November 18, 2011 – Wow, another race season is roaring into action already! With one race under my belt and my first World Cup start of the year just over a week away, it’s high time that I update you on what the heck I’ve been up to all summer! I apologize in advance for the lack of detail but in lieu of a novel, I figured it’d be best to just give you the Coles Notes…

As it seems to be the case with most summers of training, the time flew by. I regret not writing an update sooner but my website was being held hostage by my previous web hosting company (long story) and I have finally completed the arduous task of moving my website to a new host. I hope you enjoy the newly designed drewgoldsack.ca, check back often for updates throughout the winter!

As is the case with most years, I started off the spring pretty much living at the ski hill. Sunshine Village near Canmore is generous enough to comp NST members lift tickets, so come April I’m a full time hill rat. Springtime in the Rockies almost always brings big dumps of snow and I enjoyed some incredible steep and deep days this spring!

From the majestic snow covered peaks of the Rockies, I headed across the prairies to Eastern Manitoba and the rugged terrain of the Canadian Shield to try my hand at ranching. For a guy who grew up in the prairies, I am embarrassingly green when it comes to anything ranch.

However, it didn’t take long to tune into the cowboy blood that, as it turns out, has been coursing untapped through this Alberta boy’s veins…well at least that’s how I saw it anyway! I spent an incredible week horseback riding, crust skiing, sauna-ing, being entertained by newborn lambs, eating freshly laid eggs and relaxing next to a wood-fired stove.

Three lambs were born just before my arrival, which was good news as delivering lambs may have been just a little outside of my abilities. Plus, I got to experience all the fluffy cuteness and none of the gooey sponginess! After being repeatedly stared down and stomped at by the mama sheep, one thing’s for certain: “The older they get, the cuter they aint!” to steal a classic line from The Simpsons.

Though it was hard to leave the serenity of ranch life behind, the beach was calling, and I soon headed off to Miami for some sun and last bit of non-athlete fun before starting up with training for yet another season. Elated to find out that I had been named to the National Team for another year, I was also really looking forward to building on a great season of training with the Alberta World Cup Academy. This year’s training kicked off with the AWCA at an on snow camp in Silver Star in May, followed by a great road bike camp in Kaslo, BC in June.

From there, I made a quick trip up to the Haig Glacier (the best kind of trip to The Haig imho) with the National Team that was actually delayed for a week by TOO MUCH snow, so much snow in fact that they couldn’t find the buried Pisten Bulley on the glacier! The glacier camp was followed by a great month spent training at home in Canmore and a quick trip to the eastern beaches of Cape Breton Island for a friend’s wedding.

The late summer brought a training camp in Whistler with the Academy and then an incredible high altitude camp in Park City, UT with the National Team. From there, I headed back to Whistler with the NST for an intensity block which included four hard intensity sessions in six days and a week of torrential rain… luckily, spending the week shacked up at the Four Seasons Whistler offset the lousy weather!

With fall in the air and more leaves on the ground in Canmore than feral bunnies, I returned home for some much needed rest. It wasn’t long before Frozen Thunder (Snow stored under sawdust from the previous winter… I know, it sounds crazy but it actually works!) was rolled out at the Canmore Nordic Centre (October 15th) and before I knew it the ski season was under way! The last two weeks of October delivered outstanding ski conditions in Canmore and I was able to log a lot of hours on snow before taking off for Europe and the start of the World Cup season….

It’s shaping up to be a great year of racing, see you out there!

– Drew Goldsack

Overheard:
‘I’m going to log out of Facebook, Seriously.’ – Alex Harvey

In the Tape Deck:
Artist: Ben Howard, Album: Every Kingdom
Artist: Bon Iver, Track: Calgary (Cillo Remix)
Artist: Devil Makes Three, Track: Chained to the Couch
Artist: Active Child, Track: When Your Love is Safe

On the Tube:

November 17, 2011 (Toronto, ON) – The final deadline to register your team for the annual SkiTraxFIS Fantasy World Cup 2011/12 Contest is on Friday, Nov. 18 at 10 pm EST – the day before the first FIS World Cup race in Sjusjoen, Norway.

We are excited to announce that over 300 teams have registered. The SkiTrax Fantasy Contests are the only ones of their kind worldwide, so don’t miss your chance to enjoy top level xc ski racing and win great prizes –  good luck to all contestants.

To register click HERE.

SkiTrax Fantasy FIS World Cup 2011/12 Contest Prizes
* 1st Prize – Fischer 11/12 Carbonlite Hole Skis, Xcelerator Bindings, Carbonlite Poles (value $1,100)
* 2nd Prize – SkiGo Carbon 780 Roller Skis (value $580)
* 3rd Prize – Alpina ESK Ski Boots (value $449)
* 4th Prize – Bjorn Daehlie Exclusive US XC Ski Suit (value $300)
* 5th Prize – Sporthill XC Pants/Tights and Glacier Top (value $220)
* 6th Prize – Fresh Air Experience or High Peaks Cyclery Gift Certificate (value $150)
* 7th Prize – Rottefella Xcelerator Skate/Classic Bindings (value $130)
* 8th Prize – Bliz Proflip Visor (value $129)
* 9th Prize – Concept2 Goodie Duffle Bag (value $100)
* 10th Prize – Auclair Micro Mountain Olympic Gloves + Earbags (value $65)
* WCup Breaks – Buff Headware (value $22) to top 3 contest leaders before the Tour de Ski

Thanks to all of our great sponsors, including Fischer, SkiGo, Alpina, Bjorn Daehlie Clothing, Sporthill, Fresh Air Experience, High Peaks Cyclery, Rottefella, Bliz, Concept 2, 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).

November 15, 2011 – With the new World Cup season about to get underway, Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) has decided to start out with new equipment. Last year’s winner of the overall World Cup has already been successful with Fischer skis for a number of years and will now be placing her trust in boots from the Nordic number one as well.

The most successful ski and boot brand in the World Cup for two years running – a convincing record for the perfectionist from Poland. Plus the fact that the 28-year-old is perfectly happy with the RCS Carbonlite Classic boot, as she demonstrated in impressive style in the FIS races last weekend in Muonio (FIN). And, thanks to the WC Carbon Cuff, the RCS Carbonlite Skating is also ideal for her energetic skiing style.

The winner of the Tour de Ski 10l11 likewise took a new approach in her preparations. After five years of training alone she has taken Maciej Kreczmer (POL) on board as a team training partner at times. “It’s hard to always train alone and I want to improve,” says Justyna Kowalczyk. “I hope the training with Maciej will help me achieve this.” Preparations went smoothly with trips to New Zealand, Otepää (EST), Sierra Nevada (ESP) and Ramsau (AUT).

Armed with new equipment and excellent preparations, Justyna Kowalczyk is now looking forward to the new season with a personal highlight: the first World Cup race in her home nation which will be held in Szklarska Poreba in February.

November 14, 2011 (Cable, WI) – The United States Paralympics, a division of the United States Olympic Committee, will be hosting the International Paralympic World Cup Nordic Ski series at Telemark Resort in Cable, WI. The week long event will be held from January 23-30.

This venue will host over one hundred athletes from over a dozen nations who will compete in biathlon and Nordic ski racing. We hope to have you experience the opportunity to be a volunteer for one day or one week and be a part of this historic event!

Provided are links to the event and volunteer opportunities! Please feel free to contact John Brown at john.brown@cxcskiing.org for additional information!

Preview Filled Volunteer Positions HERE.

Volunteer Opportunities Form HERE.

More about IPC Nordic Skiing World Cup HERE.

November 11, 2011 (Hanover, NH) – Check out the first edition of an all-new SkiTrax audio series, Talkin’ with the Gravy-Train, featuring legendary commentator and sports reporter Peter Graves, who will present a series of interviews, discussions and conversations throughout this season with elite athletes and coaches. Our inaugural guest, Kikkan Randall, spoke with Graves at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. Due to an unfortunate glitch the full interview with Kikkan was not posted initially but it is now with our apologies-ed.

Audio Interview with Kikkan Randall

November 10, 2011 (West Yellowstone, MT) – Light snow is falling outside and the forecast is calling for more. The Rendezvous Ski Trails are covered and the South Plateau is looking good. A few more inches and the trails in town will be rolled, groomed, and ready for the Yellowstone Ski Festival. There are two weeks to go and almost all of them have a snowflake in the forecast.

With the 2011 Yellowstone Ski Festival in sight, the final details are wrapping up. It is not too late to register for a clinic. Consider a three or five day Nordic clinic to start the ski season off right. Or a one or two day to fit your holiday schedule. Take in an early season race. There are six different races at this year’s ski festival. Online registration is available now. Sign up by Thursday, November 17 to avoid late fees. Check out the schedule of events. Enjoy an array of wax clinics, movies, classes, and presentations. The schedule is updated constantly, so check back often. The Indoor Expo is packed with all things Nordic and free of charge. Visit with those in the know from Rossignol, Salomon, Fischer, Toko, Atomic, Fast Wax, Madshus, Swix, Solda, the National Nordic Foundation, National Guard Biathlon, Sun Valley Nordic Ski Club, Concept 2, Boulder Nordic Sport, SkiFast Ergometer, Cross Country Skier, Ski Trax, Master Skier, and the West Yellowstone Ski Education Foundation. Fill in your wish list at the On-Snow Demo- Your ski pass allows you full access to demo gear on the trails. Be sure to schedule some time so you can sample the latest and greatest from Alpina, Atomic, Fast Wax, Fischer, Madshus, Rossignol, Salomon, and Swix.

Join us for keynote speaker Conrad Anker, catch a fashion show, and win great prizes at the annual WYSEF Raffle, all at the Holiday Inn, Yellowstone Ski Festival’s event headquarters.

Enjoy your First Tracks in West Yellowstone. Whether First Tracks truly means the corduroy and you, or it is the first time on skis this season, or the first time on skis period; you are invited to take them at the Yellowstone Ski Festival. Think Snow and make plans now to attend the 2011 Yellowstone Ski Festival. For more information, visit www.yellowstoneskifestival.com and follow westyellxcski on Twitter, or friend Yellowstone Ski Fest on Facebook for up-to-minute news.

November 05, 2011 (Vail, CO) – If you don’t know who Sylvan Ellefson is, you should. The 2009 Bates College graduate is making his case as one of the rising stars on the domestic US xc racing scene. An All-American in college, Ellefson has built on that success in his first two seasons as a full-time professional racer. He followed up several top-ten results at US Nationals with back-to-back wins at the Boulder Mountain Tour and the Owl Creek Chase, two of the largest and most competitive races in the United States. Ellefson also led the American squad in March in Slovenia with a 6th place in a 10km Classic OPA Cup. He races for Ski Club Vail and Team HomeGrown and SkiTrax caught up with him for the skivvy on this coming season…

Tell us about Team Homegrown and how it all got started.
Sylvan Ellefson: Team HomeGrown was an idea of my coaches and teammates, Dan Weiland, Karl Hochtl, and Kevin Hochtl. Vail had never produced a Nordic skier that could ski at the World Cup level until Kevin, but he was on his own training in Vail. It wasn’t until 2009 when Josh Smith and I got out of college that everyone realized the talent all of us had and the potential here to make a mark on the
national/international Nordic skiing scene as individuals and a team from Vail, CO. We were all born and raised in Vail so the “HomeGrown” aspect of the team name was a given.

How is it connected to Ski Club Vail?
SE: Actually, Team HomeGrown is essentially Ski and Snowboard Club Vail’s “elite” Nordic program. We train at all of the Ski and Snowboard Club Vail’s facilities and they provide us with support year round.

You guys must have some tremendous resources available – do they open a loop early for you?
SE: They are awesome in terms of getting us early season snow. If it doesn’t come sooner, we are basically guaranteed a 1km loop of snow to ski on by November 1st of every year. We just got a huge snow-making renovation and so as soon as the temperature hits 0C, the guns turn on and are making snow. We call it the gerbil loop because often at first it is small and you are just traveling in a circle, but it’s still on-snow skiing. At this time of year it is a nice treat to get ready for the upcoming races.

How is SSCV connected to this new winter academy program in the valley?
SE: Ski and Snowboard Club Vail run the winter academy in Minturn, CO called the Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy (VSSA). VSSA has actually been around for quite awhile but hasn’t had a permanent location like we do now. The school just moved to Minturn (about 10 minutes away form Vail) and is in the process of making its biggest transformation ever. The school has the largest number of students it has ever seen and the most success we have ever seen as well. Currently, we are finishing building 7.5km of trails right next to the school so it will be nice to be able to come to Minturn and train year round. VSSA is unique in the fact that it is a public school, so the education is free. The only required investment is the program fee. I’m actually quite excited to see what comes out of the academy in the next 10 years.

Changing gears a bit, where are you now and how is your last month of training going leading up to West Yellowstone?
SE: Right now I am in Vail just training and working away. Training this past month has been very focused and dialed. NCAA Champion, Sam Tarling, has been training with us in Vail and is a good inspiration for the kids here. Mike Vigers (Team HomeGrown) and Connor Wallace (NCAA skier) have also been great training partners to do some gnarly training sessions with. It’s always nice to have someone to grit your teeth with. We have also been doing some fund raising for the upcoming season recently, with some pretty good success, I think. I am excited to get skiing though on our gerbil loop and then get to West Yellowstone for some racing. It is always tremendous skiing there.

You attended a couple USST camps, in Lake Placid and Park City. How have these camps helped your off season preparation?
SE: We had a camp in Lake Placid, NY followed by a camp in Park City, UT. The attendance of Elite athletes at this camp was great to push the intensity and focus of the group. These camps really help me on a personal level because I am able to surround myself with many Elite athletes trying to do the same thing I am – get faster, race faster, race more World Cups, race World Champs, race Olympics, win medals. There is the same incentive for everyone so I think being able to push the group as a whole is a great direction for me and for Nordic skiing in the US.

What your schedule for the season?
SE: I will be heading to West Yellowstone, then up to Bozeman and then to Canada for the first week of Nor-Ams up there and finally back home until US Nationals. After US Nationals, some races in Colorado, the Midwest, and then definitely heading over to Europe at some point to race OPA Cups or World Cups (based on my national results). Ending the season at SuperTour Finals in Craftsbury, VT, which should be a pretty fun event to end the season.

What are your goals for the season?
SE: Goals for me are pretty simple: I want to have some top-5 results at Nationals this year and keep skiing consistently hard and well on the SuperTour circuit, so I can give myself a chance of racing at a higher level on the international scene. If that doesn’t work out I would like to win an OPA Cup race.

Long term goals?
SE: Sochi 2014

Thanks, Sylvan all the best this season and beyond.
SE: Thanks

October 31, 2011 – After the kind of season that Canada’s Alex Harvey had in 2010-11, climaxing with a gold medal in the Team Sprint event with Devon Kershaw at the Nordic World Championships in Oslo, Norway – a Canadian first – he couldn’t be blamed for resting on his laurels and relaxing for a little while.

But after SkiTrax caught up with him by phone outside Quebec City following the recent team press conference, it’s clear that Harvey has no intention of doing so. When his World Cup rivals take to the start line at the first FIS World Cup race of the 2011-12 season in Beitostolen (NOR) just under three weeks from now, they will find Harvey, a world champion, more motivated than ever to come out on top.

The son of the legendary Pierre Harvey wracked up an impressive list of achievements last season, establishing himself as a podium threat just about every time he strapped on his skis. After a couple of shaky World Cup starts in Kuusamo and Gallivare before Christmas, Harvey began showing his true form starting with last year’s Tour De Ski – he recorded four top-10 finishes and placed 10th overall in the grueling 10-day event.

Together with his teammate Kershaw – who won his first WCup gold in Toblach, Italy (Stage 5) and placed 7th overall – Harvey was in the mix or near the front in just about every stage of this daunting event modeled after the Tour de France.

A few weeks later Harvey put in a stellar effort at the U23 Nordic World Championships in Otepaa (EST) where, with the exception of Russia’s Evgeniy Belov, no one could match his gold-medal winning pace in the Men’s 30km Pursuit. Then in February he notched his best World Cup result to date, a close 2nd place finish to Sweden’s Emil Joenssen in a sprint event in Drammen (NOR).

But it was at Oslo 2011, in Norway’s famed Holmenkollen stadium, that Harvey revealed the form, ambition and confidence that made him a persistent threat in every race. After posting a solid 7th place in the Sprint event, Harvey sent a message in the 30km Pursuit race when he gapped the field and skied solo at the front until the closing few kilometres, where he was stricken with leg cramps and had to settle for a respectable 12th.

More was coming for fans worldwide and by far his best and most gratifying race, came in the Team Sprint. Skiing the anchor leg for Canada, with Kershaw as his teammate, Harvey out-sprinted Norway’s Ola Vigen Hattestad for the gold medal, stunning the boisterous and partisan throng of Norwegian fans. Proving his strength as an all-around contender, Harvey went on to finish 5th in the 50km race as well, on what is widely viewed as the toughest race course on the planet.

While Harvey can look back with pride on many of his feats from last season, his Nordic World Championship victory stands apart as the season highlight. To win Canada’s first ever World Championship gold medal in cross-country skiing, and to do it in the birthplace of skiing in front of the huge and enthusiastic crowds at the Holmenkollen was a dream come true.

Sharing the victory with his teammate, Devon Kershaw, while representing Canada, made the victory that much sweeter. “Winning with a partner, winning for our country, for Team Canada, was just amazing,” Harvey told SkiTrax. The victory in this particular event, against a world class field, also helped erase some of the painful memories left over from the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, where Harvey and Kershaw placed 4th in the Team Sprint event.

The Oslo victory was “redemption for sure,” added Harvey, “Since the last day of the 2010 season, we had been thinking about and looking forward to the Oslo World Championships – we really were going for a medal that day. After Vancouver we wanted that medal pretty bad!” Small wonder the two erupted into their now famous air guitar victory celebration at the finish line in Oslo!

Our conversation then turned to training this past summer and Harvey’s preparations for the 2011-12 season. He explained that his dryland training has gone according to plan, with no interruptions due to illness or injury. He has increased his training volume slightly to about 800 hours, up from 755 last year, in keeping with his age and training base.

While his coaches, Louis Bouchard and Justin Wadsworth, have made no major changes to his overall plan, Harvey says his program, along with that of his teammates, placed  more emphasis on uphill skating and striding than in previous years, reflecting the importance of climbing ability in events like the Tour de Ski.

“Pretty much all of our camps this year were for doing uphill training,” he continued. With this year’s Tour de Ski serving as the de facto World Championships, Harvey wants to make sure he doesn’t lose ground on the final climb up Alpe Cermis like he did last year, where he fell from 7th to 10th overall in the final few kilometres.

Asked about his goals for the coming season, Harvey has his sights set on placing higher in the overall World Cup standings than last year’s 10th place overall. Doing so will depend on his ability to race with more consistency than he has in past seasons. “My goal is to score points in every race, and hopefully a lot of them,” he said.

Harvey also identified the Tour de Ski as key to overall World Cup success, given the number of World Cup points available during the event. “To be good in the overall you need to be good in the Tour … there are a lot of races, 9 stages, with 50 points available every day and then 400 points for the overall, so it’s a big event for points”. With that in mind Harvey declared, “I’ll try to be at my peak for the Tour de Ski”. Harvey has other unfinished business on the World Cup circuit. “I’ve never won individually either a World Cup or a World Championships, so I want to win individually as well.”

We concluded our conversation with a discussion about success, motivation, and pressure. I was curious as to whether the World Championship win had affected Harvey’s motivation in any way, and if it had lessened or increased any pressure to perform that he felt. His response reveals an athlete whose motivation is primarily internal and intrinsic, who competes for his own reasons, as opposed to those motivated by the opinions and expectations of others.

“I’ve never really felt pressure coming from anyone except myself. I put a lot of pressure on my self every day, every workout, every session… I really want to achieve specific things every day and improve, so there’s a lot of pressure coming from myself. Pressure from the outside, I ignore all of that. I don’t really care what people say on the outside, I know what I want to do, what I will do.”

And if his World Cup rivals were counting on last year’s World Championship gold to dampen Harvey’s motivation to compete, they will be disappointed. “I’ve tasted [victory] once and I want to taste it more and more.”

Look for Canada’s Harvey to attack off the front more often this season – then it will up to the field to see if they can catch him.

October 27, 2011 – Simi Hamilton and Noah Hoffman leave November 6th for Europe to compete against the best skiers in the world. Please come show your support and celebrate the start of the winter season… free beer, pizza and prognostication. Meet the local US Ski Team athletes and learn how they plan to go head to head with the fastest nordic skiers on the planet!!

Shockingly… these US Ski Team members are heading into the race season unfunded. Even though they have earned their stripes and have skied their way onto the 2010 Olympic team and 2011 World Championship team, very recent budget cuts have left these local skiers scrambling to fund airfare, travel and lodging for the entire World Cup season. They need our help! Beitostolen Norway, Kuusamo Finland, Duesseldorf Germany and beyond, follow these athletes and be a part of The A Team Project. Every dollar helps and your 501c(3) donation goes directly to Noah and Simi. Donate HERE.

So spread the word, bring a friend and come meet our local champions. Help toast and launch them toward a podium season with our community support- October 28th 5-7pm at the Limelight Lodge!

October 24, 2011 (Traverse City, MI) – Over 900 cross-country skiers from around the U.S. and Canada competed last winter at Traverse City’s North American Vasa Festival of Races. And organizers expect hundreds more to attend the 2012 festival – which has been named the host event for the AXCS Masters National Championships.

“We’re going to have all the excitement of a national race, lots of additional skiers, and the opportunity for our competitors to win placement in the world championships in Germany,” said Vasa Board Member and chief-of-course Michael Tarnow. “Best of all, this is helping us to promote the sport and skiing in Northern Michigan to a whole new group of people.”

The AXCS (American Cross-Country Skiers) National Masters is North America’s championship event for master skiers (over 30 years in age) and is hosted each year by a different race. Recent venues include Anchorage, Alaska; Bend, Oregon; Craftsbury, Vermont and St. Paul, Minnesota. Vasa officials say it’s the perfect fit for Traverse City.

Founded by two Traverse City dads who were trying to teach their kids to ski — Swedish-American hotelier Ted Okerstrom and former Yugoslav Olympic skier Vojin Baic – the Vasa is now in its 36th year. It’s held each February, and the 2012 event is scheduled for Feb. 10-12.

The main Saturday race, which features 12K, 27K and 50K race lengths, in either freestyle or classic styles, is part of the prestigious American Ski Marathon Series, where most of the nation’s elite and professional ski racers compete. Sunday’s 6K and 16K traditional-style classic only race, the Gran Travers Classic, is an equally prestigious event for old-school Nordic skiers, and one of the events in the Michigan Cup classic race series.

Over the past decade, race organizers have added a wide range of other events for skiers of all shapes, ages and skill levels: 1K sprints for preschoolers, 3K freestyle and classic events for older youths, and even noncompetitive 3K and 10K tours for those who prefer to enjoy winter’s natural beauty at a more leisurely pace. A highlight of the festival is the popular Valentine’s Tour, which take place on Sunday afternoon after all the competitive events have ended

And there’s a lot of beauty to appreciate. The Vasa is held on a beautifully crafted trail that winds through the dense pines and hardwoods of the Pere Marquette State Forest. In addition to the hundreds of skiers who actually head out on the trails, hundreds of spectators come to watch the race and enjoy the festivities that surround it.

“All our races are done at the speed of fun,” says Tarnow. “We try to encourage skiers to work at their own pace.”

That’s exactly the kind of experience the AXCS National Masters Championship tries to foster. Unlike many elite races, the Masters is open to skiers of all abilities. No qualification or license of any kind is necessary; it’s “one of those special events where skiers ranging from experts to complete novices can all participate together…and everyone has a great time.”

A new event for 2012 will be the Great Lakes Youth Ski Festival, where junior skiers (ages 4-14) from the five Great Lakes states will compete in a variety of races and enjoy other fun activities. Special shorter courses will be used for all the kid’s events.

The festival actually begins the day before the main race with registration, social time, and the opportunity for everyone to work-out their travel kinks on the groomed trails. That evening, there’s an annual “Vasa Pasta” dinner, an all-you-can-eat event where contestants try to pack away as many carbohydrates as possible. The Baic family tradition is one plate of pasta for every 10k of race length.

The Vasa may be Traverse City’s best-known winter event, but it is by no means the only one. The dense forests, towering hills and stunning shoreline views that make this a favorite summer resort area also lure thousands of visitors here each winter for skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling and other cold-weather sports.

On January 7, for instance, is Winter Trails Day, a national day encouraging use of winter trails. Free rental skis, snowshoes and group lessons are being offered at Timber Ridge RV Resort near Traverse City with access to the Vasa Trail system.

Also, on Feb. 4 yet another major Nordic ski race is held a few miles to the north in the picturesque village of Mancelona, near the Shanty Creek Resort & Club. Known as the White Pine Stampede, it, too, is celebrating its 36st anniversary in 2012 with a series of 10K, 20K and 50K races.

For registration and information about the North American Vasa, go to www.vasa.org. To learn about the White Pine Stampede and other winter events, festivals and activities in beautiful Traverse City, call the Traverse City Convention & Visitors Bureau at 1-800-TRAVERSE or visit their Web site at www.traversecity.com

October 19, 2011 (Livigno, Italy) – Top Swedish sprinter Emil Joenssen was forced to leave team camp in Livigno, Italy early when he sustained a thigh injury during training. “I was on the camp in the Italian Livigno and had a great time with the rest of the team and the training was perfect! Then, on Friday afternoon we were doing a special training in order to get in more “into it”. That is, you start with an easy pace and then you increase the speed up to maximum speed. And during my second round the back of my thigh cramps and I fall to the ground and simply felt something was not right,” Emil Joensson explained on his website.

Emil Joensson returned quickly to Sweden and underwent in Oestersund several medical check ups including a MRI that revealed the cause of an injury. “As it turned out, the injury was smaller than what we had thought and it is a small simple burst within the back of the thigh up towards the bum. An incredible small little bugger which isn’t at all as serious but you don’t want to go on and burden it too fast due to the risk to turn it into a more severe injury,” Joensson reveals.

Expected recovery time remains unknown. “It will take weeks before I am fully back in action,” Joensson confirms. With the season kick off round the corner the Small Crystal Globe winner is not laying down his arms. “I have to adjust my training not to put on myself inappropriate load. So it is looking like a fun break in training having the chance to try out some new training variations,” Joensson claims.

October 19, 2011 (Duesseldorf, Germany) – The snow spectacle on the banks of the Rhine river will fascinate visitors from near and far for the tenth time. The World’s best cross-country skiers will again compete on the spectacular course along the Rhine on December 3 and 4. The Old Town banks and Burgplatz will once again be turned into an Alpine winter fairy-tale: culinary delicacies, tobogganing track for children and an attractive music and supporting programme will once again make the FIS Cross-Country World Cup a special event for the whole family.

Tenth Anniversary
Duesseldorf’s Lord Mayor Dirk Elbers, patron of the World Cup in the North-Rhine Westphalian capital: “There is great anticipation for the tenth anniversary of the Duesseldorf World Cup. Nowhere else city slickers can experience modern skiing so closely. The sports city of Duesseldorf will present itself brilliantly again at the tenth event and with its enthusiastic fans impressively emphasise its reputation as the world’s greatest winter sports event.” Thomas Pfueller, Sports Director and Secretary General of the German Ski Federation, DSV, adds: “Duesseldorf has established itself by its successful city event and is also very popular among the athletes.”

Christina Begale, Managing Director of sportAgentur, co-organisers of the FIS Cross-Country World Cup: “This event is a real challenge for all people involved. Smooth and professional co-operation between the Jever Ski Hall Neuss, the West German Ski Association and the sportAgentur is essential for the realisation of the event. In this context the approximately 120 volunteers must be mentioned who’s contribution is also vital for the success of the World Cup.”

August Pollen, Head of the Organising Committee: “The Cross-Country World Cup in Duesseldorf will indeed be held for the tenth time – and we are looking forward to it just as for its premiere.” Pollen announces: “We shall surprise the visitors again with new ideas at the anniversary. Welcome to the Duesseldorf World Cup circuit!”

More than 200.000 Spectators
The FIS Cross-Country Ski World Cup has been the crowning conclusion of the Duesseldorf sports year since 2002 and attracts more than 200,000 spectators along the course annually. Altogether about 3,000 cubic metres of snow from Jever Ski Hall Neuss are needed for the preparation of the 800m long sprint track regularly praised by the athletes for its excellent quality. The snow is produced without any chemical additives but nevertheless withstands almost any weather conditions. Consequently Duesseldorf can boast to be the venue with the best guaranteed snow conditions within the World Cup series.

In addition, the white spectacle on the Rhine is by far the greatest event for the cross-country skiers in the entire winter season, regularly televised on public German TV and is, thanks to its excellent infra-structure, one of the most environmental-friendly World Cup event. Free entrance is also a special feature.

www.worldcup-duesseldorf.de

September 28, 2011 (West Yellowstone, Montana) – Everyone is invited to West Yellowstone, Montana Nov. 22-26 for the Yellowstone Ski Festival, a week-long celebration of cross-country skiing. Each year thousands of skiers, from Olympic athletes to first timers, descend on this small mountain town to make their first tracks of the season over the Thanksgiving holiday on perfectly groomed corduroy.

The Yellowstone Ski Festival offers a diverse schedule of events, with one to five day Nordic ski clinics offered throughout the week. Classic and skate specific options, as well as multi-day combination clinics, provide an opportunity for all skiers to kick-start their season on the Rendezvous Ski Trails. West Yellowstone will also host the USSA SuperTour opener, beginning with the “Sprint Showdown,” on Wednesday, Nov. 23. The 10/15 kilometer freestyle race and 5/10 kilometer classic race will happen on Friday and Saturday. A “Try Biathlon Day” will be held on Nov.22, and Biathlon Sprint on Nov. 23.

Skiers will have the chance to test skis, boots, bindings, poles and wax at the On Snow Gear Demo. New this year, the “Passport Program” will enter skiers who demo gear from all participating companies and attended one evening wax clinic into a drawing for a $750 gift certificate to their choice of local ski shops Freeheel & Wheel, Bud Lilly’s, or Altius Handcrafted Firearms. Second and third prizes will also be awarded. The festivities continue after dark at the Indoor Expo, where skiers may visit with company representatives, fine tune ski prep techniques at wax clinics, and enjoy a variety of lectures, presentations and films. The expo will be held at the Yellowstone Ski Festival’s headquarters, the Holiday Inn.

Bring the whole family; there are plenty of options for kids. The Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center has scheduled daily activities and family-friendly evening presentations include the Backcountry Film Festival, a Birds of Prey exhibit featuring live raptors, a hands-on lecture from the National Park Service, and a good, old-fashioned s’more party. Let the Yellowstone Ski Festival become a new Thanksgiving tradition.

Think snow and make plans now to attend the 2011 Yellowstone Ski Festival. For more information, clinic registration, or to find out about early trail pass discounts, visit www.yellowstoneskifestival.com.

September 27, 2011 (Oberhof, Germany) – The second Cross-Country Skiing sprint race will take place in Oberhof’s indoor ski venue on September 29. This is the first year it will be sanctioned by FIS. The freestyle sprints will kick off the German performance tests in a Mini-Tour format. For the first time, the athletes will fight for FIS points during the first event held on snow in the ski hall and organizers expect a larger international field to compete.

The German performance test program traditionally features Cross-Country running and Roller Skiing pursuit races.

Follow the race LIVE!
You can follow the Oberhof indoor sprint races LIVE! Competition starts on Thursday at 18:00 CET with qualifying session and finals starting at 18:30. You can watch the race HERE or on fiscrosscountry.com

September 21, 2011 (Quebec City, QC) – The 2012 Snowshoe World Championship will take place near Quebec City, March 8th-11, 2012 with Dan Des Rosier as the race director. The event took place in Japan last year, and in Vancouver, BC in 2010 during the Winter Olympics. The previous two Snowshoe Worlds prior to that were in 2007 and 2006 on the Dachstein Glacier in Austria.

Jimmy Gobeil of Canada finished in 4th place in 2007 and David Leporho of Quebec is currently the defending World Champion after winning in Japan last year and will, therefore, have a fierce race as he aims to defend his title on home turf.

More info HERE.

September 14, 2011 – Norwegian Petter Northug, the best skier in this year’s World Championships in Oslo, extended his contract with Alpina. Petter Northug, who won three gold and two silver medals at the Oslo 2011 World Championships and is the holder of four Olympic medals from Vancouver 2010, has extended his contract with the Slovenian company through May 2014.

With permanent investments in development, Alpina has become one of the most important manufacturers of Cross-Country boots and today reaches one third of the market share in the segment of XC boots. Alpina is proud that one of the best and most popular athletes in the Cross-Country Skiing world continues to use its shoes for his future challenges. Furthermore Alpina also believes this will help to consolidate the Alpina brand all over the world.

September 13, 2011 (Toblach, Italy) – One of the most interesting stages of next FIS Tour de Ski will be the one in Toblach/Dobbiaco ITA. During three days, six races will be carried out in this relatively small village in Pustertal. In my article I will use the German name Toblach (there is also Italian version Dobbiaco).

As Toblach has become a frequent organizer in the FIS Tour de Ski it may be interesting for you to know how Toblach organized their first World Cup Competition. We have to go back to season 1987/88 and (as always) the winter was warm in Middle Europe. And perhaps some of you remember that the relay race Dec. 19 in Davos was cancelled due to the fact that the Swiss TV did not want to cover the competition, as the snow situation was very poor. As you had seen before, the men and the ladies competed sometimes at different resorts the same weekend.

The weekend Jan 15-16 was scheduled for Klingenthal DDR for women and Strbske Pleso TCH for men. It was still warm and we had to make changes of the program in Ski jumping as well as in Nordic Combined. The snow situation in Klingenthal did not allow any World Cup competition taking place and no substitute resort could be found in DDR. As always FISI (the Italian Ski Federation), was interested to take it over. The secretary general of FISI Angelo Vergani informed me that Cogne or Toblach were candidates to host the competition and he recommended Toblach. I remembered that I had met a person from Toblach, Herbert Santer, at the men’s Mass-start race in Kastelruth three weeks earlier. He asked me what he should do so that Toblach could become the organizer of a World Cup race in the future. Who could know at that time that the future was within three weeks?

I called Franco Nones, the representative of Italy and asked him to check the possibilities.

The answer was positive and after having involved our decision makers Gian Franco Kasper FIS General Secretary, Odd Martinsen Cross-Country Committee and Stig Roland Bergqvist World Cup Committee, we decided that Toblach would organize its first World Cup event.

This was the paper work, now to reality – how to organize a World Cup race in Toblach?

The OC of Toblach consisted of persons with experiences from the popular cross-country race Cortina-Toblach and from a number of Alpen Cup competitions. You must also be aware of the reality at that time. The weekend January 15-16 was the last competition before the opening of the Olympic Winter Games in Calgary/Canmore 1988, which started February 14. That meant that one month was reserved for preparations before the games.

The key persons were Herbert Santer as Chief OC, Elvira Bachmann as competition secretary and Karl Walder as Chief of track. The TD was Madeleine Vion FRA. With excitement we waited for the teams but which nations would come? SOV and FIN did not come and NOR came with a B-team.

The preparations were underway and I remember that we had troubles with how to improve an uphill.

However at the end we had fantastic competitions with many engaged spectators and a new organizer was born. At last I want to mention one thing that happened during the team captains meeting that never will happen again. The technical delegate suddenly asked is it okay that we will start at 09.30? One captain said that is more convenient to start at 10.00. And that was confirmed by Madeleine Vion the Technical delegate without any control. Such things could occur as late as 1988.

Simone Greiner Petter DDR won before the Swedes Anna Lena Fritzon and Marie Helen Westin. In the relay SWE, DDR and NOR were the three best.

For me personally I got a close friendship through the years with the Family Santer with the parents Herbert and Live and the three daughters Natalie, Saskia and Stephanie.

Thank you Toblach and good luck for the future.

September 10, 2011 (Canmore, AB) – Come challenge 2011 World Champion and Canadian National Ski Team member Devon Kershaw in a running race up the Spray Lakes road! All proceeds go to helping support the Alberta World Cup Academy….

Race Information:
– Entry Fee $ 23.00 – registration on Zone4.com HERE, deadline is October 13th, 2011
– Bib pick up Friday October 14th between 12-5pm at Ultimate Fit Center on Main Street
– Last minute pick up can be done at Bill Warren Training Centre between 8 – 8:45am
– 8:15am debrief at cross country ski stadium at the Canmore Nordic Centre
– A van will be at the Nordic Centre parking lot and at each starting point for shuttling clothing to the finish line. Shuttling from the finish line to the Nordic Centre will be available.
– Awards and AWCA Team Launch and snacks at the Bill Warren Training Centre in the Haig room from 12pm – 2pm.

Start line:
– Men – Green gate about 400 meters from power plant spill way.
– Women – Rundle view Entrance.

Race finishes at the top of Spray Road by the dam for both men and women

Start Times:
– U 17 M – 9am
– U 17 W – 9am
– Open M (18-40) – 9:30am
– Open W (18-40) – 9:30am
– Masters M (41+) – 10am
– Masters W (41+) – 10am

Course Records:
– Graham Nishikawa – 29:23
– Madeleine Williams – 25:41

Course Maps
– Men 7.5km HERE
– Women 5km HERE
– Overall Course Layout HERE

Lactate Challenge
Lactate: During power exercises such as sprinting, when the rate of demand for energy is high, lactate is produced faster than the ability of the tissues to remove it, so lactate concentration begins to rise.

Think you have what it takes to have the highest lactate? $50 will enter you in the 50/50 draw which will measure your lactate at the finish line. The harder your push, the better your chances!

50% of entry goes to AWCA and 50% goes to the winner. Separate draws for men and women. Registration for Lactate Challenge on Zone4.

Hope to see you out!

August 29, 2011 (Oberammergau, Germany) – Petter Northug Jr., the Vancouver 2010 double Olympic Champion and Oslo 2011 triple World Champion has confirmed that he’ll race the 2012 edition of the König Ludwig Lauf in Oberammergau on February 5, 2012.

The new is a big highlight for race organizers as the event is celebrating its 40th anniversary!

Since 2011, the König Ludwig Lauf is also part of the Ski Classics races, a series of six classic technique races with an additional Sprint ranking. The other races are the Jizerska Padesatka, Marcialonga, the Vasaloppet, the Birkebeinerrennet – all Worldloppet and FIS Marathon Cup races – and the final at the Norefjellrennet, Norway. For more information on the Ski Classics click HERE.

The König Ludwig Lauf already has race entries from 25 different nations and numbers of participants has grown over 35% in comparison to last year’s August numbers.

At the same time, the World Skiing Championships for doctors and pharmacists will be held for the 17th time. For kids between 6 and 14 years of age, there will be a 5km “Mini-Kini” race on Saturday.

For more information click HERE.

August 29, 2011 – Marit Bjoergen (NOR) has ruled out motherhood before she concludes her racing career, according to Langrenn.com. The 31-year-old XC skiing superstar has admitted she would like to have a family, but she aims to compete at the Sochi 2014 Olympics first.

“Sometime in the future, I feel like a family, but it does not happen before my career is over,” she told Langrenn. I think it would be difficult to combine children and elite sport.”

Bjoergen lives with former runner Fred Borre Lundberg. He is an Olympic champion and five-time World Champiom.

Read the original article in Norwegian HERE.

June 23, 2011 – The Organizers of the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2011 in Oslo (NOR) announced last week that they were able to close their books highly successfully, producing a profit of 40 million NOK (5 million Euro / CHF 6.1 million) from the event.

“The main reason for the good result was the higher than expected ticket income. We maintained good control over our costs until the end, which helped deliver this successful financial result,” said Oslo 2011 Chairman of the Board Svein Aaser.

The Oslo 2011 Organizers were able to sell tickets for 38 million NOK over budget. Aaser also stressed that Oslo 2011 was organized without governmental support. In effect, Oslo 2011 was set up as a joint company by the Norwegian Ski Federation and the Federation for the Promotion of Skiing (Skifoereningen) with starting capital of just 2 million NOK.

“Much could have gone wrong, with warm weather or rain or some global catastrophe,” Aaser added. “We are very pleased that we had strong management and luck with many external influences.”

The profit will be used to promote sport of Skiing in Norway, providing a healthy foundation for better and more World Cup events, among other things. Norway also already plans a bid for another FIS World Championship in the future.

June 22, 2011 (Engadin, Switzerland) – The Worldloppet Association was founded in 1978 and brings together the most important popular Cross-Country skiing races in the world. It currently includes 15 races on four continents. In addition to the Engadin Ski Marathon, there are more races such as Vasaloppet, Birkebeiner or Marcialonga.

The aim of the annual meetings, which take place annually at different destinations, is to maintain a high standard of the races in terms of organization and service. The Engadin meeting took place from June 16-19, and enhanced cooperation between organizing committees. Participants also discussed future development of the Worldloppet.

“The Worldloppet meeting in Engadin was very successful and fruitful,” says Ivo Damaso, OC president of the host Engadine Ski Marathon. The participants agreed that Worldloppet must tackle challenges of popular skiing with a new common strategy in order to increase importance of Worldloppet races as well as the FIS Marathon Cup. The discussion among the delegates showed that new challenges such as “new media” must be actively addressed. Damaso therefore spoke of a new era and a forthcoming period of change. He stressed it is important to strengthen the position of the Association, to benefit from synergies of the members. As a result Worldloppet wants to become an umbrella of popular Cross-Country skiing.

The participants agreed that the current situation with two main series, FIS Marathon Cup and Ski Classics, is unsatisfactory where five out of six races in Ski Classics are already in the FIS Marathon Cup schedule. The dual classification leads to marketing problems and confusion. Worldloppet put its effort to merge the series in one and benefit from its attractiveness.

The assembly was also informed that the Executive Committee of Worldloppet did not receive, besides Angello Corradini, another candidacy before the election of the Secretary General. Corradini has been in office since 2004 and is also Chief of the OC of the Nordic World Ski Championships Val di Fiemme 2013.

June 17, 2011 – The Canadian XC Ski Team is in Hawaii for its second off-season training camp. “We are going to be on Maui ten days doing altitude training on Haleakala volcano,” said Canada’s head coach Justin Wadsworth.

Devon Kershaw, Alex Harvey, Ivan Babikov, Lenny Valjas, Chandra Crawford and Perianne Jones will carry out volume and intensity training. “We will particularly focus on long uphill climbing rollerskiing and good technique,” revealed Wadsworth.

The Canadian team gathered this month for its second off-season training camp. Kershaw, Harvey and Co. carried out the first one together with the U.S ski team at Mount Bachelor, Oregon. Both national teams praised good snow conditions and excellent joint training sessions.

Canada’s head coach Justin Wadsworth decided to go Hawaii because of June weather conditions in Canmore. “It’s a perfect time to get out of Canmore as June is the rainy season there. The locals call it “monsoon June,” he explained.

Cross-Country Canada team gathers every month for a team training camp that usually lasts two weeks. “The next one is going to be on-snow at the Beckie Scott Training center on the Haig Glacier just outside of Canmore. There we will have both our World Cup Team, as well as our Senior Development team focusing on distance training on skis,” revealed Wadsworth plans for upcoming weeks.

June 16, 2011 – Italy’s Simone Paredi and Guro Stroem Solli of Norway will try to defend their Roller Skiing World Cup titles from the 2010 season as the FIS Roller Skiing World Cup 2011 kicks off on 25th June in Bessans, France.

Paredi dominated last season’s series and collected 641 points. Runner-up Ragnar Bragvin Andresen of Norway lost to Paredi in the overall standings by only four points and will have a chance to pay back this year. Sweden’s Anders Svanebo occupied third place with 614 points.

On the ladies’ side Norway’s Guro Stroem Solli clearly dominated the World Cup standings last season with 774 points and edged out two Russians, Elena Rodina and Evgenia Kurochkina.

The FIS Roller Skiing World Cup 2011 will feature 15 races in four countries. After Bessans, France where a mass start and an uphill race will be carried out, the circuit will visit traditional places such as Bad Peterstal and Markleeberg in Germany. The two final events this summer will take place in Oroslavje, Croatia, on 17-18th September.

The main season highlight, however, will be the FIS Roller Skiing World Championships that will be held in Aure and Kristiansund in Norway from 9-13th August. The World Championships kick off on Tuesday, August 9 with 10 km classic uphill race for ladies and men. Following day, the roller skiing specialists will fight for titles in a 24 km mass start in free technique. On 12th August the Championship action will move to Kristiansund for relays in free technique. The final set of medals will be handed over on Saturday, 13th August for the 200 meter sprint.

June 14, 2011 – The Swiss Cross-Country Ski Team carried out its second training camp last week. After the first get-together in Magglingen, Switzerland, the team went to Passo Stelvio, Italy for some training on the snow.

“The camp in Magglingen was a good one. It is a nice place to train and the conditions for rollerskiing are excellent. The month of May represents the start of a new season and it was nice to have the team together again and really start the training for 2011/12 season. We also made our test program in Magglingen and had meetings with coach team, service team and medical team,” explained head coach of the Swiss team Guri Hetland to fiscrosscounry.com.

After the dry land training and testing the Swiss team went to Italy to carry out trainings on snow. The Swiss team spent the whole week in Passo Stelvio and returned home on Sunday, June 12. “Snow conditions were good and we could ski outside the hotel door. We used the 4,5 km long course, where we had perfect possibilities for endurance and technical training. In the afternoons we mostly went down in the valley for rollerski or running workouts and some intensive trainings,” revealed Hetland who starts her second season with the Swiss team.

“This season the distance athletes and the sprinters will train more together. We now have one World Cup team with 10 athletes; Sprint and Distance, men and women. That means the distance athletes will train more with the sprinters to improve their top-speed and the sprinters will train more with the distance athletes to improve endurance,” claimed Hetland.

Service staff of the Swiss Cross-Country team got a strong reinforcement with the former service man of Petra Majdic. “Gianluca Marcolini will be a good supplement in our team. He is really experienced and he has much knowledge. He will be working close to Dario, but contribute to all the athletes as well,” explained Hetland.

There are more than five months before the FIS Cross-Country World Cup 2011/12 kicks off but all the thoughts and preparations aim at next season. “We are happy about the World Cup calendar for the next season. There are free technique races in the beginning of the season and that is good for our “skate-experts”. We also like 30 km individual start in Davos. It will be great to welcome the Cross-Country family at the traditional race in Davos! Tour de Ski looks good as well. One more competition makes it even tougher, but we like the concept,” said Hetland. Tour de Ski 2012 will be the season highlight and a chance for Dario Cologna to defend the title from last year.

June 13, 2011 – The FIS Cross-Country World Cup calendar for the upcoming season 2011/12 was finalized during the FIS Calendar Conference in Portoroz from 1st to 5th June, and confirmed by the FIS Council at its meeting in Ljubljana on 6th June. 19 World Cup venues are included in the season which will kick off in Beitostoelen, Norway on 19th November. The 6th Viessmann FIS Tour de Ski performance by Craft Sportswear was confirmed with the dates from 29th December 2011 to 8th January 2012. In the season without a FIS World Championship and Olympic Winter Games, the FIS Tour de Ski will be carried out over 11 days with nine races in two countries.

Other highlights of the calendar include Russia with an event Moscow and the debut of Szklarska Poreba and Poland which will make their World Cup debut. The World Cup races there will be held on Friday and Saturday whilst on Sunday, the FIS World Uphill Trophy will be carried out. This is a unique race with about 3 km uphill and 3,5 km downhill on an alpine downhill slope and will not be a part of the World Cup. In addition, Milano will return to the World Cup calendar in January after having held a sprint for the first time in 1998.

In terms of rules changes, the most important ones include the renaming of the race format pursuit (classic & free technique combined race) to skiathlon in order to distinguish from the handicap races which are a type of a pursuit, too

To increase the excitement for the spectators in future team sprints, only two teams are directly qualified from the semi-final into the final (until now, three made the direct cut). To complete the field of 10 teams in the final, six teams will earn their spots in the final by virtue of their times.

Finally, to always have a field with the leading nations participating in all World Cup competitions, the five best (Ranking Team World Cup 2010/11) according to the gender ranking (Top 5 ladies’ teams: Norway, Sweden, Italy, Finland, Poland and top 5 men’s teams: Norway, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy) have to start in all World Cup competitions during the season 2011/12, except for one FIS World Cup weekend.

June 11, 2011 (Killington, VT) – The Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum is pleased to announce that skier John Morton will be inducted into the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame at this year’s celebrations on October 23, along with fellow famous Vermont skier/snowboarders Greg McClallen, Karen Huntoon Miller, and Preston Leete Smith.

John Morton, a four event skier originally from New Hampshire, skied four years on the Middlebury College ski team. There his aptitude for cross country emerged, first as Eastern Intercollegiate Champion in 1966 and ’68, then as runner up in the 1968 NCAA Championships. A four-year assignment to the U.S. Biathlon Training Center at Fort Richardson, Alaska, was interrupted by a tour of duty in South Vietnam. Upon release from active service in 1972, he taught and coached in Anchorage before returning to Vermont as head coach of men’s skiing at Dartmouth College in 1978. Since then, from his office in Thetford, Vermont, he has developed trails for private landowners, municipalities and schools, resorts, as well as competition venues for major international events such as the World University Games and Biathlon World Cups while writing and commentating on skiing and outdoor recreation.

This year’s Induction ceremony will be on Sunday, October 23, 2011 at the Killington Grand Resort, Killington, Vermont. The evening will begin with a cocktail reception and silent auction followed by dinner and the Induction Ceremony. Ticket information will be available soon; please check the web site www.vtssm.com for details.

The purpose of the Hall of Fame is to honor athletes, special contributors, and pioneers of Vermont skiing and snowboarding who promoted and/or contributed to the sports’ development; to document the histories of Inductees in the Museum’s collection; and to recognize their accomplishments through the Induction ceremony and the Hall of Fame exhibit.

May 16, 2011 – Every year my family runs in the Apple Blossom races at the Carpenter Nature Center in Hastings. It’s a super fun race because it’s beautiful and ends with a run along the blooming apple trees. There is a half marathon, a 10km, a 5km and a kid’s run. The half takes you through a surprising amount of hills…or maybe not, since the Afton area is the rollerskiing mecca of the Twin Cities. Either way, my knees feel like jelly afterward! Still, I’m not complaining because LAST year, I ran the half marathon the morning after prom (unfortunate timing, I know) and I looked like a zombie running on maybe an hour of sleep!

Our vet, Carolyn, is a really good runner and comes to the Apple Blossom every year as well. Last year, she completed her first ever Birkie and plans to come back for more!

This Mom was running the half as well and it was so darn cute because her three boys were fidgiting and jumping up and down waiting just so they could sprint down the finishing stretch with her.

If you’re looking for a early spring running race, this one’s pretty much perfect!

May 16, 2011 – SkiTrax would like to welcome new blogger Sadie Bjoernsen. Check out her latest blog, including lots of photos, and stay tuned for more updates from Sadie.

Springtime!
Mmmm, springtime in Alaska!!!! It’s just too good. Not many places can you Nordic ski all the way into middle of May. This spring I decided I was going to live a little more of a “true Alaskan winter” and spend some more time doing the kind of skiing where gravity is doing most the work. I am super lucky though, many of my friends are really into backcountry skiing, so I was having to hold myself back from going and playing every single day. Trying to stay caught up in school, and fit in some work here and there…. I got a bit behind playing that much. The good news is, for the first time I had a pretty active spring, which means I am not nearly as out of shape as I normally am May 1st. That was my first goal for this year. In staying in shape through the resting period, I don’t loose the first two months just trying to build my fitness back up.

A lot has unfolded and happened in the last month since I have started phasing into my new season. For one, it has now been exactly a year since I joined the “Big Blue APU”. I couldn’t be happier that I joined this squad, and now I managed to convince my brother to jump onto the wagon and ski for APU as well.- so its going to be fun! For the past week we have been training hard in our annual “start up camp” Start up camp normally consists of two-a-days with lots of intervals, lots of skiing hard, and lots of soreness and stiffness.

Last year I was nearly in a wheel chair by the end of the week of training with the new team, so this year I knew what to expect going into it… which is why I tried to bridge my seasons together more by keeping my fitness up during my rest period. But, of course, I still managed to put myself in a world of hurt all week. You know you are doing the right thing when showing up to training is more than just another day of work. It’s amazing, every day, regardless of how wrecked everyone is, everyone is always smiling and ready to throw down when they show up for training. I think thats what makes this training group so successful. The energy within it is always positive, so it’s hard not love it.

Read a nice article Beth wrote in the Alaska Daily News HERE.

The second big thing of my spring is being named to the National Team. I am super pumped about it. I think the National team has something great going on now. With lots of focus on young development, I think they are determine to build from the ground up and make something really happen in the future. It’s also awesome because we have our little rabbit, Kikkan Randall to watch and aim for. Being named to this team means joining in with some of the fastest girls in the country periodically throughout the summer and fall and getting in some good training.

This year, the woman’s National Team, the Canadian woman’s National Team, and some of the top APU ladies are all going to join up for a week of training up at Eagle Glacier. I don’t think those girls know what they are getting in to. I have this feeling they are going to fall in love, and before we know it, everyone is going to want to be moving to Alaska. Anyways, I am super stoked and honored to be representing not only APU now, but also the US. Unfortunately, as always in this sport, there is not much funding out there, so being on the B-Team means covering most of our own costs. So I am still always looking for support.

Which brings me to my last point. For the past month we have been working our butts off planning and putting together an awesome fundraiser for the APU team to cover racing costs for the season. We will be putting on an auction with lots of sweet items including trips to hawaii as well as bikes, skis, artwork and much more.

If you are in the Anchorage area, come out and check out what we are about! More than just a fundraiser, this is also a celebration of all the great successes we have had this year including USSA club of the year, coach of the year and athlete of the year. We are always looking for people to join the family of support and help us reach great levels. So, if you are around Anchorage, the event is May 10th starting at 6:30.

From here until May 20th, I will be training in town and starting up summer school before I take off for Bend, Oregon for my first US Ski Team Camp for 10 days. I think this year I am going to see if I can ski every month of the year. September might get a little tricky, but I am determine to make it happen.

www.sadiebjornsen.blogspot.com

May 12, 2011 (Cavalese, Italy) – The traditional debrief by the Oslo 2011 team for the benefit of the upcoming Organizers in Val di Fiemme 2013 took place in Cavalese, the administrative center of Val di Fiemme, on 5th and 6th May. The Norwegian group was led by the Oslo 2011 CEO, Asne Havnelid along with Sports Director John Aalberg and Finance Director Stein Opsal. Delegations from FIS and Falun 2015 (SWE) also attended along with representatives of the European Broadcasting Union, the Fiemme 2013 host broadcaster RAI and EBU’s marketing partner Tridem Sports.

In a candid exchange of their lessons learned, the Oslo 2011 team especially highlighted the challenges of dealing with more than 1.2 million spectators that needed to be transported and managed. They also noted the great efforts by the organizers and the city of Oslo stage the World Championships as eco-friendly as possible, such as using bio-diesel only for all buses. The Oslo 2011 representatives praised the great cooperation from the Fiemme 2013 team for the Casa Trentino Fiemme 2013 in Oslo during the event. Oslo 2011 also looks as though it will be a financial success.

The 6th meeting of the Coordination Group for Fiemme 2013 followed the Oslo 2011 debrief. Since the previous meeting in October, the Fiemme 2013 team took full opportunity of the winter’s World Cup season, especially the 5th FIS Tour de Ski, to further test promotional and organizational concepts such as the South Nordic Festival in Cavalese and the Rampa con i Campioni popular race on Alpe Cermis. The renovation projects at the Cross-Country Ski Center in Lago di Tesero and the Ski Jumping stadium in Predazzo have advanced well and are on schedule for the first tests during the coming winter. Next season, the official test events in all Nordic disciplines, including the first ladies Ski Jumping events are planned in Val di Fiemme. The Fiemme 2013 team also revealed plans for the opening ceremony that will take place in the historical city center of Trento, 60 km from Cavalese, on 20th February 2013.

Sarah Lewis, FIS Secretary General commented: “Every time we return to Val di Fiemme we are newly impressed by the level of preparedness and energy to embark on new initiatives to create a festival spirit at the Championships With less than two years to go, we can already be excited about the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Fiemme in 2013, which will have a special focus on servicing the athletes and teams in many new ways.”

For more information visit www.fiemme2013.com

May 12, 2011 (Park City, UT) – A notice to all USSA Cross Country Coaches – please save the dates of October 21-23 for our 2011 National Coaches’ Education Symposium. Location: USSA Center of Excellence, Park City, UT. We will limit the Symposium attendance to 60 coaches total. All attendees must be a USSA licensed coach. We will also give preference to USSA certified Level 100 coaches. More information will follow in the upcoming months. Hope to see you in October. Contact Chris Grover, XC Head Coach, for more info. cgrover@ussa.org

May 11, 2011 – Professional cross country ski coach Fredrik Auklund, who trains Olympic and World Cup medalist Dario Cologna (SUI), declined the dream job offer of Norwegian XC Team Head Coach, formerly held by Coach Morten Aa Djupvik, who retired unexpectedly at the end of last season. Aukland, a husband and father of two, was not able to commit to the over 200 days of travel that the position required, according to an NRK article. Read the full story HERE.

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.

May 11, 2011 – Each spring NENSA recognizes an outstanding coach who has made a difference in not only the sport of cross country skiing, but in the lives of the people around them. This year NENSA is pleased to announce Sverre Caldwell, Head Nordic Coach at Stratton Mountain School as our 2011 Coach of the year! Most recently, Sverre has led his group of athletes to multiple medals at this years Junior National’s; In addition to individual top placings, they also won the girls and boys and overall for the Roger Weston Award and the boys and girls and overall Club award!

Sverre’s talents go beyond getting results though, to fulfill an even greater role in the lives of his charges. The wisdom Sverre brings from being immersed in the sport for a long time aids his athletes in every sapect of their lives. He has run the gamut from coaching youngsters all the way up through the National and Olympic team skiers -but has always returned to his true love of coaching juniors. If you had the chance to see his presentation at last years NENSA symposium, then you are aware of the SMS philosophy of “Cradle to Grave”. A unique name but one that captures the philosoply fabulously! He has found a way to motivate all of these age groups, keep them returning home to mentor up and coming skiers, and teaches them the importance of giving back to the sport.

Sverre’s consistency has led to this impressive achievement: He has had a gold medal winner at Junior National’s for the past 15 consecutive years and consistently puts SMS kids onto the Jr and U23 world championship teams. Andy Newell, SMS alum and current USST member sums it up best: “I think Sverre is the greatest coach because he combines experience and leadership with a laid back fun coaching style. Over the years he’s be so successful because he’s always willing to learn and try new things, but at the same time sticks to basics of simple training plans and hard work.” NENSA is proud to present this very deserving coach, with our Coach of the Year award.

May 10, 2011 – Check out this great interview with Swedish cross country skier Marcus Hellner as he reflects on winning Olympic gold in 2010 and Worlds in Oslo this year. He also talks about his off-season activities and plan to win the World Cup overall next season. Read the full Red Bull interview HERE.

May 10, 2011 – The defense team for Andru Veerpalu, the Olympic medal winning cross country skier who tested positive for HGH and retired suddenly on the eve of the 2011 World Championships in Oslo, requested an extension that has been granted by FIS in order to prepare their case, reported ERR News. Veerpalu’s defense stated the 10-day extension will be sufficient. The new deadline is now May 20. This extension does not change Veerpalu’s hearing date on June 5.

Read the ERR News article HERE.

May 10, 2011 – The double Olympic gold medalist Björn Lind has decided to step back from professional skiing. “Björn has been a great team member, a part of Team Exspirit’s successful premier season, his person, knowledge and experiences have been of most importance! Now we can only wish him good luck in his life after skiing!” said David Nilsson, Team Director Team Exspirit.

May 06, 2011 – Memberships expire annually on June 30. Click here to save a stamp and renew your membership online. There is no extra charge for using online registration. So get a jump on the season and register early.

Early registration is especially important for those athletes attending summer camps and participating in the southern hemisphere this summer. For more information on renewing your membership online, click here or contact membership@ussa.org.

USSA is still accepting paper applications. To register by mail, fax or email, applications are available in PDF format from the USSA & FIS Applications link on the right-hand side of the homepage.

Memberships expire annually on June 30. Click HERE to save a stamp and renew your membership online. There is no extra charge for using online registration. So get a jump on the season and register early.

Early registration is especially important for those athletes attending summer camps.

For more information on renewing your membership online, click HERE or contact membership@ussa.org.

The USSA is accepting registrations for the 2011-12 membership season. Click HERE to register now.

If you prefer to register via mail, fax or email, applications are available in PDF format from the USSA & FIS Applications link HERE or on the right-hand side of the homepage. Forms are also available by fax or email. Just contact Member Service by email membership@ussa.org to request your application.

May 05, 2011 (Munich, Germany) – A group around 20 highly engaged FIS Cross-Country TV experts, commentators, representatives of the international TV rights holder Infront Sports & Media and FIS timing and data partner Swiss Timing, along with staff from both FIS and FIS Marketing AG gathered in Munich (GER) on Tuesday and Wednesday, 3rd – 4th May, to review the FIS Cross-Country World Cup season from the perspective of TV production. The focus was on further improvements for the upcoming season with special attention being paid to TV production of the different competition formats, the World Cup calendar and integration of the TV experts.

Additional discussions points included general feedback from past season, inputs on various items of carrying out a Cross-Country competition from the television perspective including the use of TV graphics, running order, Tour de Ski winner presentation and international flash interview as well as a news clip service.

“There were many interesting discussions and exchanges of experience. I’m always amazed about the great enthusiasm that our TV Cross-Country experts bring to support us with their ideas and help develop our sport. After the successful implementation of the Broadcasting Manual two years ago, I am happy that we continue to follow up and work on increasing the quality of TV production, which is definitely a key area to help grow the interest in our sport,” commented Vegard Ulvang, Chairman of the FIS Cross-Country Committee.

May 05, 2011 – FIS has received nine applications to be Candidates for the organization of FIS World Championships in 2016 and 2017, including four applicants for the 2017 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships. By the May 1st 2011 deadline, nine applicants submitted their candidacies as follows:

– One application for the 2016 FIS Ski Flying World Championships submitted by Kulm (AUT)

– Three applications for the 2017 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships submitted by Ǻre (SWE), Cortina d’Ampezzo (ITA), and St. Moritz (SUI)

– Four applications for the 2017 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships submitted Lahti (FIN), Oberstdorf (GER), Planica (SLO) and Zakopane (POL)

– One application for combined 2017 FIS Freestyle and Snowboard World Championships submitted by Sierra Nevada (SPA)

“Just weeks after the successful 2011 editions, FIS is happy to witness the continuing interest for the organization of the FIS World Championships. This high number of applications by several nations and world’s premium resorts underlines their importance in the global sports calendar,” commented FIS President Gian Franco Kasper.

The FIS Council will elect the organizers of the 2016/2017 FIS World Championships during the 2012 Congress week in Gangwon Province (KOR) on 31st May 2012. Prior to that, each Candidate, together with its National Ski Association, will prepare its detailed concept by 1st September 2011 based on a specific FIS Questionnaire, containing details such as plans for sports organization, accommodation, transportation, logistics, security, media, communications, marketing, ceremonies, the environment, spectator services and fan experience.

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 03, 2011 (Canmore, AB) – Cross Country Canada has released its 2011/2012 season National Team and coaching staff roster on the heels of a record-breaking 2010/2011 campaign, which saw Canadian skiers achieve World Cup and World Championship medals. Look for the following list of racers to be making history on the snow next season and for years to come.

Senior World Cup Team
Head Coach: Justin Wadsworth
Coaches: Eric de Nys, Louis Bouchard
– Ivan Babikov – Foothills Nordic Ski Club, AB
– Chandra Crawford – Canmore Nordic Ski Club, AB
– Dasha Gaiazova – Rocky Mountain Racers, QC
– Alex Harvey – Club Nordique Mont Ste. Anne, QC
– Perianne Jones – Nakkertok Ski Club, ON
– Devon Kershaw – Ona Wa Su, ON
– Len Valjas – Team Hardwood, ON

Senior Development Team
Coaches: Louis Bouchard (CNEPH), Mike Cavaliere (AWCA), Eric Bailey (NDC-TB)
– Jess Cockney – Foothills Nordic/AWCA, AB
– Drew Goldsack – Rocky Mountain Racers/AWCA, AB
– Graeme Killick – Banff Ski Runners/AWCA, AB
– Alysson Marshall – Larch Hills/AWCA, BC
– Brent McMurtry – Foothills Nordic/CNEPH, AB
– Emily Nishikawa – Whitehorse/AWCA, YK
– Graham Nishikawa – Whitehorse/AWCA, YK
– Kevin Sandau – Foothills Nordic/AWCA, AB
– Michael Somppi – Lappe/Thunder Bay NDC, ON
– Frédéric Touchette – Club Nordique Mont Ste. Anne, QC

Junior Team
– Dahria Beatty – Whitehorse, YT
– Olivia Bouffard-Nesbitt – Club de ski de fond Fondeurs-Laurentides/CVTC, QC
– Raphael Couturier – Commission de ski Nordique Skibec/CNEPH, QC
– Janelle Greer – Whitehorse/AWCA, YT
– Zach Holland – Banff Ski Runners/AWCA, AB
– Knute Johnsgaard – Whitehorse/CNEPH, YT
– Maya Macissac-Jones – Rocky Mountain Racers, AB
– Alex Mahoney – Rocky Mountain Ski Racers, AB
– Camille Pepin – Club Nordique M.S.A., QC
– Rebecca Reid – Black Jack Nordic/AWCA, BC
– Geoffrey Richards – Black Jack Nordic/CVTC, BC
– Martin Schrama – Banff Ski Runners/CVTC, AB
– Sébastien Townsend – Club Nakkertok Nordique, QC
– Alexis Turgeon – Club de ski de fond Skinouk, QC
– Michelle Workun-Hill – Club Nakkertok Nordique, QC

Para-Nordic World Cup Team
Head Coach: Robin McKeever
– Mark Arendz – Foothills Nordic, AB
– Jody Barber – Bulkley Valley Ski Club, BC
– Colette Bourgonje – Snobuddy Ski Club, SK
– Chris Klebl – Lifesport, AB
– Brian McKeever – Foothills Nordic Ski Club, AB
– Robin McKeever (guide) – Foothills Nordic Ski Club, AB
– Erik Carleton (guide) – Rocky Mountain Racers, AB

Para-Nordic Development Team
Coaches: Pierre Pomerleau, Robin McKeever
– Sébastien Fortier, Skibec/Hus-ski, QC

** National Development Centre teams will be announced when all information is available**

May 03, 2011 (Canmore, AB) – The National Winter Sports Association is offering financial assistance opportunities aimed at supporting the development of internationally competitive Canadian athletes in cross-country skiing. In order to apply for the available financial assistance, applicants must submit a proposal conforming to the criteria below.

A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Overview:

The “National Winter Sports Association” (NWSA) was established to assist cross-country ski clubs with proven ability to develop competitive skiers, coaches with a long-term development plan and elite individual athletes.

The Association’s funding assistance order of priorities includes:

1. The hiring of full time professional coaches to lead year round athlete development programs. The coach is required to adapt an inclusive approach to Cross Country Canada’s Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) Guide, “Cross-Country Skiing – A Sport for Life.”

2. Advancing the education of professional coaches and cross-country ski racers who want to become professional coaches; this may include assisting them in their education at the National Coaching Institute (NCI) or other career enhancing opportunities.

3. Funding assistance for athletes who have the skill and desire to compete, first for their club and provincial team and then at the National Ski Team level.

4. Funding assistance for Cross Country Canada’s National Development Centres (NDCs).

Funding Assistance Disbursement Framework:

There will be a limited amount of money available for disbursement by the Association in the 2011-12 season. The allocation of funds to clubs and NDCs will be based on the Association’s priorities in alignment with the following:

1. The quality of the club or NDC’s proposed program, the club or NDC’s cross-country facilities and organizational support systems to deliver the program.

2. Funding assistance for career coaching education at the club and NDC level will be based on the coach’s written career development plans.

3. Funding assistance for individual athletes will be based on the published eligibility guidelines and will consider the long term goals and plan leading towards international success.

Club and Coach Eligibility for Funding Assistance:

1. Any nationally affiliated cross-country ski club, National Development Centre (NDC) or coach or potential coach from any Province or Territory in Canada.

2. The club or NDC must demonstrate a commitment to a minimum amount of security for the coach being considered for this financial assistance. This includes a minimum two year commitment with a benefits package that includes a medical and insurance services plan and contribution to an RRSP plan on a matching contribution basis.

3. The club head coach, whether presently employed or your preferred candidate, must have the following credentials:

– NCCP level 3 accreditation or is in the process of acquiring Level 3 accreditation by the end of the season (resume should be attached)

– A comprehensive plan outlining professional development and a career path; this may include advancing their education at the National Coaching Institute (NCI) and other career enhancing opportunities.

4. The club should be a parent supported organization including a cadre of volunteer coaches. An organizational chart should be submitted with the proposal.

5. Submission of a program description and an operational plan including how the club will accelerate the development of talented athletes who have the desire and skills to achieve excellence in the sport.

6. Submission of a financial operational budget for 2011-12 and a budget estimate for the club or NDC program 2011-12, specifying the club’s financial sources and the amount requested from the Association. Additionally, the request can include funding assistance required to send top athletes to essential national and international competitions.

7. Submission of a current list of the club’s Board of Directors, including home addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses; a list of the number of club members and the date your club was incorporated as a non-profit society.

8. Submission of the names and ages of the athletes in your athlete development programs; this includes those athletes at the Learning to Train through Training to Compete stages of LTAD.

Athlete Eligibility and Submission Requirements for Funding Assistance:

1. Any athlete with a CCC and FIS racing license, with the long-term goals of achieving international excellence in cross country skiing, whose primary support structure is a Canadian Club or NDC. Athletes considered should be achieving the expected performance progression for their age based on the International Performance Benchmarks.

2. Submission of past racing history that clearly indicates progression towards international excellence in cross country skiing (can include any relevant information – OWG, WSC, WC, WJC/U23, Nationals, NorAm results, FIS/CPL points, etc)

3. Submission of a long-term development plan (quadrennial 2010-2014) indicating the amount of funding requested for the 2011-12 season and the purpose of the funding based on the gaps identified in the quadrennial plan. This plan should be provided in conjunction with the athlete’s primary coach. Funding will be considered for a number of purposes including but not limited to: specific training camps and National/International racing trips.

4. Submission of a budget for the 2011-12 season clearly indicating expenses related to the athletes racing and training plan and expected sources of funding including sponsorship and provincial carding/support.

Proposal Submission Details:

Submit to: Cross Country Canada
100-1995 Olympic Way
Canmore, Alberta T1W 2T6
Attention: Thomas Holland
Closing Date: May 30th, 2011
Notification of selections: June 30th, 2011
Note: Electronic submissions required.

May 03, 2011 – The United States Snowshoe Association is pleased to announce that Brooks-Range Mountaineering will be serving as the primary sponsor of the 2011 U.S. National Snowshoe Team. Team Brooks-Range is comprised of sixteen of the finest winter endurance athletes the country has to offer. The team rosters are as follows:

Junior Boys National Team
– Mitchell Kasyon of Colorado Springs, CO
– Ben Palladino of Paul Smiths, NY
– Paul Seliger of Marathon, WI

Junior Girls National Team
– Samantha Lewis of Boulder, CO
– Carolyn Stocker of Westfield, MA
– Michayla Heil of Medford, WI

Senior Men’s National Team
– Eric Hartmark of Duluth, MN
– Scott Gall of Cedar Falls, IA
– Michael Reneau of Corvallis, OR
– Jeffrey Beck of Rochester, NY
– Greg Hexum of Esko, MN

Senior Women’s National Team
– Brandy Erholtz of Evergreen, CO
– Amber Ferreira of Concord, NH
– Erin Ward of St. Paul, MN
– Cheryl Paulson of Nederland, CO
– Laurie Lambert of Austin, TX

Team Director: Mark Elmore of Knightdale, NC

Many of these athletes are expected to compete all across the U.S. as well as abroad in numerous major international snowshoe race events. The 2012 La Ciaspolada Snowshoe Race in northern Italy and the inaugural 2012 Teva Winter Games in Colorado will be the teams’ primary focus events. Past National Team members have competed in Italy, Austria, Japan and Canada. Brooks-Range Mountaineering will be supplying the team with outerwear and accessories.

For more information on the United States National Snowshoe Team and/or the U.S. Snowshoe Association, Inc., go to www.snowshoeracing.com. To learn more about Brooks-Range Mountaineering go to www.brooks-range.com

April 28, 2011 (Bend, OR) – The Bend Endurance Academy is seeking collegiate skiers and older juniors ages 18-23 who have an interest in spending 3-4 months in Bend, Oregon training with professional coaches and a highly motivated Nordic team. The Academy offers a mix of morning and afternoon practices focusing on strength and agility training, skate and classic rollerskiing, hiking, running and exploring in the Deschutes National Forest. On snow skiing opportunities are available. Practices run Tuesdays-Saturdays from May 31 to August 15th.

The Academy relies on innovative training methods to maximize individual summer training plans and help participants reach their individual fitness and technique goals. The summer Nordic program is designed for individuals looking to succeed at NCAAs, USCSAs, US Nationals, Supertours, Junior Nationals, World Junior/U23s or other individual ski racing goals. The Academy also offers three 5-day camps throughout the summer in various Northwest locations including the very popular Trout Lake Nordic Camp scheduled for July 20-24. Academy camps connect PNSA, Far West, Mid Atlantic, and New England skiers and include current and former J1/World Junior/U23 team members and coaching staff.

Academy staff will do their best to help participants find summer jobs or internships as well as assist with home stay or housing arrangements. Central Oregon Community College offers a range of summer classes. Oregon State University classes are available as well through the Cascades Campus. This is a unique opportunity to catch up on a class, or get ahead for next year.

Contact Ben Husaby with questions: ben@bendenduranceacademy.org or 541-678-3864. Enroll online at www.BendEnduranceAcademy.org

April 17, 2011 (North Bay, ON) – The North Bay Nordic Ski Club is seeking a qualified individual to fill the position of Ski Program Coordinator. The Program Coordinator will oversee all programs delivered by the club, ensuring that high quality ski programs, training and coaching are provided at all levels.This contract position will be a full time seasonal position from October to March inclusive, with part time off-site work through the rest of the year.

Applications will be reviewed immediately and be taken until May 31st, 2011.

More info HERE.

www.northbaynordic.ca

April 15, 2011 – Mati Alaver, Estonian Ski Team coach, has refused to accept the job of Russian Ski Team Coach offered by the Russian Ski Federation according to ERR News. Alaver states that his priority is to help prove that Estonian skier Andrus Veerpalu is not guilty of doping despite his B Sample positive test for HGH on April 6.

The Estonian coach added that if Veerpalu is cleared, he will continue his position with the Estonian Team. But Russian Ski Federation President, Yelena Vyalbe, is trying to recruit Alavar, who coached Veerpalu a 2x Olympic and 2x World Champion, along with world championship bronze medalist, Jaak Mae.

Vyalbe, a former cross-country skier herself, with three Olympic gold medals to her name, maintains her confidence in Veerpalu’s innocence and Alavar’s integrity as a coach.

Read the ERR News articles HERE and HERE.
Read previous coverage about the Veerpalu case HERE and HERE.

April 15, 2011 (Ottawa, ON) – Nakkertok Ski Club and the Nakkertok Racing Program has an opening for a full-time coach starting in the spring of 2011. This position is focused on developing our Midget and Juvenile skiers on their path towards excellence. and is one of the three core coaching positions for the Nakkertok Racing Program,

The lead Training to Train Coach will design and deliver an effective program in collaboration with a number of volunteer coaches and the lead coaches of the other programs. In this role the successful candidate will work towards creating an environment that is fun, keeps kids in skiing and puts them on a path towards being a competitive cross country skier. Candidates must have effective organizational and communication skills to coordinate a program of up to 70 skiers and 15 volunteer coaches.

The position is based in the Ottawa-Gatineau region and reports to the Racing Director and Racing Program Committee.

Term: Full-time. The hours of work will vary from week to week but an average of 38 hours per week is expected with travel in the winter months on weekends.

General Responsibilities:
The Nakkertok Racing Program uses a collaborative coaching model with professional and volunteer coaches working together as a team. Regular communication and collaboration with other coaching staff both professional and volunteer is expected.

– Develop an overall season plan with other coaches, identifying dates and locations of camps, key activities, coach development sessions, training sessions, trips and the competition calendar.
– Establish regular, timely and effective communications using web tools to athletes and parents.
– Organize and chair regular monthly volunteer coach meetings and development activities.
– Work with volunteer coaches to plan and deliver Stage 1, 2 and 3 practices. Develop and provide T2T volunteer coaches with practice plans for each training session 48 hours in advance of each session.
– For year round program athletes, meet annually to review the program and athlete goals; prepare (with support from the LTC / T2C coach and interested volunteer coaches) generic periodized training programs and monitor and communicate at least monthly with athletes maintaining an internet training log.
– Quebec provincial races, as established by the Racing Program Committee.

Qualifications:
Mandatory:
– NCCP CCI-LTT, or equivalent, working towards CCI-TTT
– Proven ability to motivate younger athletes
– Excellent interpersonal and organizational expertise
– Unrestricted class G driver’s licence (or equivalent) and access to a vehicle

Knowledge of:
– Technological tools used to support coaching: internet based coaching and monitoring programs, heart rate monitor use and analysis, video analysis
– Ability to use internet –based communications tools and social media
– Yearly training plan preparation
– Cross country skiing technique development and analysis
– Waxing Expertise: Ability to accurately test skis and suggest appropriate waxes and covers; coordinating and working with a team to quickly and efficiently wax skis for a large number of skis for provincial and national level races.

As a full-time employee, the compensation package for this position will be based on the qualifications and experience of the successful candidate.

Applications should be in the form of a letter of application with CV and three references, submitted by e-mail no later than April 27th, 2011 to:

Nakkertok Ski Club
c/o Jennifer Tomlinson
Director – Racing Program
tomlinson@rogers.com (This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Detailed job description HERE.

April 14, 2011 (Quebec City, QC) – Canmore, Alberta’s Devon Kershaw was announced Tellement Sport’s Male Athlete of the Year after the Canadian XC ski star logged a breakthrough season in which he won his first ever World Cup event during the FIS Tour de Ski. Kershaw was among a strong line-up of Canadian male athletes, including team mate and 2011 U23 Sprint World Champ, Alex Harvey. Click HERE to view the video (in French).

April 12, 2011 (Chelsea, QC) – Check out this video of exciting race action with spills and thrills from the 1st Annual Nordix Fortune Cup Cross Country Ski Cross and Super Sprint, presented by XCZone, Madshus, and Natural Fitness Lab at Camp Fortune on Saturday.