men’s 7.5km pursuit over Norway’s Vetle Sjastad Christansen in second while Tsvetkov’s team mate Alexandr Loginov was third. Johannes Kuhn (GER) seized the victory in the junior men’s 10km race,  with Ludwig Ehrhart (FRA) second and Tom Barth (GER) third.

Gow, a 20-year-old Calgarian, held his position in the pursuit competition. He missed three shots in his final two of four rounds of shooting at the range to clock a time of 37 minutes 27.7 seconds in the junior men’s 12.5-kilometre race. Fellow Canuck Vincent Blais finished 52nd.

Team USA’s Raileigh Goessling finished 53rd while team mate Eathan Dreissigacher (USA) took 56th.

Tsvetkov Wins Youth Men’s Title
Tsvetkov won the youth men’s 10km pursuit, his second World title. Vetle Sjastad Christiansen (NOR) was 30.3s behind for the silver medal, while Alexandr Loginov (RUS) took the bronze, only 32.7s off the win.

Stuart Harden (CAN) made up 21 spots in the standings with a strong pursuit race and finished 23rd with a time of 32:47.0. Christian Gow (CAN) also put in a solid effort, finishing 27th (33:02.7), while Macx Davies dropped to 29th at 33:06.2. Sean Doherty (USA) finished 37th with team mate Casey Smith (USA) in 54th.

Youth Results HERE.
Junior Results HERE.

February 01, 2011 (Nove Mesto, Czech Republic) – Ekaterina Zubova (RUS) won the youth women’s 7.5km pursuit, while the junior women’s 10km pursuit saw Italy’s Dorothea Wierer strike gold ahead of Russia’s Aleksandra Alikina and Germany’s Laura Dahlmeier in second and third, respectively.

Wierer led from start to finish, but the final standing shooting stage came down to the wire with Alikina. Wierer missed one shot, but her Russian competitor missed three, giving Wierer the advantage.

Audrey Vaillancourt (CAN) scored the top North American performance with 32nd place and only two shooting penalties. Canadian team mates Emma Lunder and Yolaine Oddou finished 38th and 39th, respectively. Grace Boutot (USA) took 42nd spot with five shooting penalties, with team mate Corrine Malcolm (USA) not far behind in 46th.

Zubova Tops Youth Podium Again
Zubova was followed by Anais Chevalier (FRA) in second and Elena Badanina (RUS) in third for a carbon-copy podium from yesterday’s sprint competition.

Kelly Kjorlien (USA) only had three shooting faults and logged the best North American result in the youth women’s race, placing 26th. Canada’s Rose-Marie Cote finished 39th with Sarah Beaudry (CAN) right behind in 40th. Julia Ransom (CAN) placed 47th, Danielle Vrielink (CAN) was 51st, Carla Wynn (USA) took 52nd, and Tara Geraghty-Moats (USA) was 57th.

Youth Women’s Results HERE.
Junior Women’s Results HERE.