October 24, 2011 (Canmore, AB) – It’s been a busy fall season – as they all seem to be. The days are getting noticeably shorter, and the leaves are evacuating the trees faster than a herd of Elk leaving a meadow when surprised by a pack of dogs. Not that I’m complaining, after a great altitude training camp down under the Utah sun it was back home to Canada where I’ll get almost a month in the “true North strong and free” to finish off my “off season” preparations.

Whister Intensity Camp
A scant six days after returning from the thin Utah air it was time to pack the bags again and head to the lower elevations of the Whistler Valley for a quick and dirty intensity camp. Since it rained almost everyday – we did get pretty dirty – and most of the training we banged out was of the “quick” variety – as we accomplished 4 tough intensity sessions during the 6 day camp.

Whistler is one of the great places to train in Canada and I’m always so impressed with how many great trails there are coupled with the varied terrain of quiet paths and roads to rollerski make it a winner in my book. It was a wet week – but that’s what you get for training so close to the Pacific Ocean in early October and one can’t complain too much after we had 14 days in a row down in Utah with a two week “cold day high” of about 22 Celsius.

The idea for the camp was two-pronged. It was a great opportunity to have everyone together training – the World Cup team and the Senior Development Team – and also to make use of the lower elevation to really rev’ the engines high. While the workouts were tough – it was a great environment and the staff (Mike, Stef, Eric, Adam, Justin, Scott, and Hutchy) deserves a ton of credit for running a smooth and effective camp – not an easy task when there are roughly 20 athletes to look after.

Canmore, AB
I know people hear this too much – but damn Canmore’s sweet. After such a “camp heavy” autumn I’ve really appreciated being home in the Rockies the last couple weeks. I count myself pretty lucky to call this little mountain gem home.

It probably helps that this autumn has been a spectacular one. The weather really has outdone itself – most days are sunny or at least precipitation-free which makes the heavy load of training I’m doing so easy to accomplish.

I had a great Thanksgiving too – since I miss Christmas every year – I was pretty excited that my mom made the journey out West from Ontario to enjoy Thanksgiving with Chandra and I. She spoiled us – whipping up no less than 8 pies during her 6 day trip, an amazing Thanksgiving dinner – and no less than two dozen of the world’s best cinnamon buns. Thank god the training load is high – or else it could have been messy… It was great to catch up with her though – and I feel very thankful that I am able to see my family throughout the “off season” even though my schedule is so busy and they live 3000km away.

“Spray Drag” and Frozen Thunder
Kuhner (my good friend and AWCA coach) organized an uphill grind-fest running race this year to raise money for the AWCA – and he put my ugly mug on the poster (of me rocking a stash’). I just wanted to take an opportunity to say that they did a great job with the race – and it was a leg and lung buster. Hopefully they make it a tradition! Thanks guys – glad I could deliver too – Babs gave me a bit of a scare at the end!

The day of the 7.5km uphill running race coincided with a Canmore nouveau tradition of it’s own – Frozen Thunder. Yes, the name makes no real sense – but we can all agree that it sounds cool.

Two years ago we were fired up when the Canmore Nordic Centre announced it would provide a whopping 400m of snow for the plethora of Nordic enthusiasts to enjoy in mid-October. The excitement to ski in October for a Nordic racer is like the excitement of a “gizmoto” reader getting their paws on Apple’s latest creation – pure unabashed jubilation.

Thanks to the Canmore Nordic Centre who have kept the project growing – last fall it was a 1km loop and this year they doubled down to provide us with a great loop of 1.95km.

Check out the video link from the Globe and Mail HERE.

To be able to ski on good terrain, on good quality snow, starting mid-October is such a huge asset. I’m so thankful for the crew up there at the Canmore Nordic Centre – they are leaders in North America – and how cool is it that Canmore is the only place in North America that does this?! Awesome! Thanks guys!

Yes – Canmore has been sweet. I think I’m a bit nostalgic right now because in only 12 days I will embark on a 5.5 month odyssey overseas as another World Cup race season is upon us. I’m sure I’ll miss home – but I’m really enjoying the days here in Canada before we get things rolling.

I’m so excited to get over there and make it happen. We have a great team and most are feeling great heading into the season. I can’t wait to see what “Team Canada” can do this winter in all categories.

I mean hell, I wouldn’t mind playing a few more ditties’ on the ol’ air guitar – or seeing my teammates melt imaginary faces on their imaginary axes this winter – if you know what I mean.

October 21, 2011 (Salt Lake City, UT) – The Visa Women’s Ski Jumping Team was honoured Wednesday night in New York City at the 32nd Annual Salute to Women in Sports Awards Gala. Team members and their supporting foundation, Women’s Ski Jumping USA (WSJ-USA), were recognized for their perseverance and courage in fighting to gain Olympic status for their sport.

In April 2011, the International Olympic Committee added a women’s ski jumping event to the Olympic Winter Games program beginning in 2014 in Sochi, Russia. Ski jumping (and Nordic Combined) have been the only disciplines in the Winter Games to exclude women.

Ski jumpers Lindsey Van, Jessica Jerome and Alissa Johnson, and WSJ-USA President Deedee Corradini were in New York to receive the award.

“To be honored by such a reputable organization with core values in which I truly believe is amazing,” said Jessica Jerome. “This award isn’t just for me and my team, it represents a much larger group of people and all their efforts and beliefs that helped us get to where we are today.”

The Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF) was founded in 1974 by tennis legend Billie Jean King. Deedee Corradini said it is incredible for the team and WSJ-USA to be recognized by one of the most influential organizations in the world that advocates for girls and women in sports.

“This is a wonderful day for the team, the sport and all of our supporters and sponsors,” Corradini said.

Alissa Johnson, who also received a WSF 2010 Travel and Training grant, hopes others find inspiration in their struggle. “I want our story to show young girls that if they believe in something, they can fight for it no matter what’s thrown in their way.”

2009 World Ski Jumping Champion Lindsey Van said courage helped her and her teammates get through the toughest days. “We stood up as athletes and made it happen,” she added.

2011 Ski Affair – Salt Lake City – October 27
Women’s Ski Jumping USA is also being honoured in Salt Lake City, Utah on October 27 at the 2011 Ski Affair, sponsored by the Utah Ski Archives, which will highlight and honor Women’s Ski Jumping USA (WSJ-USA) for its persistence in pushing for women ski jumpers to be included in the Olympic Winter Games.

The annual event begins at 6 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 27 at Little America Hotel in downtown Salt Lake City and is a fundraiser for the Ski Archives.

After a 10-year battle led by the nonprofit WSJ-USA and women jumpers from around the world, the International Olympic Committee finally announced on April 6, 2011, that women’s ski jumping would be a sanctioned event at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.

“We are thrilled to be a part of this year’s Ski Affair,” said Jenny Holden, WSJ-USA executive director. “We hope our athletes’ achievements are an inspiration for others, especially young athletes who have Olympic dreams too.”

More than 500 people are expected to attend the Ski Affair, which also pays tribute to Salt Lake City’s hosting of the 2002 Games. Deedee Corradini, president of WSJ-USA and former mayor of Salt Lake, is the first and only female mayor ever to accept the Olympic Winter Games flag.

Members of the Visa Women’s Ski Jumping Team, supported by WSJ-USA, expected at the event include 2009 World Champion Lindsey Van, Jessica Jerome and Sarah Hendrickson.

“It means so much to us as athletes to be recognized by the Ski Archives and our community,” said Hendrickson, 17, of Park City, a 2010 Junior World Championship bronze medalist. “To be part of the first group of women ever to compete in ski jumping in the Olympics would be outstanding. That feeling drives me to work hard every day to reach that goal.”

The Utah Ski Archives were established in 1989 at the University of Utah J. Willard Marriott Library. The official repository of the records of the Salt Lake Olympic bid and organizing committees preserves information about the history of skiing in Utah and the Intermountain West.

Details
What: Fundraiser for the Utah Ski Archives
When: 6 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 27
Where: Little America Hotel in downtown Salt Lake City, 500 S. Main St.
Cost: $60 per person
Includes: Dinner, silent and live auctions, photo displays of Utah’s ski history and a drawing for Ski Utah’s new “Yeti pass,” good for one day of skiing at each of the state’s 14 resorts for about $35 per day.
Reservations: May be made through Friday, Oct. 21 at www.lib.utah.edu or by calling 801-581-3421.
Contact: Whitney Childers, 801-503-6099, wchildersmedia@gmail.com

May 04, 2011 (Canmore, AB) – The Alberta World Cup Academy (AWCA) is pleased to announce that Chris Jeffries will be the new Head Coach for the 2011-12 season. Chris will be taking over from Mike Cavaliere, who will continue to act as Program Director.

After a successful first year with the team, we are excited to see Chris’ role continue to expand, providing the opportunity to lead and implement the core programming for athletes in the Learning to Compete stage of Canada’s Long Term Athlete Development framework. In addition to AWCA athletes, Chris will also lead the integration of the Alberta Ski Team and the National Talent Squad.

The Alberta World Cup Academy is also pleased to announce that Stefan Kuhn will also be joining the coaching staff for the 2011-12 season. Stefan, a regular World Cup Skier for the past few seasons and 15th in the sprint race at the 2010 Olympics will pass on his knowledge and expertise to our next generation of skiers. The AWCA is fortunate to have Stefan as a coach and mentor for our developing team. In addition to applying his tremendous practical coaching knowledge, Stefan will study the theory of coaching through courses offered at National Coaching Institute in Calgary.

Eric Groeneveld will also be returning to the AWCA for his third year and will have a strong leadership role working with our Alberta Ski Team/National Talent squad athletes. We have been very pleased with Eric’s continued growth and development as a coach and we expect him to continue to develop in a strong leader.

Mike Cavaliere is very pleased with the AWCA program’s progress during the first three years of operation. “This is an exciting time for athlete development in Western Canada, and we are proud to be at the forefront of these efforts. Our goal, from the start, was to create a very positive environment, which encourages athletes to work hard and to dream big dreams. The 2011/12 Academy coaching and support team is allowing us to take further steps in achieving our program goals and continuing to produce superb results.

The AWCA remains loyal to it objectives of athlete development and will continue to use the very best professionals to help us achieve our goals. Continuing with our resource team in 2011/12:

– Rob Soffer – Strength training
– Dr. Jean Armstrong – Medical support
– Hugh Simpson – Physiotherapy support – www.activemotionphysio.ca
– Patrick Moore – Technical Services

May 02, 2011 (Canmore, AB) – After more than 15 years of skiing competitively (seven of those years on the national team), Stefan Kuhn has retired from competitive cross country skiing. Heading into the 2011 Haywood National Championships this March in Canmore, AB, Kuhn knew it was going to be his last major competition.

Kuhn started racing with Canmore Nordic as a 10-year-old. From 1996-1998 he was a member of the junior national team, competing at the Junior World  Championships twice.

During his first season racing as a senior from 1999-2000, Kuhn tried to get a taste of what life would be like without ski racing full time. After a year of working part time as a chef, and training full time, Kuhn hung up his skis for a few years and turned to working full time.

But it didn’t take long for him to realize just how much he missed the sport, and soon after he decided that he wasn’t ready to leave skiing behind him just yet.

In 2005, Kuhn returned to racing with immediate success. After moving to Edmonton under the guidance of his friend Jack Cook, Kuhn quickly made a return to the upper echelons of XC racing in Canada, earning a spot on the national team in 2007.

The years from 2008 to 2011 proved to be the best of his career, as he represented Canada at multiple World Championships and – perhaps best of all – at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

Looking back over his career, Kuhn says one of his fondest racing memories was “…being handed a silver medal by one of my heroes, Gunde Svan, at the pre-World Cup championships at Silver Star Mountain, in Vernon, B.C. in 1992.”

Following his return to skiing in 2005, he remarked that having good results at the 2006 Tour de Ski at Soldier Hollow gave him confidence that he could ski with the best. That confidence was further reinforced at his first European World Cup sprint in 2007 where he placed 12th, and where Canada had four skiers in the top 15.

Now with many years under his belt having grown up within the competitive ski community, Kuhn has seen a fair bit change for cross-country skiing in Canada. While he admits that awareness of the sport hasn’t increased dramatically, the “…funding has improved significantly for national team members.”

Perhaps the biggest difference is in the calibre and depth of racing in Canada. He admits that in his first year as a senior, breaking into the top 10 wasn’t much of a concern – it was the top three positions that mattered. Now he says it’s a lot harder to break into the top 10 at any national-level race in Canada.

No doubt the increased depth is the result of more investment in sending skiers to Europe, introducing them to the highest level of competition early, and on a regular basis.

As he steps back from the spotlight, Kuhn does have some advice to pass on to aspiring skiers. “The transition from racing in Canada to Europe is the hardest process to make as a skier,” Kuhn told SkiTrax.

“You’ve got to believe,” he continues, “You have to know that the hard work you’re doing is the same that everyone else is doing. You have to believe in yourself, your coach, and your program.”

Kuhn points to skiers like Devon Kershaw and Alex Harvey as proof. “Before, we never thought we could beat them [the Europeans].”

Although Kuhn is stepping down from racing, he is not stepping away from racing. He has signed on to be one of the coaches with the Alberta World Cup Academy, which will keep him busy in addition to his work as a master chef.

Check out Kuhn’s site HERE.

February 07, 2011 (Kelowna, BC) – Heavy snow greated the skiers on Sunday for the 3rd leg of the Haywood Multi-stage competition in Kelowna. The freestyle Handicap races got underway with the men’s competition with Drew Goldsack first out of the blocks. Stefan Kuhn followed 10 seconds later with Graham Nishikawa another 5 seconds back.

Nishikawa soon caught up to Goldsack and the two NST skiers battled the elements over the 15km course. In a sprint to the finish Goldsack finished .3 seconds infront of the Haywood NorAm leader. The race wasn’t over however as George Grey, starting in a non-seeded wave start position had the fastest time of the day with a stage time of 38:20.8.

The Canadian multi-stage format allows skiers to compete for single stage honours ever if they miss a leg. In Grey’s case, the 24-hour stomach flu kept him bed-bound during the prologue day.

SkiTrax caught up with Goldsack after his races: “It was a good weekend for me. The conditions have been excellent at the Telemark Ski Club. They’ve done a lot of improvements to the trails since the last time we raced here in 2003. The sprint course was pretty flat but a 200m+ finishing straight made it a suffer fest to the line. The Prologue and 15km (3x5km) courses were quite tough with some really short and hard steep pitches,” he commented.

“I’m finally coming back into some better shape after being sick. I was feeling pretty good this weekend but I’d say I’m not quite back to the form I had before Christmas,” added Goldsack.

The heavy snow didn’t seem to hold back National Team skier Perianne Jones as she steadily pulled away from the Women’s field finishing 2:27 in front of Junior skier Maya MacIsaac-Jones of the Rocky Mtn Racers. MacIsaac-Jones started 5th on the grid. Andrea Dupont finished 3rd with the 4th fastest time on the day while Rebecca Reid, another young Junior finished with the 3rd fastest time on the day and 5th overall.

In the Junior Girls Pursuit, Suzanne Stevenson of Foothills started beside Jill Reynolds of Black Jack and battled over the 5km course only to pull away over the last 60 meters to a 3-second victory. Susanne Fraser of Black Jack finished 3rd in the multi-stage event.

In the Junior Boys Pursuit, Julien Locke of Black Jack was the strongest on the day and won the overall multi-stage race by 50 seconds. Colin Ferrie skiing for Kimberley Nordic picked up second overall and a silver for the stage while Matt Saurett of Edmonton Nordic moved from 5th on the grid to take third on the day.

Mass start events completed the Haywood NorAm Western Canadians in Juvenile, Midget and younger age categories. Almost 450 skiers competed at Telemark, making the 2011 edition of the Western Canadians one of the largest ever.

Men’s Results HERE.
Women’s Results HERE.

February 05, 2011 (Kelowna, B.C.) – Canadian National Team members Drew Goldsack and Perianne Jones, topped the qualifications on their way to victory at the Teck 1.3km Freestyle Sprints on Friday as another mini-tour gets underway in Kelowna, B.C., also doubling as the Western National Championships.

Chandra Crawford (NST), who qualified third behind Andrea Dupont of the Rocky Mountain Racers in second, fell ill and opted not to continue heading home to Canmore. Jones had the fastest qualifying time in 2:55.24 and took the win over Sarah Daitch (Fort Smith Ski Club) in second and Dupont in third. Juniors Rebecca Reid (AWCA), Dahria Beatty (Yukon Ski Team) and Suzanne Stevenson (Foothills Nordic) finished 4th-6th in the A-Final.

Goldsack was back to his winning form as he grabbed the win over suprise second place finisher Matthew Wylie (Banff Ski Runners) who beat national teamer Stefan Kuhn second behind Goldsack in the qualifications, in third. Rounding out the A-Final were Graham Nishikawa (AWCA), George Grey (NST) and Brian McKeever (Foothills Nordic) of Para-Nordic fame.

Next up are the Prologue races on Saturday.

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

January 14, 2011 – Cross Country Canada is pleased to announce that the following athletes have been selected to the 2011 World Cross Country Ski Championships Team competing in Oslo, Norway from Feb.22-March 6 – selection synopsis to follow.

– Devon Kershaw  (Ona-Wa-Su/NST)
– Alex Harvey (Club Nordique M.S.A/NST)
– Dasha Gaiazova (Rocky Mountain Racers/NST)
– Chandra Crawford (Canmore Nordic/NST)
– Stefan Kuhn (Canmore Nordic/NST)
– Perianne Jones (Nakkertok/NST)
– Ivan Babikov (Foothills Nordic/NST)
– Len Valjas (Team Hardwood/NDC Québec/NST)
– Phil Widmer (Canmore Nordic/NDC Québec/NST)
– George Grey (Blackjack/NST)
– Brooke Gosling (Foothills Nordic/CXC)

January 12, 2011 (Thunder Bay, ON) – Here is another video  courtesy of Team Hardwood’s Graham Longford with highlights from the Classic Sprint heats and finals at the 2011 Haywood NorAm WJr/U23 Trials at Lappe Nordic Centre in Thunder Bay, ON last weekend. Brent McMurtry took the men’s win over Stefan Kuhn and Jess Cockney, who also snagged the U23 victory. In the women’s race, it was Dasha Gaiazova who chalked up another win to her name. NorAm leader Perianne Jones took the silver, while Alysson Marshall doubled as the senior bronze medalist and the best U23 – read more HERE.

January 06, 2011 (Thunder Bay, ON) – Cold conditions and a moderate wind made for a frigid race, dropping to 20 below at Lappe Nordic Centre, but this did not dampen the enthusiasm and drive of 174 racers on site for the competitions. The continuous pursuit races held today were trials to determine who would qualify for positions on Canada’s team at the 2011 World Senior Nordic Championships in Oslo, Norway and the World Junior/U23 Championships in Oteppa, Estonia. A perfect set of classic tracks and a challenging, lung-bursting skate leg, greeted the skiers.

In the senior Men’s category National Ski Team (NST) member, George Grey, of Rossland, B.C. earned a spot to go to Oslo edging out Graham Nishikawa, of Whitehorse in the final meter of the men’s 30km race. The race was described by Grey as a tactical one with several unsuccessful breakaway attempts by NST members Drew Goldsack and Stefan Kuhn in both the classic and skate portions.

“Many of the skiers in this race are at a very similar fitness level so it was difficult to establish any gaps,” said Grey a two-time Olympian. In the end his World Championship spot was decided by toe over Nishikawa as NorAm leader Goldsack claimed the bronze.

“It was awfully tight and very technical out there today,” added Grey. “I don’t really have my shape but I think my experience put me in the front in the end. The last few weeks of training have been challenging because my fitness isn’t there. But it will come around. I’d love to be in Europe even just to watch Devon (Kershaw) and Alex (Harvey) because those guys are flying. It will be fun to get them home and train beside them again, and get ready to race with them again at the World Championships.”

In the Senior women’s category, National Ski Team member Dasha Gaiazova held off a skate leg charge by Brooke Gosling (Foothills Nordic/CXC) to take the win. Ottawa’s Perianne Jones took the bronze after skiing closely with Gaiazova in the classic portion but was overtaken by Gosling in the final 7.5km skate section.

“It was really hard today. I’m not going to lie,” said Gaiazova.“I had really good skis and it was fun to be racing in Thunder Bay. I have really good memories of racing here at the Nationals in 2006, and I was just excited to be racing in Canada and on these trails again.”

In the Under 23 competitions Kevin Sandau and Emily Nishikawa took top honors.  Sandau, of Canmore, Alta., was the top under-23 male, while Emily Nishikawa was the fastest under-23 woman.

Heidi Widmer of Banff, Alta., was the top Junior woman in their 10-kilometre pursuit race with a time of 32:38.8 while Thunder Bay-based National Development Centre skier Andy Shields dominated the junior men’s 20-kilometre pursuit. Shields skated away in the final 10km to a 51-second victory.  Both Widmer and Shields are now guaranteed to go to the Junior Worlds in Estonia.

Races continue Saturday and Sunday and predicted warmers temperatures will likely heat up the action.

With files from CCC.

Full results HERE.

December 22, 2010 (Rossland, BC) – Here are some more great photos from Stages 1 and 3 of the Rossland NorAm Mini Tour taken by Julien Locke. Stefan Kuhn (CAN) took top honours in the men’s tour, while Jessica Diggins (USA) won the women’s overall. Check out the full results HERE.

View more of Julien Locke’s photos HERE.

December 19, 2010 (Sovereign Lake, BC) – It was a day of podium sweeps at the final stage of the Rossland Haywood NorAm mini-tour. The Americans owned the women’s tour podium but the Canadian men responded by taking all three top spots in the men’s. Thanks to the pursuit start, which factored yesterday’s results and time bonuses from Friday’s sprint, the first across the line today took the mini-tour title.

CXC’s Jessica Diggins won the women’s 10km pursuit with a blistering second lap to catch APU’s Holly Brooks and teammate Sadie Bjornsen, who had started 1st and 2nd respectively in today’s pursuit. By the end of the race, the start positions had reversed themselves with Diggins in 1st, Bjornsen in 2nd and Brooks in 3rd.

Bjornsen caught Brooks near the 3km mark, and the two skied the majority of the race together until Brooks started to fade on the final climb. When Diggins went by on the last few climbs, neither APU skier could hold on.

“We skied parallel for a lot of the race,” said Bjornsen. “It was probably mostly habit, just like we ski in training all the time.”

Diggins was trailing Bjornsen and Brooks by 15 seconds heading into the second lap. She was quick to give credit to her wax team for giving her the skis that helped speed her to the finish.

“The coaches did an absolutely awesome job with the wax,” said Diggins. “I’m in awe of how fast our skis were.”

As for her impressive final lap, Diggins said it just sort of happened.

“This might sound kind of weird, but I didn’t really have a race plan today,” she said. “I went into today having had a great weekend, and just waited to see what happened. My coaches have really helped with my classic technique this year, so when I had such good skis I just went for it.”

Conditions were very difficult, with unanticipated heavy snow flying all morning. Some teams struggled with wax, and those that nailed it were rewarded with podium spots.

“It was tough out there,” said Bjornsen. “You really had to pound it to make the skis work.”

“When it started snowing harder during the women’s race, the conditions started to transition,” said Canadian coach Eric de Nys. “We went with a bit more binder under the wax for the guys, mixed with a few drops of klister, and it seemed to work really well.”

The men’s results certainly reflected the Canadian team’s wax choice. Canada’s Stefan Kuhn put the perfect cap on his weekend, winning the men’s 15km pursuit after battling back from a difficult starting position and sprinting to the line with fellow Canuck, 2nd place finisher George Grey. Team mate Drew Goldsack (CAN) nipped Lars Flora (USA) for 3rd.

The race started with Goldsack, Flora and Grey forming the lead group and Kuhn, Jess Cockney (CAN) and Mike Sinnott (USA) chasing them down.

“I had to make up 19 seconds,” said Kuhn. “so I hammered from the start. Cockney and Sinnott went with me, and we caught the lead group pretty quickly, but I was pretty taxed when we did. I spent the middle part of the race yo-yoing off the back. The conditions dictated that the leaders would be working probably 20 per cent harder, so I used that. Coming into the finish I followed George. He plowed 80 meters of fresh snow; I only had to plow 20, so I was able to take him at the line.”

“It was an interesting race,” said 4th place finisher Flora (USA). “I was surprised how fast the three chasers caught us. I need to work on my classic skis a bit; I think I chose the wrong pair today.”

Women’s results  HERE.
Men’s results  HERE.
Overall Mini-Tour results HERE.

December 17, 2010 (Rossland, BC) – When it comes to do-or-die performances, you can’t get much more clutch than Stef Kuhn’s Tech Sprint win in Rossland today. The Canadian National Ski Team (NST) veteran only just returned from racing in Europe on Monday, having been forced home by necessity. Today’s 1.6km freestyle sprint in Rossland, BC was the last qualifier for a sprinter’s spot on the Canadian Nordic World Championship team.

“Whoever wins here will go, and that’s about it,” said Cross Country Canada’s James Cunningham, “the rest of the team is pretty much full.”

On a very technical course, Kuhn took the win in a hard-fought sprint to the line over teammate Drew Goldsack after the two Canucks gapped the field just before the last corner. Fellow NST skier George Grey finished 3rd, with Lars Flora (USA), Phil Widmer (CAN) and Mike Sinnott (USA) rounding out the top six.

On the women’s side, the competition was just as stiff; so stiff in fact that Canada’s Perianne Jones and American Holly Brooks (APU) tied for 2nd just meters behind US winner and Brooks’ teammate, Sadie Bjornsen. The women’s final saw all top six qualifiers from this morning battling for podium positions. Jessica Diggins (USA) finished 4th, Heidi Widmer 5th and Andrea Dupont was 6th. Having so many top skiers in the final is something that winner Bjornsen said made for a good, clean race.

Tied for second makes Ottawa’s Jones the top Canadian, which also secures her a spot at the World Championships. She said today’s result is a huge weight off her shoulders.

“It’s a big time relief,” said Jones. “I was pretty nervous this morning and right up ’till the final.”

Despite her dominance on the domestic sprint circuit this year, today was no cakewalk for Jones. In her final heat she battled with 3rd fastest qualifier Heidi Widmer (AWCA) and 6th fastest qualifier, Andrea Dupont, and both were contenders to challenge for he World Champs position.

“I was very concerned about them, especially because it’s so hard to pass on that course. I wanted to get out front, so I basically went as fast as I could off the start. Most importantly I wanted to be safe on the corners.” Indeed, being taken out by an aggressive competitor would have been disastrous, especially considering the Americans have no qualification spots on the line this weekend.

With her big race out of the way, Jones said she’s excited about the rest of the mini-tour.   She said she likes the idea, and that “in Canada, it’s good for people who usually just race sprints to get some other races.”

Women’s full results HERE.
Men’s full results HERE.