March 20, 2013 (Fairbanks, Alaska) – Bert Boyer, Ph.D., who is a Professor of Molecular Biology, a Director at the Center for Alaska Native Health Research and Associate Director of Human Health, Institute of Arctic Biology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks is trying to raise money for NNF by selling his photos to parents and athletes – check out his great photos on his web site HERE.

February 01, 2013 (Obertilliach, Austria) – The Canadian squad finished an impressive 7th in the Junior men’s 4×7.5km relay at the IBU Youth and Junior Biathlon World Championships in Obertilliach, Austria, while their women’s teammates placed 10th in the Junior momen’s 3x6km event.

The Norwegian men’s squad took the top spot in a time of 1:18:33.2 with a total of 13 shooting penalties. The second place French team shot much cleaner with only six penalties, but they had to settle for silver at only 14s back from the leaders. Team Russia grabbed the bronze with 16 penalties and trailed by 50s.

The Canadians, Menno Arendz, Christian Gow, Jasper Mackenzie, and Macx Davies, amassed nine penalties and finished 4:55.2 behind.

In the Junior women’s race, the Germans were in a league of their own, acquiring only one penalty to finish in a time of 52:39.4, a whopping 2:03.4 ahead of second place, Ukraine, with eight shooting penalties. The Russians finished third with 11 penalties and a 2:24.8 deficit.

The Canadian team of Rose-Marie Cote, Julia Ransom, and Emma Lodge were 3:52.1 behind with 10 penalties. No Americans completed in either relay.

Results
Junior men HERE.
Junior women HERE.

January 25, 2013 (Obertilliach, Austria) – USA’s Sean Doherty, 17, won a silver medal in the Youth men’s 7.5km sprint as the 2013 IBU Youth and Junior Biathlon World Championships kicked off today in Obertilliach, Austria. Fabien Claude (FRA) won the race in a time of 21:12.4. Doherty trailed by 3.6s. Both competitors logged two shooting penalties.

This is the first World Championship podium for Doherty had the fourth fastest skiing time, and climbed five positions on the last lap of the race to finish second. “It is hard to believe that I have worked all of this time towards this goal but now it is here I am still a little bit in shock,” said Doherty at his third trip to the IBU Youth/Junior World Championships.

“My strategy today was no different than any other race. I stared the two laps skiing well but under control. On the last lap I got a split from my coach that I was in fifth, really close to third, and I just gave it my all on the last lap. My main goal is to keep calm in the pursuit and have a really good race.” Doherty will race in Sunday’s 10-kilometer pursuit.

“We are very exited about Sean’s race today,” said U.S. Biathlon Coach Vladimir Cervenka. “He did great and according his plan he saved his best for the last loop. It will be fun to watch the pursuit on Sunday.”

The fastest Canuck of the day was Stuart Harden in 20th place, while teammates Carsten Campbell and Arthur Roots finished 30th and 59th, respectively. Other North Americans include USA’s Jakob Ellingson in 62nd, Matthew Strum (CAN) in 69th, Jordan McElroy (USA) in 79th, and Brian Halligan (USA) in 88th.

Uliana Kaisheva (RUS) won gold in the Youth women’s 6km sprint in a time of 18:08.7 with only one shooting penalty. Anna Kubek (USA) was the top North American woman in 34th spot, followed by Canadian Sarah Beaudry in 36th. Mikaela Paluszek (USA) finished 65th and Leilani Tam Von Burg (CAN) tied for 71st place. Canada’s Emily Dickson was 75th, Charlotte Hamel (CAN) finished 80th, and Aleksandra Zakrzewska (USA) placed 84th.

Youth Women results HERE.
Youth Men results HERE.

January 24, 2013 (Liberec, Czech Republic) – On Day 4 of the 2013  U23/Junior Nordic World Ski Championships, Ragnhild Haga took home  the first gold medal for the ambitious Norwegian team winning the women’s 10km FR race. The men’s 15km FR competition was clearly dominated by the Russians as they won gold and silver.

Team USA’s Caitlin Patterson and Erik Bjornsen led the North Americans, placing 14th and 15th in the women’s and men’s competitions, respectively.

Kazakhstan also celebrated their first medal of the championships winning silver in the women’s 10km thanks to Anastasia Slonova, while the bronze medal went to Italy, courtesy of Debora Agreiter.

USA’s Sophie Caldwell finished 17th in the women’s race, with teammates Annie Pokorny and Elizabeth Guiney in 29th and 42nd, respectively. Heidi Widmer posted the top Canadian women’s result in 28th place, while Annika Hicks finished 37th, Andrea Lee placed 40th, and Marlis Kromm took 43rd.

Bjornsen’s men’s teammate Sam Tarling finished 39th in the 15km event, followed by David Norris in 50th and Eric Packer in 54th. Top Canadian man was Colin Abbott in 63rd. Patrick Stewart-Jones (CAN) finished 71st.

Women’s 10km Individual Free – Haga Scores First Gold for Norway
Fifty one women set off on the demanding course in Vesec on Thursday morning. The conditions were worsened by thickly falling snow and hard frost. Nevertheless, only two skiers failed to reach the finish.

“I am really satisfied. Today, it was a real exhausting race; I could not afford to relax. Two years ago, I triumphed at the junior world championship so I am happy that I managed to pick up on this success,” said winner Ragnhild Haga.

Haga literally flew through the course and left second-placed Slonova half a minute behind. She was especially strong in the second half of the race. It was the young Kazakh, however, who performed admirably after the unsuccessful first third of the race when she overtook seven competitors and got a well-deserved silver.

Anastasia Slonova: “I feel good after the race. I am really pleased with the result. We watched the weather carefully, so we were able to prepare the skis very well. It is a great achievement for us, indeed. We picked up on the successful performances during the World Cup competition which took place in Liberec few days ago.”

Debora Agreiter: “I do not know what I lacked for being the second placed. I guess I did not have enough strength at the end; after all, it was a difficult race. But I am still excited about the third place.”

Men’s 15km Individual Free – Russian Dominance
The strong Russians again confirmed their role as favourites of the cross-country competitions. The 15km freestyle was won by Sergey Ustiugov ahead of Evgeniy Belov. The bronze medal goes to Germany thanks to Thomas Bing.

Just before noon on Thursday, 84 competitors set off on an extremely demanding course in Vesec. Conditions were really difficult, as the skiers were slowed down by freshly fallen snow.

Ustiugov dominated the whole race and was the fastest at all split times. In the end he triumphed with a lead of nineteen seconds. The twenty-year-old Russian followed his great performance of last year at the WC in Turkey, where he won four gold medals. His countryman Belov won his second medal at these championships. On Tuesday, it was silver in the sprint.

“It is fantastic! I feel really wonderful. I achieved my goal: I was in first position for the whole race. I feel really happy,” rejoiced the confident winner Sergey Ustiugov from Russia after the finish.

Evgeniy Belov: “I am really satisfied with the result of the race. Today´s race was just a training for the next month – I will started at the FIS Nordic World Ski in Val di Fiemme in Italy, so I did not expect medal. That pleased me more.“

Thomas Bing: “I am incredibly happy. Today, it was a really tough race. I did not want to overvalue the start; I saved my energy for the end. And it was worth it: as time went on, I worked my way to the fourth place – thanks to the cooperation with Clementini from Italy, as well. And then, I got enough strength in the finish.”

Women’s 10km Free results HERE.
Men’s 15km Free results HERE.

Complete results are available at www.liberec2013.cz.

January 09, 2013 (Thunder Bay, ON) – Here are some great photos from last weekend’s Haywood NorAm and U23/Junior trials, Jan. 5-6, at the Lappe Ski Centre in Thunder Bay as athletes made their bids for selection to the various upcoming World Championship teams. Results HERE. Read more about the races: Day 1 HERE, Day 2 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

January 02, 2013 – Due to the generosity of the Cross-Country community and the exceptional efforts of Programs, Coaches, individuals and Junior skiers from past J1 Scando Trips, the National Nordic Foundation’s drive for funding for this year’s J1 trip Pillar Project has exceeded all goals. That means that the Nordic Foundation’s support for the trip will knock the per athlete cost for a loop. Last year’s ground cost was $1,700 and the anticipated cost of this year’s was $1,800. With the help from NNF this year’s athlete ground cost is reduced to $750!

Thanks go out in many directions, and let’s take this as an example of what we can do a little bit at a time.

We are getting close to the qualifying races, and we hope this puts a spur to the rides! With the reminder that qualifying athletes must be able to commit to the trip immediately upon the naming of the Team, we wish everyone the best of luck.

To learn more or to donate click HERE.

April 23, 2012 – NENSA is pleased to announce Justin Beckwith as our 2012 New England Coach of the Year! Justin has been quietly managing the Green Mountain Valley School Nordic Program for several years now. He has coached GMVS athletes through successful junior careers and instills a love of skiing and outdoor adventure into them as well. A world class athlete himself, he knows what it takes to be a student of the sport and his program ensures that there is enough of a challenge intermixed with plenty of fun!

Justin wrote via email: “I’ve been really lucky to work with an impressive group of skiers over the past six years here in Waitsfield. My goal as a coach is to make all around skiers and expose kids to adventures that create a passion for sport and competition. Pursuing your dreams as a ski racer is an ultimate adventure and it is inspiring to help kids follow that path. It has been awesome to watch our alums continue to ski and improve in college and beyond.

We’ve had five Junior National Champs and three athletes placed on the J1 Team since I’ve been at the Green Mountain Valley School. We are really excited about our summer training programs with athletes like Tim Reynolds, David Sinclair, Dylan Grald and Heidi Halvorsen leading guests from throughout New England.”

Justin has been coaching at GMVS for 6 years, was J1 Scando trip leader in 2009, World Junior Coach in 2012 and the New England Team Wax Tech 2009-2012. For four straight years in a row, Justin has also managed the production of 55- 65 pairs of skis per race at Junior Nationals- this is no easy feat to keep the New England train rolling! His calmness through the inevitable storms of wax testing and making the right calls, consistently put out the best skis on the best skiers day in and day out during a busy week.

Through all of this he stresses the team effort to make New England such a great ski community. In true spirit, Justin recaps his season on a recent blog post:

“Thanks for helping make this winter a success for New England– the enthusiasm of the Nordic Community in our region overshadowed any lack of snow. It was a huge year of successes for Eastern Skiers from the BKL level, at Junior Nationals and NCAA’s. I’m proud to be a part of this energy and I look forward to collaborating with many of you in the future.”

We congratulate Justin and wish him much success as he continues to educate and challenge his skiers to even more success in the future.

Coach of the year award history
– 2012 – Justin Beckwith
– 2011 – Sverre Caldwell
– 2010 – Pepa Milochoeva
– 2009 – Matt Boobar
– 2008 – Eileen Carey
– 2007 – Rob Bradlee

Donations Double-Matched – $10,000 Bonus
Another donor has stepped in to add to the challenge we announced on Friday. Instead of being matched $1 to $1, all donations to the Annual Fund are now matched with $2 for every $1 donated.

Your $10 donation becomes $30 to NENSA… your $50 donation becomes $150… And if we meet the $5,000 match (we’ve raised $2,005 toward it so far) then the new donor will also give a $10,000 bonus to the annual fund. Please be part of helping us reach this goal and earn this very important contribution to NENSA. I can’t think of a better way for our members to welcome our new Executive Director than with the energy and momentum that a successful annual fund can provide. And successfully meeting this match will mean that we’ll surpass our Annual Fund goal and have an opportunity, like last year, for our Board of Directors to designate even more funding to some of your favorite programs like the Athlete Fund and Skis for Kids.

So, please take advantage of the match today! Every dollar becomes three! How often do we have an opportunity like this?

Please donate today and help spread the word to your friends; we NEED your help to meet this challenge! And donating online will take just 5 minutes. Please help us reach the goal and continue to bring wonderful winter memories to New England families.

Click HERE to Donate.

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.

February 24, 2012 (Erzurum, Turkey) – Canada’s Anne-Marie Comeau and Geoffrey Richards posted impressive top-20 results in their respective skiathlon races at the Junior World Championships in Erzurum, Turkey on Friday. In the women’s 5km classic + 5km freestyle event, Comeau skied solidly in both techniques – 21st in classic, 20th in freestyle – and had one of the fastest transitions (6th) in the competition, eventually finishing in 18th. Comeau’s performance is all the more impressive in that she is one of the youngest competitors at the these championships.

The women’s skiathlon event was won by Slovenia’s Nika Razinger. Canada’s Dahria Beatty also had a good result finishing 23rd. Teammates Emilie Stewart-Jones and Janelle Greer placed 41st and 47th respectively.

Americans Mary O’Connell and Corey Stock finished in 42nd and 43rd, respectively, followed by Emily Hannah in 51st. Stephanie Kirk was a DNF.

In the men’s 10km + 10km event, Richards shook off a weak classic leg (42nd), and after a quick transition, powered his way up into 20th position overall after skiing the 14th fastest skate leg. The USA also fielded a number of competitors in today’s skiathlon events with Logan Hanneman posting a solid 23rd result. Today’s men’s race was won by Russia’s multi-medalist Sergey Ustiugov.

Also racing today was Canada’s Alexis Turgeon in 31st while Knute Johnsgaard was 49th. For the USA Michael Vigers finished in 54th, followed by Will Wicherski (57th) and Forrest Mahlen (72nd).

Women’s skiathlon results HERE.
Men’s skiathlon results HERE.

February 22, 2012 (Erzurum, Turkey) – Canada’s Dahria Beatty and Janelle Greer, both of Whitehorse, cracked the top 30 in Wednesday’s women’s 5km classic race at the Junior World Championships in Erzurum, Turkey. Beatty finished the race in 25th and just over a minute back of the winner, Russia’s Natalia Zhukova. Greer was close behind Beatty in 28th. Also racing for Canada were Anne-Marie Comeau (39th) and Emilie Stewart-Jones (42).

The USA contingent consisted of three skiers in this morning’s race including Corey Stock (40th), Mary O’Connell (54th), and Stephanie Kirk (61st). Emily Hannah did not start.

In the men’s race, which was won by Russia’s Sergey Ustiugov, Canada’s Alexis Turgeon posted the top North American result finishing in 33rd place, followed closely by the USA’s Logan Hanneman in 35th. Also suiting up for the USA were Will Wicherski (61st), Michael Vigers (68th), and Cole Morgan (78th).

Canada’s Geoffrey Richards (41st) and Knute Johnsgaard (73rd) also raced today.

Full women’s results HERE.
Full men’s results HERE.

February 21, 2012 (Erzurum, Turkey) – The 2012  Junior/U23 World Championships kicked off in Erzurum, Turkey on Monday with freestyle sprints for the Juniors. Canada’s Janelle Greer of Whitehorse, YK, led a youthful contingent of North Americans, finishing 28th in the women’s skate-sprint event. After finishing 26th in the qualification run, Greer was eliminated in her quarterfinal heat.

No other Canadian or American athletes qualified for the heats. This was Greer’s third trip to the Junior Worlds as Sweden’s Stina Nilsson won the women’s sprint.

Also representing Canada in the women’s event were Dahria Beatty (48th), Emilie Stewart-Jones (55th), and Anne-Marie Comeau (57th), all of whom are among the youngest competitors in the race.

Canada’s Alexis Turgeon narrowly missed qualifying in the men’s sprint placing 33rd in qualification. Teammates Knute Johnsgaard and Geoffrey Richards were 51st and 52nd respectively. Russia’s Sergey Ustiugov won the men’s gold.

“We are a very young team and there is a huge learning curve for these athletes,” said national team coach, Eric de Nys, in team release. “These athletes are skiing at altitude for the first time, which is a whole new experience. These are the best athletes in Canada for their age, and for some it is the first time they’re racing against the top athletes in the world, so they also learn it is time to get their work boots on.”

Eight American athletes also competed in the Monday’s junior sprints, although none qualified for the heats. Competing in the women’s event were Corey Stock (41st), Emily Hannah (49), Stephanie Kirk (51st) and Mary O’Connel (58th). Reese Hanneman narrowly missed the heats, qualifying in 34th position, followed by teammates Cole Morgan (35th), Will Wicherski (72nd) and Forrest Mahlen (87th).

Women’s Qualifications HERE.
Men’s Qualifications HERE.
Women’s final results HERE.
Men’s final results HERE.

February 21, 2012 (Kontiolahti, Finland) – The IBU World Junior Championships got underway in Finland yesterday and Canada’s Julia Ransom led all North Americans with an eighth-place finish in the Youth Women’s 10km Individual competition. The 19-year-old Ransom, from Kelowna, B.C., missed only three shots in four rounds of shooting, and finished with a time of 41:38.1.

Germany’s Julia Bartolmaes captured the first gold medal while Galina Vishnevskaya of Kazakhstan won the silver medal, with Norway’s Hilde Fenne grabbing the bronze.

Three other Canadians and three American women also hit the start line. Anna Kubek (USA) was 30th while Sarah Beudry (CAN) was 33rd; Tara Geraghty-Moats (USA) placed 44th, while Rose-Marie Cote (CAN) finished in 47th place. Erin Oliver-Beebe (CAN) finished in 50th, with Melissa Manning (USA) and Mikaela Paluszek (USA) finishing up in 58th and 72nd place, respectively.

Youth Men 12.5 km Individual Pursuit
France’s Aristide Begne missed just one shot on his way to gold ahead of Maksim Romanouski from Belarus, with the Ukraine’s Artem Tyshchenko finishing in the bronze medal position.

Calgary’s Christian Gow led the North American men in the 12.5-kilometre individual pursuit competition. The 18-year-old missed one shot in each of his four bouts on the range to finish in 11th overall.

Following Gow was Sean Doherty (USA) and Samuel Dougherty (USA), finishing in 26th and 28th position. Canadians Albert Bouchard, Stuart Harden, and Carsen Campbell finished mid-back (36th, 38th, and 41st place), while Nicholas Proell (USA) finished 55th and Jacob Prince (USA) ended up in 83rd place.

Women’s 10k Individual results HERE.
Men’s 12.5k Individual results HERE.

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

November 09, 2011 (Cambridge, ON) – Andy Shields, named Best Overall Junior Male in North America in 2010/11 by SkiTrax readers, won the the Tim Turow Award which is the Cambridge Athlete of the Year Award, this past Friday at the Cambridge Sports Awards banquet at the Cambridge Holiday Inn.

At the Junior Worlds trials, the 20-year-old won the the 15km skate, placed third in classic sprint, and won the 20km pursuit to qualify for the World Championships where he finished 31st in the classic sprint and in the 20km pursuit.

Read the full story in the Cambridge Times HERE.

March 21, 2011 (Canmore, AB) – Here are some more great photos from Saturday’s Junior and Juvenile races at the 2011 Haywood Ski Nationals in Canmore, AB.

March 18, 2011 (Canmore, AB) – The Juvenile and Junior categories competed in the 1km Teck Classic Sprints yesterday at the 2011 Haywood Ski Nationals with Quebec’s Emilie Stewart-Jones of Nakkertok winning the Juvenile Girls race and Angus Foster of Big Thunder taking top spot in the Juvenile Boys competition. Alexia Rancourt of Mont Ste. Anne won the Junior Girls title with Julien Locke of Black Jack snapping up the victory in the Junior Boys race. Today is a rest day at the Nordic Centre before racing wraps up tomorrow with the mass start long distance skating events.

Full Results HERE.

Results (brief)

Juvenile Girls
1. Emilie Stewart-Jones
2. Sophie Carrier-Laforte
3. Anne-Marie Comeau

Juvenile Boys
1. Angus Foster
2. John Connor
3. Olivier Hamel

Junior Girls
1. Alexia Rancourt
2. Gabrielle Lemire
3. Camille Burbidge Izquierdo

Junior Boys
1. Julien Locke
2. Simon Lapointe
3. Fred Weaver

January 27, 2011 (Otepaa, Estonia) – Using her experience as a former Junior World champ, Finland’s rising star Krista Lahteenmaki dominated Thursday’s U-23 10km free technique in Otepaa. Her winning time of 26:33.3 was one minute ahead of runner up Mariya Guschina of Russia while third place went to Norway’s Hilde Lauvhaug.

Lahteenmaki, recently a remarkable 8th overall at this year’s Tour de Ski, controlled the race from the start. On the 3×3.3km course she was in the lead after every lap. The talented Swede Hanna Brodin was not far off her Finnish rival’s pace on the first lap, but the sprinter who was impressive this past weekend in Otepaa finishing second claiming her first world cup podium, paid the price for starting too fast on the challenging course and finished 14th.

Lahteemaki was pleased with her effort today. “I am happy about the victory – the feeling of being the U-23 World Champion is nice. The weather was very cold, but everything else was very good. My skis were good, the track was good. It’s a demanding course here in Otepaa. Now I will concentrate on my next race.”

For the North Americans, it was Canada’s Emily Nishikawa leading the way with a top-20 results placing a strong 16th in 28:41.5. Sadie Bjornsen was the top US skier in 23rd in 29:31.1 followed by Canuck Alysson Marshall in 25th with a time of 29:34.5.

“I was pretty happy with how things went today,” Nishikawa told SkiTrax. “I started off pretty smooth and relaxed, then on my 2nd lap I caught a sweet ride from a German girl who was just starting.  I felt strong, pushed my hardest, and I paced it pretty well so I’m really happy with this race.

“It was pretty cold today, but being from the Yukon I’m used to it and prefer racing at colder temps.  I’m looking forward to the rest of the week, it should be really exciting,” added Nishikawa.

“I had a decent race today. I was careful not to start too hard and I focused on being strong and relaxed throughout the race,” Marshall told SkiTrax by email. “The course had some difficult climbs but there were downhills after which allowed for some recovery.

“A Norwegian passed me about 1.5km before the finish and I stayed with her into the stadium so I got a good ride up the last couple climbs. I am excited to race the classic sprint on Saturday!”

Caitlin Patterson (USA) who was recently on the podium at collegiate races in Lake Placid was 26th in 29:34.8. Sara Hewitt (CAN) finished in 28th, Becca Rorabaugh (USA) was 29th and Erin Tribe (CAN) placed 36th.

Full results HERE.