March 13, 2012 – The Birkie – did the Birkie again this year and I can’t tell you how moving an experience it is every time I attend North America’s probably best organized and best run race, and of course it’s biggest. It is seamless as a full day race experience – thousands of people every where meeting all kinds of people from Ulvang to Scheckman to Armitage and Taiple and many others. But always moving to the start, throwing your post race bag in the truck as you enter the starting pen two minutes before the start and then the gun goes off and you are on your way. The thing I notice in the start now is that people are much calmer than in the past – no yelling and screaming – just your everyday voices saying watch your pole, on your right. Skiers here in NA are getting better. If you have never done this race it is an experience you deserve to give yourself before your career ends – this has to go on your BUCKET LIST.

Telemark Lodge and Desperate – as anyone who follows skiing knows Telemark Lodge and the Birkie went hand in hand for decades, but the last few years have been a struggle for the Lodge. The Birkie has been weaning itself away from using the Lodge which is under new ownership. Actually the Lodge is too small for the Birkie now, which is hard to believe – but with 9,400 skiers plus all of the other spectator types make it too small as the headquarters. For two days before the race this year I spent some time skiing on the Northend Trail system and loved the plethora of trails that have been developed and a few signs touting them as the Silent Sport System. COOL!

But, alas, things are not so hunky dory in the Northend as Telemark has brought skidoo racing to these trails, just a couple of weeks after the Bikie, and its silent sports environment – shame on you TELEMARK – you caught the locals asleep at the switch. Has a war now begun!

Babikov – An OK year last year and a not so OK year this year. Is he heading for retirement before his time. We know that he is a talent. He had to finish the 50km in Oslo about mid field in the points to make it to the finals in Falun. This was his post-race comment, “Today I had the worst racing feeling ever, tank is empty, no energy, finished my season earlier this time.”

What is interesting is all the trips home this year and his lack of racing in the latter half of the season. His last race in Europe was on Feb. 18th, which was a DNF in Nove Mesto, CZE and he had one race in Canada that wasn’t anything special. His race in Lahti about 10 days ago was OK and I thought might be a spring board for a more special race in Oslo, but the course (the toughest on the WC circuit) and the conditions caught Ivan out of racing shape. Another case of WC points being lost by the Canadian Team.

I’m guessing you won’t see Ivan’s name in the results for the rest of the season – OOOPs – I could be wrong if there is there is any prize money around!!!

Kikkan Randall – what a joy it has been to watch this lady perform on the WC circuit and do the TdS this year. The season is not done, but you just know that you are going to get a world class effort from her every time – whether it’s a good day or not. She squeezes the most out of every start and she is so clever at doing this. Much to be learned by younger skiers from reading anything she writes.

Harvey – what a young horse he is and he has one hell of a career in front of him, but I would encourage him to hang around Devon more in the off-season training period and I have a feeling, I don’t know why, but he needs to spend more time in the weight room.

NCCAs – boy, the Eastern college xc skiers sure put on a surprising show in Bozeman at altitude – see results here.

Devon Kershaw – I just have to keep writing about him, as he is like good wine, he gets better with aging. Three years ago when it came to tactics and strategy he was a first grader. Mistake after mistake, but this weekend he went to the head of the class when he pulled off the slickest manoeuvre –  how you go and take a 10th place finish and make it look like a 2nd place plus finish. You win a bunch of preem points – places on the course that you get extra WC points, if you are one of the first 10 people across the line. Devon won 44 preem points that gave him a total of 85 points for the day – you get 80 WC points for 2nd place – so it was 2nd place+ for him. All of this vaulted him from 3rd in the overall WC points list to now being in 2nd place ahead of the “great” Petter Northug by 15 points and 260 ahead of 4th-place skier, Alexander Legov from Russia. Should be a fun week of racing in Sweden. Stay tuned.

A Must Have for All Coaches – “Pocket Thoughts for All Coaches” a 31-page booklet put together by Dick Taylor of coaching insights that he has garnered over the years. It is short and concise pearls of wisdom that will help you in understand training, technique and the mysteries of cross-country skiing made ever so much easier. It will serve as an in-the-van pre- and post- workout or trip resource for your skiers and a learning tool during very boring quiet periods. It will help to provoke discussions and make those 3-hour rides fly by in nothing flat. It’ll stimulate coaching by the coach, and self coaching by the skiers.

This is how you get it for measly $7:
Dick Taylor
Box 16
Bethel, ME
04217

For more info e-mail Dick at rw.taylorxc@yahoo.com

Talk to you next time.
misterxc@aol.com