January 05, 2011 (Rumford, ME) – Sadie Bjornsen (APU), who won the 1.4km free sprint at the Haywood Nor-Am in Rossland, BC, last month, took the victory in the women’s 10km individual start classic race at the US XC Ski Nationals in Rumford, ME, today. The classic 10/15km distance races, originally scheduled for Tuesday (Jan. 4), were moved to Wed. in order to allow better preparation of the courses for the rest of the competitions, as Rumford experienced very warm weather just prior to the Nationals creating very challenging snow conditions.

APU went 1-2 with Morgan Smyth (Park City, UT) claiming the second spot on the women’s podium with the U.S. Ski Team’s Morgan Arritola from Fairfield, ID in third.

“It was a great race out there today. Race officials managed to throw a great course together considering all the challenges they have faced over the week with the lack of snow,” said Bjornsen after her win. “I felt really great, hammered super hard the entire way and tried to stay positive. I knew that in order to make the podium today, I was going to need to put myself in a world of hurt- so I kept that thought in my head the entire way and just tried to keep the skis moving.

“Our wax techs did a great job of giving us fast skis that worked well, which is always nice in a classic race,” added the winner. “It was also fun to see how well my teammates did, with Morgan Smyth right behind me taking second place, and then a whole slew of APU’rs following. Thanks to everyone for the hard work today putting on the race! I had a great time!,”

Full results HERE.

Results (brief)

1. Sadie Bjornsen (APU) 32:09.9
2. Morgan Smyth  (APU) 32:40.0
3. Morgan Arritola (SVSEF) 32:58.5

January 05, 2011 (Rumford, Maine) – I have always loved sports writing, and especially Nordic journalism over the course of over thirty plus years. In recent times I am no longer coaching or traveling to JOs, or going to every ski national, or announcing at many local races.

There are so many wonderful new faces on the scene which fills me with boundless hope and encouragement about skiing and our potential in the global community. There was a time when I knew just about everyone in the sport by name, but now realize there are fewer skiers from the latest generation that I’ve actually come to know well. I find this so encouraging as it demonstrates that the programs across the USA are bigger than ever and I wish I could know each and every one of them.

With that in mind, I tracked down Aspen, Colorado’s Noah Hoffman for a sit down interview in his motel during the 2011 US XC Ski Nationals – one down, 500 skiers to go.

The Hoff
As he readies for the serious task at hand of racing at the 2011 US Cross-country Championships in Rumford, Maine, Noah Hoffman seems remarkably calm and collected. This Aspen skier, who hails from Evergreen, CO, is at once both calm and confident when it comes to racing. His eyes, looking directly at me, are bright and youthful.

The “Hoff” skis out of the Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club and is coached by former US Olympian John Callahan.

At 21, he’s already a veteran of the World Juniors and U23 Championships and is ready to meet the challenges of this week, while embracing all the possibilities that loom before him.

Bitten by the Bug
Hoffman started xc skiing in the seventh grade in Aspen. He was a multi-sport athlete and enjoyed the wonderful diversity sport engenders.

“I always felt like I had more talent for endurance sports, despite the fact that I love soccer a lot and tennis, too. I could have seen myself as a competitive tennis player. So I was bummed when I gave it up.

“I didn’t really focus on skiing over running until my later years in high school. I guess it was first running and then skiing.”

Now despite all his training for cross-country skiing, Hoffman loves to cycle (road and MTB), alpine ski and still hits a mean tennis ball, I’m told. Running came naturally to him.

On the Virtue of Patience
“I would say patience is something that I have struggled with for sure it’s something that I have tried to learn, and I am still learning. Kikkan [Randall], along with [Andy] Newell and Bird [Kris Freeman] are all so good at that. So patient. So relaxed. Taking everything in stride. I think there a lot of lessons to be learned from them. Last year was a pretty frustrating year for me and I struggled to take it well.”

On Last Season
Hoffman figures he didn’t ski up to his potential last year, and naturally it bothered him.

“I think mostly it was changes in my training that didn’t necessarily give me the gains I was looking for. My technique focus was not at the same place – or as good a place – as it is this year. I am on a brand new program this year working with Zach Caldwell… and that has been awesome. I really feel like the focus is on maximizing my speed for the length of time I need to ski fast. How do you ski fast over 15, 30 or 50km, as opposed to being able to produce speed over 100 or 200 meters and at what cost? I’m also doing way less intensity training than I did last year and really focusing on energy management, and volume, and having a base – and having something that I will be confident in … my aerobic fitness.”

“Almost once a moth this summer I went down to Boulder to work with Zach for three or four days at a time – and got to work with him. We would do six sessions in a row, morning and afternoon, and then I would go home. In those six sessions I felt like I made tremendous gains and was able to solidify some of those gains over the month I was home. I think it worked really well for me. I am really happy with the way that all turned out.

“Now I am skiing more fluid and, well… it’s all about skiing without tension, without pulling on any one muscle group and all while being relaxed. The whole goal this year was being able to get into my aerobic capacity. Last year I felt like my fitness wasn’t that far off, but I was not able to utilize it all. I would get so tense. So the goal this year is ‘how do I ski, without getting in my own way?’ For me it’s all about feeling. Watching a video of myself does nothing for me,” he said with a grin.”

On Being on the European World Cup This Year
The pace, the travel, the crowds, perhaps even the hero worshipping can make the first several trips to Europe a daunting experience, so we wondered what he’d learned.

“I guess I’m learning to relax, and treat a World Cup race like any other. The pace is the biggest thing. I mean in the US there’s a bigger gap. Depending on where you fall on the seed list you can blow by the four people in front of you, and still not have a fantastic race, and not win it. Whereas, over there, if you catch your 30-second man you’re probably going pretty fast, because nobody is slow over there.

“So even in an individual start race and especially in a mass start race just it takes getting used to how fast everyone is and how fit everyone is. You just can’t ski away from people, which is a completely different mental deal. In all the races, especially earlier in the trip at Gallivare and Kuusamo, I felt like I was flying but I was just going the speed of everyone else. It’s kinda tough mentally to say ‘why am I not passing people, I am going so fast.’ It’s something you have to get used to.

He’s also keen on seeing new places and all the travel the sport affords him.

On Freeman
“I have spent so much time looking up to him and I’ve really taken a lot of his ideas and worked them through with Zach – he has a lot of experience working with Kris so it helps. I have never beaten Kris, though I hope I can someday and he is racing so well right now. He’s a role model for me.”

On Training
“I love to train and I love feeling like I am out working hard, even though this year I’ve had much more rest than last year. Sometimes in the past I’ve over done it – you need to rest. I haven’t really trained at all since I came back from Europe and now I feel super recovered and super ready to go. Hope it translates into some fast skiing on Wed. and the next days here at Nationals.”

Looking at his computer he adds, “I have trained 594 hours so far.” Noting that he really has no specific number in mind to meet.

Hoffman and fellow Colorado skier Tadd Elliott have already pre-qualified for the USA’s U23 Worlds team, and he’d like to make the USA Nordic World’s team as well. It looks like it will be a busy winter for him.

When asked about the Sochi 2014 Olympics he said, “Yes, I want to be on that team, but it’s not just about being on the team – I have performance as my goal.”

Hoffman would like to go to college and perhaps even ski on the circuit. “I think my dad will be happy to hear that,” he added with a large smile.

Life in the world of skiing has already been on a pretty fast track for this young man from Aspen, and one thing’s for certain – he’s enjoying the ride.

January 05, 2011 (Toblach, Italy) – His coach predicted it and Devon Kershaw delivered winning today’s 1.3km freestyle sprint in Toblach, Italy, the fifth leg of the FIS World Cup Tour de Ski. Kershaw is only the third Canadian man to win a World Cup. Ivan Babikov won the final 10km freestyle uphill stage at the 2009 Tour de Ski while the great Pierre Harvey (father to Kershaw’s teammate Alex Harvey) won three World Cups in 1987 and 1988.

Kershaw has been laying down incredible results at the Tour this year, racking up two silver medals in the classic sprint and the 15km classic, slotting him in second position overall behind Dario Cologna (SUI) heading into today’s skate sprint race. Following his classic sprint performance, Canadian head coach Justin Wadsworth said that Devon’s first win was “imminent.”

Kershaw won his quarter final heat but narrowly sneaked into the final taking the second lucky loser spot. Clearly he took that near miss to heart, skiing an absolutely perfect final. He held back early on, staying in 4th and 5th position, and it wasn’t until the final climb where he really blew the doors off, dropping the field and making for the finish like a man possessed.

He opened a large gap heading into the final stretch that proved enough to stave off the hard-charging Cologna and Petter Northug (NOR).

With the win – and the 60-second time bonus that accompanies it – under his belt, Kershaw enters the history books and is now in perfect position to challenge Cologna for the overall Tour de Ski title as they head into the final three races of this grueling tour.

January 05, 2011 – Rossignol’s Nordic Team Athlete, Torin Koos, started the New Year off strong winning the CL Sprints at the 2011 U.S. XC Ski Championships in Rumford, ME. The win is a great start to the season. Torin trained hard this summer and was not surprised by his fitness when he spoke with press post-race. “I had great training this fall, went to Europe and had some good races over there. It should keep get better and better,” said Koos.

Torin races on Rossignol’s X-ium Classic package, including X-ium NIS Classic Ski, XCelerator Skate NIS Binding, X-ium WC Classic Boot, and Oneway’s DS 10 pole. It is the lightest weight classic race package Rossignol has ever offered.

The X-ium Classic ski offers a great compromise between kick and glide using the sure-kick concept. The X-ium boot’s seamless lace cover and more accurate heel hold results in better envelopment of the foot and weight reduction. The XCelerator binding has a flexbit system, closure system and unnecessary material has been removed to decrease the weight.

Oneway’s DS 10 Titanium pole is 100% Carbon reinforced with titanium making the pole stiff and ultra light weight. The rabbit strap allows for twice the adjustment of a regular strap and the cork grip provides warmth, comfort and anti-slip grip.

Watch for Torin and the rest of Rossignol’s Nordic Team throughout the season on the X-ium Race packages.

January 04, 2011 (Rumford, ME) – The USSA National Championship classic sprint race in Rumford, Maine lived up to expectations as an exciting and challenging event. The organizing committee did an amazing job given the prevailing weather conditions over the past week and Sunday’s race was fair for all the racers competing.

The weather forecasts were as predicted for Sunday with warm air temperatures and wet corn snow crystals. Track conditions were extremely dirty and keeping ski bases as clean as possible was one important aspect to having fast skis. Structure also played an important role in the ski preparation process, as the snow was very wet due to temperatures not dropping below freezing for the prior 48 hours before the race. Glide wax selection was straight forward, as the weather and snow conditions did not drastically change prior to or during the race.

Swix racing service was present at the event and ran a number of on snow tests to determine the optimum combination of glide wax, base structure and kick wax that was used by many top competitors in the classic sprint.

Starting with glide testing, we tested base and mid layer paraffin waxes. MB77- Moly Fluor Wax was an ideal base paraffin for these dirty snow conditions. On top of the MB77, testing found HF8BW to run the fastest, with the BW additive aiding in repelling the considerable amount of dirt on the race course.

Once we had our base paraffin and layer paraffin waxes identified and applied to our skis, the next step was to find the ideal Cera F top coat. Testing found that FC8X was the fastest Cera powder. The combination of MB77, HF8BW and FC8X is a widely used in World Cup racing with a history of providing excellent race results.

The morning of the race, Swix RS tested final layer Cera F liquids and base structure. We found FC8L to be the best liquid to use over the top of FC8X. The structure test revealed that the T401 Swix Super riller with the 1.0mm coarse bar combined with the 1.0mm Broken V structure roller over the top greatly reduced the wet friction created by the moisture in the snow. Also, this structure combination did not collect dirt, keeping the skis as clean as possible in these extremely dirty snow conditions.

Kick waxing was very straight forward, given the snow crystals present. A thin klister base of KR20, covered with a thin layer KR35 provided a strong binder layer for the top, race wax layer of KR70 with just a few dots of K22n mixed into the KR70. The KR70 provided great kick and the K22n added toughness to the KR70, reducing wear and icing. It was important to make sure the race wax layer was not too thick, as this would collect dirt and slow the skis down.

Weather conditions look to improve as the temperatures will be dropping below freezing for the next week. The snow guns are running and we are looking forward to testing in the new conditions. Look for updates at www.SwixRacing.us and SwixNordic on Facebook.

Only Swix’s Cera Nova wax matrix takes the guesswork out of waxing by creating a perfect wax for each snow condition.

January 04, 2011 (Rumford, ME) – SkiTrax caught up with USSA Nordic Director John Farra at the 2011 US XC Nationals in Rumford, ME. Farra expressed enthusiasm about Sunday’s successful sprint races and also commented on the decision to move the classic 10/15km distance races, originally scheduled for Tuesday (Jan. 4), to Wednesday (Jan. 5) in order to prepare the courses for the rest of the competitions. Rumford experienced very warm weather just prior to the Nationals creating very challenging snow conditions but as the temperatures have now dropped course workers will attempt to make, move, and find more of the white stuff in order to present world-class courses for the remaining US XC National races on Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

January 04, 2011 (Rumford, ME) – Conditions were as forecasted – warm, wet, (although during race times there was no precipitation) dirty, and soft. The wax recommendation held up all day and as we recommended, more structure was needed as the day went on. Attention to detail proved to be very important today as well. Small things made a difference especially in a short race with extreme conditions (wet and dirty) and with a finishing section consisting of a downhill with a long run out!

The wax needed to be brushed and polished off the ski very well today to prevent dirt build up. That applies to fluorocarbons as well. Even a slight greasy sheen on the base will attract dirt in such dirty and wet conditions.

The kick zones used today were pretty short as glide was so important. It was important to clean up the exposed sanded area so it wouldn’t attract dirt.

The Yellow Structurite bit proved to be really good over a 1mm linear structure as we recommended. After a few runs (including qualifying), it needed to be reapplied as it only got wetter out there.

Many had success with JetStream Red (as well as the more obvious Yellow). JetStream Red is surprisingly good in wet snow and is generally the call when conditions are wet and dirty. If wet and clean, JetStream Yellow is best. Sunday was a short race and of course people rewaxed for the heats, so Yellow was good despite the dirt.

December 31, 2010 – For the second year in a row, Esther Bottomley made the podium for the Swiss Cup Classic Sprint in Campra. Bottomley was third in the 1.2km Time Trial behind Swiss skiers Sereina Boner and Doris Trachsel, and that was how they finished in the final. Georgia Merritt and Belinda Phillips were knocked out in the quarter-finals, while on the men’s side only junior Phillip Bellingham made it into the finals with a strong 11th place amongst the field of 51 Swiss juniors.

The next day, Bottomley backed up with a very fine 4th place in the 10km Freestyle, just 7 seconds from the podium in one of her best distance FIS races in Europe. On the men’s side Ewan Watson scored a PB 105 FIS points in the 15km Freestyle in 18th place.

More details are available on the AUS XC Website HERE and full results from all the Campra FIS races are available on the FIS site HERE.

FIS Tour de Ski 2010-11 – Dec. 31-Jan. 9
It starts today, eight World Cups in ten days, Callum Watson is racing, that’s all the detail for the moment otherwise there won’t be enough time to wax his skis for the opening 3.5km F Prologue.

Other Coming Events

Fischen Night Sprint, January 4
That old family favourite, this year hopefully the team will make it to the start on time. Ten Australian athletes are entered, most of them travelling up from Campra in the morning before the race.

OPA Continental Cup, Oberwiesenthal, Germany, January 7-9
An even larger crew of Australians will compete in Oberwiesenthal, at last count thirteen athletes were entered. It will be a tall ask for team manager Brian Keeble and German coach / wax technician superstar Fabian Mauz but they are up for the challenge.

Reports will be posted on the AUS XC Website HERE.

December 30, 2010 – The Toko Race Wax Tips have been posted for this weekend’s events.  Our goal is to have the tips posted 48 hours or more before each event.  There are some events (that are on Sunday for example) that we have not received good information on yet.  These recommendations will be posted in the next day.  Also, should the situation arise that we need to update the wax recommendation, we will make the changes directly on the website.  The Toko Race Wax Tips can be accessed directly HERE.

December 30, 2010 (Beijing, China) – Wenlong Xu (Chn) and Mari Eide (Nor) won the men’s and women’s Stage 3 races at the China Tour de Ski’s 1.2km freestyle sprints respectively under clear skies in Beijing’s fabled Bird’s Nest Olympic Stadium. In the men’s race, Stage 2 winner Johan Edin (Swe) grabbed second spot, with another Chinese skier Qinghai Sun in third and Finland’s Antii Haekaemies in fourth.

Women’s Stage 2 champion Dandan Man (Chn) had to settle for second behind her Norwegian nemesis Eide, while Hongxue Li (Chn) snatched the final podium position with Sweden’s Helene Soederlund in 4th. The 50km Classic Vasaloppet, the final leg of the China Tour de Ski, takes place on Sunday, January 2 in Jilin.

Men’s Final HERE
Women’s Final HERE

December 23, 2010 – The Toko Race Wax Tips have been posted for this weekend’s events. Our goal is to have the tips posted 48 hours or more before each event. There are some events (that are on Sunday for example) that we have not received good information on yet. These recommendations will be posted in the next day. Also, should the situation arise that we need to update the wax recommendation, we will make the changes directly on the website. The Toko Race Wax Tips can be accessed directly HERE.

Toko Race Wax Tips have been posted for the following events:
– Sunday, Dec. 26: Snowshoe Thompson Classic and JNQ, Auburn Ski Club, Soda Springs, CA
– Sunday, Dec. 26: West Itasca Xmas-New Year Ski Festival Time Trial I, Rainbow Resort, Waubun, MN
– Sunday, Dec. 26: Como Championships, Como Park, St. Paul, MN
– Sunday, Dec. 26: Holiday Classic, Boyne Valley Lodge, Walloon Lake, MI
– Sunday, Dec. 26: Bozeman Creek Climb, Sourdough/Bozeman Creek, Bozeman, MT
– Monday, Dec. 27: Christmas Classic, Lost Creek Trails, near Ketchum, ID

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

View more of Julien Locke’s photos HERE.

December 21, 2010 – Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) announced Monday the student-athletes and coaches who will represent Canada in cross country skiing and biathlon at the 2011 Winter Universiade in Erzurum, Turkey. The 24th Winter World University Games will run from January 27 to February 6. The cross country skiing events get under way on Jan. 28, with the biathlon competitions kicking off a day later.

Heading the Canadian cross country skiing delegation in Erzurum will be Mary Waddell, who will act as team leader for the third straight Universiade. The coaching staff is comprised of head coach Mark Tierny and coaches Sara Nielsen and Kirk Potter.

The five-member women’s squad is made up of Carleton University’s Adele Lay, Laval’s Alexia Pichard-Jolicoeur, Utah’s Zoe Roy, Laurentian’s Mary Thompson and Alberta Augustana’s Maja Zimmermann.

Pichard-Jolicoeur of St-Ferréol-les-Neiges, Que., and Thompson of Woodstock, Ont., are both veterans of the 2009 Games in Harbin, China. Pichard-Jolicoeur had her best individual showing – a 37th place – in the 15 km mass start and also finished 40th in the 10 km pursuit, 41st in the sprint, 44th in the 5 km freestyle race and 12th in the team relay. Thompson was 44th in the pursuit, 45th in the mass start and 50th in both the sprint and freestyle.

On the men’s side, Canada is also sending five competitors including Laval teammates Benjamin Hébert and Vincent Ruel, Carleton’s Colin Abbott, UBC’s Jesse Heckrodt and Calgary’s Anthony Killick.

Canada won its lone Universiade medal in cross country skiing back in 1985 in Belluno, Italy, when the foursome of Alain Masson, Wayne Dustin, Owen Spence and Benoit Létourneau claimed bronze in the men’s 4×10 km relay.

In biathlon, most of the Canadian roster comes from the University of Alberta’s Augustana campus, including team leader Joan Skinstad and coach Hans Skinstad.

The women set to wear the maple leaf uniform are Augustana’s Lauren Brookes, Elizabeth Mawdsley, Carly Shiell and Kathryn Stone, while their male teammates will be Jonathan Forward, Alex Frost and Jon Skinstad, all of Augustana, as well as UBC’s Jaime Robb.

Stone of Camrose, Alta., and Forward of Corner Brook, Nfld., both have previous Universiade experience. Stone competed in 2009 in China and finished eighth in the mixed relay, 35th in the individual 15 km, 38th in the 10 km pursuit and 39th in the 7.5 km sprint. Forward was 41st in the 12.5 km pursuit and 48th in the 10 km sprint in 2007 in Turin, Italy.

Canada has never medaled at the Universiade in biathlon.

Canada’s participation in the Universiade is managed by the CIS International Programs.

Team Canada website HERE.
2011 Winter Universiade website HERE.

Team Canada XC Skiing Roster and Schedule

Athletes
– Colin Abbott – Carleton University – Whitehorse, Yukon
– Benjamin Hébert – Laval University –
– Jesse Heckrodt – University of British Columbia – Enderby, B.C.
– Anthony Killick – University of Calgary – Fort McMurray, Alta.
– Vincent Ruel – Laval University – Charny, Que.
– Adele Lay – Carleton University – Eden Mills, Ont.
– Alexia Pichard-Jolicoeur – Laval University – St-Ferréol-les-Neiges, Que.
– Zoe Roy – University of Utah – Bracebridge, Ont.
– Mary Thompson – Laurentian University – Woodstock, Ont.
– Maja Zimmermann – University of Alberta (Augustana) – Edmonton, Alta.

Staff
– Team Leader: Mary Waddell, Laurentian University (Wahnapitae, Ont.)
– Head Coach: Mark Tierney (Corner Brook, Nfld.)
– Coach: Sara Nielsen, University of Alaska Anchorage (Whitehorse, Yukon)
– Coach: Kirk Potter (Whitehorse, Yukon)

Schedule (local time)
– Jan. 28 (10:00): Women’s individual 5 km
– Jan. 28 (11:00): Men’s individual 10 km
– Jan. 29 (9:00): Women’s & Men’s sprint (qualifications)
– Jan. 29 (11:00): Women’s & Men’s sprint (finals)
– Jan. 31 (10:00): Women’s pursuit without break (5 km classic & 5 km freestyle)
– Jan. 31 (10:00): Men’s pursuit without break (7.5 km classic & 7.5 km freestyle)
– Feb. 2 (11:00): Women’s relay 3 x 5 km (classic, freestyle, freestyle)
– Feb. 2 (12:00): Men’s relay 4 x 10 km (classic, classic, freestyle, freestyle)
– Feb. 3 (10:00): Mixed team sprint
– Feb. 5 (10:00): Women’s 15 km mass start (freestyle)
– Feb. 5 (11:00): Men’s 30 km mass start (freestyle)

Team Canada Biathlon Roster and Schedule

Athletes
– Jonathan Forward – University of Alberta (Augustana) – Corner Brook, Nfld.
– Alex Frost – University of Alberta (Augustana) – Edmonton, Alta.
– Jaime Robb – University of British Columbia – Hay River, N.W.T.
– Jon Skinstad – University of Alberta (Augustana) – Camrose, Alta.
– Lauren Brookes – University of Alberta (Augustana) – Halifax, N.S.
– Elizabeth Mawdsley – University of Alberta (Augustana) – Fort Smith, N.W.T.
– Carly Shiell – University of Alberta (Augustana) – Camrose, Alta.
– Kathryn Stone – University of Alberta (Augustana) – Camrose, Alta.

Staff
– Team Leader: Joan Skinstad, University of Alberta – Augustana (Camrose, Alta.)
– Coach: Hans Skinstad, University of Alberta – Augustana (Camrose, Alta.)

Schedule (local time)
– Jan. 29 (10:00): Men’s individual 20 km
– Jan. 29 (13:00): Women’s individual 15 km
– Feb. 1 (10:00): Men’s sprint 10 km
– Feb. 1 (13:00): Women’s sprint 7.5 km
– Feb. 2 (10:00): Men’s pursuit 12.5 km
– Feb. 2 (12:00): Women’s pursuit 10 km
– Feb. 4 (10:00): Mixed relay (2 x 6 km women & 2 x 7.5 km men)
– Feb. 5 (10:00): Men’s mass start 15 km
– Feb. 5 (12:00): Women’s mass start 12.5 km

December 19, 2010 (Pokljuka, Slovenia) – The Swedish team of Helena Elkholm, Anna Carin Zidek, Fredrik Lindstrom, and Carl Johan Bergman moved steadily through the field in today’s IBU WCup Mixed Relay (2x6km + 2×7.5km) in Slovenia to take gold by a mere three-tenths of a second.

The Ukrainian team of Olena Pidhrushna, Vita Semerenko, Serhiy Semenov, and Serguei Sednev captured silver and France’s Marie Laure Brunet, Marie Dorin, Vincent Jay, and Martin Fourcade grabbed the final podium spot. Team USA (Sara Studebaker, Annalies Cook, Lowell Bailey, Leif Nordgren) were 25s out of making the top 10 finishing in 11th while Team Canada (Megan Imrie, Zina Kocher, Scott Perras, Brendan Green) was not far behind in 13th.

Full results HERE.

December 19, 2010 (Craftsbury, VT) – While much of New England waits for skiable snow, over 300 of the fastest cross-country ski racers took to the 1.3K sprint course at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center today to contest the first TD Bank Eastern Cup of the season. A member of Craftsbury’s own team, the Green Racing Project’s Tim Reynolds and junior skier Skyler Davis from Stratton Mountain School were the men’s favorites heading into the day’s sprint. On the women’s side, the the field was equally stacked, with recent World Cup competitor Green Racing Project’s Ida Sargent and her Dartmouth College teammate Sophie Caldwell headlining the women.

The racing did not disappoint. Reynolds and Caldwell put down blistering times to pace their respective fields in the morning qualifier, with Davis and Sargent close behind. Despite thin snow, the hard work of Craftsbury Nordic Ski Club volunteers and Outdoor Center staff created a great skiing surface that held up well and the course allowed spectators to see the entire loop as racers went head-to-head in the afternoon heats.

A tangle in the semifinal round kept Skyler Davis from advancing to the A-final, but Reynolds skied cleanly though all of his heats to line up in the final with teammates Patrick O’brien and Dylan Mcguffin, Northern Michigan University’s Kevin Cutts, Middlebury’s Doug Debold, and UVM’s Alex Howe. In the end it was Reynolds, Cutts, and Mcguffin grabbing the top spots on the podium, with Davis winning the B-final and earning top honors for juniors.

The women’s final saw a pair of Dartmouth College skiers, Sophie Caldwell and Hilary McNamee on the start line with Stratton Mountain School’s Heather Mooney and Rachel Hall, UVM’s Caitlin Patterson, and UNH’s Cambria Mcdermott. Caldwell continued her domination from the qualifying and took the victory, followed by Mooney and Patterson to round out the podium. In taking second place overall, Mooney was also the top junior woman.

Today’s event was hosted by Craftsbury Nordic Ski Club, the Craftsbury Outdoor Center, and the New England Nordic Ski Association. Tomorrow’s 5 and 10 kilometer classic mass start races have been moved to the Ethan Allen Firing Range in Jericho, Vermont because of improved snow conditions at that venue. The same strong fields with the addition of about forty skiers including Olympian Justin Freeman will compete for tomorrow’s victory.

TD Bank Eastern Cup events are sanctioned by the International Skiing Federation (FIS), the United States Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) and NENSA; it is widely recognized as the premiere regionally skiing circuit in the United States, attracting strength of fields second only to the Super Tour in this country.

See NENSA.net for full details, and after the event, check back for results, photos, and more. For immediate updates during the events, follow the athletes and coaches directly at www.twitter.com/nensa/athletes

Full results HERE.
Men and J2 Boys HERE.
Women and J2 Girls HERE.

December 16, 2010 (Davos, Switzerland) – My first few days here in Switzerland were pretty sweet. The sun came out, there were perfect tracks and settling in at the Hotel Kulm felt a little like home. It was nice to relax for a couple days, absorbing the excitement from my podium in Dusseldorf and getting ready for another big weekend of World Cup racing with a 10km classic and a skate sprint. Quote of the Day “It was pretty cool to be back on the podium for the 2nd time in a week, and a nice redemption after the rough classic race!” What’s Coming Up 12.25.10 MERRY CHRISTMAS! 12.31-1.9 Tour de Ski – GER/ITA For more news and photos check out the new: www.kikkanrandall.com The Cliff Notes: It’s been a week full of the highs and the lows here in Davos! In similar fashion to last year’s races in Davos, we raced distance on Saturday and a skate sprint Sunday. While I had hoped and expected to put in a strong performance in Saturday’s 10km classic race, I was again disappointed with a lackluster result of 47th place. I struggled in the snowy conditions and ended backing off in the final kilometers to reserve some energy for the sprint. Thankfully, day two provided some redemption. I started off the day with 8th position in qualifying. I used fast finishes in both my quarterfinal and semi-final to advance to the final. In the final, after sitting in fourth for most of the race, I was in position to challenge for second place on the homestretch when Poland’s Justyna Kowalczyk suddenly changed her trajectory and blocked my momentum. I ended up finishing 4th. A few minutes later however, Kowalczyk’s move was ruled as obstruction and she was relegated to sixth, moving me into third position. So I got to stand on the podium for the second week in a row! I had planned to race in France this coming weekend but due to some sickness this week I have decided to stay in Davos to get healthy, enjoy Christmas, and prepare for the Tour. I’ll be back in action on New Year’s Eve for the start of the Tour de Ski. Until then, Merry Christmas everyone! The Full Story: It’s been quite a week! Here is the update from Davos… 10km Classic Going into the classic race, I had confidence and optimistic expectations. Even with heavy snow falling the morning of the race, I felt I would be able to conquer the course and race to a solid result. I even got a little pre-race advice from Bjorn Daehlie. My plan was to attack the flats, ski with a light and quick tempo, and approach the climbs with a little reserve to be able to come on strong on the 2nd lap. By the middle of the first lap however, I was struggling with the glazed track and the effort was already feeling hard and heavy. Midway through the 2nd lap I was fighting myself physically and mentally. I knew I had already lost too much time for a good result, and with the sprint the next day, I opted to ease off a little and save that extra “dig” for the sprint. It’s never an easy decision to let up and it haunted me for the rest of the day. In the end I was 47th place and a whopping four minutes off the lead. Doh! While I didn’t have the distance performance I had wanted of myself, I knew from experience to just put the disappointment behind me and focus on the next opportunity, Sunday’s skate sprint. To help keep myself in a positive mood, I watched a couple episodes of Glee. 1.4km Skate Sprint The sprint day was going to be a long one. Qualifying didn’t begin until 12pm and the heats wouldn’t go off until 3pm, so the morning was a long, anxious wait. I definitely had some butterflies in my stomach this time. The sprint course here in Davos has changed every year and this time we would be racing two laps around a 700m loop. As I warmed up on the course, doing a couple laps at level 3, I felt heavy and labored. This was going to be a tough one! Since each racer had to complete two laps, that meant the starters were sent out in blocks of 5 racers at 10-second intervals, with 2 minute holds in between. I was able to watch several racers complete their qualifiers before I started and noticed that many went out aggressive on the first lap and then seemed to fade on the 2nd lap. So when I got on course, I thought about being quick and relaxed and worked on building speed through the two laps. Coming through the lap lane, I was feeling strong and picked up the tempo. I hammered up the big climb and had good energy over the top. I came out of the final turn and really built speed over the last 100m. When I crossed, I was in sixth position. After all had finished, I was 8th fastest. A good sign! Walking out of the finish area, I marveled at how good I had felt compared to my feelings from the warm-up. The day was off to a better start than I thought! I got a quick laugh when the coaches told me they had been a little concerned watching my first lap only to be relieved with I turned it on for the 2nd lap. There was a long 2.5hr wait until the heats started. Fredericka, our PT, gave me another good rub-down and I waited out the rest of the time bundled in my parka, listening to my iPod, and going over strategy in my head. Eighth position in qualifying put me in quarterfinal heat #5 for the second week in a row. I watched a few of the other heats go and noticed that some of the early leaders faded at the end. There was a pretty stiff headwind blowing through the stadium, so I decided I would try to draft. In my quarterfinal I got off to a good start and right away Kowalczyk bolted to the front. Perfect! I tucked in right behind her and skied the wide line up the steep climb to hold my position. I followed her around the 2nd lap as well and when we came off the final turn I shot wide and turned on the jets. I was able to overtake Kowalczyk before the finish line and win my heat. To my surprise, the semi-finals played out exactly the same as the quarters, I was able to draft Kowalczyk, and come off the final turn with a lot of speed to take the lead. I was feeling stronger every round and was psyched to move on to the final! There was just 15 minutes in-between the semi and the final, and it was quickly turning to dusk. The final was stacked with an accomplished field: Bjoergen-multiple Olympic medalist, Follis-World Champion, Me-World Championship silver medalist, Majdic-Olympic medalist, Kowalczyk-multiple Olympic medalist, and Jacobsen-World Champion. Unlike the final in Dusseldorf, this time I got off to a good start and came out of the double-pole lanes even with the others. With a couple of strong skates I was in good position. But I didn’t want to take the lead, so I backed off and Follis and Majdic squeezed me into fourth. Going up the steep climb I took the outside lane and came over the top side-by-side with Bjoergen. She had faster skis though and pulled in front of me on the downhill, and so I remained in fourth as we came through the stadium. I was able to match the pace of the others just fine but was tentative to go around. Majdic was leading across the flat, but then Kowalczyk made a big move, coming from fifth to go around Majdic on the right. At the same time Bjoergen and Follis made a move to the left. I followed Follis and as we came into the tight turn I was able to just sneak ahead of Majdic. I again went to the outside lane on the uphill, following Follis, while Bjoergen and Kowalczyk broke right. At this point I was hoping to make a move with my V1 climbing speed, but then, “oh no!” I was trapped by Follis!! Still stuck in fourth over the top, I was barely able to sneak back in front of Majdic going into the tuck. In a tight pack we all sailed through the s-turn and I crouched for the final turn. Bursting onto the homestretch, Bjoergen had gotten away but Kowalczyk, Follis and I were in a battle. Follis went left, Kowalczyk appeared to be going toward the middle and so I went for the open lane on the far right. I built speed quickly and was gaining on the others when all of the sudden Kowalczyk changed her trajectory and came right into my path. I tried to fight her off but she forced me towards the fence. I tried to double-pole for a second but realized I would never get past and had to slow up and switch directions to the left. I made a few quick strides in an attempt to get past, but having lost all my momentum, I came across the line in fourth. My first reaction was disbelief and instant remorse for having just missed the podium. I had seen my open lane and had the speed to challenge for 2nd before being suddenly blocked. Unbelievable! Darn!! Oh well, that’s the unpredictability of sprinting! “Next time I’ll just have to put myself in a better position coming into the finish,” I told myself. I shook hands with everyone, offering my congratulations and walked over to where the coaches were standing with a can-you-believe-that-just-happened look on my face. So close, ahhh! It wasn’t until Grover asked me what had happened with Kowalczyk that I realized that something potentially unjust had possibly occurred. A few minutes later, a FIS official came up to me announcing that Kowalczyk had been disqualified for obstruction and I was being upgraded to 3rd position. OMG! Another unbelievable turn of events!!

While being accompanied by a doping control chaperone, I quickly changed clothes and prepared for the flower ceremony. It was pretty cool to be back on the podium for the 2nd time in a week, and a nice redemption after the rough classic race! The rest of the evening went by pretty fast. I had to report to doping control shortly after the flower ceremony for blood testing. Then we got the word that the Polish team would be appealing the disqualification and there was a chance I would be dropped back to fourth. That decision however wouldn’t come for a week, so I decided to just enjoy the podium for now since I felt I deserved it. Part of the team was leaving for the airport, so we got to enjoy a quick champagne toast and then said goodbye. I didn’t get out of my ski clothes until 10pm after catching up with everyone on the phone. It was a whirlwind day! My intention had been to race the 15km mass start skate this upcoming weekend in France to close out Period I. However, I’ve been fighting some sickness over the last few days post sprint, and yesterday I decided to stay in Davos to get healthy and rest up for the Tour de Ski. My husband will be here in a few days and with a successful few weeks of racing under my belt, I can now take a little break and enjoy the Christmas holiday. Thanks to everyone for the notes and encouragement, and for all the support that helped me kick off this season with a bang! I wish everyone a very merry Christmas, and I’ll be back to you in the New Year with some more action! Cheers, PS I just received word that Poland’s appeal was denied and therefore my third place stands. Whew!

December 16, 2010 – Canadian National Ski Team (NST) member Drew Goldsack is a veteran of the cross-country ski-racing world. Goldsack, who trains with the Alberta World Cup Academy, has been racing World Cups since 2003. He has one Olympics and two World Championships under his belt, with a top showing of 6th in the team sprint at the 2007 Championships in Sapporo, Japan.

Compared to Goldsack, National Development Center (NDC) athlete Andy Shields is a relative newcomer, though he’s quickly racking up his own impressive resume, having represented Canada at the 2010 World Junior Championships in Hinterzarten, Germany last season.

Despite their difference in years, both athletes shared moments atop the podium at Sovereign Lakes last weekend, Goldsack winning the open men’s classic sprint and Shields taking the junior men’s 15km free event. SkiTrax had a chance to sit down with both racers after the 15km to talk about their races and goals for the future.

Goldsack, who’s won all his NorAm and SuperTour starts until now, was a little disappointed with his 5th place finish in the distance race on Sunday. “The winning streak is over, but it was bound to happen. The 15km skate is definitely not one of my strengths… so I didn’t really expect to win today,” said Goldsack.

Over 30 centimeters of snow fell Saturday night (Dec. 11), leaving the Sovereign Lake crew scrambling to eke out a raceable course, which they accomplished admirably under pressure.

“It was a hard race today, the conditions were pretty difficult; lots of soft, kind of punchy snow. It got pretty chopped up on the climbs… definitely not the best conditions for me,” continued Goldsack. He said he typically does better on hard, fast courses and the soft conditions on Sunday definitely gave the advantage to smaller, lighter racers.

Racers like the light and agile Shields who had a much easier time in the deep snow.

“I was pretty excited to ski in that kind of snow. It really plays into my hands,” he said. “The grooming was amazing too, considering how much snow fell.” Shields’ win was his first ever on the NorAm circuit.

“I’ve been second a few times, so it was nice to finally stand on the top spot.”

Waking up to over a foot of fresh powder was a shock to the racers, but both said their training center teams handled the situation extremely well.

“The team handled it really well,” said Shields. “It went smoothly for us. Eric [Bailey, NDC coach] had a good handle on it… got some really good wax on our skis, and we were all really happy with how well they were working.”

“I had three pairs [of race skis] ready to go and a couple of them were specific to soft conditions,” said Goldsack. He, too, had plenty of kind words for his wax support team even though they’ve only been working together a short while.

“It’s been a pretty painless transition [from the NST] and things are working well,” he said. “Because it’s a bigger team I end up waxing some of my own skis, which I’m definitely not used to, but it’s good for me for sure.”

Both athletes are training with national training centers. Shields is with the National Development Center in Thunder Bay, while Goldsack trains jointly with the National Ski Team and the Alberta World Cup Academy. While it might be a partnership born of NST budget constraints and a necessity, it’s one that the veteran thinks has a lot of potential.

“So far, it’s been really good,” he says. He credits both NST coach Justin Wadsworth for collaborating well with Mike Cavaliere and the AWCA coaching staff. Each coach and team has his own style and ideas, making for powerful synergy. It also allows for some unique role modeling, given the wide age spread of skiers on the AWCA team.

“It’s nice to have the young energy and excitement. The pressure to perform is less than the NST’s intense environment,” said Goldsack. He said he enjoys being able to share his wealth of racing experience with the younger athletes.

“Some of them think you have to be in bed at 8 p.m. every night and train 900 hours a year,” said Goldsack. “I thing its been good for them to see that my training’s not much different than theirs.”

Despite, or perhaps thanks to the wisdom of his years, Goldsack is smart enough to keep an eye on the up-and-comers, many of whom have their targets set on the same World Cup and World Championship races that he does. The U23 field is exceptionally strong right now, he says, with many of the world’s top U23 skiers capable of holding their own on the World Cup stage.

“Domestically and internationally the U23 field has some very solid skiers. I mean, there were two [U23’s] in the sprint final in Davos.” That says a lot about the strength of younger skiers, he said. Ontario’s 22-year-old Lenny Valjas finished 17th in the Davos sprint last weekend, enough to land him a spot at the Nordic World Championships in Oslo, Norway later this winter.

Seeing younger athletes racing that fast is a huge motivator for Shields. After his win on Sunday, he’s looking ahead to the three-race NorAm mini-tour this coming weekend in Rossland BC. The first race in Rossland is a skate sprint, which is a qualifier for World Championships as well and shields said he’s excited.

“It’ll be nice to start the tour off with my best event,” he said. “I’m looking for a good solid performance there, and to ski well overall.” After that, said Shields, it’s home to Cambridge, Ontario, for Christmas to rest up for World Junior Championship trials which will be held on his new home course at Lappe Nordic, in Thunder Bay.

Goldsack is also setting his sights on the Rossland sprint on Dec. 17 and the World Champ’s spot that’s on the line.

“Best case scenario I’d like to be on the podium in Oslo. I’ve been on the verge in the pastŠso if I can get back to that form I don’t think it’s an unreasonable goal,” said Goldsack. “At this point in my career, if I’m not shooting for the podium then I don’t know what I’m doing.”

December 16, 2010 (Sovereign Lake, BC) – Check out these great video highlights from last weekend’s NorAm Teck women’s 10k skate race at Sovereign Lake, which was won by Holly Brooks (APU). Caitlin Compton (CXC) and Brooke Gosling finished second and third, respectively.

December 16, 2010 – SISU Ski Fest organizing committee is pleased to announce its 42K marathon is now a qualifier for Hayward, Wisconsin’s legendary American Birkebeiner®. The significance of this recognition will draw more racers to the early season race to be held in Ironwood, MI this January 15, 2011. Racers can compete to get their qualifying time for wave placement in the Birkebeiner®, which will be cutting off registrations this year at 8,400 skiers. The SISU Ski Fest’s Heiki Lunta Half Marathon is also a Kortelopet Qualifier.

Also some course changes have been a focus for ABR Ski Trails owner Eric Anderson. “The start of the 42K is revised to be wider for a more friendly start. Basically the first 5K is up to 50 ft wide and no major climbs or descents. The first major climb is at about 5.5K, according to Eric.” Anderson also stated that they have eliminated 2 of the climbs and 2 of the descents from one of the more difficult loops. Other course improvements include the 21K has a very wide start and no major climbs until 3K. Both races have more spectator viewing areas for the first 1/2 K. The race start times are more spread out so the participants should not have difficulty passing other racers.

The Taste n Tour, sponsored by ABR, is a unique 10K tour is meant for people that want to get out on the SISU trail, participate in the festivities, but aren’t concerned about being timed. Completion by 5:00 p.m. and eating is the major goal for these participants. Taste n Tour is pleased to offer four delectable food stations including a dessert station. SISU committee members expect these registration numbers to climb over last year’s 100 participants. Thirteen restaurants are now sponsoring this event. They include Breakwater, The Pines, Brewster’s, Elk N Hound, Manny’s, Maplewood Steakhouse, Golden Dragon, Old Suffolk Ale House, Steep Creek Café, The Pastry Kitchen, Rigoni’s Bakery and moijakka for the marathon and half marathon participants is being supplied by Ben’s Place.

The race course will be shortened by one block, ending by the Ben Franklin store on Aurora Street. This will allow Suffolk Street to remain open and traffic to flow through the downtown. Strategic planning has been completed with signage and road closings to accommodate business owners. The alley ways downtown will remain open and parking will be available to consumers.

The NEW event this year is the Lapset Loppet (children’s race) sponsored by River Valley Bank. It will be held on Friday January 14 at ABR Ski Trails. Free 2K and 5K events will be start at 1:00 in the afternoon. The 2K is not timed for speed but is a fun event for the younger children, whereas the 5K is a timed event for the more competitive racers. Hot chocolate and cookies will be served and all participants will receive a finisher’s medallion.

Orvana Minerals Corp has come on board to sponsor the Heikki Lunta Half Marathon, and SISU is still searching for a sponsor for the full marathon. Visit our website listed below for details on becoming a sponsor.

Visit www.sisuskifest.com for more information or to register to become a volunteer. The first volunteer meeting will be held December 7 at 6:00pm at the Ironwood Memorial Building. If you are interested in having a booth at our event expo Friday and Saturday January 14-15, please contact Dona Coggins, expo coordinator at 906-663-4233.

December 15, 2010 (Sovereign Lake, BC ) – Check out this great video featuring highlights from last weekend’s Teck Sprint races at the Haywood NorAm season opener at Sovereign Lake courtesy of Graham Longford from Team Harwood. The video includes the Men’s A/B finals and the Women’s A final won by Drew Goldsack (CAN) and Perianne Jones (CAN), respectively.

Sovereign Lake NorAm Highlights – Men’s A/B and Women’s A Finals

December 14, 2010 (Bolton, VT) – Over 100 hearty souls enjoyed epic conditions to kick off the season – high winds, continuous snow fall on top of the solid groomed base made for an abrupt kick start to racing. It was a great mix of the old along with many new faces. Last year’s club champions NWVT are racing under a new name this season – NWVE or Northwest Vermont Endurance – but the results were much the same. They took control of the club series with a dominating team victory on their home course at Bolton Valley.

Individually, it was the Caitlin Patterson of UVM and Patrick O’brien of Craftsbury Green Racing Project who earned commanding victories over strong fields that included Craftsbury GRP members, the UVM Ski Team and many others.

Note that this race, and all TD Bank Citizen Series events, will be scored to the NENSA points list. This will not impact JO Team scoring, but will allow more athletes to earn points for seeding at Eastern Cup and placement on the end-of-season NENSA Development Teams.

Full results HERE.

NENSA Points Standings HERE.

Check out more photos of the Bolton Season Opener and first race in the TD Bank Citizen Series HERE.

February 04, 2010 (Beitostølen, Norway) – Tomorrow will be the third day of the Scandinavian Cup races here in Beitostølen. And I couldn’t be more excited! Originally, we had thought the skate sprint, classic 5/10km and skate 15/30km (which has since been shortened to 10/15km) was a mini-tour, but it turns out they’re separate races.

No matter. The US decided we’d MAKE it a mini-tour! So going into my third day of racing in a row, I’m a little tired but pretty stoked on life since it’s been beautiful out – bluebird skies and sun – and I’m making friends with the Norwegian ladies along the way.

Speaking of Norwegian ladies, there ares some seriously talented, fast skiers out here. It was great to be able to race alongside them and gain experience. You have to get your butt kicked a few times before you get better!

For me, the skate sprint was fun, although this was the second sprint course I’ve recently done where placement was crucial. The course was such that, once you left the stadium and rounded the first corner, it was extremely difficult to pass, so getting off to a fast start was ultra-important. This is something I’ve been working on, and I still need to tune up my fast twitch!

I was slightly disappointed with my semifinal; although I had the start I wanted, the girl to my right skied over my skis and I tripped, and ended up leaving the stadium in 6th place. While I made more than one attempt to pass, I was unprepared for the level of aggressiveness out there and wasn’t able to make it to the final. But that’s what I’m here for – to figure out how to race in all sorts of conditions and courses!

The classic race today was, for me, one of those days where it’s beautiful and sunny outside with perfect tracks, and you can be racing but having fun and enjoying the day as well! The US put in a good day’s work; Sadie led the day in 8th, Morgan got 12th, I finished in 15th, Liz finished 28th and Ida came in 35th. Simi led the men in 19th and Tad finished in 74th. I was pumped on the race because I’ve been working on my classic for a long time, and it’s great to have a race where I feel confident in my technique and striding up longer, steeper hills.

Looking forward to racing tomorrow!