February 14, 2011 – The National Cross-Country Ski Education Foundation has partnered with the US Ski Team to fully fund all U. S. Cross Country athletes who represent the U.S. at the 2011 World Nordic Ski Championships.
Dave Knoop, NCCSEF director, states “The World Championships are the premier Nordic competition outside of the Olympics. We wanted to make sure each athlete who qualifies for the Championships could focus on their preparation for the games and not worry about covering the cost for this trip.”
“We will be going to Norway with a group of athletes who have all earned this honor with strong performances this season,” said Nordic Program Director John Farra. “And we are pleased that are at the championships as one united team all will be equally funded and supported. It’s a special honor for each of these athletes to be able to compete in Norway.”
NCCSEF Ski Fundraising Challenge
The NCCSEF challenges the ski community at large to help fund these athletes. Make your tax deductible contribution to NCCSEF designating World Championships and we will ensure that your contribution goes to offsetting trip expenses for all athletes. To contribute and learn about NCCSEF visit www.nccsef.org
2011 World Nordic Ski Championships U. S. Cross Country Ski Team Men – Tad Elliott – Central Cross Country
– Lars Flora – Alaska Pacific University
– Kris Freeman – Andover Outing Club
– Simi Hamilton – Sun Valley Ski Ed Foundation
– Noah Hoffman – Aspen Valley Ski Club
– Torin Koos – Methow Olympic Development
– Andy Newell – Stratton Mountain School
Women
– Morgan Arritola – Sun Valley Ski Ed Foundation
– Holly Brooks – Alaska Pacific University
– Sadie Bjornsen -Alaska Pacific University
– Jessie Diggins- Central Cross Country
– Kikkan Randall – Alaska Pacific University
– Ida Sargent – Craftsbury Green Racing Project
– Liz Stephen- Burke Mountain Academy
2011 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships Cross Country Schedule – Oslo, Norway – Feb. 24 – Freestyle sprint
– Feb. 26 – W’s 15k Pursuit
– Feb 27 – M 30k Pursuit
– Feb. 28- W 10k Classic
– Mar. 1 – M 15k Classic
– Mar. 2 – Team classic sprint
– Mar. 3 – W Relay
– Mar. 4 – M Relay
– Mar. 5 – W 30k Freestyle
– Mar. 6 – M 50k Freestyle
February 14, 2011 (Cantley, QC) – The Eastern Canadian Championships, hosted by Nakkertok, wrapped up on Sunday with familiar faces on the podium. With temperatures rising throughout the day, peaking just below zero, the weather was more settled than it had been for the previous races.
Emily Nishikawa (Whitehorse/AWCA) took the top step on the podium for the 3rd time this weekend as she won the 15km classic Pursuit. Leading from the word go, Nishikawa kept ahead of her rivals as she led from start to finish.
Sarah Daitch (Rocky Mountain Racers) narrowly beat out Alysson Marshall (AWCA/BCST) for 2nd place, just 15 seconds back. Heidi Widmer (Foothills Nordic/AWCA) and Alana Thomas (Nakkertok) rounded out the top 5.
“I’m so happy with how this weekend went. I felt strong in all three races and was skiing well,” said Emily Nishikawa “The pursuit yesterday was a good race for me, I didn’t know how far back the other girls were so I just focused on my race and pushed as hard as I could. I’m pretty pumped about winning the overall, and very happy for my brother as well.”
Graham Nishikawa (Whitehorse/AWCA) took home his second gold medal, and third medal of the weekend, as he won the men’s 30km classic pursuit. Nishikawa powered away from the rest of the field from the gun and by the half way mark, had nearly a minute on the rest of the field.
“I had a perfect race today,” he told SkiTrax. “It was nerve racking being chased down by the field, but I just tried to focus on my own race and was able to ski away from the guys.”
“Thirty kilometers was a long distance to ski solo. It took a lot of mental focus. I am very happy to have won the mini tour. The organizers did a great job with the event,” added Nishikawa.
Kevin Sandau (Foothills Nordic/NST) was 1:22 back in second place, and Michael Somppi (Lappe Nordic/NDC T-Bay) took the bronze. Pate Neumann (Canmore Nordic/AWCA) and Karl Saidla (XC Ottawa) finished fourth and fifth, with Saidla posting the 2nd fastest men’s time of the day.
Both Graham and Emily Nishikawa easily led the overall standings after the weekend of racing, Emily by more than a minute, and Graham by more than two minutes over their closest rivals.
“I am not sure about the future, but I hope to head to the World Cups in the spring, after some much needed rest,” commented Graham Nishikawa.
This weekend’s racing was the final NorAm event in Canada this season.
February 14, 2011 (West Yellowstone, MT) – The 2011 Equinox Ski Challenge will be held March 19-20 at the Rendezvous cross-country ski trails in West Yellowstone. Racers complete as many laps as they can and may enter as soloists or as members of a relay team of up to 8 members in 3-hour, 6-hour, 12-hour and 24-hour divisions. Kids 12 and under can race for free in the 24-minute challenge.
Bozeman resident Andy Gerlach, who raced on a 5-person team in the 24-hour division in 2010, said that “skiing at night is fabulous.”
“The reflections, the light…everything moves faster.”
Gerlach also noted the race went easier than he expected.
“The first lap was the hardest, and then it got better,” he said.
Gerlach added that having Toko ski wax representative Eric Mittelstaedt working on participants’ skis throughout the event went a long way in keeping them fast throughout the 24-hour ski race.
Wilson Dippo, who races for Bowdoin College in Maine, skied the Equinox for the first time in 2010 on a two-person, 24-hour team, and had a little less time to rest in between laps.
“I went out too hard for a 24-hour race,” he said.
Dippo said his first “bonk” hit around 8 p.m., after skiing with teammate Ian Anderson for nearly 10 hours.
Still, they rested, ate and recovered to ski through the night and win their division with 289.1 kilometers skied.
Dippo said he’s planning to return home to Salt Lake City over spring break and make the trip to West Yellowstone again, this time to ski the 24-hour solo division.
Melissa Alder and Kelli Sanders, owners of Free Heel & Wheel in West Yellowstone, thought first about entering as a two-person team for the 24-hour race, but instead opted to ski the 12-hour individual category so they could ski together.
“The costumes were great. The festive atmosphere was positive, energizing and made me want to keep skiing,” said Alder.
Proceeds from the race benefit the West Yellowstone Ski Education Foundation (WYSEF) and Manaia Youth Programs. Participants are also encouraged to bring food donations for the West Yellowstone Food Bank.
The event includes a Saturday evening potluck and an all-night bonfire at the start/finish line.
Before March 1, registration is $55/adult or $30/junior. Between March 1-March 15, the fee is $75/adult and $50/junior. Race-day registration is $90/adult and $60/junior. Registration discounts are available for racers who also volunteer at the race or who bring someone along to volunteer for them. Registration is free for kids under 12 participating in a 24-minute kids’ race.
February 12, 2011 (Beitostolen, Norway) – USA’s Simeon Hamilton led the North Americans at the Men’s 10km Classic in Beitostolen, Norway today, with a 16th-place finish, 1:20.7 off the pace of race winner Ronny Fredrik Ansnes (NOR). Pål Golberg (NOR) took second place, 15s back, followed by Arne Post (NOR) in third.
“Yeah, a good day for sure over here, especially since it was essentially my second distance race of the year,” Hamilton told SkiTrax by email. “The course suited me well, long climbs that required long striding with some good recovery downhills. And some technical corners added in for good measure. It felt good to see a hard effort pay off, especially since yesterday [sprints] wasn’t the best day in the world for me.
“It’s been fun watching the team ski really well over here, especially the ladies… they’re killing it. We’re all getting really amped for Drammen and Oslo.”
Canadians Ivan Babikov and Len Valjas were the next North Americans, finishing 23rd and 24th, respectively, with Babikov beating his teammate by only two-tenths of a second. Tad Elliott (USA) cruised into 55th position.
For Canada’s Babikov it was a day with bad luck but he found his groove and moved up about 60 spots after falling back to 80th.
“The race didn’t go well for me at all, I crashed and broke a pole about 2min after the start – and then skied almost half of the lap with broken poll, so at the first split time I was 80th,” said the veteran. “But it’s ok, better now than at the championships, right?
“On the 2nd lap I got into the rhythm and moved up to 23rd. But I think I feel more comfortable now in classic skiing than I felt at the beginning of the season. We’ll see how the 15km classic in Drammen goes for me.”
The “DNS” list was long, with Noah Hoffman (USA), Torin Koos (USA), Andy Newell (USA), Devon Kershaw, (CAN) all opting out of the race, which many used as a tune-up for next weekend’s World Cup in Drammen, Norway.
According to a recent Twitter update, Kershaw had intended to race, but he opted to rest up and recover from a bug that kept him from eating and depleted his energy.
February 12, 2011 (Beitostølen, Norway) – American Sadie Bjornsen from Alaska was only 4.7s off the podium claiming 4th in the women’s 5km classic today in Beitostølen as Norwegian Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen skied for the win in 15:02. Morgan Arritola (USA) was 8th another 11s behind Bjornsen while Canada’s Chandra Crawford, who just arrived in Norway, claimed an impressive 12th as she continues to show gains in her classic skiing.
“Today was super cold out there in the morning – so they postponed the start for 30 mins. There were about 890 starters, so they sent us off in 15 second intervals, which made things more exciting,” said Bjornsen in a post-race email to SkiTrax. “Astrid Jacobsen, who I knew would be the potential winner stated 45 seconds behind me – so it was my goal to stay ahead of her… and if she passed me, I would stick on her like glue. I was able to hold her off though, which was nice.”
Liz Stephen (USA) finished in 17th, Ida Sargent (USA) was 20th, and Canada’s Brooke Gosling placed 37th. For Crawford it was a good result as part of her final prep before Oslo.
“I’ve been in Norway for less than 48 hours but it felt good to get the bib on and go for it,” Crawford told SkiTax by email. “Today’s race was an opportunity Justin [Wadsworth – head coach] organized for athletes who felt a need to race to get ready for Drammen World Cup and World Champs so Brooke Gosling, Ivan Babikov, Lenny Valjas and I cruised over here from Lillehammer where the team is training to do the race.
“I’m impressed with Astrid Jacobsen who is a great person and skier and just met Sadie [Bjornsen] today but am impressed with her speed. Feels good to be back in Scandinavia where the love of skiing and thousands of kilometers of groomed trails are my kind of paradise.”
In the Junior women’s race the USA’s Jessie Diggins placed 5th at 29.5s behind winner Norway’s Ragnhild Hana with a time of 15:21.8. Diggins time of 15:51.3 put her in 15th overall when considering all categories and times merged.
Bjornsen said she hasn’t skied a 5km in a while but felt good out there knowing she had to ski hard the whole way.
“The course was rolling at the beginning and then it had a really long climb that went into a gradual climb on the top at about 3km… so you had to pretty much charge the entire time. A 5km classic is a good race for me, so I was determined to ski the course really hard.
“It was nice to finish knowing I can ski right in there with some of these top Norwegians. I haven’t seen the results, but I do know that Jacobson won and I was within like 35 seconds of her or something. Skis were good, and the rest of the US girls skid strong races as well – so it was good fun,” she commented.
February 11, 2011 (Rossland, BC) – Come visit Rossland BC for a weekend adventure… and your last tune-up races before the Masters World Cup in Vernon. Black Jack Ski Club in Rossland is hosting two great races on the weekend of Feb. 26-27th: the Kootenay Cup and Black Jack Loppet.
Schedule:
Saturday Feb 26 – Kootenay Cup (Classic)
Sunday Feb 27 – 27th Annual Black Jack Loppet (Free)
February 09, 2011 (Vernon, BC) – Only six days left to register for the 2011 Sparkling Hill Masters World Cup and Join the Excitement! Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to experience a truly international Nordic Event. Come participate with skiers from over 20 countries.
Registration deadline is February 14 and no late registration can be accepted. Registration information can be found in the Registration Section. For more information on the races and their categories, see the Competition Section.
Accommodation is still available both at Silver Star and in Vernon. Information about accommodation for the event can be found in the Accommodation Section of this website. Accommodation is booked directly with the accommodator. A shuttle service beginning March 3 is provided linking accomodation in Vernon and Silver Star to the Event at Sovereign Lake.
Spectators: Spectators are encouraged but there is no parking at the site. Parking is available in Silver Star Lot E and shuttle buses connect to the race site. Shuttle buses also run from Vernon. Athletes and event staff have priority on bus loading.
For information on travelling to the area, and for additional activities and events, please see the Travel Section of this website.
Volunteers are still needed. If you are interested in Volunteering for the event, please register as a volunteer through our online database.
Check our FAQ: if you need more information than found on these web pages, try consulting our FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) document or contacting info@mwc2011.com.
With the generous support of Sparkling Hill Resort, Sovereign Lake Nordic Club is hosting the 2011 Sparkling Hill Masters World Cup of Cross Country Skiing. This Event is the world championships of cross country for skiers 30 years of age and above. The event attracts 1,100 to 1,400 racers from over 20 countries. The event lasts a week with daily classic and/or free technique ski races ranging from 5 to 45km in length.We would like to thank all of our sponsors, supporters and volunteers who are helping to make this a great event for our community and our international guests.
Raffle: Four prizes (7 night houseboat vacation plus others) and an early bird prize. See the January 2011 Newsletter for details. All proceeds to help fund this event. Prize draw at the closing banquet. The early bird draw is 4 p.m. Mon, Feb 14th at SLNC. Tickets can be purchased at Sovereign, Stussi, from OC members, Board members, Valhalla and Bean to Cup at SilverStar, Bulldog, Pinnacles & other places & persons around town & on the mountain.
February 08, 2011 (West Yellowstone, MT) – There is just under a month to go until the 32nd annual Yellowstone Rendezvous Race. Final preparations are in place and there is still time to train for the big day. Join hundreds of Nordic skiers at the start line on March 5th, 2011. Register before March 1 to avoid late fees and all registrations will be closed promptly at noon on Thursday, March 3.
Whether you are skiing for prize money or just to cross the finish line, all racers invited to the Yellowstone Rendezvous Race. True marathoners can enter the 50 kilometer race, which consists of two laps around the perimeter of the Rendezvous Ski Trail system. Skiers can choose the 25 kilometer event under classic or freestyle technique. The 10k race is open to skiers not ready for a long race, with the 5k and 2k races geared for kids.
Bring your friends and family and stay a few extra days. From skiing to sight-seeing, West Yellowstone is the home base for winter fun. There is no other place in the world where you can spend one day racing on 25 kilometers of professionally groomed trails and the next day see bison grazing next to hot springs or bald eagles soaring past geysers.
The Rendezvous Ski Trails are in great shape and the entire trail system is groomed with both a skate lane and classic track. With three feet of groomed packed powder on the ground and more on the way, there is no reason not to expect perfect corduroy for next month’s event. End your race season with a bang at the 32nd Annual Rendezvous Race.
There is still time to sign up for the Rendezvous Race. For more information, go to www.rendezvousrace.com.
February 07, 2011 (Kelowna, BC) – Heavy snow greated the skiers on Sunday for the 3rd leg of the Haywood Multi-stage competition in Kelowna. The freestyle Handicap races got underway with the men’s competition with Drew Goldsack first out of the blocks. Stefan Kuhn followed 10 seconds later with Graham Nishikawa another 5 seconds back.
Nishikawa soon caught up to Goldsack and the two NST skiers battled the elements over the 15km course. In a sprint to the finish Goldsack finished .3 seconds infront of the Haywood NorAm leader. The race wasn’t over however as George Grey, starting in a non-seeded wave start position had the fastest time of the day with a stage time of 38:20.8.
The Canadian multi-stage format allows skiers to compete for single stage honours ever if they miss a leg. In Grey’s case, the 24-hour stomach flu kept him bed-bound during the prologue day.
SkiTrax caught up with Goldsack after his races: “It was a good weekend for me. The conditions have been excellent at the Telemark Ski Club. They’ve done a lot of improvements to the trails since the last time we raced here in 2003. The sprint course was pretty flat but a 200m+ finishing straight made it a suffer fest to the line. The Prologue and 15km (3x5km) courses were quite tough with some really short and hard steep pitches,” he commented.
“I’m finally coming back into some better shape after being sick. I was feeling pretty good this weekend but I’d say I’m not quite back to the form I had before Christmas,” added Goldsack.
The heavy snow didn’t seem to hold back National Team skier Perianne Jones as she steadily pulled away from the Women’s field finishing 2:27 in front of Junior skier Maya MacIsaac-Jones of the Rocky Mtn Racers. MacIsaac-Jones started 5th on the grid. Andrea Dupont finished 3rd with the 4th fastest time on the day while Rebecca Reid, another young Junior finished with the 3rd fastest time on the day and 5th overall.
In the Junior Girls Pursuit, Suzanne Stevenson of Foothills started beside Jill Reynolds of Black Jack and battled over the 5km course only to pull away over the last 60 meters to a 3-second victory. Susanne Fraser of Black Jack finished 3rd in the multi-stage event.
In the Junior Boys Pursuit, Julien Locke of Black Jack was the strongest on the day and won the overall multi-stage race by 50 seconds. Colin Ferrie skiing for Kimberley Nordic picked up second overall and a silver for the stage while Matt Saurett of Edmonton Nordic moved from 5th on the grid to take third on the day.
Mass start events completed the Haywood NorAm Western Canadians in Juvenile, Midget and younger age categories. Almost 450 skiers competed at Telemark, making the 2011 edition of the Western Canadians one of the largest ever.
February 07, 2011 (Stowe, VT) – Despite and evening of crazy winter weather that included thunder and lightning at Trapp Family Lodge, morning arrived to greet racers to another day of great skiing on the 5K race loop at Trapp Family Lodge host to today’s TD Bank Eastern Cup events. Today’s contests included 5, 10, and 15 kilometer classic races.
The day started with the J2 Boys 5K. Mount Mansfield Nordic’s Ben Hegman (Huntington, VT) earned the first TD Bank Eastern Cup J2Q win of his career with Cambridge Sports Union’s Hamish McEwen (Weston, MA) once again in second. Gunstock’s Jack Schrupp (Gilford, NH) was third.
The J2 Girls were next and Julia Kern (Waltham, MA) yesterday’s winner from Cambridge Sports Union, made it 2-for-2 on the weekend with a big 25-second victory. Cate Brams (Belmont, MA) gave CSU the top two spots, with Stratton’s Brooke Mooney (Peru, VT) just 1.3 seconds behind in third.
With the top collegiate skiers heading home after the conclusion of the UVM Winter Carnival, the women’s and men’s fields did not have the same depth as Saturday, but did still feature athletes like Craftsbury Green Racing Project’s Hannah Dreissigacker and Patrick O’brien, a handful of fast Canadians, last weekend’s double-winner Corey Stock, Olympian Justin Freeman, and local standout Eli Enman.
In the women’s 10K classic, Hannah Dreissigacker (Craftsbury, VT) stormed out of the gate to a big first lap lead that she was able to ride to a 50-second win over the top junior, second place Corey Stock (Lincoln, MA/CSU.) Caroline Drolet, from Club Nordique Mont-Ste-Anne in Quebec was third. Ford Sayre’s Ellen Chandler earned the masters win.
The men were next and their three lap race turned into a battle between Olympian and masters racer Justin Freeman (New Hampton, NH) and a skier twelve years his junior, Craftsbury Green Racing Project’s Patrick O’Brien. Freeman’s lead lengthened by just a few seconds each lap, but it was enough in the end for a 16-second victory. Another masters racer, Eli Enman (Huntington, VT / VTXC) took the final spot on the podium. In a race dominated by masters and seniors, 7th place Nathan Weber from Nakkertok Ski Club (Ontario, Canada) was the top junior.
Today’s races were sanctioned by FIS and USSA and were contested on the 5 kilometer John Morton-designed and FIS homologated racing loop at Trapp Family Lodge.
After two straight weekends of TD Bank Eastern Cup action, the skiers get a break before the Finals at Hanover and Holderness, New Hampshire February 19 and 20. At the conclusion of racing on the 20th, the team will be named to defend New England’s “Alaska Cup” title at this year’s Junior Nationals, as well as overall 2011 TD Bank Eastern Cup Champions.
February 05, 2011 (Rybinsk, Russia) – Alexei Petukhov (RUS) held off the storming Norwegians who added some star power at Saturday’s 1.3km men’s free sprints in Rybinsk to secure another victory for Russia on home snow. Petukhov, who qualified first, dominated the competition to take a clear win ahead of the silver and bronze Norwegian duo of Ola Vigen Hattestad and Anders Gloeersen who qualified second behind Petukhov. Martin Jaeger (SUI) and Nikolay Morilov (RUS) rounded out the top five.
The absent World Cup top three, Dario Cologna (SUI), Petter Northug (NOR), and Lukas Bauer (CZE), maintained their overall rankings, while Hattestad took over the sprint rankings ahead of Emil Joensson (SWE) in second and Petukhov (RUS) in third. No North Americans competed.
February 05, 2011 (Rybinsk, Russia) – Today’s 1.3km women’s free sprints were led and won by Slovenians Vesna Fabjan and Katja Visnar. Visnar won the qualifier, but had to settle for second when she was nipped at the finish in the final by team mate Fabjan who qualified second. Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) secured the bronze medal in a late-race surge, successfully shutting the Italian team out of the medals. Magda Genuin (ITA), Arianna Follis (ITA), and Marianna Longa (ITA) finished fourth through sixth, respectively. Once again, competitor participation was low, with many of the top hitters absent. No North Americans competed.
Kowalczyk extended her overall World Cup lead to 1,576 points ahead of Follis with 975 and Marit Bjoergen (NOR) with 922. Despite her no-show, Petra Majdic (SLO) continues to lead in the overall sprint standings.
February 05, 2011 (Kelowna, B.C.) – Canadian National Team members Drew Goldsack and Perianne Jones, topped the qualifications on their way to victory at the Teck 1.3km Freestyle Sprints on Friday as another mini-tour gets underway in Kelowna, B.C., also doubling as the Western National Championships.
Chandra Crawford (NST), who qualified third behind Andrea Dupont of the Rocky Mountain Racers in second, fell ill and opted not to continue heading home to Canmore. Jones had the fastest qualifying time in 2:55.24 and took the win over Sarah Daitch (Fort Smith Ski Club) in second and Dupont in third. Juniors Rebecca Reid (AWCA), Dahria Beatty (Yukon Ski Team) and Suzanne Stevenson (Foothills Nordic) finished 4th-6th in the A-Final.
Goldsack was back to his winning form as he grabbed the win over suprise second place finisher Matthew Wylie (Banff Ski Runners) who beat national teamer Stefan Kuhn second behind Goldsack in the qualifications, in third. Rounding out the A-Final were Graham Nishikawa (AWCA), George Grey (NST) and Brian McKeever (Foothills Nordic) of Para-Nordic fame.
Next up are the Prologue races on Saturday.
Full women’s results HERE.
Full women’s results HERE.
February 04, 2011 (Rybinsk, Russia) – Ilia Chernousov (RUS) edged out a very tight yet small field in Rybinsk today at the Viessmann FIS World Cup Men’s 20km Pursuit to score victory on home snow. He was tailed very closely by the top men to win by a mere four-tenths of a second over second place, Jean Marc Gaillard (FRA). Fellow Frenchman Mauric Manificat took the bronze medal, finishing only three seconds behind the leader.
As in the women’s race, the field was small and no North Americans were in attendance. Notable no-shows were World Cup top three Dario Cologna (SUI), Petter Northug (NOR), Lukas Bauer (CZE), along with Marcus Hellner (SWE).
February 04, 2011 (Rybinsk, Russia) – A small field of women took to the start line at the Viessmann FIS World Cup in Rybinsk, Russia today for the 10km Pursuit event, but that didn’t matter to Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) who snatched another victory, posting a time nearly 10s faster than second place skier, Italy’s Marianna Longa.Aino-Kaisa Saarinen (FIN) finished third.
With only 30 starters from eight different nations and no North Americans, it was the most poorly attended World Cup of the season so far. Kowalczyk continues to lead the overall rankings with 1,516 points as opposed to the 930 points held by Arianna Follis (ITA), who is in second spot and placed fourth in today’s Pursuit. Many big names, like Charlotte Kalla (SWE), Petra Majdic (SLO), and Marit Bjoergen (NOR) were not in attendance.
February 03, 2011 (Steamboat Springs, CO) – Olympic medalist Todd Lodwick will host a Nordic Ski Camp at The Home Ranch outside of Steamboat Springs, Colorado from February 8-12, 2011. This all-inclusive camp is designed for skiers age 12 and older who want to improve their skating skills in an inviting and inspiring environment and learn from one of the best cross-country skiers in the world. For details, see The Home Ranch Web Site HERE.
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Save 20% on Boots – One Week Only!
Enter coupon code “Feb Boots” on-line at www.bouldernordic.com to save 20% on all boots in the store.
We have a huge selection of XC ski boots and this is a great opportunity to get a screaming deal on the best boots available. We tested everything last year and only ordered the boots that we would want to ski in ourselves.
Sizes and quantities are limited to stock on hand, so don’t be lame and miss out!
Offer Expires: Feb 9, 2011 Coupon limited to non-sale items and quantity on hand. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Coupon Code must be entered on the first page of checkout on-line at www.bouldernordic.com or presented at the time of sale and cannot be applied retroactively. Exchange or store credit only on returns.
February 02, 2011 (Otepaa, Estonia) – Holy cow, today’s been an absolutely huge day! With 4 races going on I have no idea how the coaches and wax techs kept up with it all! First we had the junior women’s 4×3.3km relay, in which we finished 7th. I’m so totally excited because we moved up a place from last year!
The relay went like this: Amy Glen scrambled (classic) and tagged off to Kinsey Loan, who then tagged of to me for the skate half of the relay. I tagged Joanne and she anchored us for a solid 7th place. I’m also extremely excited about finishing second for lap splits to Heidi Wang (Norway) by 5.4 seconds. It was definitely a successful day – and we definitely had some crazy fast skis (yeah Salomon!)
After the relay, we travel waxed our skis, packed out bags and set out for a long day of spectating! And we did some HARD CORE cheering. We had numerous US flags and signs, and I do believe we also had the loudest voices on the whole course.
The junior men’s 4x5km relay went second, and they ended up finishing 10th in a close sprint with Canada. Then a short while later, the women’s 15km pursuit race set off, and Sadie led the US with a 17th place finish.
The last race of the day was the men’s 30km pursuit, and it was so much fun to cheer as the sun came out and it was an absolutely gorgeous day!
Noah led the US men with a 22nd place finish, but the coolest part of the whole day was seeing Alex Harvey crush it today and WIN THE WHOLE DARN RACE!!!! It was totally inspiring to hear an anthem other than Norway being blasted in the stadium.
I’m giving a huge shout-out to all the coaches and wax techs for all their hard work and patience in dealing with US. And thanks also to NCCSEF for all the support. It wouldn’t have happened without you!
So now I’m headed over to Madona, Latvia, with the Scando Cup team… and pretty much the only thing I know about Latvia is that car-jacking is basically a sport. The next week should be very interesting!
February 01, 2011 (Chugiak, Alaska) – Three months ago, Alaska’s cross-country skiing superstar and Fast and Female ambassador – Kikkan Randall – put a pink star on her calendar for the day of Saturday January 29, 2011. No, that day didn’t stand for a special training session or a key race on the World Cup circuit. Instead, that day marked the hosting of the third annual Fast and Female X-Country SkiFest in Alaska, led by Randall and her US National teammate, Holly Brooks.
As planned, this past Saturday, 200 enthusiastic female skiers between the ages of 9 to 19 joined Randall and Brook at the Chugiak High School in Chugiak in Alaska for a unique afternoon of on-snow ski drills, inspirational presentations, dancing and yoga.
“Our ski stations were the most fun yet,” admitted Randall who is enjoying her best World Cup season ever with three podium finishes in skate sprint events including a gold medal. “We worked on all sorts of different skills and even threw in a little friendly competition to get the girls really fired up!”
Locally title sponsored by the Anchorage Women’s Clinic and supported by an additional 20 ambassadors with a broad range of x-country racing experience at the state, national and international levels, the 2011 Fast and Female X-Country SkiFest featured activities all aimed at motivating girls to stay hooked on sports and the healthy lifestyle.
“With this being our third annual Fast and Female event, I can really feel that the Fast and Female spirit is taking hold with these girls and we really are making a difference,” admitted Randall who donates hours each year to the planning and hosting of this big event.
For Randall, who is under a tight training schedule, being able to spend five hours with 200 emerging young female skiers from Alaska is a gift. Indeed, this Saturday, as she watched a field full of aspiring female x-country skiing champions, Randall rejoiced in being able to inspire and be inspired thanks to the contagious energy that emerges at all Fast and Female events.
“The smile power at Saturday’s event was unbelievable,” said Randall following the event. “I didn’t want the day to end! Being able to see the eyes of our participants light up when we talk about our experiences, and beginning to see their minds start to dream, is such an incredible and rewarding experience,” concluded the racer who is now setting her sights on competing at the 2011 World X-Country Ski Championships in Norway from February 23 to March 6.
Founded in 2005, Fast and Female is a non-profit organization based in Canmore, Alberta, Canada. The organization is intensely focused on delivering innovative non-competitive programming to increase the retention of girls in sports and offset the factors that make girls six times more likely to drop out of sports than boys.
Each year, the organization travels all over Canada and the US with Olympic and elite-level female athletes to offer sport-specific programming for female youth participants involved in Cross-Country Skiing, Biathlon, Alpine Skiing, Triathlon, and Cycling. Program scope and reach grows annually with the addition of new female ambassadors.
Fast and Female’s expansion into the US was made possible in 2009 thanks to the friendship and collaboration between Randall and Canada’s Chandra Crawford. Crawford is the organization’s original founder and won a gold medalist in cross-country skiing at the 2006 Olympics.
The 2011 Fast and Female X-Country SkiFest held in Chugiak was made possible thanks to the generous contribution of many valuable volunteers as well as the financial and in-kind contributions of the Anchorage Women’s Clinic, the Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage, Best Buy, Buff Multifunctional Headwear, Subway, Cross-Country Alaska, Kaladi Brothers Coffee, and Cold-FX. For a complete list of Fast and Female supporters and donors, please visit click HERE.
All event participants went home with a Fast and Female t-shirt, a Buff, ski ties, and an autographed poster as souvenirs from their empowering day.
For more information concerning upcoming Fast and Female events, please visit www.fastandfemale.com
January 30, 2011 (Otepaa, Estonia) – If you looked closely at today’s results for both men and women at the World Junior Championships in Estonia, Sunday was a fine day for the young junior skiers coming from Germany that is rebuilding its program – the men’s event especially so.
Joining the exclusive club of world junior winners was Germany’s Markus Weeger who took the gold medal in the 10km+10km Pursuit event and finished with a lead of 19.5 seconds over runner up Konstantin Kuleev of Russia. The talented Perttu Hyvarinen of Finland scored the bronze medal with a brilliant skating leg. Weeger’s time was 53:31.1.
The top North Americans in the field were Andy Shields of Canada in 31st in 56:29.0, with the USA’s Scott Patterson in 35th in 56:40.0.
Weeger, who skis for the strong and long-respected Nordic club in Hirschau, has had an impressive week indeed, winning silver as well at this week’s JWC in the 10km free race.
As the race got underway the field remained close together for nearly the entire 10km classic leg. About 20 athletes came into the exchange zone with nearly the same time.
In the first loop of the 3.3km skating leg Weeger tested his opponents daring them to match his tempo, and on the second loop he attacked on an uphill and no one was able to respond to his torrid pace. He continued to build precious seconds all the way to the finish line to take the win.
The battle for second and third was another matter entirely. Thomas Wick (GER) tried to make a break and was chased down, while Slovenian Rok Trsan pushed the pace as well. Then the Finn Hyvarinen moved up and gained ground, settling into a battle with Russian Kullev. At the finish Kuleev had just enough left to take second.
Weeger told the FIS Press Service that he felt very good today. “The wind was very strong, but the race was amazing. The win was a surprise for me, I didn’t (really) understand how I won. I didn’t have any tactics for this race. I just wanted to see, how does it go and now I am a champion.”
Rounding out the North American finishers included Russ Kennedy (CAN) in 42nd, George Cartwright (USA) in 43rd, Andrew Dougherty (USA) in 51st, Tyler Kornfield (USA) in 56th and Canada’s Jordan Cascagnette in 70th. Patrick Stewart-Jones did not finish for Canada.
January 30, 2011 (Otepaa, Estonia) – The Norwegian duo of Heidi Weng and Martine Ek Hagen scored first and second on Sunday in a strong display of power in the Junior women’s 5+5km Pursuit at the FIS Junior World Championships in Estonia. Weng, a star performer who had not yet won a gold at the championships, pushed hard past Hagen in the home stretch to claim the title. Helene Jakob of Germany, who is one year younger then the both of the Norwegians, surprised many in taking the bronze medal.
The USA’s Jessie Diggins, a CXC skier who hails from Afton, Minnesota once again led the North Americans in 12th place in 31:50.2 despite a crash early in the competition. Fellow American Joanne Reid was a solid 24th. The top Canadian woman was Annika Hicks in 31st on fresh packed snow and in windy conditions.
“Today was a solid day for the US junior women,” Diggins told SkiTrax post-race. “We had a 12th (Diggins), 24th (Reid), 40th (Glen), and 50th Heather Mooney – with 78 girls racing, I’m proud to have all our girls in the top 50.
“I’m also super excited because the US women rocked the pit exchanges in the pursuit,” continued the rising US star. “We’ve been practicing and it’s exciting for me to finally have a good equipment switch under my belt because I haven’t had much luck in the past – it was a mental road block I had to get over. But after I crashed and broke a pole at the start of the race, I relaxed a lot more and decided to just try to have a technically good race and see how far I could pull myself back up. So I was thinking a lot more instead of being in the lead pack and letting adrenaline take over, which I think helped me ski smarter.”
Diggins was grateful as she was given a pole by a Canadian coach following her crash.
“I’m also extremely grateful to the Canadian team; I was given a pole a little farther down the trail by one of their coaches. North Americans have each other’s back!”
Other North American finishers included Canada’s Janelle Greer in 36th, Amy Glen (USA) in 40th, Heather Mehain (CAN) in 43rd, Heidi Widmer (CAN) 47th and Mooney in 50th.
Team USA’s Reid was pleased with her 24th place finish: “It went really great today, all the girls were especially happy with our exchanges, we all stayed pretty calm and did good work in the pits. It was really sweet to be skiing with Amy and Jessie and Heather. There was a point in the race that we were all skiing together before Jessie took off and got after it. I ended up right next to Amy for a while and we worked together but I lost her when we went through the exchange,” said Reid.
“Mass start was hectic, no surprises there. There were more falls in it than in a rodeo, and Jessie took a bad one, ended up with a German on top of her and snapped her pole. I was really happy with my race, obviously you always want to try to get a better place than the year before, which I didn’t quite manage, but I certainly can’t complain! I’m a lot stronger at skate than classic so it was a relief to finally get into those skis and leave my striding ones behind,” she added.
Weng and Hagen, who are neighbors in Norway, know each other well having been in the same class at school. Today it was their day in the pursuit. The starting field remained compact after two 2.5km classic laps. Following the ski exchange Weng lost a bit when Elena Soboleva and Anna Scherbinina pushed hard and created a gap.
Weng came charging back in the second uphill. Then Hagen moved in front and accelerated on the final lap. Weng seemed to have some difficulty to follow but hung in with Hagen and the Norwegian duo appeared together in the stadium. In the finishing straight Weng summoned what power she had remaining and sprinted ahead of Hagen to take the win.
Germany’s Jakob was sixth after the classic part and was in contact with the lead group. During the free technique leg she dropped the Russian girls in her group and posted the second fastest time skate time to take the bronze medal.
As for Weng, it marked her second championship medal after placing third in the 5km individual start competition. “Everything was fantastic today and went as I planned,” Weng said in a FIS Press interview. “During the last lap I got really tired and I was very close to let Martine go. I thought about the gold medal in this race but I didn’t believe I could win it.”
As for her long-time friend Hagen the event was great. “The race was fun. I had a very good feeling through the whole race and I enjoyed it a lot. I didn’t expect two Norwegians to be on the podium. I expected only Heidi to win but not me. She is in a very good shape.”
This marked the second to last day of the Junior Worlds in Otepaa.
January 30, 2011 (Houghton, Michigan) – Despite a challenge by Canadian Adam Kates (Thunder Bay), who coaches at Big Thunder, the USA’s Michael Sinnott (SVSEF) prevailed to take the win in a tight men’s 10km classic individual start on Day 2 of the Michigan SuperTour, by just over one second. CXC’s Garrott Kuzzy was third only one second behind Kates. Sinnot is closing in on Lars Flora’s (APU) lead in the SuperTour series and is now trailing by 37 points.
In the women’s 5km classic individual start Maria Stuber (CXC) won by a comfortable 5s-gap over Carolyn Freeman (UWGB) in second followed by yesterday’s sprint winner, Christina Turman (NMU), in third.
The final Day 3 continues on Sunday with the 10/15km mass start skate races.
January 29, 2011 (Otepaa, Estonia) – The powerful Olympic silver medalist from Vancouver, Alexander Panzhinskiy (RUS), was dominant today in Otepää and took the gold medal in the men’s 1.4km U23 sprint classic picking up where he left off last season on the tracks at Whistler Olympic Park.
Panzhinskiy was strongest in the qualifications but the Canadian men loomed large, especially so with Hardwood’s Len Valjas, perhaps the tallest international skier of the day, with an impressive second behind the Russian. What’s more Jess Cockney qualified on the bubble in 30th, only a scant .21 seconds of being out of the big show. The lanky Valjas brings to mind images of the 1960s Norwegian star Harald Gronningen, a giant of the sport for Norway who had five OWG medals.
Timo Andre Bakken of Norway finished second and secured the silver medal. Magnus Moholt of Norway was fighting hard in the finishing straight with Dietmar Noeckler of Italy but Moholt edged out the Italian and captured bronze.
Overall it was a great day for the Canucks with Cockney of Canmore and Valjas, who hails from both Estonian and Swedish heritage, finishing sixth and seventh respectively. Looking back a year ago, Valjas was sixth in the U23 Championships in France. The top American today was Fairbanks, Alaska’s Reese Hanneman in 24th, who went out after the quarterfinals after qualifying in 29th. Canada’s Michael Somppi (CAN) did not start.
Following the race SkiTrax spoke with Valjas who commented about his race. “I felt Super good today out there. It was hard to get by the leaders in the heat because there was only one good glazed track to ski in, around the course. The rest of the tracks got completely filled in with windblown snow from the 40km/h wind. In my semi I came into the last 200 meters with the leaders, but I was forced into the very left lane which no one had skied in all day and it was filled with snow. I really didn’t have any other option out there. I had to break trail in the final sprint while the other guy beside me skied in a fast glazed track. I am very disappointed with my result today. I had the fitness to finish top 3 today, but ran into some bad luck.”
Cockney, who was second in his quarter final round losing out to Russian speed king Panzhinskiy, advanced to the final via a fast semi taking one of the lucky losers spots. SkiTrax caught up with the elated Canuck post race.
“Today was a mix of very different feelings for me and thankfully it ended with pure joy,” said Cockney. “I skied very poorly in the qualifications and I consider myself very lucky to have even made the heats. From then on I felt like I was playing with house money and figured the best thing to do was relax and ski my ass off in the heats.
“I am generally a smart heat skier and my goal is always to move higher in position than my qualifying result. This worked out and I was able to move from 30th qualifier to 6th overall on the day. This is a very new feeling for me as the last time I qualified for heats in Europe was two seasons ago in a German OPA race. Needless to say I’m ecstatic with how the day ended and I am already looking forward to next season and doing what I can to put up a better fight in the A final,” added Cockney, who skis out of the Foothills Nordic Ski Club.
Canadian coach Eric de Nys was happy with his young racers. “A great day for us today. Jesse had strength, speed and LUCK on his side today. He had a very strong quarter final just being nipped at the line by the Olympic silver medalist Panzhinskiy. Then in his semi, a Swedish athlete was DQ’d for a technique violation which moved Jess up to 4th. His semi ended up being quicker than semi number 2 in which Len placed third but lost the lucky loser spot to Jesse. Len had an amazing qualifier and first heat that he won easily.
“In his semi the cards didn’t fall Lenny’s way with two places on the track where he was forced to ski, not by choice. The clutch was the finishing stretch where Len was forced into the third track which no one had skied all day. He was strong enough to hold his own but not strong enough to get by and with the wind and falling snow, this track was a clear disadvantage but overall still a good day,” de Nys told SkiTrax.
January 29, 2011 (Otepaa, Estonia) – Finnish ace Kerttu Niskanen won the gold medal in the 1.2km sprint classic final at the U23 World Championships on Saturday morning. She started the day as the top qualifier and went on to dominate every heat on her way to the final. It was Niskanen’s second U23 Worlds gold – her first was in a 10km classic at Hinterzarten, Germany.
Niskanen came home with a clear margin in the A-Final to secure her victory. In the battle for silver and bronze Norway’s Britt Ingunn Nydal edged out Sweden’s Jennie Oeberg by a toe length to claim the silver.
“It feels great to be a U23 World Champion,” said Niskanen in a FIS post-race interview. “I wanted to win and this was a very good day for me. I was feeling very good during the whole race. My tactic today was to go as fast as possible after the shot. I had some problems to ski always in front because it was snowing.”
It was a solid day for North American skiers with six women advancing to the quarterfinals as the USA’s Sadie Bjornsen led the charge in 11th followed by Canada’s Alysson Marshall in 14th, Jennie Bender (USA) in 18th, Canada’s Emily Nishikawa in 19th, Ida Sargent (USA) in 21st and Sara Hewitt (CAN) in 30th. Canada’s Erin Tribe was 31st at 2s behind Tribe while Rebecca Rorabaugh was further back in 36th – only the top 30 advance.
Marshall was the only skier to make it through to the semis placing second in her quarter final but faced a fast and very close semi-final round ending up in 6th to finish 12th overall.
“My qualification round felt messy but I still had a decent time. I felt really strong and controlled in my quarter- final and finished in 2nd spot,” Marshall told SkiTrax post-race. “My semi-final was very fast and close. I fought the whole way but didn’t quite have the double pole strength left in the finishing stretch and I finished in 6th.
“It was a tight finish with all six of us crossing within 1.3 seconds. It was also 7 seconds faster than the other semi-final so my time in 6th spot was faster than the winner of the other semi-final. I am happy to be top-12 but I was disappointed to miss out on the final in such a tight finish,” she added.
Canadian coach Eric de Nys commented on Marshall’s performance: “Alysson Marshall skied strong all day. She was second in her quarter final and just got out-muscled in the finishing stretch in the semi, but it was a fight to the end. She should be happy with this result.”
The USA’s Bjornsen ended up 17th, Bender was 21st while Ida Sargent was 23rd. Taking 22nd overall was Nishikawa with Hewitt ending up in 30th.
January 29, 2011 (Houghton, Michigan) – Michael Sinnott (SVSEF) edged out CXC’s Garrott Kuzzy in the men’s 1.5km Classic Sprint in a tight finish in Houghton, Michigan on Friday winning by only 0.3s. In third another 8s back was Petter Sjulstad of Michigan Tech rounding out the podium.
Bryan Cook (CXC) was 4th and Canada’s Scott Sullivan (NDC Thunder Bay) finished in 5th. Conditions were excellent featuring fast tracks under blue skies with temperatures around 20 degrees.
Christina Turman (Northern Michigan University) took the win in the women’s sprint race with a time of 4:05.20 besting OJ racer Deedra Irwin in second place just over 5s behind with Go! Training’s Audrey Weber claiming third. The women’s field was 16-strong while 41 men were on the start line.
January 29, 2011 – Ski poles are perhaps the most overlooked aspect of a cross-country ski racer’s equipment. People comment on their ski’s or boot’s weight but too often disregard the extra grams on their ski pole choice. But, while your skis and boots glide across the snow over the majority of a race course, your poles only go forward if you are lifting, swinging or carrying them. For many people their technique is hindered by their ability to quickly start their next pole plant.
The most important pole shaft properties are weight, swing weight, stiffness, and strength. While overall weight is exactly what it says, swing weight refers to the pendulum motion of each pole stroke and how more weight near the pole tip requires more energy from the skier. The stiffer the pole the more of your energy goes into forward movement and the less into bending the pole. Strength refers to the durability of the pole. Of all these properties overall weight is the most important and easiest to compare. Skiers average around 40 pole plants per minute. If you and a friend plan on skiing a 3.5-hour marathon and your friend uses Triac’s and you have CT4’s, you are lifting an additional 3 oz. per stroke. If in each stroke you move your pole 5 feet you will be moving an additional 7777 ft-lbs during the race! This is equivalent to curling 1 gallon of milk in both hands over 450 times. Will you still beat your friend?
Swix Performance Index (PFI)
To help skiers understand the subtle differences in the Swix pole line we offer the Swix Performance Index a theoretical matrix comparing weight, pendulum, stiffness, strength and of Swix poles. The Triax 1.0 has a PFI of 1.0 the best rating, while the Comp has PFI of 2.5.
100% Carbon Fiber Shafts
Most advanced materials and construction for highest performance.
Triac 1.0 (PFI 1.0) Weight 59 g/m, Stiffness 29mm deflection, Break Strength 70kp, 100% UHM/HM carbon fiber. An all new concept in pole design and construction. Ultra High Modulus/High Modulus (UHM/HM) carbon fiber in triangular layup. Stiffer, stronger and lighter than any Nordic pole ever. The shaft’s triangular shaped virtually eliminates all deflection, even in tallest sizes. Also light weight glueless interchangeable basket system.
Star-CT1 (PFI 1.3) Weight 64 g/m, Stiffness 31mm, Strength 63kp, 00% UHM/HM carbon fiber. The shaft has very high overall stiffness and is extremely light overall and in swing weight. Deflection at hard intensity skiing is minor at almost any pole length.
CT2 Team (PFI 1.6) Weight 67 g/m, Stiffness 41.5mm, Strength 72kp 100% HighStrength/HM (HS/HM) carbon fiber. The Team shaft is slightly heavier and less stiff then the Star with similar swing weight but superior strength from resistance to impact from skis edges than the Star.
100% Carbon Fiber + Fiberglass Shafts
By replacing some of carbon fiber with fiberglass the impact strength (durability) increases and price drops. Stiffness also declines and both overall and swing weight increase dramatically.
Carbon CT3 (PFI 1.9) – Weight 79 g/m, Stiffness 39mm, Strength 72kp, 80% HS carbon fiber. The shaft has medium to high overall stiffness. Some deflection at hard intensity skiing and in taller lengths. Weight, pendulum and stiffness not as good as Team but equal in strength.
Cross CT4 (PFI 2.5) Weight 89 g/m, Stiffness 45mm, Strength 70kp, 65% HS carbon fiber The shaft has medium stiffness and weight with great durability.
Comp CT5 (PFI 2.8) Weight 99 g/m, Stiffness 45mm, Strength 70kp 50%HS carbon fiber The shaft has medium has similar stiffness to cross with higher weight.
January 29, 2011 (Revelstoke, BC) – The Revelstoke Nordic Ski Club is looking for an individual(s) who will operate a stand alone cross country ski rental, ski instruction and small retail outlet out of the Club’s Day Lodge. This business opportunity would be solely owned by the proponent. The Club would not be involved in any aspect of this business operation. In return for use of the club facilities, the club is interested in receiving a percentage of gross revenues (to be negotiated) derived from the provision of these services.
In addition, the individual(s) will also be responsible for providing the custodial and ticket office duties associated with the operations of the Club facilities. In lieu of payment for these Club duties, the individual(s) would receive free rental accommodations in the Custodian’s Apartment on the top floor of the Day Lodge. Appendix One is a copy of the letter of offer and schedule for custodial responsibilities, as well as an addendum to the rental agreement for the Custodian Apartment.
January 28, 2011 (Otepaa, Estonia) – Russia’s Sergey Ustiugov won the gold medal in the Junior men’s 1.4km classic sprint over Norwegian Sondre Turvoll Fossli, while Russia took third place with Gleb Retivykh winning the bronze.
American Erik Bjornsen of the Methow Valley, WA, lead the way for the North Americans as the lone qualifier with a strong 10th place. Canada’s Andy Shields in 31st narrowly missed advancing to the quarter finals by .19s as the two skiers ahead of him tied in 29th. Bjornsen was 4th in his quarterfinal heat and did not advance as a lucky loser finishing 14th overall.
The men’s final told the story featuring only Russians and Norwegians. In the qualifying round Fossli was the class of the field but in the end Ustiugov had more power. It was a great battle between the pair as Fossli was leading from the start but Ustiugov was close behind with epic doubling poling and made his move to pass the Norwegian. Fossli was unable to counter and down the final stretch the Russian won by about a ski length.
Ustiugov was thrilled with his race, telling the FIS News Service, “This was a special day for me, because this is the first time I have beaten Gleb. This track was very difficult for me. I saw the race where the Russian girl crashed and I was really disappointed about it. It added strength to me because now, I had to bring the medals to the team.”
Fossli, was gracious and looked at things with perspective saying, “I felt pretty good out there today, but Sergey was just faster than me. I am not disappointed at all, because this is my first year at the junior championships. I am very satisfied.”
Other North American men who did not advance included Skyler Davis (USA) in 35th, Patrick Stewart-Jones (CAN) in 36th, Tyler Kornfield (USA in 38th, George Cartwright (USA) in 49th and Canada’s Jordan Cascagnette who was 73rd.
January 28, 2011 (Otepaa, Estonia) – Germany’s Lucia Anger claimed the Junior Women’s classic 1.2km sprint title as the two leading skiers Elena Soboleva (RUS) and Germany’s Hanna Kolb crashed over the final hill in the final leaving the door open for Anger. Norway grabbed the remaining spots with Kari Oeyre Slind taking the silver medal, while her teammate Ragnhild Haga won the bronze.
Canada’s Janelle Greer and Heidi Widmer both qualified but did not advance past the quarter finals and finished 21st and 28th respectively. American Heather Mooney (USA) missed qualifying by 0.29s, placing 31st, followed by Amy Glen (USA) in 42nd, Heather Mehain (CAN) in 45th, Izzy Caldwell (USA) in 57th, Kinsey Loan (USA) in 58th and Canada’s Annika Hicks who placed 61st.
“It was a disappointing day for me today,” said Widmer. “I was hoping to improve on last year’s 15th place qualification and 22nd overall sprint results but I just didn’t have access to those top gears today. In my qualifier, I skied the first half with decent speed, but during a transition on one of the small climbs, I wasn’t aggressive enough with my kick which cost me.”
“I quickly put the mediocre qualifier behind me and set my sights on the afternoon heats. I lost contact with the group on the second climb and made up some time on the descent thanks to some fast skis finishing 28th. Today taught me a lot and reminded me that I still have a long journey ahead and I’m excited to see what the future has in store,” added Widmer.
Kolb, the fastest qualifier, was the favourite and she and Soboleva advanced to the final winning their quarters and semis. The dramatics for the women’s Junior World title unfolded during the final match up as Soboleva was leading with Kolb right behind and Anger in tow as the others trailed.
Over the final uphill Kolb tumbled and took out Soboleva. That’s when Anger, reacting to what happened made her move and burned it to the finish line to take the win. The Norwegian Slind also came up from behind and finished 0.3 seconds back. Haga, the winner of the opening junior 5km free race, was third.
Anger basked in the spotlight saying, “I had hoped to win a medal in a competition here, but the sprint gold is a surprise for me. My tactics were to go as fast as I could. I saw what happened when the crash took place. I looked that I could pass them from the left and it was very close for me as well.”
Slind was happy with her finish. “The crash is part of the game, but I feel lucky. I passed them and did not get involved in the accident….you just have to be a little lucky to get there.”
January 27, 2011 (West Yellowstone, MT) – The time is now to register for the annual marathon ski race in West Yellowstone. With a bit of luck, a season’s worth of long skis, interval training, and hill climbs will pay off when the boom of the cannon signals the start of the race.
The Yellowstone Rendezvous Race has been a cornerstone to cross-country skiing in West Yellowstone for over three decades. The race takes place on the Rendezvous Ski Trails, located on the southern edge of this small gateway community and the trailhead is within walking distance from most lodging properties.
The Yellowstone Rendezvous Race is considered a long distance event and is part of the American Ski Marathon Series. There are six different races offered for skiers of all ages. True marathoners can enter the 50 kilometer race, which consists of two laps around the perimeter of the Rendezvous Ski Trail system. Racers can enter the 25 kilometer events under classic or freestyle technique. The 10k race is open to skiers not ready for a long race, with the 5k and 2k races geared for kids. Registration for all races is currently available online at HERE.
To support racers in the 25 or 50k division, local community groups man five feed stations along the trails. The theme to the 2011 Rendezvous Race is “Lost in Space”. Look for lots of aluminum foil, pointy ears, and galaxy dust. Bragging rights are on the line. Racers vote for their favorite feed station and the winners gloat for the rest of the year.
As the name implies, West Yellowstone sits at the western entrance to Yellowstone National Park, which is open to over-snow vehicles until March 15, 2011. Visitors are encouraged to extend their stay and truly enjoy a winter wonderland that is unlike any other place. Whether it is skiing or sight-seeing, West Yellowstone is the home base for winter fun. There is no other place in the world where you can spend one day racing on 25 kilometers of professionally groomed trails and the next day see bison grazing next to hot springs or bald eagles soaring past geysers. The skiing options in and around West Yellowstone are not limited to the Rendezvous Ski Trails. Multiple snowcoach companies offer ski tours around Old Faithful, a skier led track will take you from the western boundary of town to the Madison River just inside the Park, or a short drive will find many trailheads for those interested in a light backcountry tour of Yellowstone National Park or the Gallatin National Forest.
The Yellowstone Rendezvous Race is a fun, festive event in a unique location. The camaraderie at the start is evident and follows racers along the course. For most skiers, crossing the finish line is the goal. The fastest skiers will be rewarded with medals and cash prizes at the awards ceremony on Saturday evening. All racers are invited to treat themselves to the complimentary desert bar at the Holiday Inn after the race.
The Rendezvous Ski Trails are in great shape and the entire trail system is groomed with both a skate lane and classic track. With three feet of groomed packed powder on the ground and more on the way, there is no reason not to expect perfect corduroy for next month’s event.
There is still time to sign up for the Rendezvous Race. Register before February 1 to avoid late fees and all registrations will be closed promptly at noon on Thursday, March 3. For more information, go to www.rendezvousrace.com. End your race season with a bang at the 32nd Annual Rendezvous Race.
Stay in touch by becoming Rendezvous Race’s Facebook friend or email race organizers at yellrendrace@yahoo.com with any questions.
January 27, 2011 (Otepaa, Estonia) – Canadian National Team skier Kevin Sandau wanted to be in the top 10 in today’s men’s 15km Free Race at the U-23 World Championships in Otepaa, Estonia, and when the race was over he had turned in a stellar performance finishing 5th with a time of 36:04.8. Mission Accomplished!
”My goal today was a top 10, so I’m ecstatic about the result,” Sandau told SkiTrax post-race. “I started out the race conservatively so I could really push the final lap and finish strong.”
The USA’s Noah Hoffman also skied well today making the top ten finishing in ninth. The Aspen, CO native turned in a time of 36:42.4.
It was a Russian podium sweep as Evgeniy Belov took top honours as expected in today’s race, claiming the victory in 35:26.3, a comfortable 16.1 seconds ahead of his teammate Pavel Vikulin. Completing the hat trick for Russians today was Raul Shakirzianov placing third at 23.4 seconds behind Belov.
For Belov this marked the best day of his career so far after he was second last year in the interval start event at the FIS Junior Worlds. Reflecting on his win he told the FIS Press Service, ”My classical technique is better than my free, so I was prepared for a tough fight today. I had to speed up at the finish. All four laps were good for me. I want to win more medals here in Otepaa.
“I am familiar with this track because we have had training camps here,” he added. “And I also competed here last week at the World Cup.”
Another wonderful story played out with the skiing of the UK’s Andrew Musgrave. The hard-working athlete who has been training in Norway had the fastest time in the first lap but then lost some time to the Russians. At day’s end Musgrave had turned in an admirable performance finishing sixth one spot behind Sandau.
Demonstrating both smart and savvy skiing Calgary’s Sandau was very impressive. The skier-based out of Canmore-who grew up on the trails in Kananaskis Country told SkiTrax described his race.
“My first splits were top six, and by the half way point I was skiing around third. I still felt pretty fresh, so I was able to maintain and push myself further. I caught teammate Michael Somppi on my final 3.75km lap and he stuck with me until the finish, so he really pushed me till the end.”
Reflecting on an exciting, motivating day Sandau added, ”Before coming here I had my sights set on a strong pursuit race, so I’m really hoping for a podium spot on Monday.” The way he’s skiing that could well become a reality.
“The race today was hard. The course was technical and demanding,” the Hoff related to SkiTrax by email. “You had to constantly be working. I didn’t feel great, and I had a tough second lap.
“Then the German Andreas Katz caught me, and I was able to hang on him for the rest of the race. We caught Tad [Elliott] and the three of us skied together. It was really helpful to be able to follow Katz. I’m looking forward to watching some sprint races over the next couple of days. I think there is potential for some great results. Then the pursuit on Monday should be fun as well.”
Other North American finishers included Michael Somppi (CAN) 14th in 37:03.7, Tad Elliott (USA) in 19th with a time of 37:18.3, Jesse Cockney (CAN) in 27th stopping the clock at 37:36.2; in 32nd place was Graeme Killick (CAN) in 37:48.6, the USA’s Alex Treinen placed 35th in 38:04.9, and David Norris (CAN) in 39:03.0 was 46th.
“Awesome day for Sandau,” said an elated Eric de Nys, Canadian coach, “He skied consistent and strong. Michael Somppi and Emily Nishikawa also had very strong races which was great to see. Overall, today was a fabulous day and we know we have our strongest races still to come so we’re looking to build on these results.”
January 27, 2011 (Otepaa, Estonia) – Using her experience as a former Junior World champ, Finland’s rising star Krista Lahteenmaki dominated Thursday’s U-23 10km free technique in Otepaa. Her winning time of 26:33.3 was one minute ahead of runner up Mariya Guschina of Russia while third place went to Norway’s Hilde Lauvhaug.
Lahteenmaki, recently a remarkable 8th overall at this year’s Tour de Ski, controlled the race from the start. On the 3×3.3km course she was in the lead after every lap. The talented Swede Hanna Brodin was not far off her Finnish rival’s pace on the first lap, but the sprinter who was impressive this past weekend in Otepaa finishing second claiming her first world cup podium, paid the price for starting too fast on the challenging course and finished 14th.
Lahteemaki was pleased with her effort today. “I am happy about the victory – the feeling of being the U-23 World Champion is nice. The weather was very cold, but everything else was very good. My skis were good, the track was good. It’s a demanding course here in Otepaa. Now I will concentrate on my next race.”
For the North Americans, it was Canada’s Emily Nishikawa leading the way with a top-20 results placing a strong 16th in 28:41.5. Sadie Bjornsen was the top US skier in 23rd in 29:31.1 followed by Canuck Alysson Marshall in 25th with a time of 29:34.5.
“I was pretty happy with how things went today,” Nishikawa told SkiTrax. “I started off pretty smooth and relaxed, then on my 2nd lap I caught a sweet ride from a German girl who was just starting. I felt strong, pushed my hardest, and I paced it pretty well so I’m really happy with this race.
“It was pretty cold today, but being from the Yukon I’m used to it and prefer racing at colder temps. I’m looking forward to the rest of the week, it should be really exciting,” added Nishikawa.
“I had a decent race today. I was careful not to start too hard and I focused on being strong and relaxed throughout the race,” Marshall told SkiTrax by email. “The course had some difficult climbs but there were downhills after which allowed for some recovery.
“A Norwegian passed me about 1.5km before the finish and I stayed with her into the stadium so I got a good ride up the last couple climbs. I am excited to race the classic sprint on Saturday!”
Caitlin Patterson (USA) who was recently on the podium at collegiate races in Lake Placid was 26th in 29:34.8. Sara Hewitt (CAN) finished in 28th, Becca Rorabaugh (USA) was 29th and Erin Tribe (CAN) placed 36th.
January 25, 2011 – One couldn’t help but be impressed by the skiing of Afton, Minnesota’s 19 year-old sensation, Jessie Diggins at the recent 2011 US Nationals in Rumford, Maine. Diggins, who went to Stillwater High School, told SkiTrax she was “really surprised and very thankful” for her strong races there. She’s been very competitive with the junior fields in the US with five junior national titles to her name – and Diggins was featured last year in Sports Illustrated’s “Faces in the Crowd”. But this year she stepped it up a few levels and has done more racing than before. Hence, some outstanding performances and a national sprint title – plus making the 2011 US XC Team heading to Oslo for the Worlds. Diggins graduated from high school last spring and is taking this year away from school to focus on skiing. She skis for the strong CXC Vertical Limit team and is excited about the upcoming races on the international playing field.
Before we talk about the US Nationals in Maine tell us about your personal skiing history…how did you get into the sport?
Jessie Diggins: I’ve been skiing ever since I could walk, and before that, I would be in my dad’s backpack when he and my mom went skiing on weekends! I have a very active family that loves being outside and enjoying the trails, so ever since I was very young my family’s been part of the Minnesota Youth Ski League. But my parents have never pushed me into anything; I used to do a ton of different sports and although they’ve always encouraged an active lifestyle, they never made me do a sport I didn’t like and have always been supportive.
What did you find so captivating about cross-country skiing?
JD: I love cross-country because it’s so fun being outside, traveling all over and getting to see new places and meeting new people. It’s just such a healthy lifestyle! It’s a sport I can practice throughout my life and enjoy with my family.
Your time in Rumford, was like “WOW” – did you think you would have such a week there?
JD: Definitely not! I was obviously hoping to have some good races, and I knew that I was healthy and had been training hard all year, but I never expected it to pay off so well! It was very exciting for me.
Describe what it means to be “on” with your skiing – on top of your game?
JD: It can be tricky because sometimes you’re mentally there and ready to race but your body just isn’t having a great day, or maybe you’re fit and feeling good but your head just isn’t in it. But for me, being “on” with my skiing means I’m ready to go and consistently putting 100% into a race, not just popping one good race now and then.
Did that week surprise you?
JD: Yes! It was a very nice surprise, one that’s motivated me to train smart and try to keep the season rolling the same way it has been so far.
You’re off to Oslo for the Nordic World Championships right?
JD: Yep, but first I’m headed to Estonia for Junior World Champs, and then to some Scandinavian races in Latvia and Estonia, before going to Norway for Worlds.
That’s a lot to happen in one season?
JD: That’s for sure – but I’m also making sure that I don’t get overwhelmed with everything that’s been going on this year; I want to stay in the present and enjoy every minute of it.
Tell us more about your CXC program, your coaches…it sure seems to be going strong.
JD: Oh my goodness, I could go on for so long about how wonderful the CXC program’s been this year. It’s been great having such a strong team to train with and learn from. Being the youngest on the team, I really look up to the older and more experienced skiers, and I feel like I learn something new every day. Usually it’s the little things about being a professional athlete that I never really had to think about in high school, but now that I’m on the road more often it’s important to be on top of stuff like hydration and packing food and dry clothes for every workout. And even though it’s our first year with Jason Cork and Gus Kaeding as coaches, I feel like they’ve picked it up extremely fast and done an incredible job as both coaches and wax techs. I’m very impressed!
Looking down the pike, what would you like to accomplish with your skiing – what are your goals?
JD: I’d be pretty stoked on life if things just keep going they way they have been! Skiing’s always been such a positive and motivating part of my life and my biggest goals are to simply keep it that way, and improve as a skier with both my technique and racing. If there’s ever a day when I can’t say I’m enjoying it, then I’ll walk away from racing, but right now I see myself being a professional skier for as long as I can.
What other sports do you enjoy?
JD: A lot of things! When I was younger I used to play soccer, swim, do a lot of different events in track, and dance. I also like trail running and in the summer I get to do a lot of other sports mixed into my training. It keeps it fun.
Favorite subject in high school and why?
JD: Either English because I love to read, or Orchestra, because that class gave me such great experiences that I’ll always remember, like performing in San Francisco or Chicago.
What’s your idea of a perfect day?
JD: Oh man, I feel like I’ve had so many awesome days this year already! But my favorite probably involves doing a long over-distance run/hike in the mountains, preferably finding a lake to swim in after, and then just chilling out with friends. Luckily, this sort of day happens a lot when you’re training all summer!
What is a motto that you try to live by?
JD: Stay in the present and love every minute of it!
Thanks for your time and good luck with the rest of the season.
JD: Thank you.
January 25, 2011 (Barrie, ON) – It was so good to see a “traditional” cross-country ski race on Saturday from Otepaa. The 10 and 15km individual start classic races were great to watch. I grew up with this form of racing and it’s what attracted me to the sport in the first place. For me racing against the clock and yourself with no one to help you is the purest form of racing. I used to argue with cycling road racers about the merits of racing by yourself or in a pack, and we agreed that it takes a different kind of mentality to do these two types of races.
You can really see this in Petter Northug (NOR). He’s a pack racer and a sprinter with the perfect mentality and physiology for those types of races. He’s not nearly as good as an individual start competitor. His 8th place on Saturday in Otepaa was actually a good race for him. I believe that 20 years ago, he would not have nearly as many good results that he has achieved when most of the races were individual starts. I also do not believe that his compatriot, the great Bjoern Dahlie, would have been as good back then if they were using mass starts because he did not have a very good sprint. Most of his races were won long before the final 200 meters.
However the same cannot be said for Norway’s queen, Marit Bjoergen. She is the best at everything. She can win an individual start by over 30 seconds like she did on Saturday and also win mass start races and sprints. She is just so dominant that it has become a surprise when she does not win. Once again, on Sunday in the individual sprints, for the second week in a row she had problems with another skier and did not make it into the final.
The distance course in Otepaa is a very tough course. The 5km loop is very hilly with one big hill that goes up beside the ski jump seemingly from the bottom to the top. The last 200 meters feature 13%-plus grade and all of the skiers had to herringbone. To win on a course like this you need great fitness, great technique, great mental strength and you need to pace properly. Bjoergen had all of these and won easily.
Justyna Kowalczyk (Poland) and Teresa Johaug (Norway) also showed great skills. Kowalczyk is in great shape and very strong mentally and Johaug is the best female climber in the world. That these three women finished one, two, and three is no surprise.
The men’s 15km race was won by Elder Roenning because he paced it better than anyone else, especially fellow Norwegian Martin Johnsrud Sundby who was the leader at 10km but faded to 7th. Daniel Rickardsson of Sweden and Maxim Vylezghanin of Russia also showed great fitness and pacing to finish 2nd and 3rd. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Andrus Veerpalu finished 5th on his home track even though he is 40 years old. He is the master of the 15km classic having won two Olympic gold medals at that distance. He also does not like the mass start races with a sprint at the end and I’m sure that this race format was set up especially for him.
While the individual distance course was a true test of the skiers the classic sprint course from Sunday was not. There were not enough hills in this course so instead of watching a classic sprint race we got to watch a double pole sprint race. Yuck! I hate it when this happens – it’s like going to watch a hockey game and all they do is fight.
So, once again, with all six men in the final only double poling someone you have never heard of before – Eirik Bransdal of Norway won. Back in 2008 the same thing happened in Canmore where Bjoern Naess from Norway won. FIS tried to fix this by forcing race organizers to change the courses (they added a big hill in Vancouver to the sprint course) and we’ve never heard of Naess since. It’s a shame, really, because Otepaa obviously has the hills to make a good course. The ironic thing is that the Norwegians have been trying for years to preserve classic technique from the onslaught of skating and you would think that the head of the World Cup committee, Vegard Ulvang, who is Norwegian, would not want to have double pole only classic races. The other ironic thing is that Norwegians keep winning these kinds of races.
The female sprinters used all of the classic techniques in their race and the best classic sprinter in the world – Petra Majdic of Slovenia – won convincingly over last year’s World Junior champion, Hanna Brodin from Sweden, and Maikan Falla of Norway. Brodin will be staying in Otepaa for another week to contest the U23 World championships and she has to be the favourite to win the sprints next weekend.
Dasha Gaiazova had the best result of her career finishing 8th. She continues to improve, especially in sprinting and she has taken over the #1 spot on the Canadian women’s team. Chandra Crawford finished 27th after qualifying 17th. Her qualifying time was almost 3 seconds closer to the top time than what she did in Vancouver, so she is improving. However, she is still 6 seconds slower than the best classic sprinters so there is still plenty of room for improvement.
There were no Americans at Otepaa this weekend and the rest of the Canadian skiers were all young skiers who were there for experience and to race on the same courses that they will use next weekend for the U23 World Championships. The best results from these young skiers were the 31st place by Len Valjas (he missed qualifying for the heats by .02 seconds) and a 33rd by Alysson Marshall, also close to qualifying in the sprints.
There are no World Cup races next weekend because of these U23 World Championships which held in conjunction with the World Junior Championships. Both Canada and the United States have full teams at these events. The World Cup continues on February 4-6 in Rybinsk, Russia with a full weekend of pursuit, sprint and relay races.
January 24, 2011 (Otepaa, Estonia) -The Otepaa World Cup has been on my radar since the summer. It was appealing because the timing of it would be a great experience and a good primer for the 2011 World Junior Championships later in the week. After qualifying for the Canadian Junior Worlds team I was so relieved and excited. The cherry on top that news was that I earned a start in the World Cup in Otepaa – things were falling into place.
Nine of the twenty Canadian athletes on the Junior/U23 Worlds team left Finland and arrived in Estonia on Thursday, Jan. 20th. It was an 8-hour travel day, driving on both sides of the Gulf of Finland as well as a ferry ride across – it left me feeling less than optimal but happy to have arrived in Estonia!
We trained on the course on Friday and found out that they don’t mess around with the climbs here. The ascent on the 5km classic course parallels the ski jump landing right beside it – needless to say it’s steep. The sprint course is much different than the World Cup footage of the Tehvandi site that I’ve seen in the past. The climbs are not as aggressive, but the finishing 200m double pole stretch is still very demanding.
Sunday was sprint day, meaning it was my turn to host the butterflies. The course was bustling long before the sun rose, and there were light flurries throughout the morning with temperatures around -8. I was really excited to race today and have my European World Cup debut. I started wearing bib 44 and headed our on the course wanting to ski aggressively on all of the climbs and be as powerful and strong in my double pole as the rest of the women starting today.
Coming into the finish I felt satisfied, but knew that my ski wasn’t the calibre to qualify in top 30. Upon reviewing the results, I know I can qualify closer to the other Canadians, but at the same time, I was very excited to see Chandra [Crawford] and Dasha [Gaiazova] qualify as well as Alysson [Marshall] place 33rd ( only .57sec from qualifying!).
Overall, it was fun to swim in the deep water with the big fish but most importantly, I got a good feel for the course and learned plenty to be put to good use later in the week at Junior World Championships.
Alysson Marshall on her race
I felt really strong this morning in both striding and double poling. I have done a lot of work on my classic technique this year and it has paid off. Eric [de Nys Canadian coach] gave me an added boost on the finishing double pole stretch when he yelled that I was in the mix for top 30. I crossed the line and heard the announcer say that I was in 33rd. Initially I was disappointed to have missed out on the heats by only 0.57 seconds but it was encouraging to be so close.
January 24, 2011 (Otepaa, Estonia) – The past week in Finland has been great; good snow, good trails, good lodging…but now it’s time to get to Estonia, where the races are! After driving down to Helsinki, we boarded a ferry that took us across the Baltic Sea and docked in Tallinn, Estonia.
I’m actually pretty disappointed that they didn’t at least stamp our passports! But there was absolutely no boarder control – I guess it’s not that big of a deal in Europe.
We played some epic games of Wii bowling and golf, and were joined by a little Finnish girl that took it very seriously.
There were also some… uh… dancers on the boat. Cartwright expresses his opinion below:
Sadly, the fun and games ended after a couple of hours. We docked at Tallinn, and drove our cars off the ferry.
Since I’ve still got the tail-end of a cold, I was relegated to the cargo van for the drive to our hotel (the Waide motel), which is a very nice place about a half hour away from the race venue in Otepaa.
Hopefully I’ll kick this cold for good in the next few days. Now there’s nothing to do but explore the nearby towns and get amped up to race!
January 24, 2011 (Vuokatti, Finland) – Canada’s Mark Arendz captured his first IPC World Cup victory after winning the gold medal in a biathlon individual race on Sunday in Vuokatti, Finland on Sunday.
Arendz shot clean to post a winning time of 39 minutes, 35.9 seconds in a tight sprint to the wire with Norway’s Nils-Erik Ulset and Russia’s Oleg Balukhto who he has been fighting for the medals with all week in the men’s standing division – one of the deepest on the IPC World Cup.
“That was amazing,” said Arendz. “My first World Cup victory and to shoot clean – nothing feels better.”
Ulset settled for the silver medal at 40:52.1, while Balukhto was third (41:56.1).
It was the third medal of the week for the 20-year-old Arendz, of Springton, P.E.I. The 2010 Paralympian won a silver and a bronze in the biathlon sprint and pursuit races respectively.
“I think the two podium finishes this week definitely gave me the confidence to know I deserve to be here with these guys,” said Arendz. “I woke up this morning and felt ready to go and said this is my day. I couldn’t be happier.”
Results (brief)
1.Erik Bransdal, NOR
2. Ola Vigen Hattestad, NOR
3. Nikita Kriukov, RUS
4. Emil Joensson, SWE
5. Daniel Rickardsson, SWE
31. Len Valjas, Toronto
61. Jesse Cockney, Calgary
66. Michael Somppi, Thunder Bay, Ont.
69. Graeme Killick, Fort McMurray, Alta.
January 15, 2011 (Liberec, CZE) – Ola Vigen Hattestad (NOR) skated to gold in the men’s World Cup skate sprint in Liberec, Czech Republic today placing 10th in the qualifications and then going on to dominate his 1/4 and semi-final heats. Andy Newell (USA), 11th in the qualifications, had a great start in his 1/4 final round, moving into second spot on final uphill, but was passed in the finishing straight by Josef Wenzl (GER) ending up third and did not advance finishing 13th overall. Canada’s Len Valjas, the lone Canuck in the field, was 42nd in the qualifications and did not advance to the quarter finals.
In the final, Italy’s young rising sprint star, Federico Pellegrino, who made the cut as one of the lucky losers, issued a valiant attempt for the win attacking early near the finish. He surged into the lead, but the determined veteran Hattestad passed him as they headed down the final chute to take the glory for a decisive win. Dosian Kozisek (CZE) won bronze to the delight of local fans earning his first WCup podium as did Pellegrino.
January 15, 2011 (Liberec, CZE) – Kikkan Randall (USA) won the women’s sprint final today at the FIS World Cup in Liberec, Czech Republic, earning her second career World Cup victory – her first was in Dec. 2007 in Rybinsk, Russia.
The women’s quarter finals were filled with drama as race favourite Marit Bjoergen (NOR) won her heat over Slovenia’s Katja Visnar while Petra Majdic (SLO) bested Randall as they shed top contender Arianna Follis (ITA) who settled for third and did not advance.
It was a tough day for Canada as top sprinter Chandra Crawford and team mate Daria Gaiazova both qualified but were matched up in the same 1/4 final heat. Crawford was well-placed in second behind Hanna Falk (SWE) but slipped up suddenly and lost her balance having to sit back on her skis. While she didn’t crash her race was done as Gaiazova finished third behind Marianna Longa (ITA) and did not advance.
The semis took their toll as Bjoergen tangled with Visnar midway through their heat, and while neither went down, both skiers did not advance. Bjoergen tried to regain some ground but ended up third to finish 7th overall – her winning streak ended.
Randall returned the favour to Majdic in their semi taking the win while Falk in third took advantage of the fast pace to advance to the final as a lucky loser.
In the end, the real battle came down to Falk and Randall in the final, with the US star coming out on top powering by Falk in the finishing stretch with a decisive victory. Celine Brun-Lie (NOR) took third while Majdic had to settle for fourth.
Liberec has been lucky for Randall, as it’s the site of her first Nordic World Championship medal – and first ever US women’s Worlds medal – where she won the skate sprint silver in 2009.
Full report and more photos HERE.
Full women’s sprint results HERE.
January 14, 2011 – Cross Country Canada is pleased to announce that the following athletes have been selected to the 2011 World Cross Country Ski Championships Team competing in Oslo, Norway from Feb.22-March 6 – selection synopsis to follow.
– Devon Kershaw (Ona-Wa-Su/NST)
– Alex Harvey (Club Nordique M.S.A/NST)
– Dasha Gaiazova (Rocky Mountain Racers/NST)
– Chandra Crawford (Canmore Nordic/NST)
– Stefan Kuhn (Canmore Nordic/NST)
– Perianne Jones (Nakkertok/NST)
– Ivan Babikov (Foothills Nordic/NST)
– Len Valjas (Team Hardwood/NDC Québec/NST)
– Phil Widmer (Canmore Nordic/NDC Québec/NST)
– George Grey (Blackjack/NST)
– Brooke Gosling (Foothills Nordic/CXC)
January 14, 2011 (Liberec, CZE) – Norwegian ski queen, Marit Bjoergen, who sat out the Tour de Ski to prepare for the Oslo Worlds, is coming back to the World Cup circuit, and nobody is happier to hear it than the USA’s Kikkan Randall. The World Cup resumes in Liberec this weekend for the sprinters with the individual freestyle races on Saturday and the Team Sprint Classic races on Sunday.
It’s no secret that Randall, who has had solid sprint results this year, is itching for another match up with Bjoergen since their last meeting at the World Cup in Davos, Switzerland. It was there that the US Olympian had a crack at beating the Norwegian star who has dominated the World Cup, only to have her hopes dashed in the final stretch when Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) jumped into her lane, slowing her momentum.
Randall, who netted third when Kowalcyk was relegated to 6th for the obstruction, conceded that catching Bjoergen at that race was unlikely. Kowalcyk, the current World Cup leader who is coming off her overall victory at the Tour de Ski, will not be present at Saturday’s 1.3km sprint qualifier, leaving the door open for another chapter in the Randall/Bjoergen rivalry – a prelude to the Worlds in Oslo. Unlike Bjoergen, Randall completed the grueling Tour becoming the first US woman to do so finishing 19th overall, so her fitness is there but the Tour is a grind and its affects on Randall will soon be known.
With 42 World Cup wins under her belt, Bjoergen is currently tied with former Norwegian great, Bente Skari, for the most WCup wins of all time for women. Bjoergen, who was the individual sprint champion at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, is also approaching the legendary Bjorn Daehlie’s overall record of 46 wins.
Canada will be represented by Chandra Crawford and Daria Gaiazova who are also returning to the World Cup (their last WCup race was in Davos) and they shared the podium not long ago at the Team Sprint freestyle race in Dusseldorf, Germany. Gaiazova recently claimed a couple of victories at the NorAm World Junior/U23 Trial in Thunder Bay while Crawford, the 2009 Winter Olympic skate sprint champ, has been training in Canmore. The duo will race in the classic team sprint on Sunday as well.
The Liberec field is leaner as some TdS skiers are taking a break, but the competition remains stiff as the seeded women’s field for Saturday’s event is teeming with gold calibre racers. Among the pack is Italy’s sprint specialist Arianna Follis. The two-time Olympian has seen success in Liberec, winning the individual sprint there at the 2009 FIS World Championships. Follis was second at the freestyle sprint in Davos.
Also among the competitors is Hanna Falk of Sweden, who has two World Cup sprint victories under her belt. Petra Majdic of Slovenia, who won both sprint events at the Tour de Ski, will also be vying for victory having accrued 22 World Cup wins in her 12-year career, including an Olympic bronze at the Vancouver 2010 sprints despite suffering severe injuries from her accidental fall during the warm up.
For the men Andy Newell will be the lone representative for the USA in Saturday’s 1.6km sprint in Liberec. The Vermont speed king will be looking for redemption and keeping the bad luck monkey off his back following two falls in the men’s classic sprint race at the TdS in Obertsdorf, Germany.
Newell is coming off an 8th place finish in the sprints at the Toblach TdS World Cup in Italy, and did not finish the Tour which means he should be rested up and poised to do well against a pool that is missing some of the world’s best such as WCup Sprint leader Emil Joensson (SWE).
Not missing on the start list, however, is Alexei Petuhkov who leads a strong Russian contingent including Olympic classic sprint gold and silver medalists Nikita Kruikov and Alex Panzhinskiy.
Norway is also fielding a strong team despite the absence of their leader, Petter Northug, who was second overall at the TdS and is back on form with the upcoming Worlds on his home turf. John Kristian Dahl will be on the start line and is always a threat in every sprint. Dahl is joined by sprinting powerhouse, Ole Vigen Hattestad, who has nine career World Cup sprint victories, along with Oystein Pettersen, who is coming off a bronze medal effort at the Dusseldorf WCup sprint.
Sweden’s Jesper Modin, Italian sensation Federico Pellegrino and teamers Fulvio Scola and David Hofer along with Germany’s Josef Wenzel will all be looking to mix it up and shooting for the podium. Many readers will recall that Wenzel and Dahl clashed in Dusseldorf in a controversial crash that took them out of the Team Sprint race.
Canada will be represented by lone competitor Len Valjas, who will be eager to improve on his stellar 17th place finish at the World Cup sprint in Dusseldorf. Valjas recently placed 5th in last weekend’s NorAm Cup sprint final in T-Bay.
We caught up with Canada’s Jeff Ellis, who is Kikkan Randall’s husband, and is waxing for the Aussies in Liberec who told us, “The weather is warm, dreary and wet here, It has been around 5-7 degrees each day with a light rain. There is lots of man-made snow, so there are no worries there.
“They salted the course for today’s training so conditions were quite firm considering the above freezing temps at night. There are lots of new faces from the crew that took part in the Tour de Ski. It’s a sprint weekend for sure!”
January 14, 2011 (Lake Placid, NY) – It was a busy day at the Mackenzie Interval Ski Jumping Complex with over 400 skiers competing in three events, headlined by the third stop of USSA SuperTour series. Both fields raced around a challenging 2-kilometer loop with a consistent 1-kilometer climb from the base of the Olympic ski jumps almost to the take-off. The men completed five laps for 10km classic style racing and the women contested three loops for 6km. The weather wasn’t too much of a factor for this classic race, with overcast skies, calm wind, and temperatures in the mid-teens
The SuperTour points leaders in both fields – Alaska’s Lars Flora and Holly Brooks – both won their races maintaining APU’s dominance on the trails. Flora finished 11 seconds ahead of US Ski Team member, Noah Hoffman from Aspen, Colorado, his teammate for the World Championships in Oslo, Norway this coming February. Rounding out the men’s podium was Scott Patterson, a University of Vermont skier, who claimed the SLU Carnival college division victory as the race was hosted by St. Lawrence University.
Brooks led an APU podium sweep in the women’s race as her teammate Kate Fitzgerald claimed 2nd and Morgan Smyth grabbed third. Brooks is another top level skier that will be racing at Worlds in Olso. Just off the podium for the women was Caitlin Patterson, skiing for UVM, who matched her brother’s win in the college race of the season. Both Patterson’s will be racing for the USA in Oteppa, Estonia at the end of January – Scott in Junior Worlds and Caitlin in U23 Worlds.
It was a great day for skiers of all experience levels to compete with some of the best athletes in the country. College racers were on course with the top open athletes from the SuperTour rankings, and juniors and masters skiers competing in the Harry Eldridge Memorial race also got to rub shoulders with the nation’s best. Despite all the abuse, the tracks stayed strong throughout the event.
Full women’s results HERE.
Full men’s results HERE.
January 14, 2011 (Lake Placid, NY) – Lars Flora (APU) won the Men’s 10km classic race on Friday as Lake Placid SuperTour got underway, with a venue change as athletes competed at the Olympic Jumping Complex on a 2km loop with Noah Hoffman (Aspen/USST) gliding into second place 11s behind Flora, and Scott Patterson (UVM) in third at 20s back. Skies were overcast with great snow conditions and no snowfall or wind – final results HERE.
Unofficial (brief)
Men’s 10km Classic
1. Lars Flora (APU) 26.13
2. Noah Hoffman (Aspen/USST) 0:11
3. Scott Patterson (UVM) 0:20
4. Sam Tarling (Dartmouth)
5. Franz Bernstein (UVM)
January 14, 2011 (Boulder, CO) – After two years of traveling across the country to compete at The US Nationals in Alaska, the races finally were held on my home turf: Rumford, Maine. Ironically, I was unable to compete. I’m on the long road to recovery, after suffering from a severe digestive disorder for the past eight months. Lucky for me, these races will be back in Rumford at this time next year!
For now my job is to rest, recover, and enjoy college life. This week I started classes at the University of Colorado in Boulder, CO as a freshman. Being a student again is an adjustment after being out of school for a year and a half, but I think I’m going to like it!
Summary of my illness
The human body has one goal: to live. Left alone, it’s pretty good at it. However, when outside stress amounts to more than the body can “handle”, occasionally, the body’s natural coping methods become detrimental to this goal of simply living. Apparently, the body starts to shut down the less necessary systems, like the digestive and the immune systems, and focuses all of its energy on the heart, lungs, and brain, when it reaches a state of chronic fatigue.
Just as technique is one movement, the complex internal network that gives us life is one, unified collaboration. So it makes sense that a slight imbalance can trigger a domino effect. There is a tremendous amount of research and scientific findings in the medical field for the typical sedentary human, but there seems to be much less information about the athlete’s body and how it copes. I hope that by sharing my medical experiences, other athletes will be able to avoid getting lost in medical mysteries.
According to my latest medical diagnosis, two stress fractures, a long standing infection, two invasive surgeries, plus daily training and racing demands, all occurring in just one year’s time – on top of long standing asthma and extreme food intolerances – fatigued my body beyond it’s ability to function normally.
In order to cope, my body began shutting down systems, one of which was the digestive system. I’ve seen a wide range of doctors, all of who contributed a piece of the puzzle, and continue to add to my growing quiver of medical knowledge and recovery process. I do not have one clear diagnosis, but rather a collection of theories. The recovery process is going to be long, occasionally with small set backs, but I have faith that my health is improving slowly.
I would never have imagined that I would experience this medical nightmare, but it has opened my mind to whole new fields of knowledge that I might not have explored otherwise. I have become fascinated by both traditional and alternative medicine (now understanding why it is called the “practice” of medicine). I have explored my artistic passions (spending hours designing and decorating elaborate gingerbread castles, creating my own crochet stitches and patterns, making brochures); and have learned what it means to hold out hope. It’s not always easy to have faith in a better tomorrow when there is no foreseeable solution in sight. I learned how to live day by day, and remain in the present moment; relishing in the limited pleasures, fighting to overcome the seemingly surmountable obstacles, and always believing that I could, and would, overcome this illness.
I am not alone on this journey. I’m forever grateful to the dedicated team of family, friends, coaches and doctors who have stood by my side, advocated, listened, fought, laughed and shared stories with me. (My parents are probably qualified for medical degrees after these past eight months of accompanying me to all of my various doctor’s appointments!)
Now I am at the University of Colorado in Boulder starting my college experience. I won’t be racing for the team this year as I recover, but will hopefully be on the roster in the fall. Bruce Cranmer, the CU Nordic coach, has been extremely flexible through my set backs and I’m looking forward to have him as a coach.
January 13, 2011 (Canmore. AB) – The fifth ever edition of the Tour de Ski is over and done with. I am comfortably sitting in a “Nighbor driving” laid back position up in B-Class flying home after over two months of European racing and am still in disbelief… first how fast this first half of the season has blazed by, and second how great our team performed over the last 10 days in Germany and Italy.
The Tour de Ski is the most grueling race that we do all year. We race eight distinct competitions in only 10 days at four different venues. It’s a fast-paced, high-stakes week and a half and considering how I feel at the end of it, I cannot even imagine how it is for our staff who work so hard indefatigably all day, everyday to give us every opportunity to perform.
I’ll break ‘er down race by race since I didn’t update as I went along this year.
Day One: 3.75km Skate Prologue – Oberhof (Ger) – December 31st/2010
I was psyched to get my 5th Tour under way. Ivan, Alex and I did our finishing touches on our Tour-prep enjoying Davos’ great skiing and stellar café over the holidays. Everything went quite well for all of us in the pre-Tour period and with the added bonus of Hutchdogg tirelessly working on us over Christmas we were all feeling strong and confident – and for the most part I had great workouts and life was grand.
When December 31st finally came, I felt ready but not 100%. One aspect still lingered – some heavy legs that settled in after my last long distance ski earlier in the week. My legs were stubbornly holding on to fatigue like a dog that just won’t release that tennis ball. Justin and I had planned to push for that optimal training load before backing off but as the race day came and I was still feeling slightly sub-par – oops.
The good news was that the first race is short. The prologue is under 8 minutes and the Tour is never won or lost on the first stage. I hammered the one lap course willing my body to empty the tank. It didn’t take long before I knew things weren’t going my way. Early in the race I knew my legs hadn’t came back in time. While I was happy that my energy was back to 100%, and my legs no longer felt heavy while pushing hard, I lacked punch/power and in such a short race that’s not good.
I pushed as hard as my flat-feeling body would go crossing the line out of the points in 37th – same finish as last year. I was pissed off. No denying. I’ve been very hot and cold with prologues in the last and while I was happy that the body felt better I wasn’t expecting to be so bad on day one. Being a Tour though I had very little time to feel sorry for myself as the next day the 15km classic pursuit was quickly approaching. I did wallow of course being the drama-queen that I am blasting some Band of Horses during a cold bath, and afterwards for about an hour before putting the race in the rear view mirror and refocusing.
Day Two: 15km Classic Pursuit Start – Oberhof (Ger) – January 1st/2011
I was fired up for this race. I always am. I love classic skiing, I love the course in Oberhof and I love pursuit starts where you’re chasing the leaders. It’s exciting, fast from the start and suits my strengths. It helps that the previous two years I had finished 3rd and 10th in the same race. It was a classic Oberhof day, foggy with slightly soft tracks. Warming up I felt great far better than just one day earlier and our skis were top shelf. I was nervous, but pumped.
Still, I had a lot of work and dudes to go through to catch back up to the front. I played it patiently, slowly working through the pack for the first six or so kilometers before making sure I was hanging out in the top 10-15 out of trouble and close enough to react if an attack went.
It was a tactical affair, some surging and some half-hearted attacks but none that stuck. Then, on the last lap Cologna went to the front to assert himself. I followed; just focusing on skiing as well I could technically. Next thing I knew I was in the front with about 2km remaining. I made a snap-decision that it was time to punch it and starting a long drive to the line in the lead. Coming around the last corner and into the windy finishing stretch I was still leading. I was double poling as hard as I could, but Dario came around me with 50m to go and passed me. I slipped right in behind him and crossed the line in 2nd place.
Needless to say, I was pumped. It was only my second-ever distance podium, and after not hitting the podium at all last year it felt so good to be back. It was a great race for me, best of the year and I posted the fastest time of the day, moving from 37th to 2nd. It also confirmed that Justin and I had in fact got the training right. It would have been awesome to win but Dario was just too strong for me and to finish only 0.5 seconds from my first win wasn’t bad.
Alex was 9th putting two Canadians in the top 10 for the first time this season which was sweet!
Day Three: 1.2km Classic Sprint- Obertsdorf (Ger) – January 2nd/2011 After packing up and showering it was onto our badass bus that Justin had organized (you’ve all seen the photos and read about it. The thing ruled for recovery!) as we rolled Southwest to the site of the 2005 World Champs Obertsdorf.
I love the sprint course in Obertsdorf. It was the first time I was ever top 15 internationally back in 2005 as a 22year-old, and I watched Sara Renner make history sprinting her way to a bronze medal there. I knew the course well, and was cautiously optimistic that I could get through the quarter-finals.
Well, it went far better than I could have ever imagined. Again our skis were fantastic and Alex and I qualified 6th and 7th. I felt amazing in all my heats and moved through to the final for the first time in my life in a classic sprint on the World Cup. I was stoked!
In the final I made a desperate attack up the last climb and came over the top with a gap. The meters were flying by and I was still in the lead down the finishing stretch.
I may have even thought about what my victory salute would be but Joensson had other ideas. With meters to go, he pulled even with me and it came down to an epic lunge for the line for the victory. After some tense moments, it was announced that no, for the second day in a row I had been beat at the line. I lost the race my 1cm or something ridiculous. Joensson described it as his tightest victory ever.
After hitting the podium the day before I was shocked to snag back to back silver medals. I was choked to lose such a tight race, especially after a gutsy move over the top that I believed was enough to stick, but Joensson is the best sprinter in the world, and to even be competitive with him was more than I ever expected. Alex finished an impressive 7th so back to back great days for Canada all around!
Day Four: 20km duathlon pursuit Obertsdorf, GER January 3rd/2011
The fourth race in a row was the also the longest. The course in Obertsdorf was the same 2.5km that they used for some races back in 2005 as well, whith consisted of flatter terrain and one huge hill per lap. The only difference is that they used the same course for classic and skate (just groomed in tracks on the side) and that made for a narrow/sketchy experience.
People were attacking all over the place going for early bonus sprints and launching for the finish line. It was very messy, lots of crashes, and just pandemonium in the pack to be honest. The course was silly.
I felt great but ended the day in 7th getting caught behind traffic up the final climb but I was still happy with how the race played out. Alex and I both thought it felt more like a zone 3 workout because of all the bodies around. That was the one positive it didn’t take as much out of me as I would have thought.
Day Six: 1.3km skate sprint Toblach, ITA January 5th/2011
After another sizable trip, but on our sweet bus from Obertsdorf to Toblach, we had a rest day which we used to test skis and train on the long 35km stage. This was the best day to date in my ski career – I finally won a world cup! I felt so good today. I qualified in 14th, then moved easily through my final. Once again that was the main goal get through the quarters, so I was pretty relaxed for the remaining rounds.
In the final, I got off to my normal snail’s paced start, and was content to hang in the back part of the pack. Then, with two uphills remaining I just went crazy and launched an attack with everything I had. I kept the pressure all the way to the line, and while I had a big lead at one point Cologna almost came right back to me, but he ran out of real estate. At the time I could not and still cannot believe it.
It’s the best feeling in the world to be able to lift your arms in victory on the World Cup after working and dreaming about it for over 10 years. Haha, it’s almost embarrassing when I put it that way, but it finally happened. Our staff did such a great job, and everything just came together perfectly. I will never forget that race!
Day Seven: 35km skate pursuit CortinaToblach ITAJanuary 6th/2011
From an amazing race, to an extremely frustrating race was the transition between the two Toblach events.
In the long race, I started in 2nd place but alone to tackle the long/fairly flat stage over the Italian Dolomites. Cologna had amassed a big lead so I wouldn’t come back on him, but my goal was to stay away from the chase packs that were sure to form.
The course is 18km of gradual climbing, before descending gradually back to Toblach, and then a final show lap of 3.3km to finish off the spectacle. I felt good, started at a good/manageable pace. Still, at 13km Hellner who had started 30-odd seconds behind me swallowed me up. I tried in vain to stay with him, but he was on another planet. I just got popped right away, and had to settle to ski my own pace keeping him in my sights to make sure I still had a good pace.
I made it over the top of the hill, but even though I was going all out down the other side in 2km the large 11-dude chase pack caught me. I was so frustrated – like in cycling it is so much harder on easy terrain to stay away. Guys that started over 2.5 minutes behind me were safely in the draft of the pack and with them working together they made quick work of me.
What’s worse, is when they caught me nobody was willing to work together. We were chewing into Hellner who would have been caught for sure but then all of a sudden everyone was thinking of the bronze medal and things got tactical in a hurry.
I ended up finishing in the first chase pack good enough for 10th. All that hard work for the overall that I did early in the Tour was erased. I was (and still am) bummed about it. It’s a tough race, and without question the most important race of the entire Tour as far as the overall goes.
Day Nine: 20km Mass Start Classic Val di Fiemme, ITA January 8th/2011
After another travel day, and another rest day training and scouting the Val di Fiemme classic course we had finally arrived at the last venue.
I love Val di Fiemme, and I was really excited about this race seeing how I had been feeling so strong in classic this year. I knew it could be good.
Conditions were pretty standard klister skiing with warm temperatures greeting us in the Northern Italian venue. Here’s a strange fact about Val di Fiemme – it was the first time this year that we saw races above zero degrees which is extremely odd for Europe. It felt like Hawaii out there!
I tried going for some of the plethora of bonus seconds up for grabs early but soon realized that it was going to cost too much energy, and that Northug and Cologna had both amazing skis and were gunning for all of them. I changed my strategy mid-race and focused on attempting to win the competition.
I sat near the front and stayed out of trouble keen with being patient and hyper-aware with what was going on around me in the pack. There were some pace changes, but for whatever reason this year no one was able to really inflict big damage. On the last lap the Swede Rickardsson launched a move with 2 km to go that could have stuck but we all caught him on a big descent. Then I launched up the final climb (600m from the line) and over the top I was in the lead going for broke.
Still, it was too early and on the flats of the stadium I was caught and passed by Northug and Cologna. Again. I finished 3rd which was my 4th podium of the week. Unbelievable. It’s been just such a great week of racing!
Alex ended up in 5th meaning with one stage remaining we were 4th and 7th overall. It was going to be a dog fight as not much time separated 3rd to 10th and both Alex and I aren’t exactly gazelles up Alpe Cermis but we were excited to see how things went.
Day Ten: 9km Skate Uphill Pursuit Val di Fiemme/Alpe Cermis, ITA January 9th/2011
The last stage. Always tough, the 9km skate consists of 6km of gradual descending before meeting the walls of Alpe Cermis, an Alpine run close to the ski trails in Val di Fiemme.
As expected, it was a large group heading down to the climb. We worked well together, exchanging leads often but it wasn’t enough to keep a hard charging Lucas Bauer at bay who caught our group (3rd-9th) on the bottom slopes of the Alpe.
Things splintered early on the climb especially when Bauer caught us, and I settled into the best rhythm I could. I am no specialist at this unique uphill event and tried in vain to stay with Perl, Clara, and Gaillardall who are far better at this event than me. Gaillard and I were dropped by Perl and Clara and in a battle with my friend from the French Team, Jean-Marc beat me to the line after I tried to attack and blew up with only 300m remaining in the race.
The Tour was over, and I ended up 7th overall. Alex had a tough climb as well, slipping to 10th, but both of us were excited to have completed a solid Tour and to have two Canadians in the top 10 was a great achievement. Babs had the 6th fastest time up proving once again that the bulldog IS climbing boom.
What now?
After traveling and racing for over 2 months, and I am now at home. It’s so good to be back in Canmore and I am already looking forward to training with friends and sipping cappos in the afternoons as I recharge and begin to get ready for the World Champs in Oslo. I can confirm that nothing is as comfortable as your own bed and I slept like a log last night.
I was able to catch up briefly with Chandra in Munich for one night as our trips overlapped (Chandra heading to the sprint World Cups in the Czech and Estonia, while I head home to recover/train for Worlds). It was great to see her – however brief – after weeks away from one another but I am already missing her here in Canmore!
After an easy week this week to catch my breath it’s back on baby. We have work to do if we want to keep this party going. Oslo and the World Cups after it are the next objective. I cannot wait!
I want to extend heart felt thanks to everyone who supported me and our team: Mostly importantly is Chandra and my family!
Thanks to Justin who has proven to be such an amazing coach, and has shown stellar leadership all year. Our technical staff is some of the best in the business. All the boys – Sasha, Joel J, Joel K, Yves and Micke – you all rule. Micke thanks for sticking with me for the past few years and putting up with my sketchy self every weekend (and during the week, haha), you’ve made a HUGE difference!
Most importantly thanks to my teammates. I am so lucky to be a member of such a bad ass/awesome Canadian Team. We respect each other, push each other and celebrate each other’s victories. It’s a lot of hours together but damn it’s fun! It’s been a trip – one that will continue for years to come!
We couldn’t do it without our loyal team sponsors (the crew at Haywood, AltaGas, Statoil and Teck) and B2ten for the mad hook ups all year most recently being instrumental behind our big black rock and roll Tour de Ski bus. Your continued support means that our entire team can push the limits all year.
Lastly, my personal sponsors, guys like Jamie Coatsworth who makes such a difference and who believes not only 100% in me but all of Canadian skiing, Stephen Dent and the whole Birch Hill crew in T.O., Chris out in Vancouver with Teck and Allison and the Stoneridge crew, thanks to all of you. Support matters, from all levels. Family, friends, team, sponsors, it all helps make
January 12, 2011 – Check out this great instructional video by SkiTrax technique columnist Keith Nicol on how to improve your 1 skate or V 2 skate – a popular cross country skiing technique. Nicol, a CANSI Level 4 instructor, demonstrates typical problems that skiers have with this skill and how to correct them. He also runs the winter outdoor pursuits programme at Sir Wilfred Grenfell College in Corner Brook, Newfoundland. Visit his web site HERE and for more information on CANSI click HERE.
January 12, 2011 (Thunder Bay, ON) – Here is another video courtesy of Team Hardwood’s Graham Longford with highlights from the Classic Sprint heats and finals at the 2011 Haywood NorAm WJr/U23 Trials at Lappe Nordic Centre in Thunder Bay, ON last weekend. Brent McMurtry took the men’s win over Stefan Kuhn and Jess Cockney, who also snagged the U23 victory. In the women’s race, it was Dasha Gaiazova who chalked up another win to her name. NorAm leader Perianne Jones took the silver, while Alysson Marshall doubled as the senior bronze medalist and the best U23 – read more HERE.
January 11, 2011 – The Russian Ski Federation confirmed today that cross-country skier Nikolay Pankratov has received a two-year ban from competition after he was caught with blood doping equipment on the Austrian-Swiss border in September – read more here – thus violating the FIS anti-doping code, reports Reuters.
The 28-year-old was a member of the silver medal winning 4x10km Russian relay squad at the 2007 World Championships and he also competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.
In light of the long history of doping problems faced by the sport in Russia, along with the fact that the next Winter Olympic Games are taking place in Russia, FIS recommended that the country establish a new governing body for the sport and develop a clean ski team.
January 11, 2011 (Thunder Bay, ON) – Here’s another great video by Team Hardwood’s Graham Longford with highlights of the Junior Men’s 20km Pursuit race at the 2011 Haywood NorAm and World Junior/U23 Trials held at Lappe Nordic in Thunder Bay, ON Jan. 6-9. Local boy Andy Shields won convincingly, skating away from the field in the final 10km to win by a 51s margin. Shields is now guaranteed a spot on the Canadian Junior Worlds team heading to Estonia.
January 10, 2011 (Alpe Cermis, Italy) – Check out these great photos from Stage 8 of the 2011 TdS. The final stage of the Tour was a 9km uphill pursuit won by Lucas Bauer (CZE). The overall Tour win went to Dario Cologna (SUI), followed by Petter Northug (NOR) in second and Bauer third. Canadians Devon Kershaw and Alex Harvey, who throughout the Tour have posted some of their country’s most impressive World Cup results ever, finished in 7th and 10th respectively overall – read the full story on the final stage HERE.
January 10, 2011 (Alpe Cermis, Italy) – Here are some more fantastic photos from the 9km uphill handicap start pursuit women’s race in Alpe Cermis, Italy, the final stage of the 2011 TdS. The stage was won by Therese Johaug (NOR), but it was Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) who won the overall Tour to claim her second consecutive TdS title. Kikkan Randall (USA) was the first North American woman to successfully complete the TdS. She finished 21st overall – read more on the final stage HERE.
