Super Tour Finals

The Super Tour finals concluded yesterday with the 5/6k hill climb. The format for the finals this weekend included a 5/10k classic race on Friday, a classic sprint on Saturday and a 5/6k skate hill climb on Sunday. To add to the fun, preems, both in the form of cash and time, were given to racers who crossed preem lines first in the classic race and racers who finished in the top 30 of the classic sprint. Depending on your finish time and the possible preems that were acquired, each racer lined up pursuit style for the final hill climb. This meant that since Kikkan had won all the races and preems the previous two days, she had a starting time of 1 min 23 sec ahead of the next racer, Rebecca Dussault.

I started with bib 10, a few places further back than I anticipated. I had a unfortunate mishap in the classic sprint, resulting in a low placing and a 1 minute penalty. After skiing a strong qualifying round that put me in 6th place, I entered the quarterfinals feeling good and ready to ski fast. As I was approaching an icy corner, with a little bit of a lead, my ski slipped from underneath me and I fell on my pole. I quickly got back up, after everyone had passed and realized that my left pole was broken in half. I did my best to ski up the long climb with one pole but I quickly lost more and more ground. Once I finally got a pole, at the top of the hill, it was too late to make up lost time. I ended up 6th in my quarterfinal, which put me in 26th place overall. Bummer!!!!

I went into Sundays hill climb fired up and ready to ski fast! After the first kilometer, I had already passed three girls...I was on a mission. Once I reached the 1000 meter climb straight up the alpine area, I did my best to catch the next girls in front of me. Whoa, it was a tough climb but I managed to catch another racer. With only 1k to the finish I gave it everything. I ended up 6th!

For some reason, 6th place was MY number for the week! I finished 6th in the 30k skate, 5k classic, sprint qualifier, and in the overall supertour final...all I can say is, at least I was consistent.

The season is officially over and I am already excited for next season...after a little break of course. I am headed back to Sun Valley where I will enjoy some R&R and will resume my work at the YMCA.

Fast & Female in Madawaska!

Fast and Female expanded it wings yesterday with a successful event in Madawaska, Maine. With over 150 girls, the day was filled with skiing, games, lunch, Q & A time, and autograph signing.


Fast & Female was originally started by Canadian skier, Chandra Crawford. U.S. skier, Kikkan Randall was inspired by the mission and values of the organization and launched a U.S. version of Fast & Female in Anchorage, Alaska two years ago. This wonderful organization promotes young girls to live an active and healthy lifestyle. Fast and Female hosts events led by athletic champions who serve as healthy role models and inspire girls to gain the confidence and leadership they need to reach their full potential in life and sports.

Me and my new friends in Madawaska

Yesterdays event was a huge success! Not only did we have a large group of girls, but the girls were very enthusiastic and excited to ski and to have all the US National women competitors ski with them. We had fun skiing, playing games, eating and signing posters.

Playing a game of sharks and minnows

The Supertour Finals kick off today. Here is the schedule of events:

Friday, March 26: 3:30pm- men's 10k classic mass-start
5:00pm- women's 7k classic mass-start

Saturday, March 27: 10:00am- 1.3k Classic Sprint Qualifier
2:00pm- Rounds begin

Sunday, March 28: 10:00am- men's 6k skate hill climb
10:30am- women's 5k skate hill climb

You can stay up to date with Live results on www.summittiming.com

Crust Cruising Galore!

Clear cold nights, warm sunny days, endless potato fields, Northern Maine...what do you get? Amazing crust skiing!!! This morning was one of those perfect crust skiing days. While the temperature was cool at the start of the ski, the radiating sun quickly warmed us up!

Caitlin Compton, Holly Brooks, Katie Ronsse, Becca Rorabaugh and I had the pleasure of crust skiing with some local girls. It was their first time crust skiing and they enjoyed skiing where ever they wanted and cruising the endless fields.

I enjoyed skiing with the girls and then continued my distance ski with another hour of crust cruising. If you're looking for some good, spring crust cruising, Northern Maine is the place to be!

Munich to Quebec

Whew! The past couple days have been a bit of whirlwind. The travel from Munich to Quebec went well, although I did not receive my bags! I am in the midst of trying to figure out 1) where they are 2) how I'm going to get them! Since I flew into Quebec and I am staying in Fort Kent, Maine, they cannot deliver my bags over the border! I am on day 4 of not having my bags and I am ready for some new clothes! Luckily, I have some nice friends who have been kind enough to loan me some stuff. Thanks so much!

Despite the lost bag, I've been enjoying the skiing in Fort Kent! The snow is not nearly as plentiful as it usually is this time of year. Temperatures are reaching high 40's and into the 50's, making for some really soft, mooshy snow! Rain is in the forecast, but hopefully the snow won't disappear.

The rest of my team arrives late Sunday night and the racing begins Wednesday March 24th with the 30/50k freestyle race. I will keep you posted on how it goes!

Cheers!

Good Things Come in Three's

Today we raced the 5/10k classic mass start. The start was a little tamer than last weeks 5k skate mass start. Unlike last week, the course was a bit more challenging and started off with 3 climbs in the first kilometer. This broke up the pack almost immediately. I had a solid start, putting myself in 8th place after the first climb. I skied relaxed and smooth and noticed that I had good kick going up the hills, compared to the other girls. I used this to my advantage and made up some ground. I was in 4th place, a few seconds behind the lead pack of three coming into the last half a kilometer. Unfortunately my skis weren't quite as fast on the downhill and I lost some time in the finishing stretch. I ended up 6th overall...another solid race.

Another beautiful day of racing!

After the race, I cheered for the men and little did I know that Petra Majdic was standing next to me. I said hello and asked if she would take a picture with me. She was very nice! I was very careful not to bump her side...she is slowly recovering from her fall at the Olympics. She says that it is feeling better but it is a slow process.

Petra Majdic and I!

The fun did not stop this morning with a good race and meeting Petra! It got even better! The sledding track was open! It is a track that takes you 1.5k you down the mountain at 40 km/hr! It was pretty fun!

Getting ready for a crazy ride with Noah Hoffman

Tomorrow we have 10k skate race, pursuit style. I am hoping for a good starting position and a good result. After the race, we are headed to Munich. Half of the team is flying back to the states on Monday and the other half of us are spending a day, checking out the sights in Munich.

I will update again as soon as possible!

OPA Cup Finals

This weekend marks the last OPA cup races of the season (OPA cup races are the European version of the local racing circuit). Upon our arrival here, we were "invited" by 40-50 mph winds, zero visibility and a huge dump of snow. Since then, each days has gotten a little bit nicer...and today, we actually saw the sun! Rogla is a popular ski resort that draws families, recreational skiers, and racers all alike. It is about 20k from any other town and is at the top of a mountain at 1517m (about 5000 ft).

Today kicked off the first of three races. It was an event that I have never done before...a 2.5k classic prologue. It is a tough race because its at sprint pace, yet it is long enough that if you go out too fast and hard you can loose time in the end. I tried to ski fast yet smooth. When I finished, my lungs were definitely burning...I felt like I put in a hard effort. I ended up in 19th place, 22 seconds out of the lead. Nothing too impressive. I am hoping that today's hard effort will get me warmed up and ready for tomorrows 5k classic mass-start race. It should be fun!
I will keep you posted!

The clearest day yet! Those are the bungalows we are staying in.

Sylvan, me and Mikey. Congrats to Mikey with a 6th place finish!

oh, by the way... Petra Majdic is standing right next too me:) For those of you who don't know who she is, she's an awesome Slovenian World Cup skier. She won bronze in the classic sprint at the Olymipcs, even with broken ribs and a punctured lung! Talk about TOUGH!!!

A Good Day for Team USA

With 17 US skiers competing in the La Feclaz OPA race, we showed our colors well today in the 5/10k mass-start skate race...yes, it was a mass start! We woke up to some flurrying snowflakes, but it didn't accumulate to much. When we arrived at the venue 1 1/2 hours before the race, all the girls in the car looked at each other, wondering if we were even in the right place. There were very few signs of a race, very few people and the course wasn't even set up yet! As we sat in the car waiting to start our warm-up, we watched volunteers set up the course and began to see more and more people arrive. That relieved our worries.

Half of the crew

At race time, 33 women lined up at the start. Last night in our team meeting, we discussed the importance of standing your ground and defending your space. I knew that tip was going to be key to my success today. Within a couple of kilometers, girls were getting tangled up, loosing poles and falling. I tried my best not to get caught up in that mess and not to get pushed around. Whenever there was an opening to pass, I took advantage of it. I knew this race was going to be a good race for points...I kept that in my head as I was racing in a cluster of 10 girls and reminded myself that every second counts. I sprinted to the finish with a pack of girls and ended up 11th. How they figured out who got which place, I'm not sure, but I am happy with my result.

The men's race was fun to watch as well! There was a lot of the same racing tactics and tangling going on. Our men skied strong and represented well. Here is a list of the results for the US team:

Line of men as they climb a hill

5K Women
10. Caitlin Compton 15:01.7
11. Nicole De Yong 15:02.0
14. Sadie Bjornsen 15:03.0
19. Taz Mannix 15:17.3
22. Katie Ronsee 15:28.9
25. Becca Rorabaugh 15:35.1

10k Men
12. Brian Gregg 22:08.8
13. Mikey Sinnott 22:12.8
20. Mike Hinckley 22:18.4
22. Noah Hoffman 22:19.0
31. Sylvan Ellefson 22:57.1
34. Marshall Greene 23:03.7
36. Brayton Osgood 23:05.6
47. Sam Naney 23:48.8
53. Peter Kling 24:38.3

Clink HERE for full results

After the race, we enjoyed a yummy lunch that was prepared for us at the venue. We were amazed by the size of the soup pot they made it in. It was very tasty!

Taz and the BIG soup pot!

Bonjour!

Wow, a lot has happened since my last update in Aspen! I returned to Sun Valley after Aspen and put in a good week of volume training. My travels brought me to Vancouver, where I met up with my family and I was able to experience and take in the sights of the Olympics. The day I arrived, I checked out the city of Vancouver, on a day when the Canadian hockey team was playing the US! The streets were filled with people and sports bars were roaring with loud cheers! I also checked out Granville Island and the Olympic cauldron. Just being there, got me really excited!

My family and I!

A view of the Olympic Cauldron

I stayed in Whistler and arrived just in time to enjoy one beautiful sunny day! I watched and cheered at the team sprint, where good friend, Kikkan Randall and ITA alum, Caitlin Compton, finished with an excellent 6th place finish! The excitement carried into the night and I attended the medal ceremony, where the US Nordic Combined team earned a silver medal in the team relay! It is so exciting to see those guys perform so well! Congratulations! I also attended the men's 4x10k and the women's 4x5k as well! They were very exciting races!

The best US cheering squad!

The start of the team relay sprint

My time in Whistler flew by and before I knew it, I was on a plane to Europe! I am currently in St. Francois, just outside of La Feclaz, where I am racing this weekend. I spent the first few nights in Chamonix and enjoyed a day checking out the town and taking the Aguille de Midi up Mont Blanc. The weather was incredible and the views were spectacular! Chamonix is a beautiful place! Thank you Charla and Rob for letting me stay in your wonderful and quaint French home:) I had a great time!

Mont Blanc in Chamonix

Walking the streets of Ancey

Ancey: 2018 Winter Olympic Bid

I am gearing up for a classic team sprint on Friday, March 5th with teammate Caitlin Compton. We will get a day off before we race the 5/10k skate on Sunday. I am looking forward to the races! The snow is good higher up in the valley where we are racing.

I will keep you posted on how it goes! Cheers!