|
|
|
| |
10/25/2007
Renner, Crawford Headline Canada's World Cup Team
A talented group of Olympic and World Cup medalists, including the return of Olympic medalists Sara Renner and Chandra Crawford, will headline the 2007-08 Canadian World Cup cross country ski team.
Cross Country Canada announced the return of Olympic silver medalist Renner, who took last season off to have a baby daughter. She will compete on the Haywood NorAm series in Canada before hitting the start line for her first World Cup race in Canmore, Alta., January 22-26, 2008.
"We are delighted to have Sara continue to be there with us to deliver on her high standards and commitment to excellence over the next three years," said Tom Holland, director of high-performance, Cross Country Canada. "Sara is a world-class person both on and off the snow. Our team will continue to benefit from her leadership, and from having a proven international performer at their side as we work together to own the podium in 2010."
"I still have the fire in my belly to compete, to improving in all disciplines of our sport, and I look forward to the opportunity to lead our team along the way," said Renner, who is enjoying the challenge of balancing motherhood with a career in high-performance sport. "The young athletes in our program proved over the last couple of years they are ready to compete with the worlds best, and it is going to be a fun ride. Im looking forward to getting back on the start line."
Joining Renner on the womens team is fellow Canmore resident, Chandra Crawford, who is an Olympic and World Cup medalist. The 23-year-old Crawford, who shocked the world to win gold at the Torino Games, added to her World Cup medal total last season when she won a bronze medal at the World Cup Tour-de-Ski on New Years Eve in Germany. Rounding out the Canadian womens team is: Amanda Ammar, of Onoway, Alta.; Dasha Gaiazova, of Montreal; Perianne Jones, of Almonte, Ont.; and Brittany Webster, of Caledon, Ont.
Devon Kershaw, of Sudbury, Ont., will lead the Canadian trail for the mens team. The 24-year-old Kershaw became the first Canadian male in 15 years to medal in a World Cup event. He captured a silver medal in the opening event of the World Cup Tour-de-Ski last season.
Other members of the team include: David Nighbor, of North Bay, Ont.; Drew Goldsack, of Red Deer, Alta.; George Grey, of Rossland, B.C.; Phil Widmer, of Banff, Alta.; Sean Crooks, of Thunder Bay, Ont.; and Stefan Kuhn, of Canmore, Alta.
"This is a unique group of athletes that has been making significant progress, and has demonstrated the ability to maintain Canadas position on the podium in international cross-country skiing," said Dave Wood, who returns as head coach of the Canadian cross country ski team. "Our young team has had a taste of success over the last few years, and now knows what it takes to win. We are going to make positive strides together, with the goal of winning more medals for Canada."
A group of six athletes will compete in the season-opening World Cup event, October 27-28, 2007, in D?sseldorf, Germany: Chandra Crawford, Perianne Jones, David Nighbor, Phil Widmer, Sean Crooks and Stefan Kuhn. The remaining athletes will continue to chase snow in Canada, and train at the recently upgraded Canmore Nordic Centre, which will host four World Cup races, January 22-26, 2007.
|
| |
10/24/2007
REGIONAL NEWS: MIDWEST
Midwest Junior Olympic Team Seeks Assistant Coaches
Organizers of the Midwest Junior Olympic team have five coaching positions open for the 2008 Junior Olympics, taking place in Anchorage March 9-16, 2008.
Interested coaches will apply to the Midwest Junior Executive Committee. Applications are available at cxcskiing.org under the Midwest Juniors tab.
Coaches will provide support for the team at the Junior Olympics in Anchorage. The team will depart on Friday, March 7, 2008, and return March 16, 2008. Applications must be submitted to Head Coach, Karen Cook (kcook777@yahoo.com) by November 15, 2007. The coaching positions will be filled by December 1, 2007.
|
| |
10/24/2007
REGIONAL NEWS: MIDWEST
|
| |
10/24/2007
REGIONAL NEWS: NEW YORK
Lapland Lake Open House November 23-24
Lapland Lake Nordic Vacation Center will host its annual two-day open house and equipment sale, Friday and Saturday, November 23-24 from 9:00am-4:30pm. Visitors are invited to tour the Finnish-style four-season vacation center which is celebrating its 30th winter season.
The open house is free of charge to visitors and facility use passes to cross country ski, snowshoe, tube and ice-skate will be free both. If there is no snow, attendees can enjoy complimentary hiking on the resorts 50 km private trail system.
Door prizes will include facility use passes, lessons, rentals and learn-to-ski packages (trail pass, rentals and group ski lesson). The grand prize is a two-night stay in one of the resorts tupas (cozy housekeeping cottages) during the upcoming winter season. The lodging package, which is valid non-holiday midweeks, includes use of ski and snowshoe trails, ice-skating pond, tubing hills, 50 percent off a group lesson (per person), daily discounts on ski and snowshoe rentals and use of the Finnish wood-burning sauna. The grand prize drawing will be held at 4:30 p.m. Saturday.
Select ski equipment and clothing will be offered at discounts of up to 40 percent; complete ski packages will be discounted 20percent. Lapland Lakes owner-operator, former U.S. Olympian, Olavi Hirvonen, and his trained staff will provide assistance in proper equipment selection and sizing. All regularly priced and sale-priced merchandise will be discounted an additional 10 percent during the two-day open house.
Free beverages will be available; fresh baked goods will be for sale at the resorts Tuulen Tupa Grill.
Season passes will be available at reduced early-season rates; full season pass rates go into effect Saturday, December 1.
The resorts two domesticated reindeer, Viima and Talvi, will be welcoming visitors at their lakeside home.
A complete cross country ski and snowshoe facility, Lapland Lake offers fully equipped rental and retail shops, a comfortable warming lodge with snack bar, a trailside restaurant and overnight accommodations in private housekeeping cottages. The trail system has 50 km of trails, including 38 km marked, mapped and snowcat groomed with trackset and skating lanes; 12 km are ungroomed, marked, mapped snowshoe trails. Other activities include ice-skating, tubing, sledding, kicksledding and wilderness ski touring.
Located in the south-central Adirondacks, Lapland Lake is just over an hours drive from Schenectady, 60 miles from Albany and Utica and four hours from New York City and Boston. Visit online at www.laplandlake.com, call the resorts 24-hour taped snow condition report at 800-453-SNOW, or contact Lapland Lakes main office for further information at (518) 863-4974.
|
| |
10/23/2007
Newell Wins World Cup Tune-up Sprint in Sweden
Andy Newell dominated the final loop to capture Moras annual Oktobersprint in sluggish, slow snow conditions in Sweden. Teammate Torin Koos led the quarterfinal and semifinal heats of the classic technique race, but Newell took charge on the final uphill and breezed to victory over the last few hundred meters; Koos finished fourth.
The 1,200-meter course consisted of snow which had been stockpiled last winter and then covered with wood chips to preserve it through the summer.
The sprint was a final tuneup for the World Cup season, which begins Saturday in Dusseldorf, Germany. Newell and Koos, who each has produced a World Cup top-three result in the last two seasons, will be the U.S. entries. They have been training in a ski tunnel in nearby Torsby, an indoor facility where special refrigeration pipes provide weatherproof, near-winter conditions.
"The trainings gone very well and, perhaps just as important, the guys have stayed healthy," U.S. Sprint Coach Chris Grover said Monday. "This was a cool event, especially with snow from last season. The guys had poor start positions for the prologue [the time trial which determined the final 16 skiers in the round of heats], but they powered through to qualify.
Koos was unstoppable in the first two rounds, leading both his quarterfinal and semifinal heats, with Newell second in each of his heats. "Torin ran out of gas in the A Final but that was when Andy stepped up and skied away from everyone on the final uphill," added Grover. Newell double-poled to the finish over the last 250-300 meters. The field had several quality sprinters including World Cup podium finishers Fredrik and Mikael Oestberg, and Anders Hoegberg.
Rain the night before and 50-degree weather created sloppy conditions, but the Mora organizers did an outstanding job in staging the sprints. The U.S. Ski Team looked at it as a hard training day and a chance to get a real good workout before Dusseldorf.
The U.S. athletes leave at midweek for Germany with the individual sprint Saturday and a team sprint, with each of the two skiers alternating loops, on Sunday. The season-opening races are among the highlights of the World Cup, attracting crowds well in excess of 100,000 each day, according to organizers.
|
| |
10/22/2007
AltaGas Incentive Supports Coaching at Four Canadian Clubs
Four Canadian Nordic ski clubs will receive $10,000 each as part of Cross Country Canadas AltaGas Club Incentive and Coach Mentoring Program.
The Big Thunder Nordic Ski Club in Thunder Bay, Ont.; Commission Nordique Skibec, in Quebec City; Foothills Nordic Ski Club in Calgary; and Nakkertok Nordic Ski Club in Ottawa were all selected from an extensive application process.
The AltaGas Club Incentive and Coach Mentoring program is a new Cross Country Canada initiative aimed at supporting Canadas high-performance clubs and coaches by optimizing high-performance coaches ongoing and practical education and training. The financial support will also aim at improving the outlook for more full-time professional club coaching positions.
"We believe by initiating this club incentive program we will help strengthen the national ski team talent pool, improve the career path for our club coaches and retain them within the system while increase the financial resources available to them," said Al Maddox, executive director, Cross Country Canada. "This pilot project will help enhance the quality of coaching from the grassroots to high-performance level across the country. It is our goal this program will be a success, and continue to benefit Canadian cross country ski coaches and clubs well into the future."
The new program is part of the major multi-year financial commitment announced by AltaGas Income Trust to support the nations high-performance cross-country skiers and fuel their drive to the podium. The commitment, valued at more than $500,000, was announced earlier this fall, and is the largest philanthropic contribution ever by AltaGas Income Trust.
AltaGas will also fund the employment of two new assistant coaches – one at the National Team Training Centre in Thunder Bay, Ontario, and the other at the Pierre Harvey National Team Training Centre in Quebec City. It will also sponsor youth training and development camps across the country.
AltaGas Income Trust operates natural gas related businesses across Canada. Cross Country Canada is the governing body of cross country skiing in Canada.
|
| |
10/18/2007
SIA Releases 2007 Intelligence Report
This week, SnowSports Industries America (SIA) will make available the 2007 Intelligence Report – a compilation of 10 unique research studies on the snow sports industry. Celebrating its 30th annual update, the Intelligence Report provides valuable insight into trends, sales, participation and demographics for the snow sports market. For the first time, the 2007 report will include details on Internet sales in addition to specialty retail shops.
The comprehensive report also includes several enhanced highlights along with new stand-alone Intelligence Report chapters for alpine, snowboard, Nordic and apparel categories.
While the Winter of 2006-07 will be remembered for its warmer temps and lower-than-average snowfall in many regions, snow sports continued to thrive and trends were apparent. Heres just a sample of information that can be found in the 2007 Intelligence Report:
Winter 06/07 Sales
$2.1 billion in sales of snow sports equipment, apparel, and accessories from specialty shops and Internet sales. Category breakdown:
$629 million in equipment
$813 million in apparel
$680 million in accessories
All mountain snowboards were the hot trend, with an increase of 24 percent in units sold and 31 percent in dollars spent.
Winter 06/07 Internet Sales
$341 million total Internet sales were recorded
13% of all snowboard equipment was sold online
Winter 06/07 Demographics/Participation
Approximately 5 percent of Americans (7 years or older) participated in winter sports more than once a year – this is equal to 13.3 million
53 percent of snowboarders reported riding outside of resort areas at least once
40 percent of snowboarders also ride a skateboard
A free copy of the 2007 SIA Intelligence report is available to all SIA members; non-members will pay $425. Members of the press can contact the SIA PR department for specific requests regarding information from the report. For more information on this and other research available through SIA, log onto snowsports.org and click on the "Industry Resources" button.
|
| |
10/17/2007
McGee to Coach PSIA Nordic Team
Scotty McGee of Jackson, Wyo. has been given the nod from the Professional Ski Instructors Association (PSIA) to become the coach of the elite 2008 PSIA Nordic Demonstration and Education Team. The teams purpose is to inspire members personally and professionally, and make contributions to the research, development and delivery of PSIA information and messages to the industry. Candidates for the Team must be first nominated by their Division, although no Division quota exists during selection. Candidates then go through a selection process that generally includes Division try-outs. PSIAs goal is to select "the best in the nation" for its four-person Nordic Team and coach. Individuals serve a four-year term on the Team. The PSIA Nordic Team currently consists of: Craig Panarisi-Team Coach, Tor Brown, Dan Clausen, Ross Matlock and Scotty McGee.
|
| |
10/17/2007
American Birkebeiner Raises $173,901 in 30 Days
The American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation (ABSF) has raised more than $100,000 in 30 days, qualifying for a matching challenge grant of $65,000.
The challenge grant was issued by John and Leslie Taylor and family from Madison, Wis. The ABSF received $103,901 from 423 donors, plus $5,000 from the Hayward Lakes Visitors and Convention Bureau, bringing the grand total to $173,901.
The Taylors issued the 30-day challenge as a way to support the 51 kilometer American Birkiebeiner and 23 kilometer Kortelopet and the shorter races and events associated with the Birkie.
Funds raised during the Birkie Challenge will allow completion of the Birkie Classic Trail segment to the High Point food station in 2007 and to Highway OO in 2008. Trail construction will begin in late Spring 08 and the Birkie Classic Trail will be completed in time for the 2009 American Birkebeiner. The ABSF also plans to purchase a second grooming machine.
"We gave people the opportunity to express themselves and invest in the Birkie Trail," John Taylor said. "The fact that the goal was exceeded by 50 percent is a tremendous example of a community coming together in a healthy show of support."
He also said he plans to the ski the new classic trail during the 2008 event. Leslie Taylor has completed 13 Birkies and also plans to participate in the 35th Anniversary events.
"It has been such an exciting month," said ABSF executive director, Ned Zuelsdorff. "In addition to the many generous contributions, we also received many personal messages telling us how much people believed in our cause and what the Birkie Trail means to them. We received donations from around the country, and thank everyone who donated. Its interesting that some people donated as a gift for, or in memory of, someone else."
To learn more about the American Birkebeiner and 35th anniversary events, from February 21-23, 2008, log on to www.birkie.com, email birkie@birkie.com or call 715/634-5025.
|
| |
10/15/2007
Paralympic Champion Cook Retires; Will Develop Disabled Program
Paralympic and world championships gold medalist and former World Cup champion Steve Cook has retired. Cook, who was the cornerstone of the U.S. Disabled Cross Country Ski Team for the better part of a decade, will take on the responsibility of developing a disabled Nordic development program.
After losing his right leg below the knee in a 1988 farm accident, Cook started mountain bike racing in 1990, switched to road cycling in 93 and made the 96 Summer Paralympic Team (where he was fifth in Velodrome and seventh in the road race).
As a cross-training workout, he added cross country skiing to his quiver in 95 and rapidly surged to the top of the sport, gaining seven Paralympic medals, including double gold in 2006 with victories in both the 5K freestyle and 10K classic and a U.S.-record four medals (all silvers) at the 2002 Paralympics in Utah.
Cook earned 14 medals (five gold) at the last five major championships. He clinched the 2005 World Cup title at Fort Kent, Maine, in the season-ending World Championships, which doubled as World Cup races, by winning two gold and a bronze.
"Hes been the backbone of this Team since 98," said Disabled Cross Country Head Coach Jon Kreamelmeyer. "Along with Willie [Stewart, retired 04] and Crenny [Mike Crenshaw, retired 06], Cookie took the Team to a different level - they set the tone for what was going to take place over the next 10 years. Hes certainly going to be missed."
According to Kreamelmeyer, who coached Cook through his entire 11-year international ski career, the team will miss his competitiveness, sense of humor and leadership in the standup discipline.
"He was the model of a true competitor," he said, "Cook was a brown-bag guy who always showed up ready. He never offered excuses and always looked for the positives even if he had a horrible race."
But even more so, Cook was a team player, explained Kreamelmeyer. "He would always say, We did a great job today, when he hit the podium. To me, thats a true indicator of what an outstanding character and competitor he was. As much as he deserved it, he hated the individual spotlight and never was comfortable talking about himself."
Cook closed the 2006 season with four World Cup podiums, including three wins, good enough to finish as runner-up in the overall title race and earn him U.S. Disabled Athlete of the Year honors from his peers.
Starting a new chapter in his athletic career, Cook has been hired by the National Ability Center in Park City, UT, and tasked with developing a disabled Nordic program designed to help feed the U.S. development pipeline. He will also continue his longtime employment with Sages Way, a low-water, sustainable landscape business in Utah.
"Im sure well see him around," said Kreamelmeyer, "Ill definitely utilize him as a coach whenever possible. Hes certainly not leaving the sport."
|
| |
10/12/2007
USSA Announces US Distance Races Headed to Fairbanks
The 2008 U.S. Cross Country Championships will conclude with long-distance races on a rugged course at the Birch Hill Recreation Area in Fairbanks, Alaska. U.S. Nordic Director said the races will take place March 28-30.
"The 30 and 50 km courses in Fairbanks will be the most challenging physical test of the entire domestic season, and will be the toughest race many of the competitors will ever participate in," Bodensteiner said.
The U.S. Championships will begin January 1-6, with sprints and 5-15 km distances at the Michigan Tech Nordic Training Facility in Houghton, Michigan.
The races again will double as SuperTour competitions, with each U.S. championship race counting as double SuperTour points. A special ingredient in this seasons championships will be staging the pursuit races March 28 under the lights at Birch Hill.
The pursuit distances are 15 km classic and 15 km freestyle for the men and 7.5 km legs for the women. On Sunday, March 30, the men will ski at 50 km classic and the women will cover 30 km.
In addition, Bodensteiner said there will be two days of midweek racing preceding the Fairbanks events for a Spring Series-style finale. This will also give local junior racers an additional opportunity to gain experience against the nations best skiers.
"The long-distance races are a great way to close the season, "Bodensteinr said. "Weve struggled for many years trying to find the best way to incorporate the womens 30K and mens 50K into the national championships, either as a stand-alone race in the spring or during the championships in January.
"In both cases we experienced many top athletes deciding not to take part in the competition, because of either the physical demands of racing such a long distance during the heart of the competition season, or because traveling for a stand-alone competition wasnt practical.
"With the recent development of the pursuit into a long-distance race, its become a perfect companion to the 30/50K races. The pursuit allows our athletes to shift these races - which require a lot of recovery time - to the end of the season. Last season was a great debut for this new program, and Fairbanks is poised to solidify it as a great new feature on our national calendar."
|
| |
10/10/2007
REGIONAL NEWS: NEW YORK
New York Center Schedules Reindeer Roundup
Lapland Lake Nordic Vacation Center has scheduled the 30th annual Reindeer Roundup Festival for Sunday, December 23. The day-long event features a pursuit-style ski race, ski orienteering meet and youth cross country ski race.
The pursuit race format requires racers to use classic technique for the first 5 kilometers and to complete the final 5km using freestyle technique. There is no break between the two 5km laps; racers may change equipment between laps, at their discretion. This race, which begins at 10 a.m., is an Empire State Games Qualifier.
The Lapland Lake Reindeer Roundup is a citizens race open to all skiers. The race entry fee covers both portions of the race. NYSSRA (New York State Ski Racing Association) members are charged $20.00 for participants who preregister by Wednesday, December 19; $25.00 thereafter. The entry fee for non-NYSSRA members pre-registering by December 19 is $25.00; $30.00 thereafter. Pre-registration may be completed online at www.nyssranordic.com . Day-of-race registration will take place from 8:00 - 9:30 a.m.
Awards will be presented to the first three male and female finishers in each of seven age divisions and to the overall male and female event winners.
A fun Bill Koch Junior Cookie Race for skiers ages 13 and under will take place after the conclusion of the Reindeer Roundup (at approximately 1 p.m.). Each participant will take home a ribbon and a large fresh-baked cookie from the resorts Tuulen Tupa Grill.
The day also includes a ski orienteering race, also an Empire State Games qualifier. Entry fee of $10.00 includes a detailed color course map. In a ski orienteering event, participants navigate through a series of points on a prearranged cross country ski course and are timed as individuals or as group members. The course length will be determined by snow conditions.
Members of various age group divisions will experience different race course lengths and numbers of controls. For example, scholastic females will ski a 4-5 km course with 8-10 controls. At the other end of the spectrum, the open male division will ski 6-10 km with 12-16 controls. There are several divisions in between.
An abbreviated 2 to 3 km course will be available and appropriate for juniors and adult first-timers.
Interested individuals may contact Eric Hamilton, Empire Orienteering Club, at ejh.bkh@juno.com or at 518-383-8565. Event, snow condition and general resort information may be obtained online at www.laplandlake.com.
|
| |
10/10/2007
REGIONAL NEWS: COLORADO
Colorado Backcountry Bash, Slide Shows Announced
The Backcountry Snowsports Alliance has announced a fundraiser and educational program planned for later this season.
The Backcountry Bash fundraiser will take place Friday, November 20, at the Denver REI flagship store. The event includes gourmet finger food and free Colorado beer. Attendees can participate in silent and live auctions for outdoor gear and services, as well as see an adventure slide show by photographer Dan Bailey.
A second event, to be held at the Boulder REI store, features a slide show on Colorados backcountry hut system. The program covers itinerary planning, developing packing lists, and planning family activities for your stay at a hut.
The Backcountry Snowsports Alliance advocates for the creation and protection of quiet areas on public lands for skiers, snowshoers and snowboarders.
For details, including costs and times, go to www.backcountryalliance.org.
|
| |
10/10/2007
Telemark SuperTour to Include Sprint Competition in Duluth
The sprint competition for the Telemark SuperTour event will be held January 23, 2008, in Duluth, Minnesota, according to CXC Skiing. The other SuperTour races will be held at Telemark Resort in Cable, Wisconsin.
According to Scott Wilson, race director, teams will take charter buses to Duluth on the morning of the competition. This will be provided at no charge to the competitors.
The Duluth facility includes indoor waxing facilities, athlete lounge areas and locker rooms adjacent to the stadium. Competitors will cover a 1.4 km course. A high school 100 meter race will be held at halftime.
Qualification rounds are planned for mid-afternoon, with the finals taking place at night on the lighted course. An awards ceremony and athlete party will take place after the event, and the coach bus will return the entire field back to Telemark Resort by approximately 10:30 p.m.
Details will be provided, as they are available, at www.cxcskiing.org .
|
| |
10/10/2007
Johnson, Hendrickson Win Lake Placid Jumping Events
Anders Johnson and Nick Alexander dominated the ski jumping over the weekend at the annual Flaming Leaves meet at the Olympic Jumping Complex in Lake Placid, New York.
Johnson, a 2006 Olympian, won Saturdays event with jumps of 101 and 97 meters, good for 263.5 points. Alexander, who trains in Lake Placid with the New York Ski Education Foundation, went 99.5 and 98.5m (257.5 points) for second place. Kyle Lockhart completed the podium in third.
Sunday, Alexander won, compiling 235.0 points, with Johnson second at 233.5 points. In third place was Blake Hughes with 218.0 points.
The womens podium was the same for both Saturday and Sunday, with Sarah Hendrickson in first place, Tara Geraghty-Moats in second and Nina Lussi third.
Saturdays competition was organized by Lake Placids Olympic Regional Development Authority, while NYSEF put on Sundays meet.
|
| |
10/8/2007
REGIONAL NEWS: WYOMING
Cody and Yellowstone Country Gear Up for Winter
Known for its Buffalo Bill museum, Cody, Wyoming, and the surrounding area offers a number of winter activities. Popular outdoor activities include ice climbing, cross country skiing, wildlife-watching and photography, and snowcoach and snowmobile tours to nearby Yellowstone National Park.
Ice climbing is available along the South Fork of the Shoshone River (www.codyice.com). The frozen waterfalls provide one of the highest concentrations of waterfall ice climbing in the United States.
The area also offers a number of Nordic skiing trails, including the Wood River Valley Ski Touring Park located 22 miles southwest of Meeteetse, North Fork Nordic Trails located near the East Entrance to Yellowstone National Park and Yellowstone National Park itself, with groomed ski trails throughout the park.
Snowcoaches are increasingly popular, particularly for trips to Yellowstone National Park and the surrounding national forests. Snowcoach drivers do double-duty as interpretive guides, and stop the vehicles along the way so visitors can appreciate the parks incredible beauty and abundant wildlife.
The Park County Travel Council website (www.yellowstonecountry.org) lists information about vacation packages, special events, guide services, weather and more. Travelers wishing to arrange vacation can also call the Park County Travel Council at 1-800-393-2639.
|
| |
10/5/2007
REGIONAL NEWS: COLORADO
Top Coaching at Crested Butte Thanksgiving Camp
Former Olympic skiers, an NCAA coach and other experts will lead this years Thanksgiving Training Camp at Crested Butte Nordic Center in Colorado. The camp will take place November 23-25, 2007. All of the clinics will be at elevations of at least 8,800 feet.
Former Olympians Rebecca Dussault, Kendall Butts and Ingrid Butts will be on hand, along with NCAA coach Jessie Crandall and PSIA Nordic Demo Team member Ross Matlock. Clinics are designed to enhance and improve skills and are limited to approximately 12 people in each.
Friday and Saturday, Nov. 23-24, both begin with pre-clinic waxing assistance, followed by two hours of lessons. After lunch, skiers will receive another two hours of instructions. Video analysis is included and skiers can take advantage of a gourmet dinner on Saturday.
The highlights on Sunday, Nov. 25, are a 5 km classic and a 5 km skating race. Members of the Western State College and Crested Butte Junior teams will participate.
The Crested Butte Nordic Center is a full-service cross-country ski center providing lessons and complete rental packages for skate and classical skiing, as well as ice skating, snowshoeing and sledding. The Nordic Center maintains more than 45 kilometers of groomed trails.
For information or to register, go to www.cbnordic.org or call (970) 349-1707.
|
| |
10/4/2007
REGIONAL NEWS: MONTANA/WYOMING
Winter Wolf Discovery Coming to Yellowstone
The Yellowstone Association Institute, Yellowstone National Parks official educational partner, is offering a four-night "Winter Wolf Discovery" throughout the winter at the Mammoth Hotel. The package includes accommodations, some meals, in-park transportation and wildlife viewing excursions.
"Everything comes together in winter to make Yellowstone the best place in the world to see wolves in the wild," said Jeff Brown, director of education for the Yellowstone Association. "Wolves are spotted every day in the Lamar Valley. They follow the elk and other prey to the lower elevations near the park road, and they are relatively easy to see against the backdrop of white snow."
The first program will be offered December 26, 2007, and will be available through the end of February. The four-night stays begin on Wednesdays and Sundays.
Instructors will provide expertise on the reintroduction of wolves to the park and lead wildlife viewing excursions through the Lamar Valley. This package includes accommodations at the Mammoth Hotel, breakfasts and lunches each day, in-park transportation, snowshoe rental, one-hour hot tub rental, unlimited ice skating and optional evening programs. Rates start at $545 per person, plus tax, based on double occupancy and $695 for single occupancy. Yellowstone Association members receive a $10 discount.
The parks winter season begins Dec. 19, 2007 with the opening of the Old Faithful Snow Lodge. The Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel opens Dec. 21, 2007. The lodges provide the only wintertime accommodations within the park. Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel will close for the season on March 2, 2008, and Old Faithful Snow Lodge will close March 9, 2008.
Other winter packages allow participants to explore the park by cross country skiing, snowshoeing and over-snow vehicles. For details, go to www.YellowstoneAssociation.org. To make a reservation, call Xanterra, operator of the hotels, at 307-344-5566.
|
| |
10/3/2007
La Sgambeda Opens Italian Cross Country Season
The 18th annual La Sgambeda race will open the cross country season on December 16, 2007. The freestyle race is the first in the FIS Marathon Cub series, with racers covering either a 22.5 kilometer or 42 kilometer distance.
Swiss instructor Daniel Sandoz will offer a four-week training workshop prior to the event, focusing on technique and video analysis. Information is available at www.sandozconcept.com.
The race is the opening event in the FIS Marathon Cup, with prizes totaling 21,000 Euro divided among the top six men and top six women. Registration is open, with a 40 Euro fee prior to October 30 and 55 Euro fee until the December 13 registration deadline.
The event also includes a youth race on December 15.
Special packages are available for those who would like to compete and spend a short holiday in Livigno, Italy. Information on packages are available by emailing booking@livigno.eu. For more information on the race, see www.lasgambeda.it .
|
| |
10/2/2007
REGIONAL NEWS-10/2/07
COLORADO
Free Dryland Training in Boulder
The Boulder Nordic Ski Club has announced a series of free dryland training sessions. Each session of rollerskiing and dryland simulation is led by a local master skier or professional coach. A full schedule is available at www.bouldernordic.org.
The club will also hold is annual expo on November 14 at 7 p.m. in the Boulder High School cafeteria. This annual ski swap benefits the Boulder Nordic Junior Race Team.
The latest newsletter also provides an update on the potential for in-town skiing in Boulder and other news items. Subscriptions are free and available at bouldernordic.org.
MINNESOTA
CXC Ski Team to Hold Camp in Northern Minnesota
The entire Central Cross Country (CXC) ski team will host a training camp at the Rainbow Resort in Waubun, Minnesota. The camp, which will take place October 26-28, is open to any skier.
According to Team CXC, the camp will focus on training and extensive technique work. Rainbow Resort is near Itasca State Park in northwestern Minnesota. CXC coaches and athletes will work one-on-one with participants to improve fundamentals of both classic and skate techniques. Body position, power application, timing, and other technique components will be emphasized through several dryland and rollerski drills.
Meals and full-service cottages are available at the resort and there are a number of other lodging options in the area. For details and registration information, visit www.cxcskiing.org.
The CXC ski team is a regional development team based in Hayward, Wisconsin.
CALIFORNIA
October 6 Session for Interested Mt. Shasta Skiers
Californias Mt. Shasta Nordic Ski Organization will hold an informational meeting on October 6 for its 2007-08 teenage cross country ski group. The program seeks to introduce young people to Nordic skiing. Last year, the program had 15 participants.
Skiers meet every Wednesday afternoon after school and every Saturday morning during the ski season. A typical session begins with an instructional focus on technique followed by games and drills intended to reinforce the skills learned. These activities are normally followed by a short ski tour.
Last year, some of team members took part in a field trip to Lake Tahoe over the Presidents Day Weekend. "Due to its popularity, we will repeat the Tahoe trip this year" said coach Craig Vivas. "The kids get an opportunity to ski at some of the outstanding Nordic centers in the North Tahoe area, watch the state championships and even participate in a race if they want."
The club provides top-notch skate-ski and classic equipment to anyone who needs it for the season at a very low price.
"Fitness will be a focus this year" said Vivas. "We will begin in October with dry-land training to develop ski-specific fitness and work to customize training programs for each individual. Whether the skier is a top athlete, or just out to have fun at a slower pace, they will have more fun if they are fit."
Interested young people between the ages of 12 and 20 are invited to attend the informational meeting on Saturday, October 6, at 11:00 a.m., at the home of Craig Vivas, 201 Shasta Ave., in Mt. Shasta. Phone (530) 926-9896 for directions or information. Vivas is also looking for adults who would volunteer with the program.
WISCONSIN
Team CXC Takes Show on the Road
The CXC ski team conducted some wilderness training in Michigans Upper Peninsula and finished the week with a time trial near their home base of Hayward, Wisconsin.
The Central Cross Country (CXC) team is a regional development team, providing promising skiers with the training and experience necessary to challenge for a spot on the U.S. Ski Team.
The team spent four days camping and training at Porcupine Mountain State Park in the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The Porkies is a 59,000 acre wilderness park with varied and rugged terrain. The athletes camped along the shores of Lake Superior and took part in ski-walking, rollerskiing and over-distance workouts.
The second week of training took place near Hayward, Wisconsin, concluding with two time trails and a visit from Caitlin Compton, a former CXC team member and U.S. Super Tour champ. Compton is now a member of the U.S. Biathlon team.
The next stop in the teams schedule is Lake Placid, New York, where they will train with the U.S. Ski team and other developmental teams.
|
| |
10/1/2007
NEW CROSS COUNTRY SKIER MAGAZINE WEBSITE DEBUTS
Cross Country Skier magazine is pleased and proud to announce the debut of its newly re-designed and constructed website, www.crosscountryskier.com (CrossCountrySkier.com). “I’m quite happy with the new website,” said Cross Country Skier publisher Ron Bergin. “The site has been in the making for the past several months as we worked to create a simple interface that is intuitive and easy to navigate and most importantly, expand the site’s content to a point where it has a much improved day-to-day relevance.”
The new CrossCountrySkier.com is a significant departure from its predecessor. “Our original site, which has been active since we assumed publication of the magazine six years ago, was primarily a mirror of the printed magazine,” says Bergin. Last year the site added a news component, which posted national and regional news on recreational and competitive skiing. “While the previous site was certainly a functional and useful tool for communicating information about the sport and introducing skiers to the printed magazine, it posed a dilemma as to exactly how much content we could provide.” Bergin explained, “We could not simply replicate the entire magazine, so we posted a few select items from every issue. Otherwise, the content was fairly stagnant. There was potential to do so much more.”
Conventional wisdom in the publishing world suggests that a print magazine’s website should essentially be a stand-alone entity, with its own identity and largely its own content. And this is exactly what the new CrossCountrySkier.com is. The site will still highlight current content from each issue of the print magazine as well as provide some previews of upcoming issues. The news component of the site has been retained, but the approach to posting the news has evolved. “We’ve taken a much more journalistic approach to presenting news about the sport,” comments Bergin. “Many sites simply take the canned press releases forwarded by national and regional organizations and post them verbatim to their sites. We give every press release and announcement a light editing to make them read better and tone down some of the hype and spin.”
To give visitors to the site more reasons to return, the new CrossCountrySkier.com will also have several web-only feature articles that have not appeared in the print magazine. Articles will continue to address similar topics and issues found in the magazine and new, web-only features will be added on a regular basis. “There are many restraints in publishing a magazine, such as limited page count and production costs, that we do not face with the web,” says Bergin. “It costs much less to add content and very importantly, allows us to react in a much more timely manner than possible with a magazine with a six to eight week lead time.”
Another major content boost comes in the areas of technique, training and waxing. Numerous how-to articles will be posted to the new site drawn from past issues, providing visitors the opportunity to study the sport as presented by Cross Country Skier’s professional corps or teachers, coaches and technicians.
Although known as the predominant recreational Nordic skiing publication, Cross Country Skier has in recent years expanded its focus to embrace the competitive side of the sport as well. To reflect this a special section of the website will be dedicated to racing including not only Nordic, but also biathlon, Nordic combined and jumping.
With a history of over 27 years, Cross Country Skier is also the oldest Nordic skiing publication on the market. As a result, there is an enormous archive of editorial content, all of it historic, some nostalgic and much of it still relevant today. Over time this well of Nordic knowledge, information and interesting reading will also be added to the new site, further enhancing its depth of content. A gallery of almost every cover of the magazine dating back to and including several of its predecessors will also be posted for those wishing to take a ski down memory lane. Many of these same back issues will also be available for sale from the site.
Other new features found on CrossCountrySkier.Com include an event calendar where clubs and event organizers can directly post their events. A similar component for trail reports is planned for the site and will be added as the season progresses. With the greater reach of broadband Internet service, CrossCountrySkier.com will be able to deliver content in formats not feasible or even possible when the site was first launched. Extensive photo galleries, slideshows and videos ranging from demonstrations of technique and training to just plain skiing through the woods will become an integral part of the site. Additional interactive features are planned as well, including forums and podcasts.
While the goal in rolling out this new site has been to create an on-line vehicle that not only represents the print magazine but also presents a stand-alone website with its own identity and content base, another significant objective has been to better integrate the print version of the magazine with the website. “Again the limitations of the printed world can be mitigated by partnering the magazine with the website to extend the impact of every issue,” Bergin explains. “In every issue of the magazine there will be opportunities to refer the reader to the website for additional information, photo galleries, video demonstrations or sidebar editorial. “This I see as one of the most synergistic benefits of having a companion website to a print magazine,” Bergin adds.
Cross Country Skier’s new website was developed by Dean Woodbeck of Self-Propelled Communications from Hancock, Michigan. Woodbeck works with numerous outdoor sport and Nordic ski organizations as well as Michigan Tech University and other business clients. He is also part of the U.S. Cross Country National Championships organizing committee. “Dean’s insight into the sport as a result of his direct involvement as a skier and professional association with other Nordic skiing organizations and events has been a strong asset in helping create this new site. He has been able to immediately grasp the types of things I wanted to see in the site and how I wanted it to function and look,” compliments Bergin. Technical assistance and hosting will continue to be provided by Tim Gavigan or OldCabin Internet Services of Madison, Wis.
CrossCountrySkier.com is by no means a finished product. Content elements and technical features and functions will continue to be added as the site evolves in response to continuing developments in the sport and the way in which information is disseminated on the Internet. “We are extremely excited about the new site and its capabilities and possibilities for serving the Nordic skiing community,” concluded Bergin. “But we do not intend to let it end here, as there will continually be new things we can do, and look forward to utilizing this new site to not only further the brand, but to advocate on behalf of the sport of Nordic skiing.”
|
| |
9/28/2007
Have You Skied a Fjord Lately? - Iceland's Fossavatn Marathon Set for May 3
If you are looking for a late-season challenge to cap your ski season, consider the Fossavatn Ski Marathon in Iceland. The event, with distances of 7, 10, 20 and 50 km, is set for May 3, 2008. Visitors fly in to Reykjavek , then drive the 490 kilometers to Ísafjörður, located in fjord country in far northwestern Iceland.
Organizers are also planning an early season training camp, November 23-25, on the Fossavatn trails. The camp includes two on-ski sessions per day, plus a video session. For complete information, email fossavatn@fossavatn.com.
At last years marathon, a record 239 racers finished in the balmy 12 degree (C) weather (53 degrees F). The event includes distances of 50, 20, 10, and 7 km.
While the start of the 50 km race is just 10 minutes from Ísafjörður, the 20 km start is inaccessible by car. Skiers either hitch a ride on a snowmobile or, as most prefer, ski to the start.
Organizers say they are coordinating with Ísafjörðurs volleyball club, which will host Icelands masters national volleyball tournament the same weekend.
For information about the marathon, visit www.fossavatn.com. Travel and lodging information is available at www.westfjords.is.
|
| |
9/26/2007
It's a Boy for Beckie Scott and Justin Wadsworth
Canadas most decorated Olympic cross-country ski athlete, Beckie Scott, has a new heir to the family home. The Olympic gold and silver medallist, along with husband Justin Wadsworth, a three-time Olympic cross-country skier for the United States team, welcomed the addition of Teo Jacob Wadsworth to their family on Sunday, September 16, 2007. Weighing in at 8 lbs 5 ounces, baby Teo (pronounced Tay-o) arrived healthy at Banffs Mineral Springs Hospital.
"Standing on the Olympic podium is an incredible experience that I will never forget, but the day Justin and I finally got to meet and hold Teo for the first time was absolutely hands down, the best day of our lives," said Scott, who travelled the world as a member of the IOC Evaluation Commission and WADA while pregnant with Teo.
While Scott will remain in North America, her husband will hit the road in early October to continue his responsibilities as a coach with the United States Cross Country Ski Team.
"Being a ski coach and a father wont be the easiest combination, but the current coaching structure of the U.S. Ski Team allows us to have good quality home time between trips which Im really excited for," said Wadsworth. "The first week of being a daddy has been absolutely awesome and I know it is only going to get better. We are both so excited."
Prior to officially announcing her retirement nearly two years ago from competitive skiing, Scott has spent the last two decades traveling around the worlds Nordic highways with Olympic teammates, Sara Renner and Milaine Theriault.
Now, Scott follows her teammates into the world of motherhood. Renner, who teamed up with Scott to win an Olympic silver medal in the team sprint relay in 2006, welcomed a baby girl into the world in February, while Theriault competed for two years on the international circuit after having a boy in 2004. After taking a year off, Renner is now back training to compete on the World Cup circuit with the goal of skiing at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver/Whistler.
"Sara and I ended up delivering the babies with the same doctor, in the same hospital, only eight months apart, so it is getting more difficult to convince people we dont do everything together," joked Scott, who also added they were trying for Canadas future sprint relay team, but that now wont be the case unless they create a co-ed race. "Saras baby, Aria, was one of Teos first visitors. It has been great to have Sara around to turn to, and ask questions about being a mom. It really has been a special experience to both become mothers in the same year."
Scott skied into retirement having rewritten the Canadian record books in the sport, which also firmly established her as one of the worlds best all-round cross-country ski racers. The remarkable trail for the Vermilion, Alta. native concluded with: 15 World Cup medals; four World Cup victories; two Olympic medals – including a gold in the five-kilometre pursuit race at the 2002 Games, and her silver medal in 2006.
Despite retiring from competitive skiing, Scott continues to blaze her trail around the world as a member of the IOC Athletes Commission. Scott was elected to the position, which holds an eight-year term, by her peers at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games. Since the 2006 Olympics, and in addition to various public speaking engagements, Beckie holds positions on a number of commissions and committees including; WADA, Right to Play, VANOC, the CCES, and COC.
|
| |
9/21/2007
CAT Ski Developer Offers Ski Clinics
The maker of the CAT ski, an all-terrain dryland training ski that
mimics cross country skiing, will hold a series of clinics and races in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Washington. The Classical All Terrain (CAT) ski emulates classic skiing and allows the skier to go on any terrain, including grass, trails and sand.
The clinics will provide training workouts and demonstrations in the morning and races of varying distances in the afternoon. Organizer and CAT ski developer Dale Niggeman will provide participants with CAT skis, if needed, but attendees must reserve a pair ahead of time. Those who pre-register by October 1 will be entered in a drawing for a pair of CAT skis.
The clinic schedule and registration form is online at
www.catskier.com/catskievents.php. Wisconsin clinics will take place in Madison, Eau Claire, Minocqua and Stevens Point. There will also be clinics in Minneapolis; Rockford, Illinois; and Winthrop, Washington. The clinics kick off on September 30 in Madison.
|
| |
9/21/2007
New Hampshire Rail Trail Expands
New Hampshires Northern Rail Trail was extended this month to reach East Andover. A partnership has also provided a welcome center for the new section of the trail.
The Highland Lake Inn in East Andover, New Hampshire, will serve as a welcome center for the new trail segment, providing parking and restroom facilities (www.highlandlakeinn.com).
The Northern Rail Trail will eventually cover 59 miles. When combined with two other trails, it could eventually be part of a trail across New Hampshire, following former railroad beds.
The new trail provides a variety of scenery: views of Mt. Kearsarge, a series of cornfields and multiple stream crossings and wetlands. There is also an old wooden covered bridge next to the rail trail in Andover.
The trail is open year round for walking, jogging, hiking, bicycling, horseback riding and bird watching. During the winter, the trail is used for snowmobiling, snowshoeing, cross country skiing and dog sled training.
For more information about the Northern Rail Trail, see
www.northernrailtrail.org.
|
| |
9/21/2007
Dexter Trails Announce Improvements
Dexter’s Inn Trails by Norsk Cross Country has announced several improvements for the 2007-08 season. The trail system, located in Sunapee, New Hampshire, re-opened last year after a complete renovation. The original trails were built in 1948.
This years improvements include expanded parking, a new YTS Ginzu groomer, youth rental skis and a rental pulk. The area includes 20 kilometers of groomed trails, a loop for leashed dogs, and backcountry, ungroomed and showshoe trails.
The inn and annex include 17 guest rooms; a cottage and condo are also available. Detailed information on accommodations and the daily breakfast buffet are available at www.dextersnh.com or by calling 800-232-5571.
|
| |
9/20/2007
Athletic and Financial Improvements Highlight USBA Board Meeting
Improvements in both competition and lab testing highlighted a report to the U.S. Bialthlon Associations fall board of directors meeting.
According to Bernd Eisenbichler, the teams high performance director, USBA athletes have shown gains in one of the two areas. He also said he plans to continue efforts to integrate the U.S. Biathlon Team at all levels (World Cup, development, and junior).
Piotr Bednarski, director of athlete development, reported that four new athletes have joined the development team, based at the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, New York, while another six will form the new collegiate team.
"Our main objective is to support our World Cup team and their drive for an Olympic medal," Bednarski said. "But, at the same time, we need to develop a new generation of athletes that will keep our sport growing."
Bednarski and Max Cobb, USBA executive director, singled out
Anchorage, Alaska, as an example of a successful regional program. Cobb commented, "The work being done on the venue in Kincaid Park is really spectacular," Cobb said. "Rachel Steer and the Alaska biathlon community have brought together an excellent group of designers and construction people to make this a world-class facility in a great location."
The board also heard of an increase in fundraising, with the annual golf fundraiser earning $47,000, compared to $31,000 last year. In addition, the USBA is selling a full-color calendar and kicking off a "Gold Medal" program in October. The Gold Medal program earned $25,000 last year. The funds support athletes training for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.
|
| |
9/19/2007
Brikie Seeks Two Skiers for Warrior Reenactment
The American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation (ABSF) is searching for two tough cross country skiers to dress as Birkebeiner warriors and trek 51 kilometers from Cable to Hayward on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2008.
The two skiers will dress in authentic gear, ski on wooden skis, and depict the 800-year-old rescue of Prince Haakon, the baby who became one of the most popular kings in Norwegian history.
The Birkebeiner warriors became a Norwegian symbol of courage, perseverance and character in the face of adversity, and the historic rescue inspired the creation of three ski marathons - the Birkebeinerrennet in Lillehammer, Norway, launched in 1932; the American Birkebeiner, launched in 1973; and the Canadian Birkebeiner, launched in 1985 in Alberta.
In addition to searching for two Birkie warriors, the ABSF is also
looking for a skier to depict Inga, the mother of the baby Prince.
"Inga" will wear traditional clothing and ski either the 51-kilometer Birkie or 23-kilometer Kortelopet before meeting up with the Birkie warriors and baby Prince Haakon at the finish line on Main Street in Hayward.
Inga and the Birkie 2008 warriors will serve as "ambassadors on the trail" encouraging both skiers and volunteers. The warriors will carry a baby doll along the course until Main Street where theyll pick up a real infant "prince" before skiing the last two blocks to Inga at the finish line.
"Since this is the 35th anniversary of the American Birkebeiner, we felt it important to highlight the historic roots of the race with Inga, Baby Prince Haakon and the two Birkebeiner warriors," said Ned Zuelsdorff, executive director of the ABSF. "We are challenging skiers to find a friend, and tell us in 300 words or less why they would be the best Birkie 2008 warriors, Torstein and Skervald."
Entries must show ability, passion and tradition and demonstrate that the pair is capable of skiing the 51-kilometer trek on wooden skis while wearing the warrior costumes, carrying weapons of the era, and transporting baby Prince Haakon.
"The Inga entries can be part of or separate from the warrior
entries," Zuelsdorff said. "Again, we are looking for a 300-word essay that shows passion, ability and tradition and demonstrates why the entrant should be selected as the cherished mother of the baby prince."
The American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation will supply the Birkebeiner and Inga outfits and Birkebeiner weapons. Selected skiers must supply their own wooden skis.
To enter the competition, email a 300-word essay to birkie@birkie.com (one essay per warrior pair and one for each Inga). The deadline is November 1, and men and women are encouraged to apply.
"Be concise and persuasive," Zuelsdorff said. "The four most recent warriors will review the essays and select the best pair to ski as the 2008 Birkebeiner warriors as well as the winning Inga. All three winners will be announced on December 1, 2007."
|
| |
9/19/2007
AltaGas Provides $500,000 to Canadian Nordic Team
Cross Country Canada has announced a multi-year commitment from AltaGas Income Trust for the countrys national Nordic and Para-Nordic ski program. The investment will help support elite-level coaching and associated services necessary for the success of Canadas National and Para-Nordic Cross Country Ski Teams.
AltaGas will also fund the employment of two new assistant coaches – one at the National Team Training Centre in Thunder Bay, Ontario, and the other at the Pierre Harvey National Team Training Centre in Quebec City. It will also sponsor youth training and development camps across
the country. In addition, AltaGas donated a GMC Envoy vehicle to Cross Country Canada during the media conference.
"We are extremely proud to extend our financial commitment to help these great athletes achieve success on the world stage," said David Cornhill, chairman, president and chief executive officer of AltaGas. "It is our hope that this contribution will not only help put Canadas elite cross-country skiers on top of the podium, but will build strong grassroots programs across Canada so that amateur athletes have the skills, coaching and backing they need to realize their potential."
In recognition for their generous contribution to the national
program, the Canadian National and Para-Nordic Mens Teams will be sporting the AltaGas logo on their race toques. The logo will also be prominent on the entire mens and womens team race suits, training and casual wear.
AltaGas Income Trust is one of Canadas largest and fastest growing integrated energy infrastructure and services organizations. Since 1994, AltaGas Income Trust has expanded its business to include natural gas gathering, processing and transmission, extraction of ethane and natural gas liquids, power generation, marketing of natural gas and natural gas liquids, as well as retail energy services to commercial, industrial and institutional end-users across Canada.
Cross Country Canada is the governing body of cross-country skiing in Canada. Its 45,000 members are athletes, coaches and officials, including members of the Canadian Cross-Country Ski Team and Canadian Disabled Cross-Country Ski Team. Cross-country skiing is Canadas optimal winter sport and recreational activity with more than one million Canadians participating annually.
|
| |
9/19/2007
New Hampshire Resort Announces Ski Packages
The Balsams Grand Resort Hotel has announced a "ski free package" for alpine and Nordic skiers, from January through March 2008. The resort is located in New Hampshires White Mountains with 77 kilometers of
groomed trails.
The hotels $89 per night (per person) rate includes lodging,
breakfast in the dining room, lift tickets to the alpine ski area and trail passes for cross country skiing. The Balsams property includes 15,000 acres.
The package is subject to availability and is based on double
occupancy. The resort also offers specials on two-bedroom family suites and has other packages. For details, call (866) 380-6798 or visit www.TheBalsams.com using the promo code SKIFREE).
The Balsams Grand Resort Hotel includes 202 guestrooms and suites, four dining areas and 10,000 sq. ft. of meeting and banquet space. Recreational opportunities include cross country skiing, ice skating, snowshoeing and alpine skiing.
|
| |
9/18/2007
Recreation Leaders Meet with Key National Officials
The American Recreation Coalition is sponsoring a policy forum as a step toward increasing the national visibility of recreation issues. The forum, scheduled for September 20 in Washington, DC, will feature an address by Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee.
Recreation leaders had previously met with a number of lawmakers and Interior secretary Dirk Kempthorne.
The prime catalyst for the events is legislation to create a National Park Service Centennial Challenge Fund, a plan to match $1 billion in new federal funding over 10 years with at least an equal sum from the private sector, yielding $2 billion for new projects and programs to dramatically improve national parks and park visitor experiences.
Discussions with Senator Alexander focused on his call for the creation of a new national commission on Americans outdoors to collect ideas and information and to identify innovative programs at the local, state and federal levels that protecting outdoor resources.
Participants include outdoor industry groups that represent developers and motorized sport, as well as the National Wildlife Federation, American Hiking Society, National Association of State Park Directors and National Recreation and Park Association.
The group also wants to increase awareness of Great Outdoors Month (October 2008) to increase awareness of recreations benefits, including the possibility of adding a "Take Your Child Outdoors Day" during the month.
Senator Alexander demonstrated noted that he had recently met with top medical industry officials and had been told that todays youth might well be the first generation to have a shorter natural life expectancy than their parents – because of diminished physical activity. He also said that although understanding of the key role played by outdoor recreation in combating health, education and economic ills has increased, actual usage of public lands and waters has lagged.
Background information and details of the September 20 event are available at www.funoutdoors.com/node/view/1927 .
|
| |
9/18/2007
Karhu Re-Launches Web, Introduces Blog
Karhu has redeveloped its web site, Karhu.com, to provide detailed information on its line of ski equipment and in-depth profiles of its athlete team. The site also includes links to other backcountry skiing web sites and an events calendar with telemark and backcountry festivals and Karhu demos.
The company has also launched a new ski blog, Where Will You Ski Today (http://wherewillyouski.blogspot.com). The blog will feature contributions from Karhu employees, athletes, ambassadors and friends.
"We are passionate skiers, dedicated to making gear that is reliable and enjoyable for exploring winter," says Graham Gephart, marketing manager for Karhu. "Where Will You Ski is simply our place to interact more with our users and share some of that passion with the ski community, through Karhu news, initiatives, trip reports, contests, photos, videos, stories and much, much more."
Karhu focuses on Nordic touring, telemark and alpine touring ski equipment.
|
| |
9/18/2007
SnowSports Industries Announces New Chair
SnowSports Industries America (SIA) has appointed Mike Carey as its chairman of the board position. Carey owns Seirus Innovative Accessories and holds five of the eight company patents. He is also a referee in the National Football League.
SIA also announced two new board members: Jake Jacobs, president and CEO of Spyder; and Mike Adams, general manager of Atomic USA. Both will serve one-year terms.
Jacobs started with Spyder as production manager and set up the companys quality control office in Hong Kong while managing production and development in 11 Southeast Asian factories. He has served as Spyders director of merchandising, vice president of merchandising, senior V.P. of product, and president/COO.
Adams was named general manager of Atomic USA in April 2007 and recently relocated the company from Amherst, New Hampshire, to Ogden, Utah. Prior to that, Adams had spent 11 years with Salomon North America, most recently as the senior VP and director of hardgoods in Portland, Oregon.
|
| |
9/13/2007
Birkebeiner Foundation Receives Challenge Grant
Its not every day that a donor knocks on your door with grant dollars that could make a distinct and lasting imprint on the organization, but thats exactly what happened when John and Leslie Taylor recently contacted the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation (ABSF).
The Taylor family, of Madison, Wisconsin, will match donations collected by the ABSF, dollar for dollar, up to $65,000 over a 30-day period.
ABSF Executive Director Ned Zuelsdorff immediately announced a fundraising campaign from September 15 to October 15, 2007.
Zuelsdorff said funds would allow completion of the Classic Trail segment to the High Point food station in 2007 and to Highway OO in 2008. Funds will also allow the purchase of a second, large grooming machine to assure quality grooming through the winter and for American Birkebeiner ski races and events.
"This challenge grant will benefit both skate and classic skiers," Zuelsdorff said. "A new Pisten Bully will allow us to provide the best grooming possible for all skiers, and expansion of the new Classic Trail will reduce congestion for skaters and striders alike. Trail expansion will also allow us to stage separate, smaller, 5-minute alternating skating and classic wave starts and ensure a better race day experience for both skaters and striders."
John Taylor, an athlete with ties to the Birkie, has been supportive of the international ski race that annually pulls 9,000 skiers, including his wife Leslie, to northern Wisconsin and the Birkie Trail. Leslie has completed 13 Birkies.
"Donors can send a check for their donation to the ABSF at PO Box 911, Hayward, WI 54843. The check should be made out to ABSF Trail Fund. The ABSF is a non-profit organization and donations are tax deductible."
For more information about the Birkie Challenge Grant and Birkie 2008 35th anniversary races and events, log on to www.birkie.com or call 715/634-5025.
|
| |
9/11/2007
Toko USA introduces Toko eBlasts
Starting immediately, Toko USA will be sending out Toko eBlasts to those who sign up to receive them. A Toko eBlast is an informative email that includes Toko news, tech tips and product highlights. They will be sent out at regular intervals during the season. A winter sport enthusiast can sign up to receive any or all of Alpine, Cross Country or Snowboard specific eBlasts. To sign up for Toko eBlasts, please visit www.TokoUS.com and fill in the box at the bottom of the page.
|
| |
9/10/2007
Yellowstone Lodges Announce Winter Packages
Yellowstone National Park Lodges and the Yellowstone Association Institute will offer six "Lodging & Learning" packages this winter in Yellowstone National Park.
The programs include wildlife tracking and observation, skiing and snowshoeing, and snowcoach tours of the park.
"Yellowstone on Skis" features five days of cross-country skiing with daily trips to the Blacktail Plateau, Lamar Valley, Yellowstones Grand Canyon and the foot of the Gallatin Range. The program is led by a naturalist/guide from the YAI, and a professional cross-country skiing instructor will accompany the group on two days to help participants improve their skills. Offered Sunday through Thursday December 29, 2007, Jan. 12, Jan. 26, Feb. 9, and Feb. 23, 2008, the package includes two nights of lodging at the Mammoth Hotel and two nights of lodging at the Snow Lodge.
The "Winter Rendezvous" will be held at the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel March 4-8 and 8-12, 2008. Activities include observing wolves at sunrise and learning to ski or snowshoe on backcountry trails. Evening programs include guest speakers, including the expert instructors from the days activities.
The "Family Winter Holiday" will be offered Dec. 28, 2007, Jan. 18, 2008, and Feb. 15, 2008, and is geared for families with children eight to 12 years old. The package includes tracking animals, watching wildlife, taking photographs, skiing and snowshoeing, a snowcoach trip to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, and four nights at the Mammoth Hotel.
The "Winter Wildlife Expedition" allows participants to observe and learn about bison, elk, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, coyotes, wolves and other wildlife. Available every other week Saturday through Wednesday Jan. 5 - Feb. 16, 2008, this program includes four nights of lodging at the Mammoth Hotel.
The "Winter Wolf Discovery" is offered Wednesday to Saturday beginning Dec. 26, 2007 to Feb. 23, 2008 and Sunday to Wednesday beginning Dec. 29, 2007 to Feb. 27, 2008. Instructors provide expertise on the reintroduction of wolves to the park and lead wildlife viewing excursions through the Lamar Valley. This four-night package includes accommodations at the Mammoth Hotel.
"Winter in Wonderland" is designed as a comprehensive introduction to Yellowstone in winter. Guests receive three nights of lodging at the Mammoth Hotel and two nights at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge. Guests explore the park via snowcoach, skis and snowshoes and learn about wildlife in the Lamar Valley and geology in the Old Faithful region.
For detailed package information, go to www.YellowstoneAssociation.org.
|
| |
9/7/2007
New Zealand Camp, Tailored Programs Basis of U.S. Team Training
U.S. Ski Team athletes found midwinter snow for cross country training again in New Zealand while some teammates fine-tuned their own training with their grassroots club or personal coach at home.
The annual U.S. Ski Team camp at The Snow Farm was blessed with a storm shortly after the Ski Team arrived in late July, providing "great conditions," according to Sprint Coach Chris Grover. "It was definitely thin [cover] when we got down there, but then we had a day-and-a-half snowstorm - the winds were so high at one point they couldnt even groom - and then it was plenty of snow, blue skies, cold temps...really good conditions for another successful camp."
The camp included former Olympians and several members of the U.S. Ski Team and the U.S. Development Team.
"There are so many different ways to ski and train, and theres more than one way to get the job done," said Andy Newell, Olympian and U.S. Ski Team member. "You need to have confidence in what youre doing, and what Im doing this year is some new strength training. I dont think any other cross country skier is doing this kind of aggressive strength work, but [Conditioning Coach] Zach Weatherford has helped my skiing so much over the years, and hes made me faster every year, so Im taking a little change and doing more strength training.
"Really, this is one of the great ways the Ski Team works now, at least with the older guys," Newell added. "As you get older with the national team, you should learn from your training, from keeping your training logs - and my logs go back to my first year at Stratton [Mountain School], back to 1997-98. You learn how your body reacts to different kinds of training...and were personalizing our training more. [Torin] Koos and [Chris] Cook and I go to New Zealand, Kris [Freeman] stays home, Kikkan [Randall] trains on the glacier in Alaska. We work with the national staff but also with our own coaches at home.
Grover said the camp also helps lay the groundwork for the Teams final preseason camp with everyone in Lake Placid, New York, in October. Newell and Koos will head to Europe for the season-opening World Cup races Oct. 27-28 in Dusseldorf, Germany. Chris Cook will rejoin his club program with Idahos Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation and the others will resume training with their clubs in conjunction with the U.S. Ski Team.
|
| |
9/3/2007
Ski Jumping Summer Series Ends with Utah Doubleheader
The summer phase of the womens ski jumping Continental Cup schedule came to a wild finish under the lights Sunday night at Utah Olympic Park following a rare two-meets-in-a-day lineup.
The doubleheader schedule was required because erratic winds Saturday night pushed that competition into Sunday morning.
During the summer series, jumpers land on plastic matting covering the hill. When sprayed with water, the mat simulates snowy conditions.
Austrian Daniela Iraschko, the Continental Cup points leader, won both events Sunday. Anette Sagen of Norway, the defending Cup champion, was second in each meet, finishing a half-point back under the lights Sunday.
Jessica Jerome and Alissa Johnson had the top U.S. performances in the morning; Jerome tied for sixth place while Johnson, back in action after suffering an ankle sprain in Germany last month, was eighth. At night, Lindsey Van was the best American, finishing ninth.
"The girls were so close - I saw a lot I liked, especially in the second competition. And now we have three months to prepare even better," said Kjell Ivar Magnusson, U.S. head coach. "I know them better and we have time to make a stronger individual plan for each of them. That starts [at a Team meeting Monday]."
"It was so frustrating," Jerome said after the first event as winds created numerous holds in the action. "Yeah, its an outside sport, and we know these things can happen, but...arrrrghhhh!"
Van, number three in the standings last season and second the two previous years, felt good about her final jump, which moved her up three spots into the top 10 at night, but said, "Im really looking forward to these next three months, dialing-in my technique and jumping."
The Continental Cup schedule, the highest level of womens jumping, resumes on the snow, Dec. 11-12 in Notodden, Norway.
Another overflow crowd - attracted by the mid-afternoon sunshine and the variety of events (and free admission) - turned out for the second day in a row. Several hundred watched the morning jump meet, but a couple of thousand spectators sprawled on the out-run grass, at picnic tables and throughout the Utah Olympic Park jumping complex.
CONTINENTAL CUP WOMENS SKI JUMPING
Visa Womens International Ski Jumping Festival
Utah Olympic Park
Park City, Utah - Sept. 2, 2007
HS100 (jump distances in meters)
Morning meet (postponed from Saturday)
1. Daniela Iraschko, Austria, (96.5-85 meters) 226.5 points
2. Anette Sagen, Norway, (103-87) 216.0
3. Jacqueline Seifriedsberger, Norway, (91.5-82.5) 215.0
4. Nata de Leeuw, Canada, (90.5-83.5) 210.5
5. Salome Fuchs, Switzerland, (91.5-80.5) 203.5
6T. Jessica Jerome, Park City, UT, (85-82.5)
8. Alissa Johnson, Park City, UT, (89-78.5) 190.5
12. Avery Ardovino, Park City, UT, (86-74) 176.5
13. Lindsey Van, Park City, UT, (85.5-70) 169.0
15. Brenna Ellis, Park City, UT, (82.5-67) 151.5
25. Karin Friberg, Roseville, MN, (64-58) 90.0
26. Elisabeth Anderson, Eau Claire, WI, (61.5-54) 73.0
Evening meet
1. Daniela Iraschko, Austria, (79-99.5) 221.5
2. Anette Sagen, Norway, (80.5-99) 221.0
3. Nata de Leeuw, Canada, (82.5-93) 215.0
4. Salome Fuchs, Switzerland, (82-92) 208.0
5. Jacqueline Seifriedsberger, Austria, (79-93.5) 205.0
-
9. Lindsey Van, Park City, UT, (73.5-88.5) 188.5
12. Jessica Jerome, Park City, UT, (72.5-88.5) 180.5
13. Alissa Johnson, Park City, UT, (75-85.5) 177.0
15. Avery Ardovino, Park City, UT, (74.5-81.5) 168.5
20. Brenna Ellis, Park City, UT, (69.5-76.5) 147.0
25. (tie) Elisabeth Anderson, Eau Claire, WI, (61.5-67) and
Karin Friberg, Roseville, MN, (61.5-69.5) 101.5 each
For complete results:
www.fis-ski.com/uk/604/1228.html?event_id=23059_suchsector=JP
Photo gallery:
http://ussa.smugmug.com/gallery/3410220
|
| |
8/30/2007
Calgary Unveils Centre of Sport Excellence Design
Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach delivered details on his governments $69 million commitment to the Calgary Olympic Development Association (CODA) on August 30, launching construction of Canadas first Centre of Sport Excellence. He also helped unveil the design of the centres core new facility – a landmark athletic and ice complex at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary. The $69 million committed by the Alberta government represents 25 per cent of the total project cost.
"The Alberta government is committed to strengthening Albertas role as a sport leader within Canada and around the world," said Premier Stelmach. "The 1988 Olympics in Calgary created a standard of excellence in winter sport that has been building towards the return of the games to our country. Canadas road to success in the 2010 Olympics travels through Alberta."
The complex, part of CODAs $276 million plan to provide athletes with access to the world-leading facilities and resources they need to win at international competitions, will also become the new permanent home of Hockey Canada, a partner in the facility.
The plan for development of the Athletic and Ice Complex will go before Calgary City Council September 10 to seek planning approval in order to begin construction this fall,
When complete, the Athletics and Ice Complex will contain ice surfaces, gymnasiums, physical training facilities, and all of the technical, human and research services needed for athletes to become world leaders. It has been designed to be built in stages as funding becomes available.
"To have a new permanent home where we can train as a team is fantastic and is another competitive advantage," said Cassie Campbell, former captain of Canadas Olympic gold medal-winning womens hockey team. "This project will create more winners for Canada and facilities that allow us to be more competitive internationally."
Developed by CODA in association with Canadian athletes, coaches, and national sport governing bodies, the Centre of Sport Excellence, with Canada Olympic Park serving as the hub facility, was designed to create a culture of excellence by centralizing resources, providing access to world-leading technology as well as offering education and enhanced nutritional opportunities. The project models what other world-leading nations including the Australians, Americans and Europeans are already doing to enhance athlete performance.
|
| |
8/29/2007
Cross Country Ski Areas Association Revamps Website
The Cross Country Ski Areas Association (CCSAA) has redesigned its web site ( www.xcski.org) to provide information about its member resorts and trails. There is also information about other services offered at CCSAA member locations, including snowshoeing, skating and sledding.
"One of the great things about cross country skiing is everyone can do it at their own pace and at their own level," says Chris Frado, CCSAA President. "Hard-core athletes like it because you can make it a hard-core, athletic experience. But those who like their outdoor activity to be milder – maybe they dont want to work so hard, but they want to enjoy the beauty of the outdoors and get some exercise – can cross country ski, too."
Web site users can search by a resort or trail name or by region, find current snow conditions and find information about events. The site also includes information about equipment and clothing.
|
| |
8/28/2007
Utah to Host 2008 U.S. Jumping, Combined
Utahs Olympic sites will host the mens and womens 2008 U.S. jumping and combined championships on March 15-16, USSA Nordic Director Luke Bodensteiner announced.
Events on the 134-meter large hill are set for March 15 and those on the 100-meter normal hill take place March 16. The Nordic combined championship, a sprint event, will include one jump on the large hill and a 7.5 kilometer race March 15 at Soldier Hollow.
"These are outstanding venues," Bodensteiner said, "and its good we have another opportunity to make use of them. Theyre outstanding facilities for us in training and we use them constantly."
In 2001, the last time the championships were held in Utah, Bill Demong won his first two national titles and Lindsey Van won both of the womens competitions. Last season, Demong returned from the World Cup with another victory and from the World Championships with a silver medal. He swept both U.S. jumping titles and the Nordic combined championship, while Van again won both womens events. She has won four consecutive U.S. womens crowns.
|
| |
8/28/2007
U.S. Women Jumpers in Lake Placid, Park City
The top women ski jumpers in the world - including the six-member U.S. Ski Team - will be in Lake Placid Aug. 28-29 for two days of Continental Cup jumping at the 1980 Olympic Jumping Complex. The team, led by 12-time U.S. champion Lindsey Van, then moves to the 2002 Olympic venue in Park City, Utah, as the summer competition period concludes Sept. 1-2.
Continental Cup is the highest level of competition for women jumpers, who will debut at the World Championships in 2009 in Liberec, Czech Republic. They hope to be included in the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Van has been ranked in the top three of the Continental Cup standings for all three seasons of the tours existence. She was second in 2005 and 06, then third last season when she won three events and made four other podium appearances.
First-year Head Coach Kjell Ivar Magnusson expects the U.S. women to be very competitive because of their familiarity with the two Olympic venues, which will be the biggest hills the women have competed on thus far in the 2008 season
"Were excited about getting these two jumping competitions in Lake Placid," U.S. Nordic Director Luke Bodensteiner said. "Weve got a bigger team this season and they have a new coach, whos got them making some advances with their technique, and theyre all anxious to do well as they come to the United States after opening the season in Europe."
In addition to Van, who won both womens jumping events in Lake Placid during Fourth of July festivities, the U.S. Ski Team includes Alissa Johnson, Jessica Jerome, Abby Hughes, Brenna Ellis and Avery Ardovino, who collected her first top-five result in Bischofsgruen, Germany, when she was fifth this month.
|
| |
8/26/2007
Bianchi Skates Away with Marchablanca
Martin Bianchi skied clear of chasers in the early kilometers of the 21st annual Marchablanca 25 kilometer freestyle race. Argentinas biggest race, held August 19, turned into a solo time trial, as Bianchi skied alone for much of the event. Alma Zampatti, also a Fueguina local like Bianchi, took the womens title.
The Marchablanca features both 21 km and 7 km distances. The race is
held each year at the small resort of Tierra Mayor outside of Ushuaia,
Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, which bills itself as the southernmost
city in the world. The course is laid out just once a year for the
trace.
Following Bianchi in the mens race were local racer Federico Cichero
and Marcel Noél, a coach for the visiting Spanish National Junior
Team.
Organizers surprised participants by adding 4 kilometers to the
traditional 21 km course. One American who has done the race four
times summed it up: "I got to kilometer 18 and instead of turning
right and back towards the barn, we go left and add a 4 kilometer loop
through Cerro Castors base area, where the gravity crowd was drinking
beer and shouting at us. The best part is the organizers just spread
out the same 21 individual kilometer marker signs a little more on the
course. I love this race!".
The organizing Club Andino Ushuaia has steadily been improving Nordic
skiing in the region and hopes to continue that trajectory despite
the enormous difficulties of Argentine infrastructure in the area
known as the "end of the world."
More information and photos are available at www.skifire.com.
|
| |
8/26/2007
Burke Leads US Biathlon in Sprint, Pursuit
Tim Burke won the mens spring and was fourth in the pursuit races at an international competition in Ostersund, Sweden. The U.S. Biathlon team is competing on roller skis against national teams from Sweden, Norway, Great Britain and other countries.
Burke won the 9.3 km roller ski biathlon sprint on Saturday, with teammate Lowell Bailey finishing third. Burke had two prone penalties and one in standing, winning in 23:31.7. Second in todays competition was Jakob Borjesson of Sweden finished second, 2.5 seconds back. Bailey was just 9.8 seconds off the lead.
In other U.S. team results, Jeremy Teela placed 11th and Jay Hakkinen was 12th.
Lanny Barnes led the U.S. womens team with a ninth place, finishing 2:25 back from winner Tora Berger of Norway. Tracy Barnes was 14th.
On Sunday, Tim Burke took a fourth place in the 13 km pursuit, with Jeremy Teela taking fifth. Lowell Baily took eigth place in the event, while Jay Hakkinen was 13th. David Eckholm of Sweden won the pursuit.
Teela, ninth going into the final standing stage, recorded the highlight-reel moment by overtaking Swedens Mattias Nilsson in the final 300 meters to earn a fifth place finish.
Coming to the final 300 meters before the finish, Teela was just a meter behind Nilsson. He described the finish, "I did not feel fast enough to pass him on the flat section, just before we went behind the range. The tracks are pretty narrow there, so when he was still in a tuck after the downhill, I surprised him by easing by him really close. He could not react without going off the track or stepping on my ski. It was an extremely close pass; almost too close. Then as we started up the hill, I put my head down and pulled away. I am feeling stronger and better with each race here, so this was a good ending for me."
The U.S. biathletes now head to Torsby in southern Sweden for the final portion of their European training camp. For the final days, they will be skiing indoors at the Fortum Ski tunnel before heading home the end of the month.
|
| |
8/24/2007
U.S. Biathlon Skier Third in Roller Ski Race
Lowell Bailey gave the U.S. Biathlon Team a spot on the podium with a third place finish in the Mens 12.4 kilometer roller ski cross-country race on Friday, August 24.
Swedens David Eckholm edged Bailey for second place by 1.7 seconds. Mattias Nilsson of Sweden won the competition in 26:04.2, with Eckholm 16.9 seconds back and Bailey 18.6 seconds back.
According to Per Nilsson, head coach for U.S. Biathlon, the competitions are, "an important part of our training plan."
Bailey skied aggressively for each of the 3.1 km loops. He started 30 seconds behind Mattias Simmen of Switzerland, gaining time on each loop, then erasing the start gap in the final loop. The two crossed the finish line six-tenths of a second apart.
"I was trying a lot of new technique today," Bailey said, "especially the low skating technique and it felt good. The course was fun, but with these roller skis, [all competitors used the same model provided by the organizers]it was super fast; faster than we have been training."
Baileys teammates, Jeremy Teela and Jay Hakkinen, placed 10th and 17th, respectively.
In the womens 7.8 km, Lanny Barnes finished eighth, 2:02.9 behind winner Sofia Domeij of Sweden.
|
| |
8/24/2007
Sports Law Conference Addresses the Globalization of Sports
On Friday, September 28, 2007,the National Sports Law Institute of Marquette University Law School will host a conference titled: "The Increasing Globalization of Sports: Olympic, International and Comparative Law Business Issues." The conference will take place at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Four conference panels will address the latest legal and business issues related to the globalization of sports. Panelists will include leading sports lawyers, sports law professors and industry professionals.
Topics will include implications of the global expansion of sports, global sports marketing and legal protection of intellectual property, resolution of international sports disputes, and a comparative analysis of sports league structure, governance and player restraints.
The conference will also feature the presentation of the Master of the Game Award to Michael Conley, an Olympic gold medalist (1992) and executive director of World Sport Chicago.
Conference registration includes a continental breakfast, conference lunch, attendance at each conference panel, and a reception after the final conference panel. Details are http://law.marquette.edu/jw/2007conf.
Address any questions to Paul Anderson, associate director of the National Sports Law Institute, at (414) 288-5816 or paul.anderson@mu.edu. Conference sponsors include Foley Lardner LLP, Greenberg Hoeschen, LLC, and the Sports Entertainment Law Section of the State Bar of Wisconsin.
|
| |
8/23/2007
New Interactive CD Introduces Children to Snow Sports
SnowSports Industries America (SIA) has produced a new interactive CD that teaches children "best practices" for snow sports. The organization will provide the CD to physical education and classroom teachers, recreation directors and other professionals involved in getting children active.
The CD includes interactive games illustrating how to dress for snow sports and easy-to-do warm-up exercises demonstrated by the Snow Monsters characters: Snowball the Tiger, the Snowboard Beaver, the X (cross country/telemark) Wolf and Snowshoe Roo. The package also includes lesson plans, parent take-home flyers and other resources.
The characters demonstrate the importance of layering, basic conditioning exercises that help improve agility, muscle strength and balance, and tips about the products needed for alpine skiing, snowboarding, cross country skiing and snowshoeing. The learning modules include quizzes to allow children to "self test" what they have learned. For example, children must properly outfit the characters before they can cruise off on-line for a snow sports experience. The educational material included on the CD has been reviewed by PSIA/AASI and the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE), the official membership organization for physical education professionals
The content will also be posted on www.winterfeelsgood.com and snowmonsters.com . The content was developed through SnowSports Industries Americas (SIA) Winter Feels Good initiative, including tje Professional Ski Instructors of America/American Association of Snowboard Instructors (PSIA/AASI), the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA), the United States Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA), the Cross Country Ski Areas Association (CCSAA), Snow Monsters and the Ski Utah School Program.
The CD package will be distributed in the fall of 2007 through resort and retail outreach programs and through professional organizations such as the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD), the YMCA and the National Association of Parks and Recreation.
Winter Feels Good project managers also are working with the National Ski Areas Association, the Cross Country Ski Areas Association and state resort association to encourage local use in schools, recreation and parks departments, physical activity organizations and health groups.
|
| |
8/22/2007
Biathlon Team Faces Top Competition
The U.S. Biathlon team, at a month-long training camp in Ostersund, Sweden, will hold three rollerski competitions, beginning August 24.
The team will participate in a cross country race on Friday evening (August 24), followed by a biathlon sprint on Saturday and a biathlon pursuit on Sunday.
The competitions come in the middle of a training camp, which began in coach Per Nilssons hometown of Solleftea. With the competitions, the camp shifts to Ostersund for physical testing, long distance workouts and shooting drills at the World Championship facility.
"We trained very hard before we came here (Ostersund)," Nilsson said, "and we will not do anything special to prepare for the competitions, in terms of extra preparation or rest. With all of our good training so far this season, we hope to see some improvements over our results last year."
Tim Burke, who ended last season ranked 25th in the overall World Cup, looks forward to the competitions this week.
"This is a great way to evaluate your training at this stage of the season. This weekend has been marked on my calendar for along time. Unfortunately, I caught a cold earlier this week, so the results may not be what I hoped for earlier. Nevertheless, it will be fun and I will just see how things go."
Coach Mikael Lofgren added, "It is really important for the athletes to have real competition here. Until now, we have only competed amongst ourselves. It will be good to see how we have progressed."
The real competition includes some of the best biathletes on the World Cup circuit, including Sweden, led by Olympic Gold Medalist Anna Carin Olofsson, and Norways strong womens team. Switzerland, Great Britain and Finland will also send teams, with over 130 competitors expected.
After the weekend of competitions, the US athletes will move on to Lofgrens hometown, Torsby, Sweden, to complete the final leg of this training camp. In Torsby, the team will use the indoor ski tunnel to train on snow.
|
| |
8/22/2007
Quincy Named USSA Medical DIrector
Richard Quincy has been named medical director for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, according to USSA president and CEO Bill Marolt. As medical director, he will oversee the health and well-being of more than 200 national team athletes plus medical programs supporting their needs, including supervision of USSAs unique physicians pool.
Quincy, who was born in Decatur, IL, completed his undergraduate work at Colorado College and his master of science in exercise physiology at Michigan Technological University. He received a degree in physical therapy from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and is working toward a Ph.D. in sports psychology at San Diego University of Integrative Studies. He replaces Melinda Roalstad, who resigned in December as USSAs first fulltime medical director.
"Our medical program is an important asset for our USSA elite athletes," said Marolt. "The ability for USSA to provide emergency and ongoing medical care programs for our teams is a valuable service. Were excited to have Quincy take over leadership of this strong program."
Quincy said, "This position brings a huge responsibility with lots of preparation for emergency management. Its imperative to have systems in place and resources available when necessary. Most people dont think about the preparation thats involved so when its needed, its seamless and not a crisis."
The physician pool consists of about 200 physicians and surgeons, who provide on-site medical assistance as they travel with each team to training camps and competitions. Quincy will work with renowned surgeon Dr. Richard Steadman, who heads the USSAs medical committee, to manage the innovative program.
Dr. Larry Gaul of Vail, CO, a cardiologist and longtime team physician for the U.S. Nordic teams (cross country, Nordic combined, ski jumping), will be nominated to replace Roalstad on the International Ski Federation Medical Committee.
|
| |
8/15/2007
Canadian Olympic Association Seeks New President/CEO
The Calgary Olympic Development Association (CODA) has launched a national search for a new president and chief executive officer to replace Bob Nicolay, who decided to leave the national sport body on September 15 to resume his career in the energy sector.
"CODA has created a lot of momentum under Bobs leadership to sustaining its Olympic legacy and building the nations first Centre of Sport Excellence in Alberta," said Colin MacDonald, chair, CODA Board of Directors. "We are disappointed to see Bob go, but are very confident in the extremely strong leadership team he has assembled to guide our organization into the future."
Over the last year, CODA set records for participation at Canada Olympic Park, the Olympic legacy facilities in Calgary. The park added new venues for alpine and freestyle skiing, and snowboarding and hosted additional World Cups. In addition to securing the first stage of funding for the project, CODA has also assembled an expert team to plan and build the Athletic and Ice Complex, which is the core new facility proposed to be constructed at Canada Olympic Park under the Centre of Sport Excellence.
"CODA is exceptionally well positioned to deliver the facilities athletes in Calgary, Alberta, and Canada require to be the best in the world," said Nicolay. "The organization has a strong plan, a clear vision, a dynamic Board of Directors, and great people who are passionate about sport, and are fully committed to ensuring Canada continues its rise as a world-leading winter sport nation."
CODAs current chief operating officer, Jim Younker, has been named interim president until the search for a new president and chief executive officer is completed.
CODA is a national leader in creating Canadian Olympic winter sport excellence from the grassroots level to the countrys best athletes. A not-for-profit organization, CODA supports national sport organizations, encourages educational opportunities and subsidizes the operation of unique training and recreational facilities used by the nations top athletes and the general public. For more information on CODA, visit www.coda.ca.
|
| |
8/10/2007
USOC Launches Olympic Website-U.S. Biathlon Sets Goal for First Medal
The U.S. Olympic Committee has launched "Amazing Awaits" ( www.amazingawaits.org ), a website previewing the 2008 Olympics, but including video from both summer and winter games. Winter sports fans will find video from the U.S. hockey victory in Lake Placid (1980) to Apolo Anton Ohnos performance in Torino (2006).
NBC has also posted a video preview at its Olympic site, www.nbcolympics.co/video .
With Beijing just a year away, the countdown to the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games is now down to just two-and-a-half years. The U.S. Biathlon Team is focusing on those Games with the goal of winning its first Olympic Medal. Tim Burke and Jay Hakkinen, having posted seventh and ninth place finishes in the 2007 Biathlon World Championships, lead the push, along with the mens relay team.
Burke recently commented on his goals for the coming season and beyond. "I am never satisfied. Even after a great race, I always look at that race and criticize it as well. I want to keep improving. I am never going to be comfortable. My number one goal is getting on the podium. I feel like I was so close a few times (in 2007) that I now have the experience where I can make that happen on those close days."
The United States Biathlon Association is the national governing body for the sport of biathlon in the United States.
|
| |
8/9/2007
USSA Reports Team Testing Progress
From on-snow training and some ocean fun in June to intense testing and roller-ski workouts, USSA coaches believe the US cross country ski team is ahead of schedule for the upcoming season.
After the third round of testing, "were ahead of where we were a year ago...and thats what we want," said head coach Pete Vordenberg. "I keep telling people, when they ask, Its only July. Lets not forget that - but, yeah, were in a good place."
The two-week camp in Park City was a solid mix of testing - the third of four preseason testing sessions - plus roller-ski workouts at the newly expanded, paved 1.5 kilometer loop at Soldier Hollow.
Vordenberg said the challenging terrain is making skiers push themselves harder to master uphill technique. The camp also was a springboard for many of the athletes who headed to New Zealand this week for the annual on-snow camp.
"Weve had a lot of good workouts, " Vordenberg said. "But the payoff is that the testing was good. It shows us weve made progress on some things and there are things we need to work on. Its time to make the transition to those other aspects of physiology. Its a good snapshot of where we are and what we need to work on next."
"This is what we do three or four times a year," said two-time Olympian Torin Koos. "We did the same tests after long-distance nationals [last March at the Maine Winter Sports Centers Nordic Heritage Center in Presque Isle, Maine]; we came back to Utah for three or four days and did the testing. We wanted to see how our training was holding up at the end of the season and where we can make improvements."
One of the trailing devices is an oversized treadmill in which athletes can roller-ski on a deck to measure endurance. The revolving surface - obtained after the 2006 Olympics - may be elevated to increase intensity. Nordic combined skier Bill Demong has credited the treadmill with helping him collect a silver medal at the 2007 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships last March in Japan.
"I hang on as long as I can before it spits me off the back," Koos laughed. "When we start going hard, they ratchet it up one degree for every minute; we do a lactate test...and well be crossing through the lactic acid threshold as were picking up speed...and then we go back and test again.
"The whole Ski Team is urging you on - everyones yelling, we all do it for everyone - and theres full commitment, so you dont want to let yourself or anyone else down," Koos said. "It gets intense."
Alexa Turzian, the defending U.S. 10 kilometer champion - a title she won last January during the U.S. Championships at Michigan Tech when she was a high school senior - is a new ski team member. She was pleased with the camp. "This has been my first real time to train with the team. Its been great," she said.
Vordenberg said the next camp will take place in Lake Placid, New York, in October and will include some sessions with the U.S. Nordic Combined Team.
|
| |
8/2/2007
Demong Praises 2010 Nordic Venues
World Championships Nordic combined medalist Bill Demong gives the Nordic venues for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver two thumbs up. He feels they will be "awesome" once theyre completed and organizers get to stage some test events this winter and next.
Demong, silver medalist in the individual event at last Marchs World Championships in Sapporo, Japan, was one of three athletes who made a two-day visit - at the request of VANOC (the Vancouver Organizing Committee) - to the $100 million Nordic venues in this heavily forested valley not far from the renowned alpine slopes and sliding venue ( i.e., bobsled, luge, skeleton) at Whistler resort. The 27-year-old is aiming to become only the third U.S. Nordic combined skier to compete in four Winter Games.
"The trails have been cut for cross country and combined and biathlon, and theyre putting in the steel for the jumps," he said. "Its cool now, but itll be absolutely awesome when theyre done."
John Aalberg, the two-time U.S. Olympic cross country skier who was chief of competition for the 2002 Olympic cross country races at Utahs Soldier Hollow, is Nordic director for VANOC. He spoke to more than 50 journalists on a media tour, as did John Heilig, the jumping and Nordic combined venue manager.
Also speaking was biathlon chief Max Saenger, a former Dartmouth College skier and citizen racer who helped create the Maine Winter Sports Center in Presque Isle and Fort Kent. The center has served as the site of final Cross Country SuperTour series and the long-distance title races for the U.S. Cross Country Championships the last two years.
"Its the most compact nordic site in history, with cross country, jumping and biathlon all within about a square kilometer," Demong said. "Its got this Lord of the Rings quality or personality to it. Its just a good site.
"They have this huge, old-growth forest - cedars, Douglas fir...just so beautiful, and as I came in, the sun was shining but there were clouds on the snow-capped mountains, and it really reminded me of New Zealand [where the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy was filmed]."
The trails were designed by Aalberg and Hermod Bjoerkestoel, the Norwegian who worked with Aalberg in designing Soldier Hollow. Bjoerkestoel also designed the 2006 Olympic trails in Pragelato Plan for the Torino Winter Games.
"Its such a beautiful area and the tracks look great," Demong said. "Theyre technically challenging, there are speed changes, and theyve got some good climbs and some nice downhills. Its a great package, as weve come to expect from John and Hermod."
Eventually, the Olympic legacy site will have 50 kilometers of cross country trails, but 14 km of Olympic racing trails are being finished first, along with an 8 km system of warmup loops.
"Theyre about two-thirds of the way down the in-run for the big hill and they have the tower for the K90. The jumps will be about a 95-meter and a 125, about the same as Pragelato. VANOC has decided not to tear down the jumps after the Games; theyll be permanent facilities, which is outstanding," Demong said, "and Heiligs already looking at smaller, development-level jumps, maybe 18- and 30-meter hills, which would be even better."
To get an even closer look at some of the alpine terrain, although he wont be competing there, Demong hiked Whistler Mountain before leaving Vancouver. "Callaghan and Whistler have some unreal, beautiful terrain," he said.
Demongs interest in the development-level jumps had a special relativity to a camp he and former combined sprint world champion Johnny Spillane staged in Steamboat Springs earlier this month. Spillane is aiming for his fourth Olympics, The second round of development-level training camp will be held in early August at Utah Olympic Park in Park City.
"We need to get younger kids training more, and training more intensely...and this was one way to do it," he said. "If Heilig can get those smaller jumps built, it could be a good step toward helping rebuild Canadas jumping program."
|
| |
8/2/2007
Disabled Nordic Gets Wet and Dirty in Colorado
Its difficult to picture Colorados Dillon Reservoir as a top training destination for cross country skiing, especially in July. According to Jon Kreamelmeyer, head coach of the U.S. Disabled Cross Country Ski Team, its an ideal location for a summer training camp.
"Kayaking, yep, thats what we had the guys doing each morning and they were loving it," said Kreamelmeyer, who is in his 10th year at the program helm. "Theres only so many ways to get in a solid cardio for these guys without mega muscle impact, so kayaking is a perfect fit. At first I was pretty nervous about how they were going to do, but everyone did a great job. It was unanimous among the team that this was one of the best camps weve had."
Suiting up each morning for the two-hour water sessions were sit-skiers Chris Klebl; Sean Halsted, the 2007 World Cup runner-up; Bob Balk, former World Champion, and team rookie Andy Soule. The fifth member of the team, Greg Mallory, who was a member of Discovery Channels "Adventure Bhutan," a whitewater expedition to one of the most remote areas of the Himalaya, missed the camp due to sickness.
"Greg was really bummed he couldnt make this camp. He would have been a great asset," said Kreamelmeyer. "I figured the first day would be an experience, but everything was perfect. The boats were really user friendly and all the guys took to it pretty quickly. Wed paddle from 9-11 each morning and by the end of the camp, everyone was clipping along."
For Halsted, an Air Force veteran who discovered skiing after falling 40-feet from a helicopter in 98, the workout itself is just as important as adding variety to off-season training. "Were limited to the number of exercises we can do; we cant just put on running shoes and go running," he told the Summit Daily News following a morning workout.
After lunch, the team moved to lower elevations for what Kreamelmeyer called an "off-road" roller-skiing workout using modified mountain boards along the Williams Fork River, a rarely traveled dirt road outside of Frisco.
"We found a six-mile section of dirt road along the river that was just the right consistency for the guys. Chris [Klebl] said it was the best dirt roller-skiing hes ever done and he considers himself somewhat of a dirt connoisseur after all the roads hes found in Utah. We got pretty dusty, but its the low impact of dirt that makes it perfect for training, plus we saw maybe two cars during each session, so there was minimal distraction."
Also included in the week-long camp was a road trip to the U.S. Olympic Training Center (OTC) in Colorado Springs for a biathlon segment. With four rifles on loan from Soldier Hollow, athletes worked through the fundamentals at the OTCs indoor range.
"Its important for us to mix things up," said Kreamelmeyer. "Obviously, wed like to be on snow more; there is no substitute for the real thing. But when that isnt possible, we try to train creatively and effectively. We also ran exercises with medicine balls at the Olympic Training Center and that, coupled with the biathlon, roller-skiing and kayaking helps to build team unity."
The team will regroup again in early November with a testing camp in Park City, Utah. Klebl, who finished second in the World Cup standings last season, has opted for New Zealand for three weeks of on-snow training - his sights fixed on ousting World Cup winner Irek Zaripov of Russia next winter.
|
| |
7/26/2007
Soldier Hollow Roller Ski Loop Expands
The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association is partnering with Soldier Hollow, the 2002 Olympic cross country venue, paying most of the cost for a new roller ski loop as part of the USSA Center of Excellence. After only a couple of training sessions on it, U.S. cross country and Nordic combined skiers are raving about the intensity and effort required to conquer the "gnarly" uphill route as they prepare for the coming season.
The new 1.5 kilometer roller ski track, which opened in mid-July, boosts Soldier Hollows blacktopped roller-ski terrain to about 7.5 kilometers.
"Its not very often you have a hill that steep," said 2007 SuperTour sprint champion Laura Valaas (Wenatchee, WA), who became the first U.S. woman to medal at the Under-23 World Championships last winter. After winning nine sprints on the SuperTour and competing at the World Championships in Japan, she was silver medalist in the sprint at the U-23s in Italy.
The newly paved section adds more spice to the training landscape at Soldier Hollow and, she said, "Its a good hill - you can get your heart rate going up. The steep pitch at the top is pretty rough."
U.S. Nordic Director Luke Bodensteiner said, "We have good training terrain at Soldier Hollow and in the Park City area, but the one thing we havent had is that one, tough uphill trail - but this is about as tough as well ever see. This really enhances the roller-ski training...and it helps keep them off the road during some of their roller-ski training, which adds to their safety.
He said the USSA partnership with Soldier Hollow - helping in the design and helping underwrite design, construction and paving of the loop - is a part of the increased USSA support for cross country in recent seasons.
Said Head Coach Pete Vordenberg, "This is not a roller-ski loop for recreational skiers looking for a nice Sunday stroll, but its pretty close to perfect for elite athletes and strong development skiers."
"This adds more great terrain for us. Thats always good," said two-time Olympian Torin Koos. "I like to get as much terrain as possible. When youre roller skiing on the roads, its hard to find anything more than six degrees. Theyre usually long, gradual uphills, so having a loop, which is effectively paving over the ski trail, gives us what we need.
"Ill use it mostly in interval workouts," i.e., high-speed, short-burst drills to increase quickness, "but its just good to have it to mix things around, give you something different," said Koos, the 2005 U.S. sprint champion who produced the first World Cup podium of his career last season in Estonia.
|
| |
7/19/2007
USSA Breaks Ground on Training Center
The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association broke ground Wednesday on its $22.5 million Center of Excellence - "the most significant event in our 102-year history," according to USSA President and CEO Bill Marolt. Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. said the national training and education center will be "unlike anything else in the world today" as athletes prepare for more Olympic success.
"No national governing body has anything to rival this Center of Excellence," World Championships medalist and three-time Olympian Bill Demong told a sun-bathed gathering of several hundred. "And, speaking as an athlete, this will be something extra special to help accelerate our drive for greater athletic success."
Demong and an array of U.S. Olympic skiing and snowboarding athletes, including Olympic champion Ted Ligety, joined the governor, Marolt and Park City Mayor Dana Williams in a symbolic dirt-turning ceremony.
The Center of Excellence, due for completion in 2009, is expected to be the cornerstone for greater U.S. skiing and snowboarding success at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver and the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia "and beyond," Marolt said.
The U.S. Ski Team established a national alpine and nordic training center in former silver mining buildings at then-Park City Ski Area in 1973. The Center of Excellence will be a three-story structure with not only physical training facilities - aerials and snowboard ramps and tramps area, strength work, gymnasium, recovery room - as well as a cardio center, nutrition center, equipment and research areas, sports medicine facilities and communications facilities that will enable members of the USSAs 400-plus grassroots clubs nationwide to have online access to real-time video and presentations.
The center is funded with private donations from a campaign undertaken in 1999. The campaign is adding $1 million a year to the U.S. Ski Team and U.S. snowboarding programs. The USSA is also partnering with Soldier Hollow - the Olympic cross country venue in nearby Midway - for expansion of training facilities, including a newly paved high-level uphill trail for intensive workouts.
|
| |
7/16/2007
CXC Regional Development Group Soaks Up Training
The Central Cross Country Ski Association (CXC) regional development camp had the usual education and testing for junior skiers and for Team CXC, the Olympic development program. But for many skiers, the best part of the camp may have been the water polo tournament.
According to Bill Pierce, CXC Junior Development Program coach, the camp-ending tourney brought out competitive spirits, while serving as a good workout.
"It is a great activity," Pierce said. "The risk of injury is almost zero and it is a hard work to play even for 10 minutes in water over your head."
CXCs annual camp for top junior skiers, along with Team CXC, drew more than 40 athletes this summer, led by top regional coaches and U.S. Ski Team head coach Pete Vordenberg. The camp includes testing, education and training, including VO2 max testing and endurance and strength assessments.
"This is very important information not only for the athletes at the camp but for their coaches back home, said Team CXC exercise physiologist Sarah Willis. " All athletes received very comprehensive test printouts and explanations. Our goal is that coaches will take advantage of that information to enhance the performance of their athletes."
"CXC has completed running and strength tests at the RDG camp for the last several years," said Bryan Fish, CXC head coach. "We can see with returning athletes where they have improved and areas they still need to do some work. This assessment is an important element of the endurance and strength evaluation for the CXC Ski Team athletes and usually done 3-4 times a year."
The camp culminates with a 50-meter rollerski double-pole sprint race and a six-kilometer skate time trial near Seeley, Wisconsin. The annual camp is supported by the U.S. Ski Team and CXC Skiing.
|
| |
7/14/2007
Demong, Spillane Lead 2008 Nordic Combined Team
World Championships silver medalist Bill Demong and former sprint world champion Johnny Spillane - the only two U.S. skiers to earn a World Championships or Olympic medal in ordic combined - top a ten-member U.S. Nordic Combined Team for 2008.
"Were really happy with the path weve chosen for Nordic combined, which is leading us to 2010 [Olympics] in Vancouver," U.S. Nordic Director Luke Bodensteiner said. "Billys in a great spot after his medal at the World Championships and already has his sights set on even bigger achievements, and now that Johnnys healthy, we expect him to come back quickly to where he was when he was winning at the top level."
The 2008 Nordic combined team (including date of birth, hometown and club program; * indicates Olympian):
A Team
Brett Camerota (1/9/85; Park City, UT; National Sports Foundation)*
Eric Camerota (1/9/85; Park City, UT; National Sports Foundation)*
Bill Demong (3/29/80; Vermontville, NY; Lake Placid Ski Club/Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club)*
Johnny Spillane (11/24/80; Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club)*
B Team
Bryan Fletcher (6/27/86; Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club)
Alex Glueck (11/9/82; Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club)
Willy Graves (9/10/86; Putney, VT; Putney Ski Club/National Sports Academy)
Skyler Keate (11/13/87; Salt Lake City; National Sports Foundation)
Alex Miller (12/24/85; Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club)
Davis Miller (12/24/85; Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club)
Demong, a three-time Olympian, became only the second American to medal at the Olympics or World Championships last season as he put on a furious surge over the final 150 meters of a 15 kilometer race to capture the silver medal in the individual event at Sapporo, Japan.
A week later, he won the second World Cup event of his career - in another individual competition - in Finland before completing the World Cup schedule a week later with another podium, finishing third in a sprint in Norway. As a blazing finish to the season, he swept the U.S. combined championship and both the large hill and normal hill ski jumping titles at the U.S. Championships.
While he and Spillane, who is recovering from successful shoulder surgery in the spring, are the heart of the World Cup squad, the team has expanded its involvement at the World Cup B level.
"We gave the Nordic Combined B Team its first full season of international competition last year," Bodensteiner said, "knowing that itll take some years to build up their training volume and to get more international experience. Everyone scored World Cup-B points last winter and that shows we have some good talent with this group."
In the preseason, the team trains primarily in Park City, Utah, but held a mini-camp in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, in coordination with the July 4 competition. The team also will have a camp in Europe in conjunction with the Summer Grand Prix, beginning in August. The World Cup season opens Dec. 1-2 in Kuusamo, Finland, in the annual, self-styled "Nordic Opening" festivities, which bring cross country, jumping and combined together for World Cup competitions.
The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team Foundation is sponsoring a trip March 4-10 to the Holmenkollen Ski Festival in Oslo where Nordic combined, jumping and cross country World Cup events will be taking place.
U.S. Nordic Director Luke Bodensteiner will help guide participants to the full range of World Cup action, and hell have the assistance of two of Norways greatest skiing heroes: Bjorn Daehlie and Vegard Ulvang.
Daehlie holds a record 12 Olympics medals, including eight gold, and 17 World Championships medals (nine gold) plus five World Cup titles. Ulvang, double gold medalist at the 1992 Olympics, finished with 14 medals plus the 1990 World Cup championship.
|
| |
7/12/2007
NEWELL, KOOS, RANDALL LEAD 2008 U.S. CROSS COUNTRY TEAM
World Cup podium performers Andy Newell, Torin Koos and Kikkan Randall lead a 16-member U.S. Cross Country Ski Team named for the 2008 season.
The team of six men and ten women includes eight Olympians, U.S. Nordic Director Luke Bodensteiner said. It is the largest cross country squad since the 18-member team named for the 1992 Olympic season.
Newell posted the first U.S. podium in 23 years after the 2006 Olympics in Torino, finishing third in the first World Cup race in China and ended the 2007 season sixth in World Cup sprint standings. Randall tore over an icy, sprint course in Russia last January for the first World Cup podium by a U.S. woman and Koos was third the next weekend in Estonia. It marked the first time since 1984 that the U.S. Ski Team had three podium athletes in cross country.
"We have a dedicated group of talented athletes and we feel were on the right path as we continue to prepare for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver," Bodensteiner said. "Weve been predominantly a mens team for several years, and Andy and Torin, as well Kris Freeman and Chris Cook, have given us some outstanding results, but now were seeing that dynamic change a bit.
"We have more women on the Team than men now, and every one of these athletes has had strong international results at their level. Kikkan, of course, had the first World Cup top-three for an American woman in cross country last season and we had strong results at the U-23s [Under-23 World Championships] and Junior Worlds...so even our rookies are performing at a high level."
The 2008 U.S. Cross Country Ski Team (including date of birth, hometown and club program; * indicates Olympian):
A Team
Chris Cook (6/15/80; Rhinelander, WI; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation)*
Kris Freeman (10/14/80; Andover, NH; Andover Outing Club)*
Torin Koos (7/19/80; Leavenworth, WA; Leavenworth Winter Sports Club)*
Andy Newell (11/30/83; Shaftsbury, VT; Stratton Mountain School)*
Kikkan Randall (12/31/82; Anchorage, AK; Alaska Pacific University Nordic)*
B Team
Morgan Arritola (5/13/86; Fairfield, ID; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation)
Rosie Brennan (12/2/88; Park City, UT; National Sports Foundation)
Lindsey Weier Dehlin (7/2/84; Mahtomedi, MN; Northern Michigan University)*
Matt Gelso (7/18/88; Truckee, CA; Auburn Ski Club/University of Colorado)
Taz Mannix (6/14/86; Talkeetna, AK; Alaska Pacific University Nordic)
Morgan Smith (2/10/86; Vernon, VT; Northern Michigan University)
Liz Stephen (1/12/87; East Montpelier, VT; Burke Mountain Academy)
Alexa Turzian (8/13/88; Sun Valley, ID; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation)
Laura Valaas (3/2/84; Wenatchee, WA; Alaska Pacific University Nordic)
Lindsay Williams (6/16/84; Hastings, MN; Northern Michigan University)*
Leif Zimmermann (10/3/83; Bozeman, MT; Bridger Nordic)*
The Ski Team, which is based in Park City during the preseason with athletes training daily, concluded a two-week camp last month in Oregon, blending on-snow skiing at Mt. Bachelor with dryland training on the Pacific coast. The annual three-week, on-snow camp in New Zealand, providing midwinter conditions begins later this month.
"Weve put a premium on opening opportunities for more developing athletes in the last couple of seasons, and these athletes have responded," Bodensteiner sais. "But we also need to continue to grow the scope of this program if its going to become as good as it truly can be. Were aiming to continue the growth of the World Cup team and are also looking at ways to extend our reach further into development."
The World Cup schedule opens Oct. 27-28 in Dusseldorf, Germany - which attracts hundreds of thousands over the weekend for races along the Rhine River on machine-made snow that has been trucked in from outside the city. Included this season is a stop Jan. 22-26 for four races on the 1988 Olympic trails in Canmore, Alberta.
The schedule also has stops in Rybinsk, Russia - where Randall produced her podium last January - and the wild enthusiasm of Otepaeae, Estonia, where Koos was third and Newell fourth a week later.
The U.S . Ski and Snowboard Team Foundation is sponsoring separate trips to two of the most energized European World Cup sites - Feb. 6-11 to Otepaeae, Estonia, and March 4-10 to the renowned Holmenkollen Ski Festival in Oslo, Norway. Otepaeae has been referred to as "a Nordic tailgating party" and Bodensteiner will share host guide duties with Kristina Smigun, Estonias national heroine and a double champion at the 2006 Olympics in Italy. Theyll provide a gold-medal, behind-the-scenes tour of the World Cup activities plus a couple of pleasing side trips.
In Oslo, Bodensteiner again will help guide participants to the full range of cross country, jumping and nordic combined World Cup action, but hell have the assistance of two of Norways greatest skiing heroes: Bjorn Daehlie and Vegard Ulvang. Daehlie holds the records for 29 Olympics and World Championships medals (12 Olympics medals - eight gold, 17 Worlds medals, nine gold) plus five World Cup titles while Ulvang, double gold medalist at the 1992 Olympics, finished with 14 medals plus the 1990 World Cup championship. For details on the visit to Holmenkollen or Otepaeae, visit: http://foundation.usskiteam.com/trips.html.
The annual SuperTour, with 20-plus races, provides opportunities for top-level competition in addition to the World Cup or European races. The SuperTour schedule will open over Thanksgiving Weekend (Nov. 23-24) in West Yellowstone, MT.
Laura Valaas, who won nine of 10 sprints en route to the SuperTour sprint title, also collected the first U.S. womens medal at the U-23 Championships, finishing second in the classic technique sprint. Liz Stephen and Rosie Brennan turned in top-ten results at Junior Worlds.
Bodensteiner said a world-class coaching staff is the cornerstone to the teams success. The staff includes head coach Pete Vordenberg, three-time Olympian and World Cup coach Justin Wadsworth, sprint coach Chris Grover and development coaches Matt Whitcomb and Pat Casey.
|
| |
7/12/2007
Summer Biathlon National Championships Open in Fort Kent
The Summer Biathlon National Championships/ World Team Trials open July 12 at the 10th Mountain Ski Center in Fort Kent, Maine. The event is conducted by the 10th Mountain Ski Club and the Maine Winter Sports Center starts.
Entrants include former U.S. team members Doug Hoover and Keith Woodward, as well as local competitors Nate Rogers and Hilary McNamee, both of whom have competed in the world Youth and Junior Biathlon World Championships. Woodward is one of the most experienced summer biathlon competitors in the U.S., having competed in the first U.S. championships in 1987 and winning several national titles.
Competitors from five states and Ontario will participate in the running and rifle marksmanship competitions. The schedule includes a sprint competition, pursuits and mass starts. Athletes who meet the qualifying standards for the U.S. team will be offered the opportunity to compete in the Summer Biathlon World Championships in Otepaa, Estonia in September.
Community events will include a paintball biathlon, with short running distances and shooting targets with a paintball gun. A golf cart biathlon will have teams of two cover 1.5 kilometers in a golf cart, followed by a shooting bout.
For more information, contact the United States Biathlon Association, the national governing body for the sport.
|
| |
7/12/2007
USSA Training Center Groundbreaking July 18
Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr., will head a list of distinguished guests at the historic groundbreaking for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Associations Center of Excellence, Wednesday, July 18. The center is the first national training and education facility for competitive skiing and snowboarding in the United States.
USSA, the national governing body for Olympic skiing and snowboarding, which has been based in Utah for more than 30 years, says its $22.5 million facility will be finished in 2009, providing final training benefits for athletes headed to the 2010 Olympics.
The groundbreaking ceremony begins at 2 p.m., featuring comments from Huntsman, Park City Mayor Dana Williams, and USSA president and CEO Bill Marolt. The event takes place at the future home of the center in Quinns Junction, east of Park City, Utah, near the intersection of State Route 248 and U.S. Highway 40.
|
| |
7/11/2007
USSA Announces U.S. Ski Jumping Team
Lindsey Van, who won three Continental Cup events last season and is ranked third in the world, heads a six-athlete U.S. ski jumping team for the 2008 season, U.S. Nordic Director Luke Bodensteiner said. The womens jumping squad adds a sixth member this season: high school student Avery Ardovino.
"We named a womens team for the first time last season and couldnt be more pleased with that decision," Bodensteiner said. "Now were focused on a steady build-out of that program so that when they get to the World Championships in 2009 [where womens jumping will make its debut at the Worlds level], theyre ready to spring."
The 2008 A team also includes Brenna Ellis, Abby Hughes Jessica Jerome and Alissa Johnson. The new womens head coach is Kjell Ivar Magnusson, former womens head coach for Norway.
"Kjells been working with the women for a few weeks and he sees not only great talent and motivated, hard working athletes, he also sees great opportunities for them to continue to make big improvements," Bodensteiner said.
On the mens side, Bodensteiner said the focus is on strengthening the club programs.
"Weve spoken with club coaches and we want to provide them with the tools they need to continue to improve, with a focus on the development of their teenage athletes," Bodensteiner said. "Well compete in some FIS Cup events [development-level competitions below the World Cup and Continental Cups] and monitor the progress before naming anyone new to the team."
Assisting with that transition are Olympians Alan Alborn and Clint Jones, who recently announced their retirement and have taken responsibility for the National Sports Foundations jumping program at Utah Olympic Park in Park City. Alborn, who holds the U.S. distance record, coaches older juniors and development skiers while Jones, who remains the youngest U.S. ski jumping champion (15 when he won in 2000), is coaching younger jumpers.
Van, who was second in the world during the 2005 and 06 seasons before finishing third last winter, had seven top-three results last winter. She won three competitions and ended the season by collecting her 11th and 12th U.S. titles. Returning after missing most of last season will be Jessica Jerome, the third-ranked skier in 2006 who tore ligaments in her right knee early in the 07 season.
The women compete at the Continental Cup level, just below the World Cup, with events in North America, Japan and Europe. Their season including more than two dozen events and begins in summer and continues into March. The women will compete Aug. 28-29 at Lake Placid, NY, and Sept. 1-2 at Utah Olympic Park in Park City. Womens jumping has been included in the FIS Junior World Championships since 2005; Van was bronze medalist in 2004 when it was a demonstration event. Womens jumping will make its debut at the FIS Nordic World Ski
Championships level in 2009 at Liberec, Czech Republic.
|
| |
7/11/2007
FIVE ADDED TO U.S. SKI AND SNOWBOARD TEAM FOUNDATION
The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team Foundation is the nnprofit, fundraising arm of the U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding, which are managed by the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA), the national governing body of Olympic skiing and snowboarding. The Foundation raises money to support year-round training, development, competition and educational needs of world-class athletes pursuing the Olympic dream. The Team receives no federal funding or subsidies and operates solely through private donations from individuals, corporations and foundations. The Foundation was incorporated in 1964 as a 501(c) 3 organization and is based in Park City, UT.
Five business and community leaders – Steve Hankin, Chris Heinz, Hank Holland, Lee J. Styslinger III, and Susan Swig Watkins – have been named trustees of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team Foundation.
"Our board of trustees is a good cross section of leadership from around the country and these five are great additions to the mix," said Vice President of Fundraising Janine Alfano. "They’re all ski or snowboard enthusiasts and their business backgrounds will provide welcome advice for growing our Team programs to provide the best athletic opportunities for our athletes.
“We have a lot of great programs including building our Center of Excellence (USSA’s high-performance training and education center in Park City, Utah) and our board of trustees play a key roll in moving all of our funding for programs forward,” she added.
The five new trustees to the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team Foundation are:
Steve Hankin (New York, NY), president of JetDirect, the largest aircraft management company in the United States. Prior to joining JetDirect, Hankin was the chief marketing officer of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. and also was a partner at McKinsey & Co. Inc., the international management-consulting firm.
Hankin holds an MBA from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business and a bachelor’s from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He and his family enjoy skiing at Aspen, Colo., and throughout Vermont.
Chris Heinz (New York, NY), co-chairman of the Executive Committee and a founding managing partner of Rosemont Capital, a New York-based private equity firm.
Before starting with Rosemont, Heinz worked with Cambridge Associates in Boston where he focused on private equity and venture capital partnership evaluation and portfolio construction. He also was an associate and then principal at Jacobson Partners in New York, a leading private equity firm focused on small to medium sized companies and was a senior advisor for the John Kerry for President campaign and addressed the 2004 Democratic National Convention.
He currently serves in a leadership position on the Investment Committee of the Heinz Family Office, on the boards and investment committees of the Heinz Endowments, the St. Pauls schools, the East Harlem School and the Carnegie Mellon School of Public Policy. Heinz received a bachelor of arts in history from Yale University and an MBA from Harvard University. He and his wife Sasha enjoy skiing at Sun Valley, Idaho.
Hank Holland (San Francisco, Calif.) national director of investment planning and a principal of Bernstein Global Wealth Management.
Holland advises many of the firms high-net-worth private clients on investment planning, risk management, and estate and tax planning matters. Prior to joining Bernstein in 1996, he was a principal with Pacific Union Realty Finance, a real-estate investment banking firm in San Francisco and executive vice president with Mayfair Development Corp. in Dallas. Holland is active in San Francisco civic affairs and currently chairs the board for the Bay Area Discovery Museum; he also is a board member for the San Francisco Ballet.
He attended Southern Methodist University on an honors engineering scholarship and earned a degree in civil engineering. Holland and his wife Beth reside in San Francisco with their three sons: Hayden, Corbin, and Fulton. The family spends most weekends at Squaw Valley, Calif., where the two oldest boys are active junior racers.
Lee J. Styslinger, III (Birmingham, Ala.) is president and chief executive officer of Altec Inc., the holding company for Altec Industries, Capital Services, National Equipment Co., Altec Worldwide, Global Rental and Altec Ventures. Altec Industries Inc. designs, manufactures and markets equipment for the electric and telecommunications industries and has equipment in over 100 countries.
Styslinger serves on the board of Regions Financial Corporation (RF), the National Association of Manufacturers Executive Committee, Young Presidents Organization International, Children’s Hospital and the Altec/Styslinger Foundation. He also is a member of the Business Roundtable and the Newcomen Society of the United States and an active supporter of United Way. He was appointed by President George W. Bush to the President’s Export Council in 2006.
A graduate of Northwestern University in 1983, Styslinger currently serves on the 1851 Society Executive Council. He earned his MBA from Harvard University in 1988.
He and his wife Kelly reside in Birmingham, Ala., with three sons: Paul, Scott and Chase. They all enjoy skiing in Aspen, Colo.
Susan Swig Watkins (San Francisco, Calif.), is a board member at The Swig Co., a privately held investment company of commercial real estate properties in major markets across the United States.
Swig Watkins is an active member of her community having served on numerous arts, educational and environmental organizations. She is a trustee at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and a trustee of Marin Country Day School with a focus on the development and implementation of the school’s strategic and 25-year master plan. She also is actively involved with the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.
Swig Watkins has a bachelor of arts from the University of California at Berkeley as well as a bachelor of fine arts from Art Center College of Design. A resident of San Francisco, she and her three school-aged children, all who play competitive sports, enjoy skiing at Sugar Bowl, Calif., and Sun Valley, Idaho.
|
| |
7/11/2007
Nordic Season Starts in Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego
Ski-able conditions are normal in June or even May in the austral winter of Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego, but this year the real snow held off until late June and July. After a series of storms passed through conditions have been good to excellent and even withstood recent north winds, the equivalent to south winds in the boreal hemisphere.
Ushuaia’s local stalwart skier and junior coach Sebastián Menci said half jokingly that the conditions are “just a hair away from the World Cup.” The joke refers to the region’s mystifying grooming tendencies and always stretched infrastructure no matter what the snow conditions. None the less, recreational cross country skiing has begun at the area
near Ushuaia as well as training and local races for juniors.
The local outdoor club, the Club Andino Ushuaia (Andean Club of Ushuaia), is in the midst of working out the operational details of a contract with the region’s new, modern alpine area, Cerro Castor, to groom the course for the annual Marchablanca race using Cerro Castor’s Pisten Bully during the months of July and August instead of just prior to the race’s late August date.
The Boulder, Colorado-based company Skifire operates annual visits to the Argentine region and works with local partners to insure about ten days of regular grooming during each August immediately preceding the Marchablanca.
|
| |
7/10/2007
ROCKY MOUNTAIN NORDIC OFFSETS RIDE THE ROCKIES CARBON EMISSIONS
In pursuit of efforts to curb global warming, Rocky Mountain Nordic (RMN), took an active role in the 2007 Ride the Rockies Tour by making the event more environmentally friendly than ever before. RMN bought carbon offsets from the City of Aspen’s Canary Initiative program in order to make the tour entirely carbon neutral. RMN purchased the carbon offsets for each participant’s travel to and from the start of the event and for the support vehicles used during the event to help bring awareness to global warming.
Ride the Rockies generated about 383 tons of CO2 that will be offset. The offsets purchased for this event were unlike any other in the U.S. offset market and were the first in a pilot run of the City of Aspen’s new local offset program. Purchasers of the offsets will help fund a number of local renewable energy and energy efficiency projects as well as other carbon offsets initiatives including coal mine methane.
RMN, the umbrella organization overseeing all junior and masters Nordic skiing in Colorado, is building on its commitment to bring awareness to climate change and showing leadership in the ski industry by expanding to a summer event. RMN’s Keep Winter White Nordic Ski and Snowshoe Series also uses offsets to become carbon neutral. The idea behind all the events going carbon neutral is to encourage participants to become involved in the solutions that slow down global warming and to express the importance of climate change and how it will affect skiers.
RMN is committed to helping winters stay white and supporting carbon offsets contributes to this goal. “RMN is excited to become involved in the solution to climate change. Our commitment is focused on getting kids out on skis and engage in a healthy lifestyle. Our climate is moving toward a tipping point that threatens our winters and affects all of us. RMN is leading the way in being responsible and taking action to be part of the solution,” said RMN President Ruth Brown. “We are extremely pleased that through the efforts of Rocky Mountain Nordic, the 2007 Ride The Rockies was able to be carbon neutral,” said Ride The Rockies Tour Director Paul Balaguer. “We are grateful for RMN’s generosity and commend their environmental responsibility.”
For more information on the Keep Winter White Nordic Tour series and the work of Rocky Mountain Nordic, visit www.rmnordic.org.
|
| |
7/10/2007
Rollerski Biathlon Wraps Up Training Camp
Several members of the U.S. Biathlon Team recorded personal bests at a precision shooting test and rollerski biathlon competition at the Ethan Allen Firing Range in Jericho, VT, on July 7.
The competition was the culmination of a two-week training session involving the national and development teams in Lake Placid, NY, led by coaches Mikael Lofgren, Per Nilsson and James Upham.
"We are happy with the improvements in conditioning and shooting that the athletes have made in recent weeks," Nilsson said. "We told the team to try to get personal bests today in the shooting tests and several did, so that is encouraging."
In the 30 prone/30 standing competition, Jeremy Teela prevailed over Kevin Patzoldt, with a personal best of 512 to Patzoldts 502. Teelas near-perfect standing shooting included four of five center shots in the same hole.
Tracy Barnes topped her sister, Lanny, with a score of 493 to 480. Tracy also held the edge over her sister in both the 4 x 5-shot (10 prone/10 standing) and the 20 times, one shot, tests. The twins topped all of the men in the test, as Tracy shot clean in 7:02 while Lanny had one penalty, finishing in an adjusted 7:09. Lowell Bailey was the top male, with one penalty, in 8:04, followed by Tim Burke, with one penalty in 8:04.
Patzoldt and Burke each had one penalty in the 4 x 5 shot test, but Patzoldt edged Burke by three seconds on time, 1:59 to 2;02.
A steady rain made for slippery conditions during the womens 12.5 kilometer and mens 15 kilometer rollerski biathlon competition. Eleven men and seven women from the national and development teams, as well as the National Guard team, competed over the hilly Ethan Allen rollerski tracks.
In the mens competition, Tim Burke edged Lowell Bailey 46:29 to 46:34, with both recording four penalties. Kevin Patzoldt finished third, with five penalties, in 51:16. National junior team athlete Russell Currier, with nine penalties in 54:30, tied for fourth with Jesse Downs of the National Guard.
The top three women in the 12.5 km outshot all of the men. Tracy Barnes was near perfect on the shooting range, with a single penalty coming in the first prone stage. She won in 38:14, despite crashing to the pavement less than two feet before the finish. Barnes came away unscathed, but a bit embarrassed by her fall.
Lanny Barnes and Denise Teela both finished with three penalties, but Barnes finished second in 40:22 to Teelas 42:42. Beth Ann Chamberlain finished fourth with nine penalties in 49:40. Cross country skiing standout Caitlin Compton, in her first biathlon competition, finished sixth, with nine penalties in 50:30. She enthusiastically endorsed her new sport with a comment of, "I am hooked!" at the finish.
|
| |
7/9/2007
2007 CXC/Birkie Big Summer Camp at Telemark Resort
The Central Cross Country Ski Association will host the CXC/Birkie Big Summer Camp July 30-August 2 at Telemark Resort in Cable, Wisconsin. The camp is open to all levels of cross county skiers, from middle school through masters. Skiers ages 9-12 can choose a two-day introductory camp, as well. The camps will focus on technique development in small groups and individual video analysis for instant feedback.
"We have gained a lot of new knowledge in the field of cross country ski technique in the last two years with our CXC Ski Team and by working closely with the US Ski Team coaches," said Yuriy Gusev, CXC Skiing chief executive officer. "We also understand that personal attention and feedback are critical components in technique development. This camp is the best opportunity for athletes at every level to improve their technique."
Camp prices include coaching, lodging at Telemark and meals. Coaches will include Gusev and CXC Ski Team coaches Bryan Fish, Scott Wilson and Bill Pierce. Coaches also include Abby Larson, member of the 2006 Olympic team, and two members of the CXC Ski Team, Kristina Owen and Garrott Kuzzy.
The entry deadline is Thursday, July 26. For details, see www.cxcskiing.org . The camp is supported by the American Birkebeiner.
|
| |
7/5/2007
SOCHI, RUSSIA, TO HOST 2014 WINTER OLYMPICS
The International Olympic Committee has selected Sochi, Russia, as the site for the 2014 Winter Olympics.
"Its a chance to take our sports to a new and truly fascinating destination in the Caucasus Mountains along the Russian Riviera of the Black Sea," said Bill Marolt, U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association president and CEO.
The mountains reaching skyward above the Krasnaya Polyana valley are the home to Russias primary winter resorts with massive alpine terrain. The new Rosa Khutor will have over 5,000 feet of vertical, making it one of the biggest lift-served mountains in the world. And its all just 30 miles from Sochi on the Black Sea, which is the northernmost tropical climate in the world.
Olympic venues are under construction. Most of the snow competitions are planned at Rosa Khutor with Nordic events at Psekhako Ridge. Former Breckenridge Resort Co-President Roger McCarthy recently joined the company building Rosa Khutor to head the development of what will be Russias largest ski resort.
Sochis airport is just 10 minutes from the city. With the mountain venues less than an hour away, it will be one of the most convenient Winter Olympics in recent history. Sochi represents a truly unique location for winter sports. Spectators will be able to catch an Olympic competition in the afternoon in the mountains, and stroll that evening under palm trees along the Black Sea in Sochi.
The 2014 Olympic region has a rich history dating back to the Byzantine Era. It is located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia and has welcomed visitors for thousands of years, from travelers and merchants on the famed Silk Road to Russian czars. Sochi became Russias most popular resort destination a century ago, and continues today to be an attractive international destination because of its moderate climate in the city and over 300 spas along its Mediterranean-like Black Sea coastline and in the nearby Caucasus Mountains.
The climate in Sochi is unique, due to its location between the Caucasus Mountains, including Russias highest peak (Mount Elbrus - 18,000 feet), and the Black Sea. Temperatures in the mountains likely will be in the 20s with little wind while winter temperatures are expected to be in the 40s and 50s in the city.
"Russia is a great winter sports nation and the hosts will bring incredible passion to these Games," said Marolt.
Sochi was one of three finalists. Salzburg, Austria went out in the first round of voting, with Sochi eventually prevailing over Pyeongchang, South Korea.
|
| |
7/3/2007
Olympic Jumpers Alborn, Jones Retire
Ski jumpers Alan Alborn and Clint Jones, Olympic teammates and former U.S. champions, have retired from World Cup competition.
Alborn, a three-time Olympian who holds the U.S. jumping distance record, is the new elite coach for the National Sports Foundation. Jones becomes the development coach for the same organization. They plan to help revamp the nations jumping pipeline.
Jones, 22, was the youngest U.S. gold medalist when he won the large hill title at 15 in 2000. He said, "This is a great opportunity. Its a chance for Alan and I to take a step back and, with all weve learned, help younger kids start from scratch."
Alborn, 26, and getting married this fall, added, "Its a great feeling to be offered a job right away because its always an issue for jumpers trying to find jobs after retirement. The timing worked out great."
A five-time U.S. jumping champion, he was troubled with knee problems in the last few years although he set the U.S. distance record of 221.5 meters at Planica, Slovenia, in 2002, topping his then-record of 211 meters. In that 02 season, Alborn also had a fourth-place and two sixth-place World Cup results, and swept both the normal hill and large hill U.S. championships.
"Its a big, double whammy when your top two athletes - as they have been for many years - retire," U.S. Nordic Director Luke Bodensteiner said. "However, this is so valuable for us and for the jumping community to have them continue in the sport as coaches. They have strong ideas on what needs to get done - especially in terms of preparing athletes for international competition - and theyre showing good leadership by staying in their sport and looking to help things improve."
Alborn started jumping with the Karl Eid program in Anchorage and, he said, "loved it. Then, when my father [a commercial pilot] was transferred to Colorado, I got to train with the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club for three years. Otherwise, I probably would have been twiddling my thumbs in Anchorage, jumping off the 50-meter [jump] and wondering what it would be like to be in the Olympics."
He spent seven years on the U.S. Ski Team, retiring after the 2003 season, but coming back a year later because he missed the sport and because his knees felt fine.
Looking back to his long jump during the qualifying round in Planica in 02, Alborn called it "an amazing jump although, unfortunately, the competition was blown out [by high winds]. I cant imagine what would have happened if wed held it. I had such a good feeling...knew immediately on leaving the takeoff Id done it. I had this weightless feeling over the knoll because I was so balanced coming down the in-run.
"I felt like a knife slicing through the air and it took me right to the bottom of the hill. It seemed like 30 minutes because I was flying so effortlessly. I could see people on the side of the hill cheering. One thing," he added, "is I wish I had tried to keep flying a little longer; the record was 225 meters, and if they had a line [in the snow] past 225 ... well, who knows?
"I remember, though, yelling to myself going over the knoll at 140 meters, pushing myself to push the limit. I hope somebody else can feel that."
Jones, also a seven-year Ski Team member, came out of the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club jumping program, too. He credits Chris Gilbertson, currently the Continental Cup coach for the U.S. Nordic Combined Team, for giving him a good foundation.
He had his best World Cup results in Finland, including a ninth and 12th in Kuopio and 13th in Kuusamo. "I dont know what it was," Jones said, "but we spent a lot of time in Finland with Kari [Ylianttila, U.S. head coach 1998-2004 and former Finnish head coach], so Finland was like a second home to us. I always felt comfortable over there.
"But, when its all done, you forget about things like results. I got to see a lot of cool places, meet a lot of cool people. And, at that level, you learn a lot of things about yourself and life in general," Jones said. "Im very happy with the way things went, and now there are other things I want to do with my life," he said. He plans to enroll in college at some point, but for the present, coaching is his top priority.
Alborn and Jones have been working for the past month with the National Sports Foundation skiers, mixing strength training with jumping. They created a strength training area at the top of the Utah Olympic Park jumps to boost their overall conditioning.
"These kids are like sponges. Weve seen some pretty good stuff," Alborn said, "and some not-so-good. But thats the challenge, and thats part of the reward. Clint and I both feel weve got something to offer young jumpers, and if we accomplish that, itll be a good thing."
Jones agreed. "We want to make the athletes into true athletes, not just on paper," he said. "Weve got a lot of experience, a lot of things to draw from, different coaches, and all that...and just look at what the cross country team has done in the last few years, reviving that program. We can do it, too. We need to be organized and work hard."
Each sees the need for a national standard for jumping. "We need to get everyone on the same page in terms of development; kids in the East are different from the Midwest, and then Steamboat and NSF may be different from everyone else. So, its challenge but theres no question we need to have some uniformity and structure in what were all coaching...and then get these young athletes moving up through the pipeline, not just have em floating around," Jones said.
Bodensteiner is pleased with their approach. "Its so valuable to have these guys in the field and focusing on preparation. We need to get kids better prepared to compete rather than just having them participating.
"The jumping community understands the problem. Theres no quick turn-around but getting organized is the first step. And what Alan and Clint can bring to this is the fact theyre current with whats happening and theyre fired up to make a major impact on their sport. On one hand, its tough to see them retire, but on the other hand they bring such good, positive energy to the situation...and theyll make that positive impact."
|
| |
6/29/2007
CXC ANNOUNCES 2007-2008 DEVELOPMENT TEAM
Four men and two women will comprise the Central Cross Country Ski Associations regional development team for the 2007-2008 season. The skiers will represent the CXC Team at the SuperTour, U.S. National Championships, Canadian Nationals and other domestic competitions.
Joining the CXC Team are Kristina Owen and Johanna Winters. Owen skied for Michigan Tech University, earned a spot on the U-23 World Championship team and was an All-American and top-ten NCAA finisher. Winters skied at the University of Wisconsin Green Bay and was an NCAA participant.
Returning to the team are Garrott Kuzzy, Andre Watt, Brian Gregg and Matt Liebsch. Bryan Cook, a member of last years mens team, will take the year off from CXC Team to complete his degree studies. He is currently participating in a summer internship program and living in Vienna, Austria.
Laura Valaas and Caitlin Compton graduated from the CXC Team after winning SuperTour sprint and overall titles, the team spring event at the U.S. National Championships, and qualifying to the 2007 Nordic World Championships in Japan. Valaas has joined the US Ski Team after a second place finish at the U-23 World Championships in Italy. Compton moves to the US Biathlon Team after the best season in her athletic career.
In May, CXC won three national awards presented by the US Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA): the USSA Development Coach of the Year, USSA Cross Country Club of the Year and USSA Cross Country Domestic Coach of the Year.
"We worked hard to achieve these results," said Yuriy Gusev, chief executive office of the Central Cross Country Ski Association. "We accomplished everything we planned at the beginning of the year and established a good base for the future of this program. We have very ambitious goals for the upcoming race season and the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver."
|
| |
6/26/2007
U.S. Biathlon Team Opens Lake Placid Camp
The U.S. biathlon team kicks off its new season with a training camp June 27. The camp, which runs through July 7, takes place at the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, New York.
Participating athletes include national team members Jeremy and Denise Teela, Lanny and Tracy Barnes, Tim Burke, Lowell Bailey and development team member Caitlin Compton. Compton, one the top cross country skiers in the U.S., began training for biathlon full-time this season with national development coach James Upham, who supervises the resident biathlon program at Lake Placid facility.
U.S. coaches Per Nilsson and Mikael Lofgren will supervise strength and flexibility work, including roller skiing and running, as well as extensive work on the shooting range. The camp concludes with shooting accuracy tests and time trials at the Ethan Allen Firing Range in Jericho, Vermont, on July 7.
The United States Biathlon Association is the national governing body for the sport in the U.S.
|
| |
6/26/2007
USSA to Build National Training and Education Center
The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association has announced the groundbreaking for a national training and education center in Park City, Utah.
USSAs Center of Excellence will be a state-of-the-art structure designed to serve todays athletes with world-class facilities and strengthen the development of tomorrows Olympic skiers and snowboarders. Construction on the $22.5 million center will begin July 18, 2007, and will be completed prior to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.
The 85,000-square foot center will be on a five-acre parcel leaving most of the land in its natural state as open space. It will blend the best of high-performance athletic facilities including strength-training areas, a gymnasium, a climbing wall, ski and snowboard ramps, trampolines, a nutrition center and rehabilitation facilities. Plus, it will feature educational areas for athletes, coaches and clubs such as a computer lab, multimedia rooms for performance analysis and equipment workshops. And all of the educational resources will be shared with USSAs 400 clubs around the country.
USSA President and CEO Bill Marolt said the Center of Excellence represents the strongest commitment to USSAs athletes, as well as its stakeholders, and embodies the spirit of the sport.
"Im very proud that our organization is able to build this national center to impact all areas of our sports," said Bill Marolt, USSA president and CEO. "This center has been a vision for over a decade and will have the best sport science and training facilities for our diverse athletic needs. It also will provide educational opportunities that will benefit athletes in their specific sport and after their competitive careers end."
"This is exactly what we need – it will be a huge asset for us," said world championship Nordic combined silver medalist Bill Demong. Like many USSA athletes – including Shannon Bahrke, Lindsey Kildow and Graham Watanabe – Demong moved to Utah to work more closely with coaches, to use sport science and to take advantage of the 2002 Olympic legacy facilities.
"In the last five or six years, weve seen our temporary training facility grow. Having in-house sport science, in-house testing and our own physiologists will improve our opportunities to succeed," added Demong. "This center will set the standard for NGBs [national governing bodies], not only in this country but around the world."
Marolt praised Park City officials, including Mayor Dana Williams and City Manager Tom Bakaly, for providing leadership in coordinating the project with private landowners and developers over the last few years to make the vision of a center a reality.
Funding for the center will come through the USSAs Legacy Campaign endowment, which is supported through private contributions.
USSA manages year-round nationwide development and elite programs including the national teams in six Olympic sports – alpine, cross country, freestyle, Nordic combined, ski jumping and snowboarding – as well as two Paralympic sports – disabled alpine and disabled cross country. It provides programs and education for more than 30,000 athletes, officials and coaches in clubs across the country.
|
| |
6/25/2007
U.S. CROSS COUNTRY SKIS, SURFS AND CYCLES AT OREGON CAMP
Sometimes a change of scenery can have a huge impact. Oregon hosted the first U.S. Ski Team cross country training camp of the season, a two-week mix of snow at Mt. Bachelor and water on the coast that jump-started the preseason training regimen. It was a mix of drills for the mind and body, from on-snow training to team dynamics exercises with the U.S. Ski Teams longtime sports psychologist, Jon Hammermeister, and a few days of dry-land workouts as well as wet-land (i.e., surfing) on the Pacific Coast.
"It was the first time weve done a camp this early," said Olympian Andy Newell, whos trained with the Team since 2002.
Head Coach Pete Vordenberg set up the on-snow details while coach Justin Wadsworth - who lives in Bend - arranged for the training on the Oregon coast. "Hes a celebrity down there," Newell laughed, "and knows everyone, so Justin arranged everything for us."
"It was very cool," Newell said, making no reference to the weather. "It was cool to get the whole crew together so we could all dive in 100 percent, and make sure everybodys on the same page and motivated.
"The change of scene [from the U.S. Ski Teams base in Park City] is important, and its good at this time of year, just after the season," Newell added. "Its nice to be able to relax in conditions where its sunny and warm. Everybody was focused...really, everybody was on-point. One day, the entire team was surfing, and when were all surfing the same wave, thats definitely pretty cool."
Vordenberg, who took over as head coach after the 2006 Olympic season, following four years as assistant coach, was pleased from start to finish with the twin-site results in Oregon. "Team building is not new; we were just trying to make it more successful. Last year I felt we did a good job with team building - and I think we did a good job with what we set goals on, but we still came only part of the way, so we know thats one area where we need to improve.
"Its really important. Park City has a lot to offer and we take advantage of that, but two or three times a year well change the setting. Going to Bend," the coach said, "was awesome - everybody was hammering, and well be in New Zealand by the end of July, and in Lake Placid in October. The OTC [Lake Placids Olympic Training Center] makes it so inexpensive for us, the terrain is so good and it turns out to be such a productive camp out there."
Vordenberg received "incredible" assistance of groomers at Mt. Bachelor after the resort had closed for the season, setting - or smoothing - tracks at the Nordic center. "We skied early in the morning, usually pretty early, then ate lunch and trained in the afternoon. Several days were unstructured for the athletes to do what they wanted; other days were more social, maybe playing a soccer game or something...but otherwise it was strength work and running intervals and some roller-skiing.
"In evenings wed do team stuff - meetings, games, we all took turns with groups of three cooking dinner. We rented two houses in Bend, so that allowed more people to live together and that worked well. We kept it pretty simple, nothing too fancy," Vordenberg said. "I think the way we did it made it so successful. We had a big emphasis on working together as a team. We talked about it most nights; one day we had three meetings on team building.
"The skiing was good in Bend, then it was great on the coast - running intervals on an awesome bluff over the water, then a great bike ride. We lifted weights and played around in the water. It totally worked out."
For Newell, the on-snow training was important, especially as he looks to build on his progress a year ago in getting beyond being a sprint specialist. But the team building played out beautifully in Pacific City, finishing an "outstanding" camp on an obvious up note. "We had road bikes, some long rides, and did some running intervals and in our off time everyone went surfing. Everyone," he said.
There was little or no problem with his teammates getting the hang of riding a surfboard, said Newell, who has made countless drives from his home in southwestern Vermont to the New Hampshire beach to rides waves. "Theyre all such good athletes and cross country skiers pick up things so fast...but it did get a little cold, so we were in full wetsuits, gloves, boots, all of it. Otherwise, it was sunny, everyone stood up on a board...and it looked like everyone was having a good time. It was a nice change."
The cross country squad had physical testing in April in Park City to help determine the effect of last season on the preseason conditioning regimen. Vordenberg said the team will regroup in Park City in mid-July for additional testing before heading to New Zealand for the annual three-week camp at The Snow Farm outside Wanaka on South Island.
|
| |
6/20/2007
Stokely Creek Lodge & Ski Touring Center Sold
Stokely Creek Lodge & Ski Touring Center near Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario has for many years billed itself as “a place like no other.” Those who have visited this premier cross country ski resort will agree that this is no idle boast.
The passing of Stokely Creek owner, Chuck Peterson, in 2000 set in motion several years of uncertainty and anxiety within the Stokely community. The future of his vast holdings of undeveloped land and access to adjoining forestlands was thrown into question. The disposition of Peterson’s estate was up in the air until last summer when the property was formally offered for sale, a buyer confirmed and the deal closed in early April. Upon the closing on the sale the entire Stokely staff was formally terminated.
The new owner of the property is Astina Establishment, a European company that currently owns 40,000 acres of land immediately north of Stokely. Astina has been managing this property for long-term, sustained forest values and has similar plans for Stokely.
The Algoma Highlands Conservancy, which had worked closely with Chuck Petersen to acquire and protect select portions of the Stokely property and some adjacent lands had been in discussions with the new owner to try to reach an agreement where they would be responsible for operation of lodge trails. Through the fall and winter, the AHC worked closely with representatives of Astina in planning an outcome for Stokely that would result in conservation of the land and natural values of the property, consistent with its mission and mandate.
In meetings just following the closing on the property, Astina indicated its intent to manage approximately 5,350 acres of the property north of the Tupper-Van Koughnet township line using sustainable forest management practices. However, Astina was also willing to: provide the AHC with guaranteed access to the existing Stokely trail system, allow the AHC to limit public access to the existing trail system, work with the AHC to mitigate the impacts of forest management activities on trail use and most importantly, sell to the AHC the portion of the property south of the Tupper-Van Koughnet township line, including the Lodge and King Mountain area (2,600 of the approximately total 8,000 acre parcel).
Purchase of the southern portion of the property would consolidate AHC’s existing ownership at the Robertson Lake Cliffs where AHC would continue to manage these properties as protection forest, harvesting only windfalls and imminent mortality for trail maintenance and Lodge fuel wood.
The AHC has been granted a two-year option to complete the purchase on the Stokely property and lodge at a price of $2 million CDN. The Conservancy has also been licensed to use the ski trails on the property this season and into the future.
The Algoma Highlands Conservancy is conducting a pledge drive to raise the necessary funds to purchase the 2,600 acres of land, including the Stokely Creek Lodge and King Mountain. By obtaining this property, the AHC wants to ensure that ski operations and the Lodge operate regularly for the 2007-2008 season and beyond, and that the natural beauty of the surrounding area is preserved.
Should the sale not take place Astina Establishments Inc. plans to manage the land for long-term, sustained forest value.
The project has already received support from skiers in the community who recognize the importance of this land and Stokely Creek Lodge in particular. AHC president Doug Pitt agrees, “Stokely means different things to each of us. For some it’s the expanse of trails through continuous forests; for others it’s the undeveloped lake shores; or pristine, fast-flowing brooks; or mountain viewscapes…regardless, there’s something that stirs deep feelings within us all.”
All donations are tax-deductible, both in Canada and the US. For more information or to make a pledge, contact Algoma Highlands Conservancy, P.O. Box 20076, 150 Churchill Blvd., Sault Ste. Marie ON P6A 6W3 or info@algomahighlandsconservancy.org. Further information can be found at www.algomahighlandsconservancy.org.
“Skiing will be happening this winter at Stokely,” says Pittman.
|
| |
6/18/2007
Great Glen Trails Announces Ski to the Clouds - North America’s Toughest 10K
Great Glen Trails has announced the reincarnation of an historic event: Ski to the Clouds. Billed as “North America’s Toughest 10K,” Ski to the Clouds will be held on March 9, 2008 and includes a climb of more than 2,200 vertical feet over the final six kilometers.
Even though it was first held in 1996 and is part of a history of racing up Mt. Washington, Ski to the Clouds has an entirely new twist for this version of the Nordic ski race. Last held in 2002, the new race will utilize the Great Glen Trails Nordic system for four kilometers before beginning the steep ascent up the Mt. Washington Auto Road. In the past, the race used only terrain on the Auto Road, limiting the distance. The race will finish just past the halfway point of the Mt. Washington Auto Road at just below 4,000 feet above sea level. Ski to the Clouds will certainly be a challenge for any skier, especially those that have enjoyed the Great Glen to Bretton Woods Nordic Adventure, which saw its finale in March of this year.
Ski to the Clouds is a true freestyle event - skiers can use either skating or classic technique. There will not be separate categories for each discipline. Also, competitors may only use one pair of skis in this mass start race. Even though skating is faster than classic technique, the steep climb up the Auto Road may be an equalizer and race organizers envision classic technique may be an advantage as it is great for climbing. Either way, strategy will play an important role.
Ski to the Clouds will offer prize money for the fastest male and female competitors and for the fastest male and female over the age of 40. All competitors will receive a medal to mark their accomplishment.
More information about Ski to the Clouds and online registration will be available later in the summer at (603)466-2333 or at www.greatglentrails.com.
|
| |
6/18/2007
CXC LAUNCHES REGIONAL COACHES AND INSTRUCTORS CERTIFICATION PROGRAM
Over 20 Nordic coaches and instructors participated in the annual CXC Coach’s Symposium and the inaugural regional Coach’s Certification Program held at Hyland Park, Minn. High school coaches, youth league and master program instructors came to Bloomington, Minn. for the all day symposium and the half day Certification program.
“It is a first step for our organization to begin certifying coaches. This is a work in progress. We already have received great amount of comments and suggestions from coaches who participated in the program,” commented Yuriy Gusev, CXC Skiing Chief Executive Officer.
“Very good nutrition session. The drill progression was great and very helpful in clarifying technique. I’m leaving with a lot more knowledge than I arrived with and am very satisfied,” commented one coach participant.
The next certification program will take place at the fall Wisconsin and Minnesota coaches meetings in Mora, Minn. and Wausau, Wis. All coaches at any level are welcome to attend.
|
| |
6/18/2007
CENTRAL CROSS COUNTRY SKIING ANNUAL AWARDS
Central Cross Country Skiing proudly announces these prestigious annual awards based on performances from the past ski season:
CXC Athlete of the Year: Kyle Fredrickson - Hayward, Wis.
CXC Coach of the Year: Bryan Fish - CXC Team
CXC Volunteer of the Year: Ken Schoville - Hazelhurst, Wis.
CXC Regional Elite Athletes: Athlete performances from the past season based on criteria published in the CXC Competition Guide are posted on www.cxcskiing.org.
J2
Jessie Diggins-Stillwater, Minn.
J1
Doug DeBold-Wayzata, Minn.
Joe Dubay-Coon Rapids, Minn.
OJ
Christina Gillis-Marquette, Mich. Northern Michigan University
Ingrid Fjeldheim-Marquette, Mich. Northern Michigan University
Ben Fick-Marine on St Croix, Mich. University of Utah
Kyle Fredrickson-Hayward, Wis.
Karl Nygren-Prior Lake, Minn. Colorado University
Seniors
Lindsey Weier-Mahtomedi, Minn. Northern Michigan University
Lindsay Williams-Hastings, Minn. Northern Michigan University
Laura Valaas-Hayward, Wis. CXC Team
Caitlin Compton-Minneapolis, Minn. CXC Team
Julia Coulter-Traverse City, Minn. University of Alaska-Fairbanks
Morgan Smyth-Marquette, Minn. Northern Michigan University
Kristina Owen-Hayward, Wis. CXC Team/Michigan Tech
Garrott Kuzzy-Hayward, Wis. CXC Team
Bryan Cook-Rhinelander, Wis. CXC Team
Chris Cook-Rhinelander, Wis. USST
|
| |
6/18/2007
2007 CENTRAL REGIONAL TRAINING AND TESTING CAMP
Central Cross Country Ski Association is pleased to announce the 2007 Regional Training and Testing Camp for CXC Ski Team, CXC Junior Development Program, Central Regional Development Group, State Development Groups and petitioned athletes.
“This is the most comprehensive camp we have in the region. Over 40 top athletes and coaches in the region attended this camp last year. Evidence of the quality of the camp and the hard work of coaches is obvious in the outstanding results of the athletes during this past winter. Kyle Fredrickson won Junior National Titles. Laura Valaas joined the USST at the World Ski Championships and skied on to the podium at the U23 World Championships last March. Laura has been named to the U.S. Continental Cup Ski Team (USST B squad) for this year.
”This year we already have top athletes and coaches in the region and in the country committed to the camp, including CXC Ski Team members, CXC Junior Development Program members, U-23 World Championships Team members, Junior Olympics medalists, US Ski Team head coach Pete Vordenberg, U.S. Ski Team development coach Matt Whitcomb, CXC Ski Team head coach Bryan Fish and CXC Junior Development Program coach Bill Pierce,” commented Yuriy Gusev, CXC Skiing Chief Executive Officer.
The Camp will take place July 1-7 at Cresthill Resort, Hayward, Wis. www.cresthillresort.com. During the camp athletes will perform following activities: Strength Assessment, Endurance Assessment, VO2/CO2 Testing and analysis (aerobic and anaerobic thresholds, intensity zones, etc.) and Ski training activities (technique, distance, strength training, etc.).
The cost is $100 for the Regional Development Group, $250 for State Development Group & Midwest/Great Lakes Junior Olympic Teams members and $400 for Petitioned Athletes.
Athletes can petition in to the camp by sending an e-mail to yuriy.gusev@cxcskiing.org with their best three results from the last two years and a paragraph explaining how they will benefit from attending this camp.
Visit www.cxcskiing.org to find registration info.
|
| |
6/18/2007
MAGNUSSON NAMED WOMENS SKI JUMPING HEAD COACH
Kjell Ivar Magnusson, head coach of the Norwegian womens ski jumping team for the last three seasons, has been named the new U.S. womens jumping head coach. Magnusson, 56, replaces Larry Stone, longtime U.S. regional and associate national coach who guided the women last winter. Magnusson is in Park City to oversee preseason training, starting with strength and conditioning dryland workouts.
A soccer player in his youth - and not a ski jumper, he became a club coach in Rollag, his hometown, when his son Rune started ski jumping in 1980. He went through three years of coaching certification and starting in 1990, coached Norwegian star Sigurd Pettersen, who has helped re-energize Norways jumping program since the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City.
Magnusson was a club coach in Lillehammer 2000-04 and has been Norwegian womens coach for the past three years as the International Ski Federation elevated womens jumping to the Continental Cup level. It will make its debut at the World Championships level with the 2009 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in the Czech Republic.
"Im excited about this change," Magnusson said. "Ive watched the American girls and theyre the strongest team in the world. I know all the girls, and this should be exciting. These are strong athletes."
U.S. Nordic director Luke Bodensteiner said he was pleased to get Magnusson as the womens program continues to develop. Women were named to the U.S. Ski Team for the first time last season and six have been nominated for the 2008 Ski Team. "The team is ready to go to the next level, and theyre anxious to start working with him," Bodensteiner said.
|
| |
5/23/2007
Demong Takes Top USSA Athlete Honor
Bryan Fish (CXC) Development Coach of the Year
U.S. Ski Team World Championship medalist Bill Demong (Vermontville, NY), two-time Olympian and former U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association Chairman Chuck Ferries, and the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club were among the top honorees in the USSAs annual awards recognition dinner May 17 at Deer Valley Resort in Park City during USSA Congress 2007.
Bill Demong (Vermontville, NY), only the second U.S. Nordic combined skier to earn an Olympic or World Championships medal, was presented the Beck International Award, USSAs highest athletic award. Colorados Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club (SSWSC), the multi-sport club covering alpine, Nordic, freestyle and snowboarding with over a thousand development-level athletes, received the USSA Club of the Year Award for an unprecedented third time. Ferries, a two-time Olympic ski racer who became a success in the ski industry and has served in a variety of organization roles with USSA, received the Julius Blegen Award, USSAs most prestigious honor for service to the organization.
"Im really proud of athletes on our Team like Bill Demong and Nate Roberts (who won the organizations Buddy Werner Award for sportsmanship)," said USSA President and CEO Bill Marolt. "They are a great example of why America wants to support our Team - theyre hard working, dedicated, humble and want to give back to younger athletes so that they, too, can achieve their dreams.”
Demong, 27, a three-time Olympian, captured the silver medal in the combined individual event at the 2007 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Sapporo, Japan, in March and followed that with a World Cup win a week later in Lahti, Finland, He finished his season by sweeping all three U.S. ski jumping and Nordic combined U.S. titles.
"Chuck (Ferries) embodies what Olympism is all about," added Marolot. "He was a great athlete who has given back to todays athletes with his service. He has been a trustee since 1984 and played a key role as USSA chairman from 2002 to 2006.
"We are fortunate to have 400 USSA grassroots clubs around the country to provide opportunities for young athletes," said Marolt. "Steamboat is one of those model clubs that provides tremendous opportunities for young athletes in all sports. Its a credit to the work of Executive Director Rick DeVos and Athletic Director Sarah Floyd in building such a strong program with over a thousand athletes."
Other gold-level award recipients included Bryan Fish, first-year cross country coach of fledgling Team CXC (Central Cross Country) based in Seeley, Wis., whose athletes won U.S. and SuperTour titles in its first year, sent two skiers to the Nordic World Championships and won a U-23 (under 23) world title, was selected as USSA Development Coach of the Year.
Athletes of the Year, chosen by sport, included: Alpine - Lindsey Kildow (Vail, CO), who won two silver medals at the World Championships and three World Cup races before injury ended her season; Cross Country - sprinter Andy Newell (Shaftsbury, VT), who finished the season sixth in the World Cup sprint standings; Disabled - two-time cross country Paralympics and world champion Steve Cook (Salt Lake City); Freestyle - Roberts, bronze medalist at Worlds and a two-time World Cup winner; Nordic Combined - Demong; Ski Jumping - Lindsey Van (Park City, UT), who won three events and finished third in the Continental Cup standings; Snowboarding - Lindsey Jacobellis (Stratton, VT), who defended her snowboardcross world championship and won the SBX World Cup title.
Coaches of the Year, chosen by sport for international and development levels, included: Alpine - International: Hoedlmoser; Domestic; Chip Cochrane of Maines Carrabassett Valley Academy; Cross Country - International: Chris Grover, World Cup sprint coach; Domestic: Bryan Fish of Wisconsins Central Cross Country; Freestyle - International: Scott Rawles, moguls head coach; Domestic: Caleb Martin from Telluride (CO) Ski & Snowboard Club; Nordic Combined - International: Dave Jarrett, World Cup coach; Domestic: Martin Bayer from the Steamboat Springs WSC; Snowboarding - International: Jeff Archibald, World Cup SBX coach; Domestic: Spencer Tamblyn, SSWSC snowboard coach.
Clubs of the Year also was chosen for each sport. The winners: Alpine - Burke Mountain Academy (VT); Cross Country - Central Cross Country Ski Team (Team CXC); Freestyle - Park City (UT) Freestyle; Jumping/Nordic Combined and Snowboard - Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club.
Bill Demong photo: http://ussa.smugmug.com/gallery/2885152
Bryan Fish photo: http://ussa.smugmug.com/gallery/2885152#155001430
|
| |
5/23/2007
VICE PRESIDENT EVENTS ANNETTE ROYLE TO LEAVE USSA
Annette Royle, who built the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Associations Events Department from a one-person operation into one of the most successful among national governing bodies, has resigned as vice president of events to become president of a major nonprofit organization chapter, USSA President and CEO Bill Marolt announced.
Under her leadership, he said, USSA has undergone a complete transformation of how it manages events and become one of the most respected event organizers in the Olympic movement. "Annettes one of the most knowledgeable persons in her field and has done a fabulous job for us, not only helping improve existing events but developing some events - and series - from scratch," he said.
Royle, who leaves June 8 to become president of the Utah chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in Salt Lake City, is a former director of constituent services for U.S. Senator Jake Garn. She came to what was then- U.S. Skiing in 1993 as coordinator of special events for the U.S. Ski Team Foundation; two years later, she became assistant director of events and was named vice president of events in 1996.
"This has been an extremely hard decision for me," she said, "but I have a great opportunity. I truly will miss our staff and partners, who have helped USSA develop great events for our athletes but which also brought value to our sponsors and event organizers."
She added, "Ive worked with some absolutely awesome people - on my staff and throughout USSA - and its a little bittersweet to be leaving. But change can be good. Im proud of what weve been able to do, proud of the way our Events Department has become more professional...and now Im excited about my next opportunity. Its going to have some of the adventurous feeling from when I started at USSA."
Royle, a graduate of the University of Utah with a masters degree in public administration from Brigham Young University, has been involved in helping organize a wide variety of events, from World Cup and World Championships competition to pre-Olympic events, various U.S. championships and alumni gatherings.
She was involved in a variety of levels in event coordination with the International Ski Federation (FIS) and helped facilitate the bid and organization of the 2003 FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships at Utahs Deer Valley Resort as well as its successful bid for the 2013 Worlds.
"In the past decade, Annette has overseen a complete transformation of how our organization conducts major domestic events," Marolt said. "Her work has created tremendous value for our stakeholders, including athletes, sponsors, TV and media, and our event organizers."
While Royle has developed the Events Department into its premier status, he said, many forget she got her start with USSA in coordinating ski balls and other fundraising events. In her first year, her organizational approach and guidance helped increase funds through special events by 75 percent, according to Marolt.
"Annette grew her department from one person to being one-of-a-kind among NGBs. Weve been able to leverage the value from events rights to further focus on USSA athletic programs and develop internationally renowned event properties."
In her first year heading Events, Royle played a major role in developing the U.S. Snowboard Grand Prix as an elite American snowboard tour, which has become vital in qualifying riders for the U.S. Olympic Team. Since snowboarding joined the Olympic schedule in 1998, U.S. riders have won 15 medals, including nine halfpipe medals. U.S. riders swept halfpipe gold at the 2002 and 06 Olympics.
She helped develop Olympic-qualifying competitions for U.S. skiers and riders at each of the last three Olympics in addition to the 2001 pre-Olympic test events at Utah venues. She also was instrumental in 1998 in negotiating USSAs first long-term international broadcasting and advertising rights agreement.
|
| |
5/23/2007
U.S. SKI TEAM AND U.S. SNOWBOARDING CALLS FOR ALUMNI
If you were you a member of the U.S. Ski Team, U.S. Snowboarding or named to a Winter Olympics, Paralympics or World Championships team in your youth, the Team is looking for you.
Since the first Winter Olympics in 1924, when they were called the Games of Winter and included only Nordic skiing, to the 20th Winter Games in 2006, where snowboardcross debuted, there have been more than a thousand national team athletes in the ski sports of alpine, freestyle, cross country, Nordic combined, ski jumping and disabled alpine and cross country and also snowboarding.
Over the years, the Team’s database has become outdated with emerging technologies (from paper notebooks to electronic databases) and alumni moving around the country and losing touch as they pursue careers and families.
“The alumni play such an integral role in the success of today’s Team,” said Jill DeVleming, alumni manager. “We hope by reaching out, the alumni athletes will contact us directly to ensure they are a part of the legacy of the U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding and we can recognize them for their commitment to our great winter sports.”
National team alumni should contact the U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding noting:
Which sport competed in (alpine, freestyle, cross country, ski jumping, nordic combined, disabled alpine, disabled cross country or snowboard),
What years on the national team and which team you competed on (World Cup, A Team, B Team, Olympic, World Championships, Paralympics),
Current contact information including mailing address, email and phone
Any information regarding occupation, marital status, children (especially if they’re aspiring ski or snowboard athletes),
And any fun national team memories you’d be interested in sharing.
Send information by:
Email - alumninews@ussa.org,
U.S. Mail - U.S. Ski Team & U.S. Snowboarding, Attn: Jill DeVleming/Alumni News, Box 100, Park City, UT 84060,
Call – (435)647.2080.
|
| |
5/10/2007
CODA CALLS ON WORLD-CLASS CONSULTANTS TO MOVE CANADIAN CENTRE OF SPORT EXCELLENCE INTO CONSTRUCTION
Canada’s current and future Olympic sport athletes are one step closer to gaining access to a world-leading facility that will boost them to more international podium results.
CODA has officially moved its planned $276-million Canadian Centre of Sport Excellence into the design and construction phase with the selection of GEC Architecture and CANA Construction, who will design and construct the Athletic and Ice Complex at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, the national body announced on Tuesday, May 8.
“With the 2010 Olympic Winter Games less than three years away, CODA is pushing forward to provide athletes with the facilities and programs they need to be the best in the world,” said Bob Nicolay, president and chief executive officer, CODA. “GEC is a firm that has created landmark facilities where athletes learn to excel. Working with our partner, Hockey Canada, this complex will create world leaders, role models, and medal winners.”
Both firms bring strong experience in developing world-leading and Olympic facilities. GEC Architecture is renowned for its spectacular one-of-a-kind facilities such as the Olympic Saddledome and the Olympic Oval – the world’s first 400-meter indoor speed skating oval.
“The Athletic and Ice Complex is an important project for CODA and the development of winter sports in Canada. We look forward to this tremendous opportunity to make a valuable and lasting contribution to our athletes and Canada’s drive for the international podium,” said David Edmunds, senior partner, GEC Architecture.
The Athletic and Ice Complex to be added at Canada Olympic Park is the core new facility within CODA’s plan to build the Centre of Sport Excellence in southern Alberta. Designed to centralize resources for Canadian athletes while creating a culture of excellence, the project represents the complete renewal and modernization of the legacy of facilities from the 1988 Olympic Winter Games with state-of-the-art facilities and world-leading programming.
CODA also announced CANA Construction, a firm that has built a strong reputation over 65 years for delivering quality construction projects on budget and on schedule, has been selected to build the Athletic and Ice Complex.
“We are delighted to be returning to Canada Olympic Park, and to be working closely with the project team, to deliver the best for CODA and Canada’s athletes,” said John Simpson, president, CANA. “Being an Olympian myself, I understand the significance for building the Centre of Sport Excellence. CANA has worked extensively with project managers and architects to build high-level sport facilities in the Calgary area, and we are excited to be on the team moving the Athletic and Ice Complex into the construction phase.”
Art Froese Consulting and Stantec Inc. have also been chosen as project managers to assist CODA’s executive team with managing the development of the Athletic and Ice Complex. Art Froese has been project manager for the Saddledome, Hockey Hall of Fame and Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary. With more than 6,000 employees operating out of more than 80 locations in North America and the Caribbean, Stantec has a strong reputation in Western Canada.
The Alberta Government has kick started development of the Athletic and Ice Complex with $69 million – a quarter of the total cost to fully rejuvenate the legacy of existing facilities and add new ones to create the Centre of Sport Excellence. The plan models sport institutes the Americans, Germans, Austrians and Australians have all leveraged to increase athletic performance in their countries.
While CODA continues to secure additional sources of funding to ensure the complete project is undertaken, the organization and its partners, have not been standing still since the vision was initially unveiled five years ago.
Earlier this year, a new world-leading snow-sport venue opened at Canada Olympic Park for freestyle and alpine skiers, which was constructed within the existing ski jumping bowl, marking the first facility in the world to combine ski jumping, freestyle aerials and moguls, and alpine slalom all built to international standards. The Park also welcomed the addition of a 22-foot half-pipe last winter. The facility replicates the venue that will be created in Vancouver for the 2010 Olympic competition.
CODA has also completed construction of the Ice House – the world’s only year-round indoor start training facility which was built in 2001 for Canada’s bobsleigh, skeleton and luge athletes; and a world-leading gymnastics centre at Canada Olympic Park; Camp Green on Farnham Glacier – the nation’s only summer training facility for alpine snow-sport athletes which was officially opened in the summer of 2006; numerous upgrades to the Olympic Track and Olympic Oval in Calgary; and upgrades to the Beckie Scott High-Performance Training Centre on Haig Glacier and Bill Warren Training Centre for cross-country skiing and biathlon athletes in Canmore. CODA also applauds the Alberta Government’s leadership in providing the financial backing to fully modernize the Canmore Nordic Centre.
|
| |
4/27/2007
Six Austrian Skiers Banned for Life
It took more than a year to punish anyone in the doping scandal that shook the Turin Winter Olympics, but when the verdicts came down on April 25, 2007, the penalties were unprecedented. Six Austrian cross-country skiers and biathletes received lifetime bans from the Olympics for involvement in an organized blood-doping scheme -- the harshest sanctions given to athletes by the International Olympic Committee.
And the case isnt closed yet. The IOC will investigate the role of Austrian coaches, officials and doctors.
Its the first time the IOC has disqualified athletes for doping violations without positive tests, and the first time athletes have been banned by the IOC for life. Based on evidence seized in Italian police raids, the Austrians were found guilty of possessing prohibited substances and taking part in a doping conspiracy.
It is a milestone, IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies said.
The results of the Austrian athletes from the 2006 Games were annulled, although none won medals.
Those banned were cross-country skiers Martin Tauber, Juergen Pinter, Johannes Eder and Roland Diethart, and biathletes Wolfgang Perner and Wolfgang Rottmann. The six are ineligible for accreditation in any capacity at the Olympics -- as athletes, coaches or officials.
The severity of the sanctions is motivated by the fact that these cases go further than straightforward possession of prohibited substances and methods and are clear instances where a network, including athletes, colluded to manipulate blood and to engage into doping practices, the IOC said.
The IOC action applies only to Olympic competition. It would be up to the Austrian and international ski federations to suspend the athletes from non-Olympic events.
IOC vice president Thomas Bach, a German lawyer who led the internal investigation, said the probe will continue with hearings for non-athletes next month. He did not identify them. The IOC can also ban coaches and other accredited team personnel from the Olympics.
Italian police raided Austrian team lodgings outside Turin on Feb. 18, 2006. The move followed a tip that former Austrian coach Walter Mayer, who was implicated in a blood-doping case at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games and banned from the Turin Olympics, was in the area.
Mayer fled after the raid. He crashed his car into a police roadblock after crossing into Austria, ending up briefly in a psychiatric hospital.
In tandem with the police action, Olympic drug-testers conducted surprise doping checks on 10 Austrian athletes. The tests came back negative, but the IOC said it would continue its investigation based on the police findings.
The IOC received the report from Italian investigators this year, and a three-man disciplinary panel held two days of hearings on the case this month in Lausanne, Switzerland. All the Austrian athletes who were asked to appear declined.
The Italian police report, as quoted by the IOC, detailed a stunning array of doping products, methods and equipment. Police found syringes, needles, blood bags, butterfly valves for intravenous use, bottles of saline and devices for measuring hemoglobin levels and determining blood groups, as well as the banned substances hCG and albumin.
The police report said one athlete, Rottmann, even threw a plastic bag out his window during the raid that contained illicit materials.
The investigation found that much of the material was used for blood transfusions, which is banned by the IOC and World Anti-Doping Agency. Blood doping boosts endurance by increasing the level of oxygen-rich red blood cells in the body.
What is remarkable is that all this material was in possession of the athletes, Bach said. There was no official doctor. This was not a laboratory of the team or the medical room of the team. This was the dormitories of the athletes.
Bach said the evidence showed the athletes were working together.
This kind of behavior constitutes in principle an additional offense, a kind of conspiracy, of covering up in this case, he said. We thought this to be very aggravating circumstances which required a severe sanction.
Peter Schroecksnadel, chief of the Austrian Ski Federation, said his organization was not involved in this story. He said the federation would hold disciplinary hearings to get to the bottom of the scandal.
If it turns out that theres something to this, then the disciplinary commission will also punish the athletes, said Schroecksnadel, whose own position has come under scrutiny. But if it turns out that there isnt, then the Austrian Ski Federation will defend the athletes.
Tauber, one of the banned cross-country skiers, said he will fight the IOCs decision.
I did nothing forbidden, Tauber told the Austria Press Agency, adding he had been found in possession of a device for measuring hemoglobin but that nowhere is it written that Im not allowed to own it.
|
| |
4/27/2007
K2 Sold to Jarden Corp
Jarden Corporation and K2 Inc. announced they have signed a definitive merger agreement. Under the terms of the agreement, Jarden will pay $10.85 per share of K2 common stock in cash and will issue 0.1086 of a share of Jarden common stock for each share of K2 common stock outstanding as of the closing.
The cash and Jarden stock to be issued in the transaction has a combined value of approximately $15.50 per K2 share, based on the closing price of Jarden common stock on the date of signing the merger agreement. The total enterprise value of the transaction, including the assumption or repayment of indebtedness, is approximately $1.2 billion.
The transaction is expected to be accretive to Jardens earnings and to close early in the third quarter of this year.
K2s portfolio includes Adio, Ex Officio, JT, Karhu, K2, Madshus, Marker, Marmot, Penn, Rawlings, Ride, Sevylor, Shakespeare, Stearns, Volk and Worth.
K2s strength in the specialty and multi-store sporting goods, marine, and outdoor retail channels and proven international presence, combined with its focus on new product introductions and market innovations, would provide Jarden with significant growth opportunities and the ability to expand into adjacent markets. K2s primary business lines would be reported through Jardens Outdoor Solutions segment upon closing of the transaction.
Commenting on the transaction, Martin E. Franklin, Jardens Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said, "We are enormously excited about todays announcement as it marks another important step in our planned and disciplined growth strategy as a world class, diversified, niche oriented consumer products company. Adding K2s broad portfolio of leading brands to our portfolio would create cross selling opportunities both domestically and internationally, would expand our presence in specialty channels, would further diversify our products, revenues and earnings, and would create additional scale to leverage in our supply chain, distribution, manufacturing and sourcing networks."
Richard J. Heckmann, K2s Executive Chairman of the Board, said, "We believe that Jarden is the perfect strategic partner for us. Combining our world-renowned brands with Jardens scale and innovative resources should bring tremendous value to our employees, retail partners and customers. I am extremely proud of our employees accomplishments over the last five years, and I am excited about the road ahead for K2 as part of the Jarden family."
The boards of directors for both companies have unanimously approved the transaction, which is expected to close during the third quarter of 2007, subject to Hart-Scott-Rodino approval, the approval of K2s stockholders and other customary closing conditions.
While it may not exactly be a household name, Jarden’s stable of brands includes Mr. Coffee, Sunbeam and Coleman among dozens of other household name brands. The company is presently ranked #585 on the list of FORTUNE 1,000 largest corporations in the U.S. With Jarden Corp.s announcement that it will acquire K2, Inc., for $1.2 billion, thereby taking a major step into sporting goods, it should no doubt move further up that list. The announcement also showed just how much the little ski company from Vashon Island, Wash. (now based in Seattle) has grown.
Headquartered in Rye, N.Y., Jarden has over 20,000 employees worldwide. Heres a quick list of the ski industrys newest parent companys other brands:
Jarden operates in three primary business segments through a number of well recognized brands, including: Branded Consumables: Ball®, Bee®, Bicycle®, Crawford®, Diamond®, First Alert®, Forster®, Hoyle®, JavaLog®, Kerr®, Lehigh®, Leslie-Locke®, Loew-Cornell® and Pine Mountain®; Consumer Solutions: Bionaire®, Crock-Pot®, FoodSaver®, Harmony®, Health o meter®, Holmes®, Mr. Coffee®, Oster®, Patton®, Rival®, Seal-a-Meal®, Sunbeam®, VillaWare® and White Mountain™; and Outdoor Solutions: Abu Garcia®, Berkley®, Campingaz®, Coleman®, Fenwick®, Gulp®, Mitchell®, Stren® and Trilene®.
|
| |
4/27/2007
AMER WINTER & OUTDOOR AMERICAS, CITY OF OGDEN AND PRIVATE DEVELOPERS TURN INDUSTRIAL EYESORE INTO ECO-FRIENDLY BUSINESS CAMPUS
For some Ogden residents, the historic American Can complex looked like a candidate for the wrecking ball. Ogden Mayor Matthew Godfrey, however, viewed the abandoned factory as the cornerstone of Ogden’s downtown renaissance. Godfrey’s vision got a boost last October when Amer Winter & Outdoor Americas announced its move to Ogden and expressed interest in becoming the complex’s anchor tenant. Working with developers, the City of Ogden and Amer Sports—which has agreed to lease 59,000 square feet—are now turning the abandoned factory into a regional showcase of green redevelopment.
“As a wintersport and outdoor business, we moved to Ogden to be close to these incredible mountains,” explains Mike Dowse, President and General Manager of Amer Winter & Outdoor Americas. “As a responsible member of the community, we want to preserve and enhance the quality of life here. We’re starting with the green redevelopment of the Wasatch Mountain Center, and we’re continuing with green initiatives that will improve the way our employees work and live.”
By revitalizing existing structures, the project is minimizing the need for new building materials, while preventing thousands of cubic yards of old material from becoming landfill. Many materials that can’t be reused are being recycled. Workers, for instance, are salvaging several tons of sheet metal from the factory’s floor.
To mitigate heat loss and absorption, crews are painstakingly replacing old windows throughout the complex with Low-e double-insulated glass. Heating and cooling efficiency will be further improved by an intelligent climate control system, automated interior solar shades, and high R-value blow-in cellulose insulation (made of recycled newspaper).
In the department of wise water use, xeroscaping will emphasize drought-tolerant plants, with water sparingly dispensed by drip irrigation. Thirsty sod grass will have at most a token presence on the Wasatch Mountain Center campus.
“Thanks to Amer Sports’ leadership, the new Salomon, Atomic and Suunto headquarters in the historic American Can building will stand as a model for green development,” says Mayor Godfrey. “This city could not ask for a better environmental partner.”
Amer Winter & Outdoor Americas will begin operating from the Wasatch Mountain Center in August 2007. The business unit was founded in August 2006 to provide a shared infrastructure for Amer Sports’ U.S.-based winter and outdoor brands including Salmon, Atomic and Suunto. Ogden is located on the west side of the Wasatch Mountains, 40 miles north of Salt Lake City International Airport. The city boasts a vibrant historic district and quick access to world-class skiing.
Founded in 1950, Amer Sports Corporation is the world’s leading sports equipment company with internationally recognized brands including Wilson, Atomic, Suunto, Precor, Salomon and Mavic. Employing more than 6,600 people worldwide, Amer Sports companies develop and manufacture technically advanced products that improve the performance of active sports participants. The Group’s business is balanced by a broad portfolio of sports with a presence in all major markets.
|
| |
4/27/2007
Backcountry to Merge with Couloir Magazine
Backcountry Magazine publisher, Height of Land Publications (HOL) has announced its merger with Couloir, combining both titles into a bigger, better Backcountry Magazine.
Couloir Publications founding publisher Craig Dostie will joins John Dostal as Senior Editor at the new Backcountry.
"This really will be the best of both worlds for the reader," said Backcountry Editor Adam Howard. Couloir, founded in Los Angeles in 1988, and Backcountry, founded in Arvada, Colo., in 1994 have featured some of the best ski writing and photography published.
"Were looking forward to combining specific concepts and content from each magazine to provide a truly superior product that will better serve both the reader and the industry," said Howard.
“Not only does this merger combine editorial talents. But it also creates a publishing team with new owner enthusiasm and bootstrap entrepreneurial experience,” says Dostie.
Previously both titles published five times annually. The merger will allow the new Backcountry to grow to six issues. All existing Couloir subscriptions will be fulfilled with the new Backcountry. Additionally HOL will re-launch Telemark Skier Magazine, which Couloir Publications founded in 2002. The first issue of which will be available in October, followed by four more in 2008-2009.
|
| |
4/26/2007
Alfano Named to Head Ski and Snowboard Team Foundation
Janine Alfano has been named as vice president of fundraising for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team Foundation, the fundraising arm of the U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding. President and CEO Bill Marolt cited Alfano’s 11 years of experience with the Foundation in making the announcement.
“Janine has played a key role with the Foundation since coming to our Team in 1996,” said Marolt. “Her experience will provide us with an opportunity to maintain continuity and consistency in the department, and to build from her strengths immediately.”
Alfano has managed every area of Foundation. She began her USSA career managing fundraising events and is responsible for developing the very successful model used by the Foundation today. She also is responsible for creating the “Champions Club” program, which provides opportunities for supporters to attend the Olympics as VIP guests of the Team, while creating a significant revenue stream to fund athletic programming.
“We’ve been successful in the Foundation because we have a very talented staff working with an extremely dedicated and generous board of trustees,” said Alfano. “One of the things I’m most looking forward to is working more closely with our Board.”
“Among my immediate goals is to reach our Legacy Campaign endowment goal of $60 million so that we can begin construction on our Center of Excellence. This world class training facility is critical to our future – not only for athletics but for all of USSA”
Alfano will oversee a staff of 12. The Foundation’s activities are diverse including the Legacy Campaign endowment, major giving, special events, direct marketing and the U.S. Ski Team Gold Pass. The Foundation raises nearly $7 million a year in its annual fund with a goal of reaching $10 million in annual revenue by 2010.
A New Jersey native, Alfano is a 1988 graduate of Dickinson College in Pennsylvania. She came to the Foundation in 1996 after working in sales for The Denver Post. She lives in Park City.
Alfano replaces Trisha Worthington. Worthington has left USSA to spend more time with her family and to direct a new Park City-based community foundation.
The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team Foundation is a 501(c)3 charitable organization. It is managed integrally within the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, the national governing body for Olympic skiing and snowboarding, which funds, develops and trains the U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding. The Team receives no federal funding or subsidies and operates solely through private donations from individuals, corporations and foundations. To learn more about supporting the Team, contact Janine Alfano at 435.647.2071 or donations can be sent to her attention at Box 100/1500 Kearns Boulevard, Park City, UT 84060.
|
| |
4/26/2007
CANADIANS SUPPORT CONSTRUCTION OF CANADA’S FIRST CENTRE OF SPORT EXCELLENCE
More than eight out of 10 Canadians support a plan to create Canada’s first Centre of Sport Excellence in Alberta where the nation’s top athletes could train and fully prepare to deliver world-leading results at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games and beyond, a new national poll shows.
According to a poll of 2,000 Canadians conducted by NRG Research, the development of the Centre of Sport Excellence in Alberta is endorsed by 83 per cent of Canadians on a national basis, with solid support across all regions of the country. Support was especially strong in Ontario and Alberta.
Using the legacy of the 1988 Olympic Winter Games in Calgary as its foundation, the $276-million Centre brings together government and private sector funding to upgrade existing facilities and add new ones. The core new facility is an Athletics and Ice Complex, which will serve as the new home to Hockey Canada.
The poll also revealed the government and private sector should provide a significant amount of financial support for athletes preparing for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. The largest percentage of Canadians polled believes the best use of private sector and government money is to invest in training facilities.
“This poll shows it is important to 85 per cent of Canadians that our athletes be successful in Vancouver and that success is measured on winning medals,” said Bob Nicolay, president and chief executive officer, CODA, the organization developing the Centre of Sport Excellence. “The Centre of Sport Excellence is the critical component required for success at Olympic and international competitions, and Canadians strongly support development of the facilities, programs and other resources necessary to make us all winners.”
The Alberta Government has kickstarted the project with a $69 million commitment. CODA is currently seeking other funding partners to move the project forward.
The planned Centre, developed by CODA in association with Canadian athletes, coaches, and national sport governing bodies, is intended to make Canada a leading Olympic sports nation, while encouraging a healthier and active lifestyle amongst Canadians. With Canada Olympic Park serving as the hub location, the Centre of Sport Excellence will centralize resources, give access to world-leading research and technology, and provide education and enhanced nutritional opportunities, while creating a culture of excellence.
“CODA is committed to giving Canadian athletes the facilities and resources required to foster excellence and be the world’s best,” said Nicolay, who added this project models what other world-leading nations including the Australians, Americans and Europeans are already doing to enhance athlete performance. “Canadians deserve equal treatment to athletes from other world-leading sport countries. This Centre will not only create a competitive advantage for our athletes, but will also have a positive impact in getting more young Canadians introduced to the various sports, and living more active lives.”
CODA has designed the project so it can be built in stages.
Earlier this year, a new world-leading snow-sport venue opened at Canada Olympic Park for freestyle and alpine skiers, which was constructed within the existing ski jump bowl, marking the first facility in the world to combine ski jumping, freestyle aerials and moguls, and alpine slalom all built to international standards. The Park also welcomed the addition of a 22-foot half-pipe last winter. The facility replicates the venue that will be created in Vancouver for the 2010 Olympic competition.
CODA has also completed construction of the Ice House – the world’s only year-round indoor start training facility which was built in 2001 for Canada’s bobsleigh, skeleton and luge athletes; and a world-leading gymnastics centre at Canada Olympic Park; Camp Green on Farnham Glacier – the nation’s only summer training facility for alpine snow-sport athletes which was officially opened in the summer of 2006; numerous upgrades to the Olympic Track and Olympic Oval in Calgary; and upgrades to the Beckie Scott High-Performance Training Centre on Haig Glacier and Bill Warren Training Centre for cross-country skiing and biathlon athletes in Canmore. CODA also applauds the Alberta Government’s leadership in providing the financial backing to fully modernize the Canmore Nordic Centre.
|
| |
4/23/2007
CXC EXTENDS ATHLETE APPLICATION DEADLINE
CXC Skiing is extending its athlete application process until May 1st to fill three spots still available in its Olympic Development Program. Applicants should send their last two years results and resume to yuriy.gusev@cxcskiing.org. The CXC Junior Development Program flyer and details are posted on the CXC home page at www.cxcskiing.org.
|
| |
4/23/2007
CXC HIRES JUNIOR DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM HEAD COACH
Central Cross Country Skiing with the support of the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation is pleased to announce the hiring of Bill Pierce as its CXC Junior Development Program Head Coach.
“It is my distinct pleasure to welcome Bill to the Central Cross Country Ski Association. I have enjoyed working with Bill in the past, and am looking forward to our association in the development of young cross country ski racers to their fullest potential,” commented Yuriy Gusev, CXC Skiing Chief Executive Officer.
Bill has had positive impact on the Midwest community for many years in several areas. A graduate of University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Bill along with his wife Kathy has owned and operated Pierce & Associates Design/Build, Inc, a builder of custom homes. Since moving to Hayward, Wis. he has been a member of the Board of Directors of the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation, serving as the Chairman for the last 6 years. He has been the Head Coach of Hayward High School Nordic Ski Team, one of the most successful programs in the Midwest. His coaching has had a direct impact on 11 Wisconsin Team Champions, 13 Individual Champions and 4-5 Junior Olympians each year including a National Champion during that period. This success was possible by developing and managing one of the strongest staffs and community support networks imaginable for a small town project. Bill, Kathy and their children Megan and Matt are all role models for active healthy family life styles.
The CXC Junior Development Program will model the successful CXC Olympic Development Team training program. The main components of the program are full-time year round professional coaching within a monthly training camp structure, and direct individual attention. These principles led the CXC Olympic Development Team to 30 out of 108 SuperTour podiums and placing two athletes on the U.S. World Championships Team.
Junior Development Program Head Coach Bill Pierce will be working within a coaching team structure including CXC Olympic Development Team Head Coach Bryan Fish, Athletic Advisor Yuriy Gusev, Logistics Director Scott Wilson, High Performance Advisor Igor Badamshin and CXC’s sports science support group of nutrition scientist, physical therapist and exercise physiologist.
|
| |
4/19/2007
CXC to Expand Team
Central Cross Country Skiing with the support of the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation announced on April 18 athlete openings for the 2008 CXC Ski Team. The team size will be expanded for the 2007-2008 season. CXC Team is a full time year round Olympic Development Program. The preparation period will begin in May.
Athletes must be out of college and committed full time to the program. Athletes will be selected among applicants on May 1 based on USSA points and coach’s discretion.
Athletes should provide the following information to yuriy.gusev@cxcskiing.org for the scheduling of interviews and further discussions of program objectives and benefits:
full name, age, USSA number, mailing address, phone number, e-mail address and a brief resume.
The CXC Olympic Development Team includes full time year round professional coaching, monthly training camp structure and direct individual attention. These principles led the CXC Olympic Development Team to 30 out of 108 SuperTour podiums. Caitlin Compton and Laura Valaas finished first and second overall on the SuperTour. Collectively, their greatest performance was winning the team sprint at U.S. Senior Nationals. Both women were named to the U.S. Team at the World Ski Championships in Sapporo, Japan. They were the only non-Olympians named to the World Championship Team. Laura collected an unprecedented 2nd place finish at the U23 World Championships in Tarvisio, Italy, setting a new mark of success for U.S. women. Bryan Cook, Brian Gregg, Matt Liebsch, Garrott Kuzzy and Andre Watt comprise the men’s team. Garrott Kuzzy finished third overall on the SuperTour. These five men frequently finished in the top ten at SuperTour events.
The CXC Olympic Development Team is led by Head Coach Bryan Fish, Athletic Advisor Yuriy Gusev, Logistics Director Scott Wilson, High Performance Advisor Igor Badamshin and CXC’s sports science support group of nutrition scientist, physical therapist and exercise physiologist.
On the Road to Olympic Gold
The vision of CXC Team is to close the gap between junior and senior athlete’s development by providing professional world class training and coaching opportunities. The vision objectives are critical elements toward the drive for the USSA achievement of Cross Country Olympic podiums by 2010 and Olympic Gold by 2014.
The mission of CXC Team is to make the vision a reality by selecting, training and supporting a team of world-class athletes and by involving those athletes in the regional ski communities. The team will deliver role models, ski specific education and motivational support for young athletes throughout the Central Region.
|
| |
4/19/2007
CODA HIRES VETERAN OLYMPIC MANAGER TO LEAD FACILITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECT
Dan Moro has been named vice-president, facility development for CODA in order to help the organization continue to fully develop the nation’s first $276-million Centre of Sport Excellence which is now under development in southern Alberta, the national body announced on Wednesday, April 18.
Moro returns for his second stint with CODA from his current position as director of ice sports for VANOC – the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Moro previously was CODA’s manager of sport from 2003 to 2005.
In the newly created role, Moro will be responsible for leading and representing CODA in the development of the Athletics and Ice Complex at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary – the core new facility within the Centre of Sport Excellence. Designed to centralize resources for Canadian athletes while creating a culture of excellence, the project represents the complete renewal and modernization of the legacy of facilities from the 1988 Olympic Winter Games with state-of-the-art facilities and world-leading programming.
“The addition of an experienced developer, operator and manager of Olympic facilities to our team will help us push forward to provide athletes with the facilities and programs they need to be the best in the world and win,” said Bob Nicolay, president and chief executive officer, CODA. “The new Athletics and Ice Complex represents the heart of the Centre of Sport Excellence, and Dan has tremendous knowledge since he helped build the business plans for CODA on this project prior to joining VANOC two years ago.”
Moro, who directed the International Centre of Excellence program for Hockey Canada for more than a decade before becoming sport director, ice hockey for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, left CODA in 2005 to join Olympic organizers in Vancouver. He was also a consultant to the Torino Olympic Organizing Committee for their Olympic and Paralympic ice hockey and curling programs.
“CODA’s plan for these facilities and programs will help bring home more medals for Canada than ever before in 2010 and beyond,” said Moro. “The Centre will also serve as a recreational resource for Albertans which will promote a healthier lifestyle, while helping to bolster tourism to Western Canada. I am excited to be a part of the team. This is a great challenge, and I look forward to the work ahead.”
CODA has designed the project so it can be built in stages. The Alberta Government has jumpstarted development of the Athletics and Ice Complex with $69 million – a quarter of the total cost to fully rejuvenate the legacy of existing facilities and add new one’s to create the Centre of Sport Excellence. The plan is similar to sport institutes the Americans, Germans, Austrians and Australians have all leveraged to increase athletic performance in their countries.
While CODA continues to secure additional sources of funding to ensure the complete project is undertaken, the organization, and its partners, has not been standing still since the vision was initially unveiled nearly five years ago.
Earlier this year, a new world-leading snow-sport venue opened at Canada Olympic Park for freestyle and alpine skiers, which was constructed within the existing ski jump bowl, marking the first facility in the world to combine ski jumping, freestyle aerials and moguls, and alpine slalom all built to international standards. The Park also welcomed the addition of a 22-foot half-pipe last winter. The facility replicates the venue that will be created in Vancouver for the 2010 Olympic competition.
CODA has also completed construction of the Ice House – the world’s only year-round indoor start training facility which was built in 2001 for Canada’s bobsleigh, skeleton and luge athletes; and a world-leading gymnastics centre at Canada Olympic Park; Camp Green on Farnham Glacier – the nation’s only summer training facility for alpine snow-sport athletes which was officially opened in the summer of 2006; numerous upgrades to the Olympic Track and Olympic Oval in Calgary; and upgrades to the Beckie Scott High-Performance Training Centre on Haig Glacier and Bill Warren Training Centre for cross country skiing and biathlon athletes in Canmore. CODA also applauds the Alberta Government’s leadership in providing the financial backing to fully modernize the Canmore Nordic Centre.
|
| |
4/19/2007
Flora Sweeps SuperTour Titles, Freeman Sets Mark
Olympian Lars Flora (Anchorage, AK) swept all three individual mens titles - overall, distance and sprint champion(s) - in 2007s $130,000 Cross Country SuperTour while Kris Freeman (Andover, NH) won eight races to set a record for most SuperTour wins in his career (23).
Team CXC teammates Caitlin Compton (Minneapolis) and Laura Valaas (Wenatchee, WA) dominated the womens side of the 24-race season. Compton won the overall and distance championships while Valaas won the sprint title, with nine victories. The overall champions receive start rights during the first period of the 2008 World Cup schedule.
U.S. Nordic Director Luke Bodensteiner said, "We are really proud of the 12 sites that came together again this winter to organize the SuperTour and put their individual stamp on its identity. What they provide in terms of promotion and sport development is high impact - this years SuperTour has been the largest yet, with the most sites, spectators, participants, media coverage and prize money. The organizers have developed an exemplary circuit and they are driving cross country forward in the U.S."
The SuperTour schedule includes all U.S. championship races.
In addition, many of the SuperTour distance races form the FIS North American Marathon Cup series. Zack Simons (Salt Lake City), who trains with the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation, and Kristina Strandberg of Sweden, a former University of New Mexico racer, won their respective titles.
The North American marathon schedule includes the 50K (reduced to 45K because of conditions) classic technique Noquemanon Marathon in Marquette, MI, as well the 30K freestyle City of Lakes Loppet in Minneapolis; the 30K FR Owl Creek Chase in Aspen, CO; the 52K FR (shortened to 25K because of conditions) American Birkebeiner between Cable and Seeley, WI; and the U.S. championship pursuits (mens 30K and womens 15K) plus the long-distance races (mens 50K CL and womens 30K CL) in Presque Isle, ME.
A recap of the 2007 SuperTour leaders:
MEN
Overall (24 races)
1. Lars Flora, Anchorage, AK - 533 points (8 wins)
2. Kris Freeman, Andover, NH - 426 (8 wins)
3. Garrott Kuzzy, Hayward, WI - 352
--
Distance (14 races)
1. Flora - 341 (5 wins)
2. Freeman - 330 (8 wins)
3. Kuzzy - 254
--
Sprint (10 races)
1. Flora - 192 (3 wins)
2. Eric Strabel, Anchorage, AK - 187 (2 wins)
3. Anders Haugen, Anchorage, AK - 162
--
WOMEN
Overall (24 races)
1. Caitlin Compton, Minneapolis - 541 points (4 wins)
2. Laura Valaas, Wenatchee, WA - 491 (9 wins)
3. Kate Whitcomb, Ketchum, ID - 359 (2 wins)
--
Distance (14 races)
1. Compton - 314 (4 wins)
2. Kristina Strandberg, Sweden - 238 (2 wins)
3. Taz Mannix, Anchorage, AK - 225 (1 win)
--
Sprint (10 races)
1. Valaas - 350 (9 wins)
2. Compton - 227
3. Karin Camenisch, Switzerland - 197
|
| |
4/6/2007
OLYMPIC CROSS COUNTRY SKI QUEEN SET TO WELCOME NEW HEIR
Canada’s most decorated Olympic cross country ski athlete, Beckie Scott, is set to add an heir to the family home, Cross Country Canada announced on Thursday, April 5.
The Olympic gold and silver medalist, along with husband Justin Wadsworth, a three-time Olympic cross country skier who is now a coach for the United States Ski Team, are expecting their first child in September.
“We are totally thrilled and excited to be adding a little one to the family,” said Scott. “It’s a new chapter opening up in our lives and, we couldn’t be happier about it.”
Prior to officially announcing her retirement nearly one year ago, April 12, 2006, Scott spent the last two decades traveling around the world’s Nordic highways with fellow Olympians, Sara Renner and Milaine Theriault. Now, Scott follows her teammates into the world of motherhood. Renner welcomed a baby girl into the world two months ago, while Theriault competed for two years on the international circuit after having a boy in 2004.
“Both Milaine and Sara have been great examples to follow, and I’ve already been calling on them frequently for tips and advice,” said Scott. “We’ve had so many memorable moments together as teammates and friends, and to be able to share this experience now…..it’s really something special.”
Scott skied into retirement having rewritten the Canadian record books in the sport, which also firmly established her as one of the world’s best all-round cross country ski racers. The remarkable trail for the Vermilion, Alta. native concluded with: 15 World Cup medals; four World Cup victories; two Olympic medals – including gold in the five-kilometer pursuit race at the 2002 Games, and a silver medal that she claimed with teammate Sara Renner in the sprint relay in 2006.
Despite retiring from competitive skiing, Scott continues to blaze her trail around the world as a member of the IOC’ Athletes’ Commission. Scott was elected to the position, which holds an eight-year term, by her peers at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games. She just recently finished up a month-long working tour of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games candidate cities with the IOC Evaluation Commission. In addition to her role with the IOC, Scott has been active in a variety of public speaking engagements over the past year, while also holding positions on a number of commissions and committees including; WADA, Right to Play, VANOC, the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport and the Canadian Olympic Committee.
|
| |
4/6/2007
Jay Cown Receives Hirsch Award for Magazine Writing
Jay Cowan of Snowmass, Colorado, was one of two recipients of the Harold S. Hirsch Award for Excellence in Snowsports Journalism for his work in Magazine Writing. The journalism awards are given out each year by the North American Snowsports Journalists Association (NASJA) during their annual meeting which was held at Crested Butte Mountain Resort in Colorado.
Judges scored his work a tie with equal judging scores in the Magazine Writing Category in this annual journalism competition named after the creator and founder of White Stag ski clothing company. The Harold S. Hirsch Awards are sponsored by HEAD Ski & Snowboard Company and Sport Obermeyer.
Cowan, is the Editor-in-Chief for Aspen Sojourner Magazine and a regular contributor to SKI, Mountain Gazette, Cross Country Skier, The Preferred Way, LINKS, Cowboy & Indians, and others including authoring the book The Best of the Alps. Cowan is a four time winner of the Harold S. Hirsch Awards.
Judging the Harold S. Hirsch Awards were a distinguished panel of 12 judges comprised of newspaper and magazine editors, columnists, broadcast news bureau chiefs and other professional journalists.
Cowan received a trophy awards, and a certificates for his choice of equipment from Head Ski & Snowboard Company and his NASJA annual meeting conference fees reimbursed. The other tied award winner in the Harold S. Hirsch Awards for Excellence in Snowsports Journalism for the Magazine Writing category was Christopher Solomon from Seattle, Washington, who is a freelance writer with work appearing in the New York Times, OutsideMagazine, Men’s Journal, SKI and Skiing.
|
| |
4/5/2007
Bernd Eisenbichler Named High Performance Director for U.S. Biathlon
Bernd Eisenbichler of Munich, Germany has been named High Performance Director for the U.S. Biathlon Association. As High Performance Director, Eisenbichler will be responsible for the implementation of the national team program, while improving the level of organization, professionalism and success in the Europa Cup, Junior and Development programs. He commented, “I want to see all of our competitive programs operating under the same philosophy of success that the new staff has instituted for the national team program. At the same time, we will continue to add more specialist consultants to our support staff, like nutritionist Robert Gorgos and sports medicine specialist Dr. Andreas Kreutz, who began working with the national team during the past season.”
Eisenbichler brings an extensive background in biathlon and Nordic sports to his position. He became the Head Wax Technician for the U.S. Biathlon Team in 1999 and is recognized as one of the best and most respected in the sport. Since that time, U.S. biathletes such as Jay Hakkinen, Tim Burke, Rachel Steer and Jeremy Teela have benefited from his expertise while posting some of the best international results in U.S. history. Besides the U.S. team, he also is the personal wax technician for World and Olympic champions Ricco Gross and Kati Wilhelm. Prior to working in biathlon, the 31-year-old Eisenbichler was German cross country champion at the kids, youth and junior levels and competed internationally for the German military. He graduated from the University of Munich in 2003, with an education degree, specializing in history and German.
Eisenbichler will continue his duties as Head Wax Technician, which will keep him in close contact with the athletes and coaching staff, while monitoring performances. “My goals as High Performance Director include seeing all four of our men in the top 15 at World Cups, as well as winning both an individual and relay medal at the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games in 2010.”
In his first days on the job this week, Eisenbichler and U.S. Biathlon Executive Director Max Cobb met with U.S. Olympic Committee staff in Colorado Springs, evaluating U.S. Biathlon’s progress this year and exploring further opportunities for cooperation between the USBA and the USOC. Discussing Eisenbichler’s new position, Cobb remarked, “With Bernd moving into this position, our full-time staff is now complete. This caps what has been a remarkable and productive transition year for the Association, and puts us on a course for success in Vancouver.”
The United States Biathlon Association is the National Governing Body for the sport of Biathlon in the United States, as recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the International Biathlon Union. The U.S. Biathlon Association supports the U.S. Biathlon Team and development of the sport on all levels within the United States.
|
| |
4/3/2007
Jules Older Recipient of Harold S. Hirsch Award
Jules Older of San Francisco, California, was one of two of the recipient of the Harold S. Hirsch Award for Excellence in Snowsports Journalism for his work in Columns Writing. The journalism awards are given out each year by the North American Snowsports Journalists Association (NASJA) during their annual meeting that was held at Crested Butte Mountain Resort in Colorado. For the first time, judges scored equal points and a tie in this annual journalism competition named after the creator and founder of White Stag ski clothing company. The Harold S. Hirsch Awards are sponsored by HEAD Ski & Snowboard Company and Sport Obermeyer.
Older is a five-time winner of this prestigious journalism award. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Ski Press USA/Ski Press Canada, which is a winter monthly publication distributed throughout North America and as well as online. He also writes adult and children’s books, produces articles, editorials and columns for many publications including radio and video commentary.
Judging the Harold S. Hirsch Awards were a distinguished panel of 12 judges comprised of newspaper and magazine editors, columnists, broadcast news bureau chiefs and others. One commented, “…This writer had by far the strongest voice of any of the columnists who entered. Each column has a strong, almost in your face point of view.”
Older received a trophy award, a certificate for his choice of equipment from Head Ski & Snowboard Company and his NASJA annual meeting conference fees reimbursed. The other award winner in this category was Bob Cox, Ski Columnist for The Daily Breeze in Torrance, California. Honorable Mention Award went to Marty Basch, a syndicated columnist with the Boston Globe who has authored several books including Winter Trails Vermont and Hew Hampshire, and Winter Trails Maine.
|
| |
4/2/2007
Freeman, Mannix Repeat Titles at U.S. Championships
Kris Freeman (Andover, NH) and Taz Mannix (Anchorage, AK) each collected their second U.S. titles in 48 hours Sunday, April 1,, winning the gold medal in the mens 50K and womens 30K classic technique marathon, mass-start races - as the U.S. Cross Country Championships concluded.
Freeman, a Type 1 diabetic who picked up his 10th national crown - and fourth this season, and Mannix, whose first U.S. gold medal came the previous Friday in the pursuit title race, also won the title as Grand National Champion, which is bestowed on the skier with the best overall results at the U.S. championships. The short-distance title races were held in January at Michigan Tech in Houghton; the Maine Nordic Heritage Center hosted the long-distance races, including the pursuits and the marathons.
In the mens four-lap race, Freeman won with a time of 2:01.01.6 with Canadian Alex Harvey second in 2:01.22.2. However, since only U.S. skiers qualify for U.S. medals, the silver medal went to Team CXC racer Garrott Kuzzy (Hayward, WI) in 2:04.13.6 with the bronze going to Torin Koos (Leavenworth, WA), who produced his first World Cup podium this season - in a sprint in Otepaeae, Estonia.
Mannix, Stephen duel to the end
Earlier, Mannix - who came out of the Alaska Winter Stars and APU Nordic programs before being named to the Ski Team this season - edged teammate Liz Stephen by 1.3 seconds in a final sprint. Her winning time after the three-lap race was 1:20.03.7 with Stephen, also in her first year with the Ski Team, timed in 1:20.05.0.
Freeman in control
"It was a pretty good day. I definitely was in control all the way," Freeman, a two-time Olympian, said. "I threw some surges in to break up the pack, and around 25Ks I dropped everyone but Harvey. Hes a good skier - he had good skis, but hes a good skier and stayed with me.
"Then, heading into the last five Ks, I put in another couple of surges, and finally in the last three Ks he couldnt keep up," the winner said. "It was a good race."
He said snow conditions were dramatically different from a year ago when he also won the 50K CL in Maine. "The snow was fast on the first [12.5K] lap, nice and firm, then it was a little softer on the next lap, and softer on each of the next laps. They were perfect New England spring conditions," according to Freeman.
"I had a great season although I never had a GREAT result all year. A couple were pretty close; I wish I hadnt fallen in the pursuit at Worlds," he went on," and I had bad luck [with a snowstorm] in the 15K, but aside from that I had six top-20s and a 21st, and way fewer World Cup races than I usually do, so I think this was probably my best all-round season."
Coach Matt Whitcomb said the women had hard and fast, icy conditions, which - as Freeman said - softened as the men raced. "Harvey responded to every surge Bird [Freeman] threw out there until the end; he really worked hard...and with about three Ks Bird unleashed the fury, and that was it."
In the womens race, he said, "It was tight to the end and Taz out-sprinted Liz for the finish. It was so close and they did a great job. At about nine Ks, they blew the pack apart and skied off. Its good to see them coming on the way they did," Whitcomb said.
In addition to the U.S. titles, the races doubled as SuperTour Finals. By finishing fifth, Lars Flora (Anchorage, AK), who already had clinched the SuperTour overall title, also secured the mens distance championship. In the womens ranks, Caitlin Compton (Minneapolis) was 10th, but it was good enough for her to win both the womens overall and distance titles from Team CXC teammate - and sprint champion - Laura Valaas (Wenatchee, WA).
2007 U.S. CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
SuperTour Finals
Nordic Heritage Center
Presque Isle, ME - April 1, 2007
Mens 50K Classic, Mass Start
(Only U.S. skiers eligible for medals)
1. Kris Freeman, Andover, NH/U.S. Ski Team, 2:01.01.6
2. Alex Harvey, Canada, 2:01.22.2
3. Garrott Kuzzy, Hayward, WI/Team CXC, 2:04.13.6
4. Torin Koos, Leavenworth, WA/U.S. Ski Team, 2:04:43.5
5. Lars Flora, Anchorage, AK/Subaru Factory Team, 2:06.04.4
Womens 30K Classic, Mass Start
(Only U.S. skiers eligible for medals)
1. Taz Mannix, Anchorage, AK/U.S. Ski Team, 1:20.03.7
2. Liz Stephen, East Montpelier, VT/U.S. Ski Team, 1:20.05.0
3. Brittany Webster, Canada, 1:20.33.1
4. Kate Whitcomb, Sun Valley, ID/Team FSx, 1:22.18.2
5. Haley Johnson, Presque Isle/Maine Winter Sports Center, 1:22.19.0
|
| |
3/31/2007
Freeman, Mannix Win U.S. Pursuit Titles
Kris Freeman (Andover, NH) earned his third U.S. title of the season Friday, March 30 - and his ninth overall - while Taz Mannix (Anchorage, AK) collected the first of her career in the pursuit races opening the last phase of the U.S. Cross Country Championships.
The long-distance races from the championship are doubling as SuperTour Finals at the Nordic Heritage Center.
Freeman, a two-time Olympian, led the 15K classic technique stage of the 30K race by nearly a minute and went on through the 15K freestyle portion to win in 1:12.23.6. Garrott Kuzzy (Hayward, WI) was silver medalist with a time of 1:13.17.5 and Torin Koos (Leavenworth, WA), who earned his first World Cup podium - in a sprint - this season, was third.
Pursuits begin with a mass start and, Freeman said, "Right from the gun, I went pretty hard. Theres a nasty downhill out of the start and I wanted to be up front to avoid any trouble. At the bottom of the downhill, I decided I didnt want to deal with traffic, so I broke from the pack."
Freeman, a diabetic who had his best World Cup season in three years, including a top-10 finish in China, had won the 10K classic technique and 15K free at the short-distance championships at Michigan Tech (Houghton, MI) in January. He has one race left Sunday, April 1 in the 50K CL, a race in which hes the defending gold medalist.
The men skied three times around a 5K classic technique loop and then three times around a 5K skating loop; the women had a 7.5K CL loop and a 7.5K freestyle leg.
"They did a great job preparing the tracks," Freeman said. "It was really bad skiing yesterday - icy, boilerplate conditions, but they worked the snow all night and it was granular today and fine for racing."
Mannix won the womens 15K pursuit with a total time of 41:05.0. Liz Stephen (East Montpelier, VT) was silver medalist in 41:53.6 and Lindsay Williams (Hastings, MN) third.
Coincidentally, Mannix had spent time with Stephen and her family after they returned two weeks ago from the Under-23 World Championships in Tarvisio, Italy, where Mannix turned-in the fastest skating leg to move up 14 places to ninth in the pursuit. "I got to ski with Liz in Vermont before we came here and the snow was great, so I felt good...and this was a really good day, for sure.
"I think the course was suited to my strengths - the classic portion had some technical downhills, some gradual climbing sections and you had to work it the entire time. And then the skate section had a lot of downhill and then a sustained K-and-a-half, two Ks climb back to the finish," she said.
In her first season on the U.S. Ski Team, she said the preseason conditioning program has helped and shes learned a lot. "Sometimes at the end of a season an athletes burned out and his or her bodys tired, but I still feel fresh and Im really excited about my first season on the Ski Team," she said.
"Its such a balancing act, getting to know how much to push your body, but not to push it too much, how much to train, and when youre traveling, learning about training. I feel like Ive balanced that training and travel and recovery. Its been a good year," Mannix said.
The championships conclude Sunday, April 1 with the distance races - womens 30K classic and mens 50K CL. At the U.S. championships, only U.S. skiers are eligible for medals. Foreign skiers are listed in the Guest Class category.
2007 U.S. CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
SuperTour Finals
Nordic Heritage Center
Presque Isle, ME - March 30, 2007
(Only U.S. skiers eligible for medals)
Mens 30K Pursuit (15K CL+15K FR)
1. Kris Freeman, Andover, NH/U.S. Ski Team, 1:12.23.6
2. Alex Harvey, Canada, 1:13.17.5
3. Garrott Kuzzy, Hayward, WI/Team CXC, 1:13.47.4
4. Chris Butler, Canada, 1:13.47.7
5. Torin Koos, Leavenworth, WA/U.S. Ski Team, 1:1:14.27.8
6. Lars Flora, Anchorage, AK/APU Nordic, 1:15.02.3
7. Brayton Osgood, Putney, VT/Team Alpina/XC Oregon, 1:15.12.8
8. Dave Chamberlain, Bethel, ME/Maine Winter Sports Center, 1:15.20.1
9. Marius Korthauer, Germany/University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1:15.23.8
10. Colin Rodgers, Sun Valley, ID/FSx, 1:15.32.3
Womens 15K Pursuit (7.5K CL+7.5K FR)
(Only U.S. skiers eligible for medals)
1. Brittany Webster, Canada, 41:02.5
2. Taz Mannix, Anchorage, AK/Alaska Pacific U. Nordic/U.S. Ski Team, 41:05.0
3. Dasha Gaiazova, Canada, 41:33.4
4. Liz Stephen, East Montpelier, VT/Burke Mountain Academy/U.S. Ski Team, 41:53.6
5. Lindsay Williams, Hastings, MN/Northern Michigan U./U.S. Ski Team, 41:56.6
6. Lindsey Weier, Mahtomedi, MN/NMU/U.S. Ski Team, 42:09.3
7. Morgan Arritola, Fairfield, ID/Sun Valley SEF/U.S. Ski Team, 42:09.7
8. Laura Valaas, Wenatchee, WA/Team CXC, 42:42.6
9. Brooke Gosling, Canada, 42:43.3
10. Caitlin Compton, Minneapolis/Team CXC, 43:42.4
|
| |
3/30/2007
Successful Shoulder Surgery for Spillane
Former nordic combined sprint world champion Johnny Spillane (Steamboat Springs, CO) is resting and rehabbing his right shoulder after surgery to repair a broken bone with cadavers. He plans to be "ready to roll" for next season.
Spillane, 26 and a three-time Olympian in the sport that mixes ski jumping and cross country skiing, underwent the surgery Monday, March 26, at The Orthopedic Surgery Hospital in Salt Lake City. He injured it during dryland training in February, on the eve of the World Championships in Japan, and eventually had to stop his World Cup season a week early because of the pain.
He has to keep his right arm in a sling for a month or more, depending on recovery, he said, and then will move through the next stage of rehab. "Ill be extra patient with this; I want it to heal extra strong," he said.
Doctor Michael Metcalf operated on Spillane, repairing the broken coracoid process, reattaching it to his shoulder blade, sewing a cadaver graft into the ligaments to provide stability to the collarbone and shoulder.
"Were hard on our shoulders, and surgery last year apparently had weakened it," Spillane explained. "My arm and shoulder have to be completely supported all the time. Its been so frustrating these last couple of years, but Ill be ready to roll next season, and Im looking for a few years without injuries."
|
| |
3/28/2007
Canadian Biathlon Team Digest 3/21-25
March 25, 2007
GOLD MEDAL SWEEP FOR JEAN-PHILIPPE LEGUELLEC 2007 BIATHLON CANADIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Make it a clean sweep for Jean-Philippe Leguellec, who took the final gold medal in the senior men’s pursuit race at the 2007 Canadian Championships in Charlo, New Brunswick. The 21-year-old Olympian headed home for the season with three gold medals and three new Canadian Championship titles.
A native of Valcartier, Que., Leguellec struggled in the first shooting bouts and found himself behind the leaders for the first few laps. Not succumbing to panic, “JP” as he is known on the team, kept to his race plan, posting only one miss in the final shooting bout and put himself back in the lead pack heading into the final lap. Leguellec snuck past François Leboeuf of Val Bélair, Que., who ended the day in the silver medal position and David Leoni of Camrose, Alta., who was third.
“This week has been so much higher than my expectations,” said Leguellec. “My goal coming in was top-five with potentially a podium finish. To leave here with three gold medals is beyond what I could have hoped for. Each race was challenging and exciting, and I am extremely satisfied to be ending the season this way.”
Zina Kocher of Red Deer, Alta., stood atop the podium for the first time of these Championships. Kocher has been fighting illness and jetlag after hopping a plane to Charlo from Russia earlier in the week. The 24-year-old managed to battle through the end-of-season fatigue to take the women’s title in the pursuit.
“My head was not really in the game this week,” said Kocher. “Shooting was definitely rough all week and today was no exception. I think the difference today was that I thought about it being the last race of the season, I felt strong on the last loop and just gave it everything I had left.”
In junior women’s action, Megan Imrie of Falcon Lake, Man., made her own sweep of the podium, claiming all three Junior women’s titles, including the gold medal in Sunday’s (March 25) pursuit. Imrie was also named Manitoba’s Junior Athlete of the Year at the Canadian Sport Awards, Friday, in Winnipeg.
“It has been a really great weekend,” said Imrie. “I can’t think of a better way to end the season. After Canada Games, I did another tough week of training, and then took a mental break, so the first race my legs felt awesome and that has really made all the difference. I felt just as strong this week as I did at Junior World Championships. Added to that, was winning the award, which is a huge honor that I was not expecting. This week has been unbelievable. What a way to end my time as a junior athlete.”
Coming in behind Imrie in the silver medal position was Claude Godbout of Quebec, followed by Cindy Clark of Winnipeg in third. On the junior men’s side, Maxime Leboeuf of Val Bélair, Que., stayed on top of the junior men’s podium, taking the pursuit title over Marc-André Bédard of Valcartier, Que., by nearly two minutes.
March 24, 2007
SANDRA KEITH AND JEAN-PHILIPPE LEGUELLEC GO TWO-FOR-TWO AT CANADIAN BIATHLON CHAMPIONSHIPS
After taking gold in the individual races, Thursday (March 22), Sandra Keith and Jean-Philippe Leguellec kept the streak going, taking gold again in Saturday’s (March 24) sprint races at the 2007 Canadian Championships in Charlo, New Brunswick.
Keith, a native of Calgary, won handily in the senior women’s category, posting one shooting error and completing the 7.5-kilometer race in 24 minutes 13.7 seconds. Runner-up for the second race in a row, Sonya Erasmus of Vanderhoof, B.C., crossed the line 30.6 seconds behind Keith for the silver medal. Recently returning from the last World Cup race of the season in Russia, Red Deer native Zina Kocher shook off three shooting errors to take the bronze medal, stopping the clock 38.2 seconds behind the new national champion.
“It’s always challenging to race at the end of the season,” said Keith. “I managed to fight off the spring fever, focus in on the race and came out with the win. I’m usually stronger in the longer distance races. It’s been nearly five years since my last sprint win at nationals, so I am really happy with the way I skied today.”
After a day of freezing rain and less than ideal conditions, competitors were treated to a beautiful day of racing, complete with sun and blue skies.
Jean-Philippe Leguellec of Valcartier, Que., enjoyed the taste of victory so much he decided to add a second national title to his record. Leguellec was in a league of his own, crossing the line in 27:19.3, +1:17.5 ahead of Edmonton’s Jaime Robb. Settling into the bronze medal position, David Leoni of Camrose Alta., took third place for the second race in a row, +1:21.3 behind Leguellec.
In junior women’s action, Megan Imrie of Falcon Lake, Man., successfully defended her 2006 sprint title, taking her second gold in as many races. Maxime Leboeuf of Val Bélair, Que., made his way to the top of the junior men’s podium, defeating Thursday’s winner, Brendan Green of Whitehorse, N.W.T., by a margin of 37.1 seconds.
March 22, 2007
CANADA’S ELITE BIATHLETES BATTLE FOR SUPREMACY AT THE 2007 CANADIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Day one of the 2007 Biathlon Canadian Championships got underway, Thursday (March 22), in Charlo, New Brunswick. Sandra Keith and Jean-Philippe Leguellec were the first to be crowned national champions, in the men’s and women’s individual races.
Fresh off a successful season on the World Cup circuit in Europe, Calgary’s Sandra Keith took the gold medal in the women’s race with a time of 52 minutes, 53.0 seconds, defeating Sonya Erasmus of Vanderhoof, B.C., who crossed the line for the silver medal (54:52.0) and Nicole Pacas of Alberta, who snagged the bronze (55:40.5).
It was a challenging day for the competitors, as the skies opened up about 30 minutes before the race and dropped freezing rain throughout the day. However, for those athletes who have spent many months competing in Europe, the rain is typical.
“It wouldn’t have felt like race day without the rain,” said Keith. “It was challenging for sure, especially when my hat froze to my barrel on the first downhill, but for me the conditions have been like this all season in Europe. I am really happy with my race today, and it was great to see the representation of many provinces on the podium. It shows the depth and development of biathlon across the nation.”
Zina Kocher, top Canadian female on the World Cup circuit this season, did not compete in Thursday’s race, opting to rest for the weekend after just getting off the plane from Russia, Monday.
In men’s action, Jean-Philippe Leguellec of Valcartier, Que., reigned supreme on the day, taking his first senior national title, stopping the clock at 56:10.1. Leguellec defeated 10-time national champion, Robin Clegg of Ottawa, who was the runner-up on the day (56:36.2) and fellow World Cup teammate David Leoni of Camrose Alta., who was third (58:48.6).
“I was a bit nervous in the first lap because my skis weren’t running that fast,” said Leguellec. “Luckily the rain created a nice quick layer of ice on the track that made things a lot faster. I am pretty excited about winning my first national title as a senior, especially against such great competitors.”
Junior champions were crowned in the men’s and women’s races as well. Brendan Green, gold medalist from the Canada Winter Games in his hometown of Whitehorse, won the junior men’s race. Megan Imrie of Falcon Lake, Man., 2006 Junior National Champion in the sprint race, took the gold in the junior women’s 12.5-kilometer individual.
|
| |
3/27/2007
Canadian Team Digest 3/12-25
March 25, 2007
CANADIAN CROSS COUNTRY SKIERS WRAP UP COMPETITIVE SEASON AROUND THE GLOBE
Canada’s elite cross country skiers wrapped up the post-Olympic ski season with the men’s team racing in a World Cup relay event in Sweden, while the remainder of the Nordic community were battling it out for the national title in the distance events in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Que. on Sunday, March 25.
Four Canadian men wrapped up a grueling season on the World Cup circuit, highlighted by a number of personal and team success stories, by finishing 12th in the 4 X10 men’s relay event in Falun, Sweden. The Canadian team, led by Devon Kershaw of Sudbury, Ont. who won a World Cup medal in December, finished with a time of one hour, 55 minutes, 36.4 seconds. Kershaw was joined by Brian McKeever of Canmore, Alta., Stefan Kuhn of Edmonton, and Drew Goldsack of Red Deer, Alta.
Norway won the final race of the season with a time of 1:49:10.7, while Russia and France posted matching times at 1:49:11.2.
Meanwhile, back at home the remainder of the nation’s top Nordic skiers embarked on a marathon to end the 2007 Canadian Championships. David Nighbor, of North Bay, Ont., took home national bragging rights in the men’s 50 kilometer skate race after posting a time of 2:01:50.0. Dan Roycroft of Port Sydney, Ont., finished on Nighbor’s heels in second (2:01:50.2), while Chris Jeffries of Chelsea, Que., wrapped up third after stopping the clock at 2:01:50.5.
In the women’s 30 kilometer skate race, it was Oregon’s Evelyn Dong who set the leading time at 1:23:11.4. The top three Canadians on the day included: Dasha Gaiazova at 1:23:23.4; Tasha Betcherman, of Thunder Bay, Ont., at 1:23:23.7; and Edmonton’s Madeleine Williams, who posted a time of 1:23:59.8.
The next generation of cross country skiers also put on a show at the national spectacle. Alex Harvey of Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges, Que., whose season was highlighted with a bronze-medal performance at the World Junior Championships earlier this month, took home the gold in the junior men’s 30-kilometer race with a time of 1:13:30.2. Brittany Webster of Caledon, Ont., won the junior women’s 15 kilometer discipline after crossing the line with a time of 40:20.5.
March 24, 2007
DEVON KERSHAW LEADS CANADIANS IN WORLD CUP PURSUIT RACE
Devon Kershaw led the Canadian team to 35th place finish during the final World Cup pursuit race of the season on Saturday in Falun, Sweden.
The 24-year-old Sudbury, Ont. native fought his way through the 30 kilometer pursuit race to finish with a time of one hour, 34 minutes, 34.4 seconds. The pursuit combines 15 kilometers of classic skiing with an addition 15 kilometers of skate skiing. Athletes enter a transition zone between the two legs.
“The temperatures have been well above 0 degrees C here and we’ve been skiing in slush so it has been very difficult to stay in it mentally,” said Kershaw, who enjoyed a breakthrough season on the World Cup. “Overall, I’m ecstatic with my performance this year. To get back on the World Cup podium, I know I can compete with the best in the world now which is awesome.”
Three other Canadian men suited up for the final weekend of World Cup racing in Sweden. Brian McKeever, of Canmore, Alta., finished 56th at 1:39:23.5; while Drew Goldsack, of Red Deer, Alta., was 57th (1:39:43.0); and Stefan Kuhn, of Edmonton, was 61st (1:41:44.9).
Germany’s Tobias Angerer entered the winner’s circle after setting the time to beat at 1:31:18.0. Sweden’s Mathias Fredriksson, was second at 1:31:18.2 and Emmanuel Jonnier, of France, was third (1:31:18.4).
March 23, 2007
CHANDRA CRAWFORD AND DAVE NIGHBOR TAKE SPRINT TITLES AT CANADIAN CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
The 2007 Canadian Championships provided the perfect backdrop for the finale of the seven-race Madshus Sprint Series, Friday, March 22, in Mont-Ste-Anne, Que. Chandra Crawford and Dave Nighbor were crowned national champions in the sprint race, after a long day of competition.
Jetlag was not a factor for Crawford of Canmore, Alta., who arrived home from Europe the day before, to compete in at the Canadian Championship events. The Olympic sprint champion knocked Montreal’s Dasha Gaiazova off the top spot on the podium for the first time this week, after winning both the free and classic races. Tasha Betcherman of Thunder Bay, Ont., picked up her second medal of the Championships, ending the day in the bronze medal position.
North Bay, Ont. native, Dave Nighbor, stepped up to top spot in the men’s sprint, improving on his silver medal in the freestyle race. Graham Nishikawa of Whitehorse, Yukon, was runner-up for the second race in a row, followed by Chris Jeffries of Chelsea, Que., in third.
Athletes have been participating in the seven-race Madshus Sprint series throughout the season, and titles were also handed out to the top man and woman, based on their best four finishes throughout the season.
Heading into the final race, Phil Widmer of Canmore, Alta., held a 22-point lead over Stephan Kuhn, also of Canmore, with 102 points. On the women’s side, Sarah Daitch of Fort Smith, N.W.T. was comfortably in the lead with 110 points, 24 points ahead of her closest competitor, Alberta’s Shayla Swanson. Both Widmer, who finished fifth in today’s race, and Daitch, who finished 13th, had enough points to solidify their titles.
March 21, 2007
CODA OPENS WORLD-LEADING SNOW-SPORT VENUE AT CANADA OLYMPIC PARK
A new world-leading snow-sport venue, which opened at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary on Wednesday, March 21 will give athletes quick and easy access to the best possible training close to home and school, CODA announced, while officially kicking off the 2007 Canada Post National Freestyle Championships and Honda Canadian Snowboard Championships, March 22-25.
The world-caliber training and competition venues for freestyle and alpine skiers, which were constructed within the existing ski jump bowl at Canada Olympic Park, will be the first facility in the world to combine ski jumping, freestyle aerials and moguls and alpine slalom, all built to international specifications. The facility will be equipped with improved snowmaking, lighting, an access lift and the latest video technology for training.
“These new facilities demonstrate CODA’s firm commitment to providing Canadian athletes the facilities and opportunities required to foster excellence, and be the world’s best,” said Bob Nicolay, president and chief executive officer, CODA, the legacy organization of the 1988 Olympic Winter Games. “These facilities will help Canada attain its goal of becoming a world-leading winter sports nation in 2010 and beyond.”
CODA and its partners – including Own the Podium 2010 – invested $3 million in new facilities at Canada Olympic Park this winter, including the world’s first 22-foot snowboard half-pipe, the Olympic standard for 2010, which was opened earlier this year. The facilities were made possible in part by the booming development in Calgary as local builders have voluntarily trucked in more than 100,000 cubic metres (9,000 truckloads) or $1.5 million worth of fill to raise and re-contour the existing ski hill and Nordic area.
“This is a world-class facility that provides Canadian athletes with a competitive edge,” said Jennifer Heil, Olympic gold medalist in moguls, who hails from Spruce Grove, Alta. “Having international level races, minutes from downtown Calgary, will raise freestyles visibility as well as attract young Canadians to the sport, strengthening the overall program for the future.”
The new freestyle venue at Canada Olympic Park, along with Camp Green on Farnham Glacier – CODA’s summer on-snow training facility – now allows freestyle athletes the opportunity to train year-round at home, on CODA-operated facilities.
The new facilities are core to CODA’s plan to develop the nation’s first Centre of Sport Excellence. The Province has committed $69 million to the $276-million project, which will give Canadian athletes access to the world-leading resources and facilities that have propelled other countries to the top of the international podium.
“Canada’s athletes require top-quality training facilities to succeed against the world’s best, and today CODA is again delivering what athletes need, and have asked for,” said Nicolay, who applauds the Alberta Government for its leadership role in helping to revitalize the legacy of Olympic facilities in the province. “Our athletes deserve access to premium facilities, equal to athletes from other world-leading sport countries. Construction of this complex, and others in our vision, will not only create a competitive advantage for our athletes, but will also have a positive impact through introducing more young Canadians to the various sports, while encouraging them to live more active lives.”
With Canada Olympic Park serving as the hub location in the plan, the facility now provides a new home to the Canadian Snowboarding Team; national ski jumping and Nordic combined programs; Canada’s bobsleigh, skeleton and luge athletes, who benefit from the recently built Ice House – the world’s only year-round indoor training facility for the sliding sports; and training for national freestyle and alpine skiing athletes. CODA also operates Camp Green on Farnham Glacier – the nation’s only summer training facility for the snow-sports; the Beckie Scott High-Performance Training Centre on Haig Glacier for cross country skiing and biathlon athletes; and the Bill Warren Training Centre in Canmore. CODA is also a committed partner providing the majority of funds to operate the Olympic Oval at the University of Calgary.
As a result of these new developments, CODA recently hosted hundreds of the nation’s top athletes from each of the disciplines in snowboarding and freestyle skiing for the Canadian Championships at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, March 22-25. The joint event marked the first time ever Canada’s freestyle and snowboard athletes have competed in their national championships on the same weekend in Calgary.
|
| |
3/27/2007
Great Glen to Bretton Woods Nordic Adventure Reaches its Finish Line
Because of the uncertainty of the racecourse and other factors beyond the control of race organizers, Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center and the Bretton Woods Nordic Center have announced they will no longer hold the Great Glen to Bretton Woods Nordic Adventure.
“We love this event,” said Howie Wemyss, General Manager of Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center.” But a significant portion of the course was always such a question mark, and it always will be. When we conceived of the event, we realized there would be challenges to pulling it off each year, but we didn’t foresee some of the ongoing issues that we’ve had to face in the six years of holding or trying to hold this great event.”
The course for the Nordic Adventure utilizes a number of trails not normally maintained for cross country skiing. While the course begins on the trail system at Great Glen Trails and finishes 50 kilometers later at the Bretton Woods Nordic Center, the route from one touring center to the other includes Forest Service roads, hiking trails, a power line right of way and a rail trail. Those other trails are subject to multiple uses that are not conducive to cross country skiing, including logging and snowmobiling.
“The Forest Service, the Department of Transportation and the snowmobile clubs that maintain the trails have been very cooperative,” said Wemyss. “But the snow quality on those trails was always well below what cross country skiers need and desire. And because of the multiple use aspect of those trails we couldn’t prepare and groom the surface until the day before the event.”
Additionally, the wind along the power line and rail trail sections of the course, which parallels Route 2 in Randolph, perennially causes damage to the snow pack. The lean snows of 2006 and wind in this section led to the cancellation of the race that year, and without some timely snowfall in the days leading into the event this year, the point-to-point course could not have been used.
Sue Wemyss, Event Director for the last six years adds, “We very specifically named this event the ‘Nordic Adventure’ knowing that this was going to be an unusual course with unusual ski and snow conditions, but when we work all year long only to have the very real possibility of a last minute cancellation or a change to a loop course at one of the touring centers, it just doesn’t make sense to continue.”
“One of the biggest draws of the event was its point-to-point nature, people just loved the feeling of actually going somewhere when they took part in this event. From the Forest Service trails to the long climb up Jefferson Notch Road, there was no other event like it,” said Wemyss. “But the course was also the biggest liability. It’s sad to see it come to an end.”
The Great Glen to Bretton Woods Nordic Adventure was part of New England Nordic Ski Association’s (NENSA) New England Marathon Series and the American Marathon Series, which includes the famous American Birkebeiner.
Both Great Glen Trails and Bretton Woods Nordic look forward to putting the time and energy spent on the Nordic Adventure into new events in the future.
For more information about the Great Glen to Bretton Woods Nordic Adventure, go to www.greatglentobrettonwoods.com .
|
| |
3/27/2007
New England Ski Museum Awards Grassroots Grants
The New England Ski Museum recently awarded a total of $2,500 to three organizations under its 2007 Cal Conniff Grant Program. The recipients of the awards were recognized at the Hannes Schneider Meister Cup Race at Cranmore Mountain Resort in North Conway, NH on March 10.
Now in its seventh year, the Cal Conniff Grant Program makes monetary awards to individuals and organizations for projects relating to alpine and Nordic skiing, snowshoeing and snowboarding. In past years applicants have included public and private school programs, ski history researchers, municipal ski areas, ski clubs and snowboard programs. Projects intended to increase awareness of the history of winter sports or encourage participation in these activities are eligible.
The grant program is named for Cal Conniff, a former president of the Ski Museum and a long-time ski industry figure. He began his career as a cook at the Appalachian Mountain Clubs Pinkham Notch Camp so he could ski in nearby Tuckerman Ravine in his time off. After a stretch as general manager of Mt. Tom, Mass. he spent 17 years as chief executive of the National Ski Areas Association. Conniff is the founder of the Hannes Schneider Meister Cup Race and recently published his first book, Skiing in Massachusetts, with co-author E. John B. Allen.
The Nansen Ski Club of Berlin (New Hampshire), recognized as the oldest existing ski club in the country, will receive $500 in grant money to develop a website to draw skiers to its recently relocated touring center. The club, in a partnership with New Hampshire Division of Parks, developed a ski touring trail network in Milan Hill State Park after its former location was earmarked as a site for a new federal prison.
A second grant was also directed to the Berlin area. The Berlin High School physical education program is the recipient of $1,500 to purchase snowshoes to begin a winter sports outdoor program. The snowshoes will also be available to the high school Outing Club on weekends.
The Ware (Mass.) High School Ski and Snowboard Club will utilize a $500 grant that, combined with other fund-raising sources, will allow club members to participate in trips to Wachusett and Sunday River. Students will be asked to contribute an essay on a ski history topic.
|
| |
3/26/2007
U.S. Distance Races Set for Northern Maine
The 2007 U.S. Cross Country Championships conclude this week with distance title races including U.S. Ski Team racers just off the World Cup tour. Kris Freeman (Andover, NH) will be looking to earn his third and fourth championships of the winter.
The championships, which also double as the $130,000 USSA SuperTour Finals, will have not only U.S. Ski Team racers but a large influx of college and citizen skiers for the three events.
The schedule:
March 28 - Freestyle Sprints on the Caribou Ski Trails at Caribou H.S. (not a U.S. title race)
March 30 - Pursuits, mens 30K (15 CL+15 FR) and womens 20K (10 CL+10 FR) at the Nordic Heritage Center in Presque Isle
April 1 - Mens 50K FR and womens 30K FR at the Nordic Heritage Center
"The Nordic Heritage Center staged great championships last year under tough conditions, and were looking forward to another outstanding set of races," U.S. Nordic Director Luke Bodensteiner said. "They have a challenging set of trails, which add to the excitement, and the enthusiasm from the community is terrific. Starting with the sprints Wednesday, these should be a mix of fun and intensity, and a nice way for everyone to end the racing season."
A year ago, two-time Olympians Freeman and Wendy Wagner (Park City, UT) won the long-distance titles. Wagner retired at the end of the season, but Freeman is still racing - and won two more gold medals, over short distances - at the U.S. championships at Michigan Tech in Houghton in January.
Freeman will be back to defend his 50K title as well as the pursuit crown, which he won a year ago. Other U.S. Ski Team athletes, who have competed at the World Championships, the U-23 Championships and the Junior World Championships include Olympians Lindsey Weier (Mahtomedi, MN) and Lindsay Williams (Hastings, MN) who recently won NCAA ski titles.
|
| |
3/26/2007
CXC Junior Development Team Created/Head Coach Opening
Central Cross Country Ski Association is pleased to announce the formation of a new CXC Junior Development Team and the opening of a position for the CXC Junior Development Team Head Coach.
Program goals are to identify junior cross country racers of the highest caliber with the strongest commitments on a continuing and consistent basis. Year round training will lead to increased success for the athletes involved, for the Midwest and Great Lakes Junior Olympic Teams, and for the U.S. National Junior Teams in the international arena.
"Development for youth and juniors has always been a weak spot in this country and I believe the CXC Junior Development Team will take the sport to the next level in the Midwest. I will be looking for more and more skiers in the future from this program." Chad Salmela, Head Coach, College of St. Scholastica.
In 2006, CXC Skiing programs expanded, the organization became more efficient, and multi-year athlete development plans were implemented. In 2007, the inclusion of the CXC Junior Development Team will be an essential link in the CXC athlete development pipeline. The CXC Junior Development program will support and work in tandem with the CXC Olympic Development Team Head Coach Bryan Fish, Athletic Advisor Yuriy Gusev, High Performance Advisor Igor Badamshin and CXC’s sports science support group of nutrition scientist, physical therapist and exercise physiologist.
“CXC Junior Development Team will be an essential tool for developing talented young athletes who may not have direct access to the club programs or full time coaching and for those who want to make an increased commitment to be great cross country ski racers. Given the combination of the CXC Regional Development Group Camp and the new year round CXC Junior Development Team, CXC Skiing will assure delivery of the latest info on training and technique to the best juniors in the Central Region and their coaches,” commented Yuriy Gusev, CXC Chief Executive Officer.
The CXC Junior Development Team will model the successful CXC Olympic Development Team training program. Full time year round professional coaching, monthly training camp structure and direct individual attention will be the main components of the program. These principles led the CXC Olympic Development Team to 30 out of 108 SuperTour podiums. Caitlin Compton and Laura Valaas finished first and second overall on the SuperTour. Collectively, their greatest performance was winning the team sprint at U.S. Senior Nationals. Both women were named to the U.S. Team at World Championships in Sapporo Japan. They were the only non-Olympians named to the World Championship Team. Laura recently collected an unprecedented 2nd place finish at the U23 World Championships in Tarvisio, Italy, setting a new mark of success for U.S. women. Bryan Cook, Brian Gregg, Matt Liebsch, Garrott Kuzzy and Andre Watt comprise the men’s team. Garrott Kuzzy finished third overall on the SuperTour. The five CXC Team men frequently finished in the top ten at all of the SuperTour events.
“CXC is developing a history of success at all levels of regional XC skiing. Whether it be coaches and officials education, event management, athlete recruitment, membership support, or athlete education and training. The CXC Junior Development Team is a natural extension of our current successes. We fully expect the CXC Junior Development Team to hit the ground running with excellent support in all areas of athlete education. We also believe that the CXC Junior Development Team will be a valued link in the support of all of our junior skiers at the local level.” Scott Wilson, CXC Chief Operating Officer and Training Camp Manager.
Any pre-college J1 and OJ CXC member who resides in the Central Region can apply for this program. The CXC Junior Development Team will be selected based on the following criteria:
- consistent progression of results and CXC/USSA Ranking;
- demonstrated physiological performance;
- commitment to the CXC Skiing program;
- ability to work within the Team structure.
Applications will be accepted from March 20 to April 20. The CXC Junior Development Team will be named on May 1. For more info about the program and to download the Program Brochure, please visit www.cxcskiing.org
•••CXC Junior Development Team Head Coach Position Opening•••
Central Cross Country Skiing is pleased to announce a job opening for the newly created position of “CXC Junior Development Team Head Coach.”
CXC Skiing is looking for a head coach to work with primarily pre-collegiate athletes towards the team’s vision. The approximately 10 athlete CXC Junior Development Team will be selected among the applicants based on selection criteria. Further details on CXC Junior Development Team can be found at www.cxcskiing.org
All CXC staff must reside in the Midwest for the length of their contract.
CXC Junior Development Team Head Coach
Head Coach Qualifications
- Energetic and highly self motivated
- Preferably international racing experience
- Preferably international coaching experience
- Preferably college degree in exercise science or other related fields
- Excellent organizational skills
- Excellent communication skills
Head Coach Duties
- Athlete recruitment
- Athlete education and coaching
- Identify strengths and weaknesses of athletes
- Plan, develop and implement training and practice sessions and selected racing schedule
- Nurture and develop athletes potential skills and abilities
- Analyze and evaluate athlete’s performances and modify training programs
- Coordinate program with CXC Team Head Coach and CXC Athletic Staff
- Recognize the needs and opportunities of community outreach
This is a year round part time position. Pay will be $20,000 or more depending on qualifications and time commitments. Contract period of two years with options for a two year renewal. Application deadline April 15.
Interested coaches should contact Yuriy Gusev, CXC CEO, at yuriy.gusev@cxcskiing.org
|
| |
3/26/2007
11th ANNIVERSARY U.S. EXTREME FREESKIING TELEMARK CHAMPIONSHIPS - FINALS
by Molly Murfee
Back in the home of the re-birth of the telemark turn, the 51competitors that were allowed to continue ramped up the action in the 11th Annual U.S. Extreme Freeskiing Telemark Championships finals and superfinals. Leaving sparks flying out on the snow in the off-camber, double fall line rock fest called Angle Gully, Dylan Crossman of Randolph, Vermont and Martha Burley of Fernie, British Columbia knee-bent themselves into first place finishes.
Taking the Headwall for the second time in this competition forced athletes creativity to make then stand out for the judges and the crowd. Spring conditions sharply separated skill levels as freeheelers had to combat changing visibility and snowpack. With 26 skiers eliminated from Fridays field, it was the best of the best. Numbers were again cut in half and 26 of the burliest bent it out for the exciting superfinals.
But times have changed since the re-birth in the 70s, and todays winners showed prowess in air time and flair, marrying the tricks of the park to the floppy heeled Extremes. Dylan Crossman left no doubt as to who was the most skilled in the pack and will ski away with his fifth consecutive championship title. Since he has entered the competition, no one has been able to touch him. His launch of Pocket Air showcased impeccable form, as well as good training in the conditions of Vermont, but he didnt stop there. The 360° he pulled at the bottom of Keyhole is the first of any Extreme competition in the history of Crested Butte Mountain Resort.
"It felt good," he admits, "I spin a lot but that one felt like it should - slow and floating."
While head judge Ross Matlock explains that he has "good core management," it is judge Angie Hornbrook who seems to have the most apropos explanation. "Only kryptonite can bring him down," she said.
Second and third place for the men had their share of hard knocks as J.T. Robinson was vaulted out of second place in a fall. Even his subsequent front flip couldnt save him from the fast charging Colin MacMillan who took second. Mark Welgos held on with good airs and aggressive skiing to take over third.
Martha Burley demonstrated the most extremely unique line choices for the women, and the effort won her a first place finish. But Sarah Light of Whitefish, Montana, who finished in second, came in hot on her tails with good bunny hopping through Rabbit Ears and milking every feature for what it was worth. Kate Cardamone of Aspen, Colorado proved her solid technique by maintaining, her third place finish throughout the competition.
For all the tricks, however, it was the Juniors who really showed that park style is fast approaching even telemark skiing. With performances that would have put them in the running with top adults, these young athletes seem to be the best with merging old school skiing with new school style. Jake Sakson of Carbondale, Colorado, who truly stomped an excellent pillow drop line, landed in first for the Junior Men with a significant point lead. Rob Wear of Edwards, Colorado finished in second and Jack Burger of Evergreen, Colorado was third.
Mackenzie Mailly of Crested Butte, Colorado did a repeat performance of her stellar skiing ability and won the Junior Womens title for the second year in a row. Francesca Pavillard-Cain of Steamboat Springs, Colorado and Molly Etters of Vail, Colorado came in second and third respectively.
Launce Gouw of Salt Lake City, Utah demonstrated an incredible talent to fire out of upper angle gully to arc beautifully into a tele turn. His graceful production earned him first place for the Masters. Ranson Leeds of Littleton, Colorado knee-dipped his way into second while Richard Pratt of Denver, Colorado finished in third.
While competition is tight at the Extremes, the camaraderie of tele skiers shines just as bright as their prowess. From the highly technical and fiery Angle Gully, to the piston pumping lower bowl, the Headwall called those forward who had the creativity, skill, power and grace to place in the 11th Annual U.S. Extreme Freeskiing Telemark Championships.
JUNIOR WOMEN
1. Mackenzie Mailly Crested Butte, CO
2. Francesca Pavillard-Cain Steamboat Springs, CO
3. Molly Etters Vail, CO
4. Lucy Sackbauer Vail, CO
JUNIOR MEN
1. Jake Sakson Carbondale, CO
2. Rob Wear Edwards, CO
3. Jack Burger Evergreen, CO
4. Brian Burger Evergreen, CO
5. Kjell Ellefson Vail, CO
MASTERS WOMEN
1. Di Bridges Crested Butte, CO
MASTERS MEN
1. Launce Gouw Salt Lake City, UT
2. Ranson Leeds Littleton, CO
3. Richard Pratt Denver, CO
4. Richard Grimes Norwood, CO
5. J.P. Pougiales Steamboat Springs, CO
WOMEN
1. Martha Burley Fernie, BC
2. Sarah Light Whitefish, MT
3. Kate Cardamone Aspen, CO
4. Amy Dolan Missoula, MT
5. Marcia Ready Taos, NM
MEN
1. Dylan Crossman Randolph, VT
2. Colin MacMillan Crested Butte, CO
3. Mark Welgos Durango, CO
4. Ben Morello Crested Butte, CO
5. J.T. Robinson Fruit Heights, UT
|
| |
3/26/2007
U.S. EXTREME FREESKIING TELEMARK CHAMPIONSHIPS - DAY ONE
11TH U.S. EXTREME FREESKIING TELEMARK CHAMPIONSHIPS - DAY ONE
by Molly Murfree
Athletes bore down hard on the difficult conditions of the 55-degree Headwall Saturday, March 23 in the 11th Annual Extreme Freeskiing Telemark Championships. Day one of the competition proved to be cutting as the most accomplished freeheelers stood head and shoulders above the rest. Dylan Crossman of Randolph, Vermont and Martha Burley of Fernie, British Columbia will be lead the men and the women respectively into Sunday’s finals.
"Dylans 38 second run in difficult conditions was the most impressive thing I saw," pronounces Judge John Clatworthy.
The top junior men and women scored as high as the adults leaving no doubt that they could compete with the older generation of telemark skiers. Mackenzie Mailly of Crested Butte, Colorado and Francesca Pavillard-Cain of Steamboat Springs, Colorado performed their typical battle for first with Mailly succeeding in the end, scoring higher even than the top Junior man. Jack Burger of Evergreen, Colorado stomped the crooked and rocky Angle Gully with the speed and precision of a more mature skier.
For the Masters category, Launce Gouw of Salt Lake City, Utah came out with a bold statement for his youth in negotiating Angle Gully while Di Bridges of Crested Butte, Colorado carried the torch for the Masters women.
Martha Burley of Fernie, British Columbia cut a creative line of rock hopping though the boulders of Rabbit Ears and Angle Gully that earned her the first place spot for tomorrow. Sarah Light of Whitefish, Montana and Kate Cardamone of Aspen, Colorado sliced their scores by mere tenths of points for second and third.
Dylan Crossman continued his dynasty of effortless yet potent skiing putting him in the number one spot for the men. His casual launching off of Pocket Air without a bobble and easing his landing into a perfect arc of tele turns proved, once again, why he is the multiple defending champion. But it was apparent that both J.T. Robinson of Fruit Heights, Utah and Colin MacMillan of Crested Butte, Colorado would give him a run for his money. While Dylan stands firmly on top, Robinson and MacMillan proved their worthiness of second and third place with confident and skilled executions that showcased their dynamics.
With spring conditions heating things up, the Headwall will once again provide the venue for extreme skiers that do it with only half a binding. With the field cut in half for the men and the women, only those who could stand up to the challenge of an ever-changing venue will be allowed to continue.
JUNIOR WOMEN
1. Mackenzie Mailly Crested Butte, CO
2. Fracesca Pavillard-Cain Steamboat Springs, CO
3. Lucy Sackbauer Vail, CO
4. Molly Ettters Vail, CO
JUNIOR MEN
1. Jack Burger Evergreen, CO
2. Jake Sakson Carbondale, CO
3. Rob Wear Edwards, CO
4. Brian Burger Evergreen, CO
5. Kjell Ellefson Vail, CO
MASTERS WOMEN
1. Di Bridges
MASTERS MEN
1. Launce Gouw Salt Lake City, UT
2. Richard Pratt Denver, CO
3. Ranson Leeds Littleton, CO
4. Richard Grimes Norwood, CO
5. J.P. Pougiales Steamboat Springs, CO
WOMEN
1. Martha Burley Fernie, BC
2. Sarah Light Whitefish, MT
3. Kate Cardamone Aspen, CO
4. Amy Dolan Missoula, MT
5. Angie Mauldin Crested Butte, CO
MEN
1. Dylan Crossman Randolph, VT
2. J.T. Robinson Fruit Heights, UT
3. Colin MacMillan Crested Butte, CO
4. Ben Morello Crested Butte, CO
5. Mark Robbins Crested Butte, CO
|
| |
3/26/2007
U.S. Team Digest - March 23-26, 2007
•••Demong Sweeps Nature Valley U.S. Champs•••
Completing a gold-medal sweep of the weekend, Nordic combined Olympian Bill Demong (Vermontville, NY) cruised to his third national title by winning the normal hill Sunday, March 25 at the Nature Valley Ski Jumping Championships.
Demong, who is a skiing ambassador for the Olympic Regional Development Authority in Lake Placid, won the large hill (HS127) and Nordic combined titles Saturday. Sunday, he jumped 98 and 98.5 meters, good for 261.5 points.
Fellow combined skier Johnny Spillane (Steamboat Springs, CO) was silver medalist with jumps of 90 and 89.5 meters (225.0) while up-and-coming junior Nick Fairall (Andover, NH) was bronze medalist in the contest on Howelsens 100-meter hill.
"It was outstanding: finish the season in the sun in Steamboat with a win and my mother and sister out here. Ive been very lucky in my life, but this has been a great streak. Im really pleased, really proud," Demong said. "Good to have Johnny on the podium, of course, but good for Nick, too. Hes an eastern guy, and hes a really hard worker. This is a big step for him."
The victory brought Demong his sixth U.S. championship and closes a sizzling month of March that also saw a World Championships silver medal and World Cup victory in combined, thanks to a generous boost from his jumping. He has won three jumping titles and three Nordic combined gold medals.
"Its special to sweep the weekend like this. Ive got some goals. I hope Im not done yet in winning titles."
Demong said the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club crew at Howelsen Hill "deserve lots of credit for keeping the hill so good. It was awesome. Weve had a lot of nationals in Steamboat and were usually fighting the sun. It was mostly cloudy but Im not sure it ever got below 40, maybe 45 this weekend, and they kept pumps going all night, kept salt on the hill and the in-run to keep things stable and did just an outstanding job."
In the womens ski jumping, Lindsey Van (Park City, UT) again led the field, collecting the 12th U.S. title of her career. She jumped 91 and 92 meters, receiving 234.5 points. Brenna Ellis (also Park City) earned the silver medal with jumps of 83 and 83.5 meters while high school student Avery Ardovino (also Park City) was bronze medalist.
•••Demong Wins Jumping, Combined Gold•••
Three-time Olympian and World Championships silvler medalist Bill Demong (Vermontville, NY) swept both the U.S. Nordic combined and large hill ski jumping gold medals Saturday as the Nature Valley U.S. Nordic Championships weekend got underway at Steamboat. Combiners swept the medals podium in each event.
"Billy jumped well and then he skied well. He started with a 38-second lead over Johnny [Spillane - Steamboat Springs, CO] and Brett [Camerota - Park City, UT], and he won by over a minute," combined Coach Dave Jarrett said. The first round of jumping on Howelsen Hills 127-meter jump was used as part of the Nordic combined championship, which concluded with a 7.5K race from the adjacent Romick Rodeo Arena.
"I was a little nervous," Demong, who arrived in Steamboat Friday night, said after collecting his fourth and fifth U.S. championships - his third combined title and second jumping crown. "I was feeling a little pressure to perform...but it all worked out nicely." Adding to the enjoyment: Demongs mother and sister are in Steamboat to watch him compete.
Demong led the large hill event with jumps of 119.5 and 119 meters, good for 248.9 points with Spillane second following jumps of 111.5 and 110.5 meters (217.2). Third place went to Camerota on jumps of 112 and 109 meters (214.4).
Lindsey Van (Park City, UT) collected her 11th U.S. jumping title, rallying on her final jump to overtake first-round leader Avery Ardovino (also Park City) and Alissa Johnson (also Park City). Third in the first round, Van jumped 111.5 meters for 211.7 points to 189.2 for Ardovino and 181.8 for Johnson.
In the Nordic combined event, Demongs first jump - taken as the jumping portion of the combined event - put him 38 seconds ahead of Spillane and Brett Camerota for the three-lap race. While Demong went on to his first combined championship since 2002, Spillane skied away from Camerota in the final lap for the Nordic combined silver medal with Camerota taking that bronze.
•••Freeman 19th in Swedish Ski Games Pursuit•••
Kris Freeman (Andover, NH) finished 19th Saturday, March 24 in a slushy 30K pursuit race at the Swedish Ski Games as the World Cup season neared its final event Sunday. World Cup champion Tobias Angerer of Germany won a final sprint with three others while ex- champion Marit Bjoergen of Norway took the womens 15K pursuit.
In sunny, springtime conditions, with the temperatures around 40 F., Angerer won in 1:31.18.0 with Swede Mathias Fredriksson second, 0.2 seconds back. Freeman, who was part of the lead pack through 25Ks, finished in 1:32.31.4. Lars Flora (Anchorage, AK) was 59th.
In the womens race, Bjoergen took charge in the final 7.5K freestyle technique phase, winning in 51:40.9 with Czech Katerina Neumannova runnerup (51.44.1). Kikkan Randall (Anchorage, AK), breaking into distance racing as she reaches beyond her traditional sprint strength, was 46th.
"It was a very tough day," Coach Chris Grover said. "There were patches of water in the tracks and pure ice elsewhere. It was a very slow 15K for the women and then the guys found unreal soft conditions."
Freeman was the last skier out of the stadium in the 15K classic technique stage of the mass start race, Grover said, "and we thought hed fallen. But he just got a slow start, and then he started making up time and moving forward."
At the 20K mark, Freeman was 12th, but he was only 2.2 seconds off the leaders, Angerer, Fredriksson and Anders Soedergren, also of Sweden. By 25 kilometers, Freeman was 21st, 24.5 seconds back.
"The leaders would get strung out on the ups, then accordion back together on the downhills. It was really over the last five Ks where the lead group made a little move on the second group," Grover explained. "It was tough to pass because snow alongside the track was so soft, and Kris just got stuck back there. But it was another good race for him, a good end to the World Cup season."
It was the sixth international top-20 of the season for Freeman, a diabetic who earned four in World Cups - including 10th in a 15K freestyle in China - and two at the World Championships. He also has won two U.S. titles and goes for two more at the long distance U.S. Cross Country Championships, which open Friday, March 23 in Presque Isle, Maine, at the Maine Winter Sports Center.
The World Cup season concludes Sunday, March 25 with mens and womens relays.
|
| |
3/22/2007
U.S. Team Digest - March 21, 2007
March 21, 2007
••••Newell Finishes 6th in Sprint Standings/Randall 12th in sprint points••••
Andy Newell (Shaftsbury, VT), capping his best season of World Cup racing, was 13th in a sprint around the royal palace - the final World Cup sprint of the season, lifting him into sixth place in sprint standings.
Newell finished no lower than 14th in any of the eight sprints this winter, giving him the highest sprint standing of any U.S. skier since the sprints were added to the World Cup in the 1996 season.
Russian Mickail Deviatiarov won the sprint, edging Emil Joensson of Sweden. Torin Koos (Leavenworth, WA) finished 29th and was 19th for the season.
In the womens race, Slovenian Petra Majdic won with World Cup champion Virpi Kuitunen of Finland second. Kikkan Randall (Anchorage, AK) was 30th, finishing the season 12th in sprint points.
The final World Cup cross country races are Saturday - the mens 30K (15+15) and the womens 20K (10+10) - during the Swedish Ski Games in Falun.
March 18, 2007
••••Demong 3rd in Final Combined Sprint for Career Best Season••••
World Championships silver medalist Bill Demong (Vermontville, N.Y.) moved up four places in the 7.5K sprint to finish third, ending his best Nordic combined World Cup season on the podium behind Jason Lamy Chappuis of France and Felix Gottwald of Austria. Eric Camerota (Park City, Utah) was 27th.
Demong, whose season included the second World Cup victory of his career and a silver medal at the 2007 FIS Freestyle World Championships, was seventh in the lone round of jumping and started the four-lap race 56 seconds behind jumping leader Espen Rian of Norway.
At the 5.6K mark, Demong was second, a half-minute behind Lamy Chappuis and at the front of a five-skier "train" - with Gottwald having moved up from 19th after jumping to fourth, two seconds back of Demong. Gottwald pulled by in a short time and skied off while Demong, who had to scramble during the jumping event to get a second jump after the jury agreed he had been given the go-ahead in poor conditions, held onto third place.
"Felix definitely was pouring it on to retire with a big one," Demong said, "and when he caught me, just as I was breaking away from several guys, I dont think we skied together for three seconds and then he was gone."
Demong finished 11th in points, his best performance since he was 10th in 2002 - but suffered a fractured skull that summer in a fluke swimming pool accident. This winter, he said, was a "far more" satisfying season. "I came into the season with some confidence, and my jumping got better every competition. This, seventh, was my best jump result of the season...and my cross country has been strong all along."
"It was close, but it was also the way the day went. Still, its a pretty good day - a podium for Billy and World Cup points for Eric. Good for both of them. Eric should realize he can ski at this level, ski with these guys," Head Coach Lasse Ottesen said.
"Billy was totally out of gas at the end. Hed had quite a bit of activity during the jump, and it caught up with him...and he had nothing left in the tank, so this was an even more impressive result. Im psyched for both of them."
Gusting winds caused several holds during the jumping stage, including in front of Demong. When a forejumper finally was sent and then Demong, he went only 79 meters. Ottesen said he spoke to the assistant technical delegate, Finn Tapio Juonnonen, and suggested Demong should get another jump because his speed in the in-run was two kilometers slower than most jumpers. A few jumpers later, when the winds flared again, officials agreed to give Demong a re-jump. He hustled back to the top of the jump and arrived just in time and laid down a 98.5-meter jump, which set the stage for his podium.
"I was running, but if I didnt get the jump, I wouldnt have been [crazy]. I knew today was going to be nuts because of the winds, so whatever happened, happened, and if I didnt get a second jump, I would have gone back, packed my gear and been ready to come home," he said. "Ive learned to be more patient and a day like today wasnt going to throw me."
March 17, 2007
••••U-23s: Mannix Fastest Skate Leg in Pursuit••••
Taz Mannix (Anchorage, Alaska/Alaska Winter Stars/Alaska Pacific U. Nordic/U.S. B Team) had the fastest skating leg to finish ninth in the womens 15K pursuit that concluded the FIS U-23 World Championships.
Ioulia Tchekaleva had the second-fastest time in each stage of the mass start race, which begins with 7.5 kilometers of classic technique and then 7.5 Ks of freestyle. Her gold-medal time was 41:53.8 as she out-skied Coraline Hugue of France, who was 6.4 seconds back. Czech Ivana Janeckova was the bronze medalist.
Mannix was 23rd in the classic phase but she tore through the field in the freestyle to move up 14 places and finish ninth in the field of 43 with a time of 42:38.0. Morgan Arritola (Fairfield, Idaho/Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation/U.S. B Team) was 23rd, moving up 19 spots as she turned-in the 13th-fastest freestyle loop.
In the mens 30K, Dario Cologna took his second gold, this time in 1:21.50.4 while teammate Curdin Perl and Russian Stanislav Volzhentsev tied for the silver, each finishing 1.6 seconds back of Cologna. Top U.S. result came from Ben True (Hanover, N.H./Dartmouth College), who finished 36th in the field of 74.
March 17, 2007
••••Freeman 21st in 50K CL at Holmenkollen••••
Kris Freeman (Andover, N.H.) finished 21st in the mens 50K classic race at Holmenkollen in sunny, 45-degree weather, a race won by newly crowned 50K CL world champion Odd-Bjoern Hjelmeset of Norway. Kikkan Randall(Anchorage, Alaska) was 38th in the womens 30K CL behind Finlands Aino Kaisa Saarinen.
Hjelmeset, who edged teammate and close friend Frode Estil by four-tenths of a second for the 50K title at the 2007 FIS Nordic World Championships in Japan earlier this month, won in 2:17.22; that was a mass-start race and this had a traditional, 30-second interval start. World Cup champion Tobias Angerer of Germany was second in the field of 48 (2:17.31.8) and Estil was third, another 22 seconds off the pace.
Freeman, who was 27th in the 50K CL at Holmenkollen two years ago, finished with a time of 2:23.26.9. Lars Flora (Anchorage, Alaska) had to scratch because of sickness.
"Kris wanted to start at a pace he could maintain and he did well until he took a spill late in the race. These are three of the toughest laps anyone can ski and the course was very technical on some places - ice covered with slush, so the downhills were especially tricky," Head Coach Pete Vordenberg said. "He was heading to a top-15 but he took a tumble and that took him out of it, but Kris did a good job. Ive got no complaints with his race."
Saarinen finished in 1:23.55.7, a half-minute ahead of World Cup champ and teammate Virpi Kuitunen with Slovenian Petra Majdic in third place. Randall, the lone American and looking to build her base beyond her sprint skills, finished in 1:34.09.7.
"Im really happy with where we are," Vordenberg said. "Weve made good progress this year, but just because youve made one good step doesnt mean the youll make the next one, so we have to keep working on things...and we know what we need to do. After 2003 [when Freeman was fourth and Carl Swenson, now retired, was fifth in races at Worlds and the next year when Freeman had fifth- and sixth-place results in World Cups, and the sprinters began to emerge], we thought, Were on our way. And it didnt happen.
"Just like in a race if you get a good first split, it doesnt mean youre on your way, either. We have a tremendous amount of work to do, but Im so encouraged by what Ive seen and what weve done," Vordenberg said. "Now we need to make that second step."
March 16, 2007
••••JWCs: Stephen 16th, Turzian 20th in Pursuit ••••
The U.S. Ski Team got two more top-20 results at the 2007 Nordic Junior World Ski Championships as Liz Stephen (East Montpelier, V.T./Burke Mountain Academy/U.S. B Team) was 16th and Alexa Turzian (Sun Valley, Idaho/Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation) 19th in the womens 10K pursuit.
The race started with a 5K classic technique leg and then a 5K free technique leg, and was won by Charlotte Kalla of Sweden, who earned her third medal (second gold) of the championships. Kalla, who had the fastest 5K classic leg and the fastest 5K skating leg, won in 26:10.9 - nearly 41 seconds ahead of four Norwegians led by Marte Monrad-Hansen (26:51.7).
Stephen, who was seventh two days earlier in the 5K free, had the sixth-fastest 5k free in the race and moved up 27 places in the final lap to finish in 27:50.8. Turzian, the U.S. 10K champion although shes only a senior at Wood River H.S., was eighth fastest over the 5K freestyle loop and passed 18 skiers in the field of 76.
March 15, 2007
••••U-23s: Mannix 14th in Womens 10K FR••••
Taz Mannix (Anchorage, Alaska/Alaska Winter Stars/Alaska Pacific U. Nordic/U.S. B Team) was 14th in the womens 10K freestyle at the 2007 FIS Under-23 Cross Country World Championships.
On the second day of the U-23s, Swiss skiers - each wearing bib No. 4 - swept both races. Silvana Bucher of Switzerland won the two-lap 10K with a time of 24:28.1 and Mannix finished in 25:21.5. Morgan Arritola (Fairfield, Idaho/Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation/U.S. B Team) was 25th.
In the mens 15K FR, Dario Colognas winning time was 34:57.0, more than 45 seconds ahead of Russian Ilia Chernousov (35:44.2). Top American result in the 40-degree sunshine came from Mike Sinnott (Sun Valley, Idaho/Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation/Dartmouth College) in 46th place (39:34.0).
March 15, 2007
••••Klebl, Cook 2nd in Disabled XC Overall••••
The U.S. Disabled Cross Country Team wrapped up the 2007 IPC Disabled World Cup with second-year World Cup skier Chris Klebl (sit-ski; Heber City, Utah) and Paralympic gold medalist Steve Cook (standup; Salt Lake City) second in the overall World Cup standings.
Klebls World Cup podium total for the season clicked off at eight with one victory and seven second place finishes in nine races, while Cook piled up five podium finishes, including three victories.
"Both these guys worked extremely hard in a season that was pretty challenging in terms of snow conditions, but they plowed right through," said Head Coach Jon Kreamelmeyer. "Chris just out works everyone, hes such an intelligent guy and really does his research - he knows everything there is to know about skiing, from waxes to skis to grinds to venues, hes on it and that shows in his skiing. Plus his dedication to training is truly inspiring, I couldnt be more proud of what hes accomplished this year."
With two races on Vancouver Island, Klebl won the mens 16K on with a time of 56:26.3, while four Americans loaded the top 10. Greg Mallory (sit-ski; Portland, Ore.) was fourth, with Andy Soule (sit-ski; Sun Valley, Idaho) sixth and Sean Halsted (sit-ski; Gig Harbor, Wash.) in seventh.
It was Mallorys turn to step up in the sprint, topping the field with Klebl in second, Halsted fifth and Soule sixth.
"The young guys really stepped it up this season and thats one of the biggest highlights," added Kreamelmeyer. "Mallory, Soule and Halsted all did a great job getting up there. Soule especially, this was his first World Cup event and as a development guy, its huge to see him up there. This season has far exceeded my expectations and that puts a big smile on my face as we look forward."
Cook skied to fourth in the standing mens 20K, then battled back in the sprint to finish fifth.
"Steve has always been the work horse of this team. He won the overall title at Fort Kent, Maine in 2005, then was pretty sick before winning three medals at the Paralympics last year, so he finished third and now second this year. Theres room on his shelf for pretty much every bit of hardware you can win," said Kreamelmeyer.
In the womens races, two-time Paralympian Kelly Underkofler (St. Paul, Minn.) powered her way into the sprint final, finishing fourth, but focused on biathlon, where she was third in the overall World Cup standings for the season.
March 14, 2007
••••JWCs: Stephen 7th in Freestyle Sprint••••
Liz Stephen (East Montpelier, V.T./Burke Mountain Academy/U.S. B Team) skied to seventh place in the womens 5K freestyle race at the 2007 FIS Nordic Junior World Ski Championships. Alexa Turzian (Sun Valley, Idaho/Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation) was 16th in the field of 83.
Swede Charlotte Kalla, silver medalist in the 1.3K classic sprints, won in 11:44.5, a half-minute ahead of four Norwegians led by Martha Kristofferson with sprint champion Astrid Jacobsen in third place.
Stephen skied the one-loop race in 12:36.4 with Turzian, the U.S. 10K freestyle champion, who plans to enter Middlebury College in the fall, timed in 12:46.2.
In the mens 10K FR, Martti Jylhae of Finland - who also was silver medalist in the sprint - won with a time of 22:40.9. Kazakh Alexey Poltaranin was the silver medalist and Canadian Alex Harvey was bronze medalist in 23:11.4. Top American was Matt Gelso (Truckee, Calif./Auburn Ski Club/U.S. B Team), who finished 29th in the field of 94.
March 14, 2007
••••JWCs: Keate Leads U.S. in Combined••••
World Championships bronze medalist Anssi Koivuranta of Finland led the jumping and held off Austrian Marco Pichlmayer to capture the gold medal in Nordic combined at the 2007 FIS Nordic Junior World Ski Championships. Skyler Keate (Salt Lake City/National Sports Foundation/U.S. B Team) had the top U.S. result, finishing 37th.
Koivuranta, who was overtaken by Bill Demong (Vermontville, N.Y.) for the silver medal at the World Championships in Japan on a 15K course, had the best jumps and made his lead stand up over a 10K Junior Worlds course. He finished 16.4 seconds ahead of Pichlmayer, who was followed by two teammates.
Keate was 34th in jumping on the 109-meter hill in the field of 63 and finished the four-lap course almost nine minutes back of Koivuranta.
March 14, 2007
••••Newell 12th in Drammen Classic Sprint••••
Andy Newell (Shaftsbury, V.T.) finished 12th in the annual classic technique sprint World Cup race through Drammen, a village about 25 miles west of Oslo. Torin Koos (Leavenworth, WA) was 15th.
Norways Boerre Naess nipped Swedens Mats Larsson for the mens win while World Cup champion Virpi Kuitunen of Finland took the womens race from Petra Majdic of Slovenia before an enthusiastic crowd with temperatures near 50 degrees.
Newell made it out of quarterfinals with Naess in a heat that included two other top Norwegians: former sprint Olympic and world champion Tor Arne Hetland and veteran Odd-Bjoern Hjelmeset, who also is the new 50K world champion. In semis, he was up against four Norwegians and rising Japanese star Yuichi Onda, finishing fourth. In the "B Final" (places 7-12), he ran out of gas, Coach Pete Vordenberg said.
"Andy was just totally out of juice. Hed given everything and just had nothing left, but you know hes not going down without a fight," the coach said. "He was behind a Scandinavian roadblock in semis and just had nothing left to give, but there are no excuses for him at any time; Andy doesnt think that way.”
"I think the finals heat of the day, though, was Koos quarterfinal. He had the world champion, [ Norwegian Jens Arne] Svartedal, and he had the World Cup leader from earlier this season, [Norwegian Eldar] Roenning...and the Olympic champion, [Swedens Bjoern] Lind. Three Norwegians racing in Norway, two Swedes...and Koos...and he beat Svartedal and Roenning, and he just got out-numbered...but he was in there to the end, too. That was some outstanding heat."
Kikan Randall (Anchorage, Alaska), the only U.S. woman to step onto a World Cup podium, was 34th in the womens race and Chris Cook (Rhinelander, Wisc.) finished 38th in the mens sprint.
"When she can get into a classic [technique] finals, Kikkans okay because shes so crafty and she finds a way to dart through and pass," Vordenberg said. "But this race was one good example of the work we have to do in classic. Kikkan can be on the podium in classic, too. I have no doubt about that I also have no doubt shes going to work hard this summer on her classic, and shell improve there, too."
February 28, 2007
••••Biathlete Wins Snowy Mens 15K Freestyle/Squall Creates Surprise Podium Result••••
Biathlete Lars Berger of Norway was the surprise gold medalist in the mens 15K freestyle at the 2007 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships as a harder-than-expected snowstorm struck midway through the starting field. Lars Flora and James Southam (both Anchorage, Alaska) had the top U.S. results, finishing 57th and 58th in the field of 119 racers.
Berger normally skis biathlon but has skied in several World Cup cross country races - and was fourth, less than three seconds from the bronze medal in the 15K at the 2005 Worlds; he started 55th and finished in 35:50.0 for the win. Unheralded Belarussian Leanid Karneyenka, who skied No. 2 before the storm struck, took the silver medal (36:25.8) while defending World Cup champion and current points leader Tobias Angerer of Germany finishing third (36:42.4).
"It started snowing harder right when we were starting," said Flora, who skied out of the No. 53 start. Southam ran 57th with Andrew Johnson (Greensboro, V.T.) 62nd and Kris Freeman (Andover, N.H.) 76th. "It snowed around bib 25 for maybe five minutes and then it stopped...and then it began really pounding a little after we started."
Floras time was 39:13.0 while Southam finished in 39:15.8. Freeman, who was 10th at the 2K mark, 8.7 second off the pace and 20th, nearly 50 seconds out by 5.7 Ks, finished 65th in the two-lap race.
"It was kind of insane," Flora said. "All I was thinking was At least were not classic skiing...or waxing for someone skiing classic. It was a crazy day."
The snow was problematic, he said, adding, "I dont think it was my best performance of the year, but we skied solid - nothing amazing, but nothing bad, either. They thought it was gonna be smaller, just a little storm. The uphills were okay, downhills okay because they were packed...but the winds on the flats really sucked you down. That made it tougher."
"Im not even tired," said Freeman, who was 19th Saturday in the 30K pursuit. "I feel so good...really, so great. I focused my whole season on this one race and for that squall to come in just sucks."
Head Coach Pete Vordenberg, regrouping quickly, canceled plans for the mens 4x10K relay Friday "so we can focus on the 50K Sunday. I think the 50K is still a good opportunity for the guys to have a good result for the team, and running the relay would not be the best preparation for the 50.”
He admired Bergers result - "Bergers legit, no problem with him winning because hes a fine skier, cross country and biathlon" - and was equally impressed with Angerer getting the bronze medal. "He mustve had an incredible race, just incredible. The snow stopped while he was out there, but it was coming down hard when he started, too, so he must have really turned it on in those final kilometers."
February 28, 2007
••••Randall To Scramble in Relay/U.S. Men Set Focus On 50K••••
Kikkan Randall (Anchorage, Alaska) will ski the "scramble" (leadoff) leg for the U.S. Ski Team in the womens 4x5K relay at the 2007 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships.
Shell be followed, according to Head Coach Pete Vordenberg, by Laura Valaas (Wenatchee, Wash.) in the second classic technique leg and then Caitlin Compton (Minneapolis, Minn.) in the first freestyle leg with Sarah Konrad (Laramie, Wyo.) skiing anchor. Compton leads the USSA Cross Country SuperTour, the premier schedule of domestic races nationwide each winter, while Valaas is second overall and has clinched the sprint title.
"Kikkans been working on her distance racing, and this is only a 5K leg, and shes good in mass start events so Im excited to see what shell do," Vordenberg said. "Classic is Lauras strong point, so this should work well and Caitlin was sick coming into the races but shes been getting better every day, so this will be a good distance for her. And Sarahs a great athlete, not having the skiing here she was looking for, but shes a good skater and well see how it plays out for her."
Lindsey Weier (Mahtomedi, Minn.) returned home Wednesday so she can prepare for the NCAA Ski Championships next week hosted by the University of New Hampshire. The cross country races will be staged at the renowned Jackson Ski Touring Center.
A senior at Northern Michigan University and former Junior World Championships athlete, Weier has competed in the NCAAs the last two seasons. A year ago, she returned from racing at the Olympics and was bronze medalist in the 5K classic race at the championships in Steamboat Springs, Colo.
|
| |
3/15/2007
U.S. BIATHLON TEAM SEASON DIGEST
March 14, 2007
••••••U.S. Men in Russia for World Cup Final•••••
Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, N.Y.) heads a contingent of four U.S. biathletes who will compete in the World Cup Final starting Thursday, March 8. Burke, currently ranked 23rd in the Overall World Cup Standings, is looking to close his season with some more good results. Sunday, March 11 after his 22nd place in the Mass Start in Oslo, he spoke optimistically, “I am looking forward to the final three races next week in Khanty Mansiysk. I feel like I have some more good races left in me.”
On March 15, Burke, and teammates Jay Hakkinen (Kasilof, Alaska), Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, N.Y.), and Jeremy Teela (Anchorage, Alaska) compete in the 10K Sprint. This is the final Sprint of the season, with the U.S. men hoping to gain enough Nations cup points to overtake Ukraine and Italy in the battle for a top 8 finish for the season. The U.S. men are currently in 10th place. The top 60 in the Sprint will qualify for Saturday’s Pursuit. The week closes with Sunday’s Mass Start competitions. Burke has enough World Cup Points that he should make the Mass Start Field. Should he make the Mass Start field, he will become the first U.S. biathlete to compete in every Mass Start during a single season.
The World Cup Final in east central Siberia is not just another World Cup. For most of the season, the “traveling circus” of about 250 athletes, and an equal number of coaches and staff, travels across central Europe with ease. Most venues are only hours apart, so each Sunday night, teams pack the vans with ski and travel bags, rifles and anything necessary to surviving months on the road and set off for the next spot on the schedule. At times, especially when going to Scandinavia, the athletes and coaches fly while staff drives the 30 hours or so to the northern reaches of the Biathlon world.
The trip to Khanty Mansiysk is another story. First virtually everyone needs a visa, which involves paperwork, waiting for hours (and sometimes, making several trips) at a Russian Embassy on an off day in a foreign capital. Then the packing “light” for the trip to Siberia on special charter flights (four this year); teams only take what is necessary to get through the week as excess baggage charges can spoil a season’s budget. This year, all skis, and heavy gear went to Oslo airport on Sunday evening; busses for the charter flight left the US team hotel at 6 AM for a 9:30 flight. Once at the airport, retrieving ski bags and boxes from the truck to a special baggage area supplemented normal check-in. Virtually everyone took the opportunity to have a light breakfast of normal food at the airport before departure.
UTAIR, the Russian charter company from Khanty Mansiysk flies the Tupolov 154 aircraft. These tri-engine Soviet behemoths carry 95-110 passengers cramped in the rear of the aircraft while the former first class/business section is loaded with baggage under cargo nets. Despite this unusual configuration provides a fast powerful and smooth flight (comfort is not part of the trip) of four plus hours and four time zones from Oslo. Evening arrival in Khanty and the temperature is minus 9 Celsius (Oslo was plus five). After an hour or so of airport formalities: rifle inspections, visa checks and passport stamps, everyone is a moved by bus to the Hotel on Seven Hills overlooking the venue.
The drive through this city of 50,000 is one of contrasts. New modern office and apartment buildings abound courtesy of the booming oil business. Only blocks away, there are log cabins that look ready to collapse, even though there are lights inside and howling dogs in the yard. Strands of neon and other Christmas-like bright lights hang over the streets and downtown area where magnificent large ice sculptures dominate the city center.
With a quick move into the hotel rooms which are in small apartment style buildings it is off to dinner. Surveying the buffet of meats and fish with gravy and lots of potatoes, everyone ate with gusto, It had been along day, and everything looked appetizing.
Having been on the ground here almost 48 hours, the fatigue of travel is slipping away. Skis are being prepared, rifles checked in and out of the locked armory for training while anticipation is building for the coming races. Because German television broadcasts the competitions live to central Europe, the starting time for the Men’s Sprint is 5:15 PM local time. This means evening training yesterday and today under the lights. It also means a long day for the athletes of a morning run, breakfast, some dry firing, lunch, a nap, watching DVDs or reading and then training at the end of the day. It is not exactly summer in Siberia with blowing snow today and temperatures about minus five Celsius so everyone spends a lot of time inside before and after training. The dining room is the one place where everyone gathers for long meals and socializing. It is easy to see the long biathlon season is about over, even with the tough competitions ahead, there are easy smiles and jokes abound among the 24 teams here.
Thus the World Cup Final in Khanty Mansiysk is unique; it is a combination of endurance trip, cultural shock treatment and competitions all wrapped in one, far from the home of biathlon in Central Europe. However, once the first starter goes out at 5:15:30 on Thursday, everything will look like the previous eight World Cups and World Championships; 90 men trying to be the best one more time this season.
March 11, 2007
••••••Burke 22nd in Oslo Mass Start••••••
Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, N.Y.) with four penalties finished 22nd in the 15K Mass Start competition.
Burke was 2:33.1 behind Ole Einar Bjørndalen, who picked up his second win of the week in a classic battle with his long-time rival Raphael Poiree of France. The Norwegian beat the French star, by about 1 cm in a photo finish. It was the final competition of Poiree’s career and a fitting end. Poiree, Bjorndalen, and German Sven Fischer all shot clean in the final standing stage. The three battled over the final 3K before entering the roaring Holmenkollen Stadium. As they approached the final 100 meters, Poiree went inside of Fischer who dropped back. He then put on a furious drive to catch Bjørndalen at the line as both lunged across the line. The photo showed Bjorndalen the winner. Fischer finished third, with clean shooting, 3.4 seconds back. Although Poiree lost this competition, he left the crowd with an indelible image of his final day in biathlon, battling to the final step.
On another day with less than perfect conditions on the tracks, Burke was competitive throughout the race, picked up two of his four penalties in the final standing stage, which kept him from another top 15 finish.
During the 20K Individual on Thursday March 8 the tracks were deep and soft. A warm night produced conditions that were similar by the time the men started at 2:30. As always, regardless of the conditions, Burke literally “went for it.” “I had the best start I have ever had in a Mass Start today,’ he related. Heading out for the five 3K loops, Burke was just behind the leaders, skiing comfortably. “I missed a big pile-up early in the race, and then relaxed.”
In the first prone stage, he shot clean and left the shooting range in 13th position. After his strong start, he faltered in the second prone stage. Coach Per Nilsson commented, “In this type of a competition, you can maybe have one penalty, but two is too many in a field like this.”
Burke dropped back to 24th position, but in the first standing stage, he shot clean causing Nilsson to add, “I guess Tim got mad after that prone stage, because those were his best five standing shots in a competition all year; four in the prone circle and one just on the edge.” Burke again jumped to within 20 seconds of 15th position. Unfortunately, in the final standing stage, he had two additional penalties while others around him had one or none. He left the penalty loop in 22nd position and after jockeying for that place with a Swiss athlete, finished there.
“I felt normal today, so I expected more, but missing those final shots….well, that is biathlon,” he concluded. “Nevertheless, I am looking forward to the final three races next week in Khanty Mansiysk. I feel like I have some more good races left in me.”
Burke’s 22nd place gave him nine more World Cup points, which helped him maintain 23rd place for the current season. He is only 15 points from 21st place, with three opportunities next week to score points.
March 8, 2007
••••••Hakkinen, Bailey Lead US Men in Tough 20K•••••
Jay Hakkinen (Kasilof, Alaska) in 40th place and Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, N.Y.) in 44th place were the top U.S. finishers in the Men’s 20K Individual at the Oslo Biathlon World Cup.
Despite finishing four places apart, Hakkinen and Bailey were separated by a mere 8.9 seconds at the finish, each with three one-minute shooting penalties. Hakkinen finished 5:12.1 behind winner Raphael Poiree of France, while Bailey was 5:21 back. Poiree, who will retire on Sunday, March 11 won his fourth straight competition with clean shooting in 56:15.7. German Michael Greis was second, with one penalty, 5.5 seconds back, with clean-shooting Dmitri Iarochenko of Russia third. 28.9 seconds back.
If the 20K in Lahti last week with its 2K uphill climb was hard, today’s 20K was even harder; not because the hills here are as demanding, but that the snow (or slush) was 6-8 inches deep from start to finish. With two nights of above freezing temperatures, brilliant sunshine, and temperatures reaching plus 8 Celsius at race time, the tracks literally turned into mush by the time the competition started. Bailey, dripping with perspiration at the finish, commented on the conditions. “I felt pretty good especially the first two loops. Then my skis (and everyone else’s) started to slow down. From that point, it took a lot of concentration, because the snow was getting really deep.”
Regarding his performance, Bailey who has struggled at times recently both on the tracks and shooting range, added, “I decided this week to just concentrate on my performance and not worry about where I finish in the final results. At the same time today, with the conditions as they were, my plan was to stay relaxed, but focused on the shooting range. I hit the first four shots in the final standing stage, knowing that if I hit the final one, I would probably be in the top 30. Unfortunately, I missed it, but I am very pleased with my performance. I am feeling much better both physically and mentally than a few days ago and that made a big difference today.”
Hakkinen’s strategy was similar to Bailey. “Under the conditions, there was no reason to struggle, so I decided to just race under control and shoot well. The prone stages came together well (both clean). In the final standing stage, everything felt normal when I set up, but then I suddenly felt all of the fatigue and I missed two.” Those two penalties dropped the Alaskan from the low twenties to 40th at the finish.
Unlike Hakkinen and Bailey, Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, N.Y.) had a sub-par day on the shooting range. Burke skied well throughout the whole 20K, but had six costly penalties, leaving him in 56th place, 6:31.5 back. Jeremy Teela (Anchorage, Alaska) also had six penalties, finishing 80th, 8:59.5 back.
Hakkinen, Bailey, and Burke all qualified for Saturday’s 12.5K pursuit competition. Between now and then conditions should improve as a cold front brings some snow and temperatures below freezing.
While the men had a 20K Individual competition (making up for a missed 20K back in December), the Women raced a 7.5K Sprint in the morning. Andrea Henkel won for the sixth time this season, shooting clean while posting a 21:47.9 victory. Russian Ekaterina Iourieva, also shooting clean was second, 24.8 seconds back, while the new German star Magdalena Neuner, with one penalty was 31.5 seconds back. U.S. Biathletes Lanny Barnes (Durango, Colo.) and Denise Teela (Anchorage, Alaska) were 77th and 79th respectively, 4:22.7 and 4:28.5 back. The highlight for the two women was Teela’s 10-for-10 shooting, the first of her career in a World Cup competition. Barnes had four penalties today.
••••••Burke 13th in Pursuit with “ Best Shooting of the Year”••••••
Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, N.Y.) buoyed by 19-of-20 shooting moved up from 23rd at the start to 13th place at the finish in the 12.5K Pursuit at the Lahti Biathlon World Cup.
Burke was pleased at the finish, despite losing 12th place to Michael Slesinger of the Czech Republic in a photo finish. The two finished with the same time, 1:10.5 behind Raphael Poiree. The first words out of Burke’s mouth were, “My best shooting of the year; that gives me a 90% shooting week here!”
Poiree, who is retiring after the competitions next week in Oslo, continued to look like the champion of a few years ago, winning all three competitions here. He controlled the race for the 31:03.7 from start to finish, never relinquishing the lead, with clean shooting. Poiree topped the yellow bib of Michael Greis by 6 seconds and Olympic Sprint Champion Sven Fischer by 6.9 seconds. The two German athletes each had one penalty.
As much as his shooting was the key to Burke’s success today, it was also was a hindrance in the second prone stage. “I hit the first target, and then had a jam,” he recounted. “At that point, I must have ejected a round, because there was nothing in the chamber for the final shot. Then I hand loaded the final shot. It was a big disaster.” Despite this problem, Burke shot clean in that stage and only slipped back one position.
His only penalty of the day came in the first standing stage. He flew around the penalty loop aggressively after this miss, heading back out onto the tracks in 16th position. By the time he reached the shooting range for the final stage, he had moved into 15th position. This time he shot aggressively, leaving in 13th position. He passed Christoph Sumann of Austria out on the tracks, but Slesinger moved up from 15th position to challenge Burke. The two battled into the stadium and down the finish straight until the Czech athlete grabbed 12th with a finish line lunge.
After 42.5K of racing in the previous 4 days and places of 15th, 23rd and 13th, Burke was tired but satisfied. “Today I felt normal, not too tired. I am ready for a day off, because these were hard races. The next three weeks have a lot of racing, so recovery is going to be important.”
Jay Hakkinen (Kasilof, Alaska) topped Burke in yesterday’s 10K Sprint with clean shooting, but had five penalties. Hakkinen, starting 18th slipped down immediately with two prone penalties and had single misses in each of the next three stages. He battled for a top 30 finish all day but eventually finished 33rd, 2:53.3 back. Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, N.Y.) had five penalties, like Hakkinen. Bailey started 37th and finished 45th, 4:31.5 back.
With his 13th place, Burke moved back from 23rd to 22nd place in the Overall World Cup Points to 240 points only 9 points from the top 20.
Tracy and Lanny Barnes (Durango, Colo.) finished with the same time at 51st and 52nd places, in the Women’s 10K Pursuit, 6:42.4 behind the winner, Martina Glagow of Germany. The Barnes sisters had one and three penalties respectively, with all of the missed targets coming in the prone stages. For Glagow, it was her second victory of the season and her second this week. Kati Wilhelm finished in second place, 35.9 seconds back. Glagow and Wilhelm both had one penalty. Third went to Katherine Hitzer, also of Germany. This gave the German women a sweep of the podium.
••••••Hakkinen 18th, Burke 23rd in Fast Lahti Sprint••••••
Jay Hakkinen (Kasilof, Alaska) finished in 18th place while Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, N.Y.) claimed, 23rd place in Men’s 10K Sprint with both finishing less than one minute behind the winner Raphael Poiree of France.
The Sprint competition was one of the fastest of the season with the first 26 finishers all within one minute of Poiree, who won in 24:39, with one penalty. Poiree who won the 20K Individual finished 5.9 seconds ahead of Alexander Os of Norway, and 16.2 ahead of Hans Gjerdrem, also of Norway.
For the two U.S. Biathletes who finished 41.3 and 55.4 seconds back, the difference was on the shooting range. Hakkinen shot clean today while Burke had two penalties, one each in prone and standing.
Smiling at the finish, Hakkinen was pleased with his first perfect shooting day of the season. “I did take some inspiration from the girls clean shooting yesterday. My shooting in training has been very good all year. It was time for it to show up in a race. Shooting clean is good for my confidence. If I can continue to do that, I will have more good races in the next couple of weeks.”
Besides the shooting, Hakkinen was equally pleased with the skiing on this tough course. “I like this kind of tough course. It suits me well. It was firm and fast today. I had the feeling that I was working hard, but going fast. Having fast skis as we had today really helps too. A race like this puts me in a good position for the Pursuit. At the same time, scoring World Cup points moves me up on the list and closer to getting in the Mass Start at Holmenkollen”. The top 30 on the World Cup points list automatically make the Mass Start field. Hakkinen is in a tie for 37th place while Burke is solidly in 22nd place.
Both Burke and Hakkinen will start the 12.5K Pursuit competition tomorrow as will teammate Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, N.Y.) who also shot clean. This was Bailey’s first clean shooting race in a World Cup. He finished 37th 1:28.8 back. Coach Per Nilsson was thrilled with Bailey’s effort. “Lowell has been struggling with his shooting in races. He shoots very well in zero and training, so we know he can do it. This should help him in the next races.”
Jeremy Teela (Anchorage, Alaska) started fast like his teammates and was in the top 30 after a single prone penalty. However, Teela missed three standing shots and eventually finished 63rd, 2:29 back.
With the three top results from Hakkinen, Burke, and Bailey, the U.S. gained a bit of ground in their battle in the Nations Cup points to finish in the top eight at the end of the season. The U.S. Men are currently in 10th place in the Nations Cup standings, battling the Ukraine and Italy for a spot in the top eight at the end of the season. The U.S. gained points on both countries. A top eight finish at the end of the season guarantees an additional starter in all World Cup competitions next year.
Lanny and Tracy Barnes (Durango, Colo.) both shot clean in the 7.5K Sprint on Friday, finishing 54th, and 59th, 2:59.7, and 3:14 back respectively to qualify. Denise Teela (Anchorage, Alaska) tried to match the Barnes sisters on the shooting range, but fell one shot short, with a single penalty in the standing stage. She finished in a non-qualifying
69th place, 3:55.8 back.
February 11, 2007
••••••Hakkinen Ninth in Mass start: Brings U.S. Team Second Top 10 Finish at World Championships••••••
Jay Hakkinen (Kasilof, Alaska) notched his best World Championships result and the second top ten finish for the U.S. Biathlon Team in the Biathlon World Championship with ninth place in the 15K Mass start competition. Hakkinen with his ninth place finish eclipsed his 10th place in last February’s 20K Individual at the Torino Olympic Winter Games. He finished 52.9 seconds behind Olympic champion Michael Greis of Germany. Both Hakkinen and Greis had two penalties. Greis, winning in 37:52.1, topped teammate Andreas Birnbacher by 14.4 seconds, leaving the retiring Raphael Poiree of France, third, 28.1 seconds back.
Although Hakkinen missed the flower ceremony (top 8) by one place, he was in contention for the whole competition. “I was happy to be fighting for the podium all day, so that makes it a good race. But I am disappointed to not be in the top eight,” he commented at the finish. From the outset, he was on the leader board. In the first shooting stage, he picked up the first of two penalties. Still he left the penalty loop in 16th position as many others also missed at least one shot.
From this point, he steadily moved up. The second prone stage was clean and fast, bolting him up to 10th position, 27.4 seconds back. He skied in a group for the next 3K before the first standing stage. Hakkinen rapidly dropped the five targets in succession. Leaving the shooting range, he was in fourth. At this point, he was just behind Poiree. Head Wax Technician Bernd Eisenbichler called over the radios, “Tell Jay to stay there. Do not try to go ahead.” As an experienced biathlete, Hakkinen was thinking the same thing, “I was very conscious of where I was. I was doing a smart biathlon race.”
In the final shooting stage, he incurred his second penalty of the day. Fortunately, most of those, save the eventual top four also had one or more penalties. Hakkinen left the packed Antholz stadium in fifth position, 38.6 seconds behind Greis, but closely followed by Norwegians Bjorndalen and Andresen as well as Sven Fischer and Austria’s Christoph Sumann. Over the final 3K, Hakkinen fought all of his rivals, but several skied faster. He held on to ninth place in a photo finish with Matthias Nilsson of Sweden.
Looking back on these Championships where he finished 18th in the Pursuit and 9th in the 15K, Hakkinen seemed almost satisfied with the outcome. “I think my preparation as well as our team’s overall was well planned and very professional. We did everything necessary to have good results. I wish I had hit that standing shot, but being able to compete for a top finish is a great feeling. I can tell you that I am really looking forward to next year’s World Championships that are not at altitude.”
Hakkinen topped teammate Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, N.Y.) as Burke did with his 7th place to Hakkinen in the 20K Individual. Burke was in shooting trouble from the outset, picking up six penalties on the day. He finished 24th, 2:36.6 back. Despite Burke’s disappointing finish, the U.S. team had an extremely successful World Championships: two top 10 individual finishes, ninth place for the Men’s Relay team, Hakkinen‘s 18th in the Pursuit, and for the first time, two competitors in the Mass start competition. This list of results says only one thing; the 2007 Biathlon World Championships showed the U.S. Biathlon Team can compete for medals in the coming seasons.
The U.S. did not field a team in the Women’s 4 X 6K Relay, as another athlete fell ill on Saturday evening, leaving only three healthy women available to start. Illness has plagued many teams in the latter part of this championship week, keeping stars like Kati Wilhelm of Germany, Raphael Poiree of France, and Anna Carin Olofsson of Sweden out of one or more competitions. Germany won the Women’s Relay in 1:14.19.1 Using seven extra rounds. France, with one penalty and seven extra rounds followed 1:07.08 back, while Norway, with one penalty and six extra rounds, 1:29.7 back captured third.
February 10, 2007
•••••• U.S. Men Finish Ninth in Relay••••••
Jay Hakkinen (Kasilof, Alaska) and Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, N.Y.) surprised the crowd in the Men’s 4 X 7.5K Relay competition, by keeping the U.S. Team near the top of the leader board for the first two legs. The U.S. men finished ninth, 3:26.9 behind the virtually flawless Russian team.
On a perfect day with clear blue skies contrasting against the gray peaks of the Italian Dolomites, the Men’s Relay started with an unusual false start. From there, the first two legs of the relay probably seemed like a bad dream to many European biathlon fans. After the first prone stage, the clean shooting Hakkinen was in second place, 2.6 seconds behind Russia. Following a clean standing stage, albeit with three extra rounds, Hakkinen was solidly in second position, just 23.6 behind the leader. Slovenia followed the U.S. at the time prompting a Slovenian coach to playfully comment to U.S. Coach Mikael Lofgren, “OK—race over, you are second; we are third. Just like in ski jumping sometimes, one round and we end the competition here!”
In the standing stage, the Alaskan was side by side with German Ricco Gross, who seldom misses a target. He and Hakkinen traded shots, each missing twice before Hakkinen dropped his final target, while Gross took a penalty. “I think both Ricco and I were shocked to be missing those shots. Each time it seemed like the target would fall and it did not,” Hakkinen commented.
Despite the Slovenian’s desire to end the race at this point, the race continued. Hakkinen tagged Burke in fourth position, in a group of three teams, less than one second apart. Burke now becoming used to pressure situations after two recent top-eight finishes, stayed at the back of the group over the whole 2.5K. He calmly cleaned both prone and standing, with a single extra round in each. He left the range in third position, nine seconds behind Norway’s Lars Berger. Berger (one of the fastest cross country skiers in the world) extended the gap between himself and Burke to nine seconds at the tag. “I did not feel so good all morning. My stomach was a bit upset,” Burke stated at the finish. “Berger got a few more seconds on me in the last loop, but that is still pretty good, not exactly like I tanked!” Burke tagged Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, N.Y) in third position, 50.4 seconds behind Russia.
As Burke tagged, a beaming Coach Mikael Lofgren said, “This is so great for the sport in the U.S. We had great TV exposure at the top of the standings. We can compete with anyone in this relay.” Bailey made the U.S. staff sweat during his two visits to the shooting range. He needed the three extra rounds in both prone and standing to clean. This extra range time, while others cleaned with fewer shots, dropped the U.S. team down in the standings to eighth position. Bailey was clearly disappointed. “I felt good out there today. All of the shots looked good; I do not know what happened. I am actually pretty bummed out about it.”
Jeremy Teela (Anchorage, Alaska) took the final tag from Bailey. The U.S. was in a group of three teams, places eight through ten. Teela needed two extra rounds in prone and slipped to tenth. In standing, although he needed two extra rounds, Teela shot with speed and authority, leaving France behind on the shooting range. He extended the gap over the final 2.5K, bringing the U.S. to the finish, 3:26.9 behind Russia. With this result, the U.S. men matched their 9th place from last February’s Olympic Winter Games, but fell short of their season best 7th place at Ruhpolding. Although the quartet did not improve from Ruhpolding, they continue to have consistent performances, which means a big leap in the results is not that far away.
The winning Russian team used only one extra round to defeat Norway, anchored by Ole Einar Bjorndalen. The Russians left the Norwegian team 1:00.5 back. The Norwegians had one penalty and 11 extra rounds, while third place Germany had two penalties and 13 extra rounds, 1:32.5 back. When asked if his team’s one extra round was a record, Nicolay Kruglov commented, “I do not know if it is a record. Our coaches told us to shoot clean today and we did the best we could. That is the most important thing.”
February 7, 2007
••••••Burke Makes History with Seventh Place in World Championships••••••
Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, N.Y.) placed seventh in the Men’s 20K Individual competition here, giving him the second best ever U.S. Biathlon result in the Biathlon World Championships.
Burke now ranks second only to Josh Thompson, who won a Silver medal in the same event in the 1987 Biathlon World Championships in Lake Placid, New York. Ironically, Burke is a native of nearby Paul Smiths in New York and trains there in the off-season. Asked how it feels to have a place in biathlon history at the age of 25, Burke had a one-word answer, “Nice.”
The competition for Burke was near perfect. He shot 90% missing just two of the 20 shots he fired. The two penalties, both in the standing stage (worth one minute each) were within a millimeter of hitting the mark. Burke finished 1:27.6 behind Raphael Poiree of France, who was perfect on the shooting range, winning in 56:14.6. Second went to Olympic Gold medalist Michael Greis of Germany, with two penalties, 26.8 seconds back, while Michal Slesinger of Czech Republic won the bronze medal to go with his silver medal from Sunday’s Pursuit competition. Slesinger, with one penalty, was 39.3 seconds back.
From the outset , Burke was never out of the top eight except at the first split, just before the first shooting stage, when he ranked 14th. At the time, Coach Mikael Lofgren looked at the scrolling results on his computer and said, “Tim is being conservative.” Burke then came to the shooing range and downed the five targets in rapid succession, leaving in sixth position.
According to Burke, he actually approached competition as a workout. “I decided that I was going to race just as if it was a threshold combo workout (intensity with shooting). I was very relaxed from the start. I took the first two loops a little conservatively, and then realized it was going well and started to push. At that point, the effort (at this altitude) started to hurt. At each shooting stage, I was very solid and just shot like in practice. The coaches told the guys after Sunday’s Pursuit that we were capable of hitting more targets and trying too hard. That really helped me. I did not pick up my rifle until we zeroed today before the race and then it felt great again.”
Burke’s first penalty came in the first standing stage with a close miss that caused Lofgren to grimace, muttering, “So close,” as he recorded it on his clipboard. Despite this, several other competitors were also missing, and Burke was skiing so well that he held eighth position. The next stage, prone was perfect again and Burke was solidly in eighth position. Lofgren, twice an Olympic Bronze medalist in 1992, was just as nervous as if he was out on the tracks as Burke approached the final standing stage. Unlike his three penalties in the final stage in the Pokljuka Pursuit a few weeks ago, Burke mowed down four of the five targets and rocketed out of the shooting range. Lofgren told the staff out on the tracks, “Tim Burke is in eighth place, six seconds from seventh and 20 from sixth.”
“I felt good on the last loop today,” Burke stated after the race. “The coaches told me I could catch a couple of people and I did, passing Simon Fourcade of France in the final few hundred meters.” Burke crossed in sixth place, but a later starter, Frode Andresen of Norway finished fourth, pushing Burke back to seventh. At the finish line, Burke was nothing but smiles. “After this race, the smile is going to be there for a long time. I am so happy to have a race like this. I was bitterly disappointed in the Sprint and Pursuit. I did not perform at the level I am capable of, either day. I wanted to show people that I could do well here, in a Championship and not just in the World Cups. I knew I could have a race like this. It is such a great feeling.” With his historic race today, Burke secured a place in the 15K Mass start competition, which follows the Men’s 4 X 7.5K relay competition. After the flower ceremony for the top eight finishers, Burke explained that after today, he was looking forward to both and was, “excited!”
Behind Burke, Jay Hakkinen (Kasilof, Alaska) just missed the top 30, finishing 31st, with three penalties, 4:47.4 back. The Alaskan, who was 18th in the Pursuit competition, missed two shot in the first standing stage and another in the final stage. “I was trying too hard to hit them (when his missed two) and held a bit long,” he commented. Hakkinen, based on the World cup Points he scored in the Pursuit also qualified for the Mass start competition.
Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, N.Y.) matching Hakkinen on the shooting range finished 41st, 6:19.6 back. Bailey edged Jeremy Teela (Anchorage, Alaska) by 6.4 seconds. Teela finished 44th, with four penalties. The combined efforts of the four U.S. men gave the team their second best day of the year, scoring 322 Nations Cup Points, second only to the 349 they scored in the Hochfilzen Sprint in December. The U.S. men are ranked 10th in the world at this time.
Head U.S Wax Technician Bernd Eisenbichler commented on Burke’s historic effort, summing up the thoughts of the whole U.S Biathlon staff. “Tim had the third or fourth ski time today. I expected a lot from him but this was even beyond my expectations, seventh place with two penalties!”
February 4, 2007
••••••Hakkinen Moves Up 20 Positions Finishes 18th in Pursuit••••••
Jay Hakkinen (Kasilof, Alaska) starting 38th, moved steadily through the field in the Men’s 12.5K Pursuit to finish 18th, his best result of the season. Buoyed by one-penalty shooting and skis that he described as “outstanding,” Hakkinen finished just 2:24.1 behind Ole Einar Bjorndalen, who again demolished the field, winning in 32:21.2, 1:09.9 ahead of second place Maxim Tchoudov of Russia. Bjorndalen had two penalties to Tchoudov’s one penalty. Vincent DeFrasne of France finished just one-tenth of a second behind the Russian in a photo finish. When asked if he could beat Bjorndalen, the French athlete answered, “Ole is the best biathlete ever and he is in very good form, no question; but he is human, so this is always possible.”
Hakkinen’s only penalty came in the first standing stage, when he missed one target. Beyond that single error, the shooting statistics revealed that the almost-perfect Hakkinen had the third fastest shooting time today, 1:39 for four stages, just three seconds behind Simon Fourcade of France.
Hakkinen confirmed that shooting was the key to his success. “I tried to focus on the shooting, one stage at a time. It was really good to have a 95 percent day. I was concentrating so hard on my shooting, that at times, I was not sure if I was moving up in the race. Starting so far back (in 38th position, 2:11 back), I was out of contact with the leaders, which actually was good. Being so far back, I just concentrated on my own race. I was actually shocked when I was told after the final stage that I was in 20th place.”
Hakkinen’s previoius season best was 24th place in the 10K Sprint at Oberhof, Germany. With a look of satisfaction, but also a hunger for even better results in his voice, he continued, “It is so much fun to be competitive in a race again, especially when you shoot well and you feel good out on the tracks. I have had some other times when I felt good this year, but the other things did not come together, so this race was a good race for me. I am not completely satisfied, because I want to make the Mass start and need another very good race in the 20K to do that.”
Hakkinen’s 18th place is a is 18th place personal best in a World Championships Pursuit competition, equaling his second best World Championships result. His 16th place in the 1999 World Championships 10K Sprint tops the list, followed by 18th in the Mass start the same year and 18th in the 10K Sprint in 2005.
Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, N.Y.) started just ahead of Hakkinen at position number 35, but unlike Hakkinen was unable to make a big jump in the results list. He finished 32nd, 3:45.3 back, with five penalties. Burke, like Hakkinen, was in the top 30 for the first two stages, after recording just one prone penalty. Four missed targets in the two standing stages, left him 11 seconds shy of 30th place. Jeremy Teela (Anchorage, Alaska), 5:44 back, with seven penalties finished in the place where he started, 46th, Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, N.Y.) had six penalties, finishing 50th, 6:04.2 back.
The clear, windless conditions the men encountered continued for the women in the afternoon. The near capacity crowd of 18,000 fans saw Magdalena Neuner of Germany claimed her second World Championship in the Women’s 10K Pursuit. Despite four penalties, the 19-year-old, after a seesaw battle with Sweden’s Anna Carin Olofsson prevailed in 33:01.6. Olofsson slipped to third as Linda Grubben of Norway out kicked her in the final 50 meters. Grubben, with one penalty finished 7.1 seconds behind the young German, with Olofsson (five penalties) one-half second further back.
Tracy Barnes (Durango, Colo.) turned the tables on sister Lanny, as she finished 38th with three penalties to Lanny’s six penalties in 49th place. They finished 4:38.4 and 6:02.9 back, while Sarah Konrad (Laramie, Wyo.), lapped after seven prone penalties, did not finish.
With a season best 38th place, Tracy took another small step up the performance ladder. “I felt better today than yesterday. I actually had something left in the last loop, passed one person, and had a good battle with the French woman who finished just in front of me. I think I will get better with each race here.”
February 3, 2007
••••••Burke 35th in Sprint: Four Men, Three Women in Pursuit Field••••••
Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, N.Y.) finished 35th in the World Championship 10K Sprint, leading the U.S. Biathlon Team, which qualified all four men and three women for the Championship Pursuit competitions.
Burke, after an amazing three competitions (13th, 11th, and 5th places) two weeks in Pokljuka, Slovenia, hit a bump in his outstanding season, missing one target in both prone and three more in standing, for the first time this season. The day, characterized by a strong wind, saw an extraordinary number of penalties. Only 14 of the top 40 finishers had less than two penalties.
As the top U.S. finisher, Burke finished 1:57.8 behind Ole Einar Bjorndalen, who had only one penalty, cruising to a finish time of 26:18.8. Bjorndalen was almost nipped by the hard charging Czech athlete, Michal Slesinger, who shot clean, finishing just 4.8 seconds back. Third place was also a surprise as Andriy Deryzemlya of Ukraine, also shooting clean, was 25.8 seconds behind the dominant Norwegian. Bjorndalen commented, “Today was the best day for me in the last weeks. I was very satisfied with my race. It was important to have a good race to start the championships. Many times I have a good race and do not win.”
On his 25th birthday, Burke drew bib number 1. After the luck of being the first starter, he was bitterly disappointed at the finish, commenting, “This is not exactly the birthday present I wanted.” Later, the immediate disappointment had worn off as he added, “I will say one thing first: everyone better watch out tomorrow (in the Pursuit. I really was not nervous at the start or on the first loop. Maybe there was a bit in prone, but it was not major. In standing, I think I may have misjudged the approach. It is very hard. I hit the first standing shot, then missed the second, reset my position and then lost my cadence. The final shot was simply bad. The positive thing is that I skied well. We all had really fast skis today. I intend to come out with a much better race tomorrow.”
At the other end of the start list was Jay Hakkinen (Kasilof, Alaska), who was 103rd of 105 starters. This position gave the Alaskan a virtual free run of the tracks, and plenty of television time, as coverage continues until everyone finishes and the flower ceremony occurs. Hakkinen had two prone penalties and was in the middle of the field coming to the standing stage. He missed only one shot and moved up through the standings, to finish 38th, 2:10.6 back. Twenty-two seconds and eight places (46th) behind Hakkinen was fellow Alaskan Jeremy Teela (Anchorage, Alaska). Teela, like Burke had four penalties. Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, N.Y.) also had four penalties, finishing 48th, 2:45.3 back.
Coach Mikael Lofgren commented on the tough day his men’s team encountered. “We had too many penalties. It may have been a bit of nerves for Tim, but there were many bad shots by all of the guys. The wind was about the same during zero as it was during the race, so that should have not been a problem. We will come back tomorrow and try again.”
For the U.S. women in the afternoon’s 7.5K Championship Sprint, it was their best day of the season. Three of the four women qualified for the Pursuit, led by Lanny and Tracy Barnes (Durango, Colo.) in 40th and 41st places, while Sarah Konrad (Laramie, Wyo.) trailed in 54th place. The Barnes twins, both with a single penalty, finished virtually together less than two seconds apart.
Nineteen-year-old Magdalena Neuner of Germany won the women’s competition in 22:46.9, with two penalties, edging Olympic Gold Medalist Anna Carin Olofsson of Sweden, also with two penalties, by 2.3 seconds. Third went to Natalia Guseva of Russia, with one penalty, 19.6 seconds back. Tracy Barnes, who finished 2:20.7 back compared to Lanny’s 2:18.6 back, was smiling at the finish, as she discussed her best day of the year. “I think my good races at the Europa Cup two weeks ago (two 10th place finishes) helped a lot. I was feeling a bit intimidated in some of the World Cups before then. However, at Forni Avoltri, I was more aggressive and it carried over in this race. I finally felt comfortable on the shooting range. It was a day when I did not feel the best, but somehow, the race came together.” Lanny, nauseous during the second and third loops, stopped three times in the final 2.5K, struggling to finish 2.1 seconds ahead of Tracy. Sarah Konrad, in 54th place, had four penalties, finishing 2:51.6 back, making the Pursuit field. Carolyn Treacy Bramante (Duluth, Minn.) finished 83rd, with five penalties, 6:14.2 back. Bramante cross-fired in standing and accordingly had to do five penalty loops.
Even though the U.S. team failed to score any World Cup Points, this first day of the 2007 Biathlon World Championships was a collective success. All of the men made the Pursuit field for the first time this year, while three women did the same, also for the first time this year.
February 1, 2007
••••••Biathlon World Championships ••••••
In a year that has been anything but normal weather-wise, the 2007 Biathlon World Championships opened under (finally) normal winter conditions. Europe had suffered through a virtually snowless, warm winter until late January. At that point, the moisture that has been rain in most of December and January clashed with the cold air and viola—snow! More than a meter of snow buried all of central Europe from northern Germany through Austria, Slovenia, and the northern Italian Dolomites. As this precious commodity fell, there was a collective sigh of relief from hotel and ski area operators across the region.
Antholz suffered through the, wintere preparing for Championships with hundreds of thousands of meters of artificial snow to cover the tracks. Prior to the proceding week, the venue was ready, but the copious snowfall completed the setting for what promised to be a spectacular event. From the bottom to the top of the Antholz Valley (a distance of about seven miles), the Tyrolean style houses and barns as well as the high meadows were glistening white in the midwinter sun, typical of Antholz in February.
With the competitions in two days, the organizers were busy putting finishing touches on the competition venue and spectator areas. The television compound was up and running with technicians testing the miles of cables under the stadium and the 33 camera positions that cover virtually every inch of the tracks. As much of the U.S. watches the Super Bowl, millions of Europeans would watch every minute of the four competitions the weekend and the over the following seven days.
The tracks were in “super condition,” according to U.S. head Wax Technician Bernd Eisenbichler. Like his counterparts from most of the larger nations, Eisenbichler had been testing skis and wax for several days, seeking the magic potion for the U.S. Team’s skis. The newly rebuilt (in 2005) Antholz stadium looked ready to host the competitions at any time, with the Hora targets getting a good test from the athletes all week. By the start of the competition, each athlete knew exactly how much effort it would take to climb the small bridge as they leave the stadium on their tour of the pine forests before returning through a final tunnel into the stadium which was filled to capacity with 12,000 spectators. Another 6,000 plus spectators were on the tracks, making for a crowd of over 18,000 each day.
Antholz has always been a great party for the spectators. The organizers know how to combine the boisterous German biathlon atmosphere with a bit of Italian culture and sophistication. This means Bavarian-style oompah bands, beer tents, pop idols, men in traditional alpine hats complete with a feather and some pins, as well as women dressed furs and boots straight from the runways in Milan. To keep the party atmosphere running until the wee hours, the “Biathlon Champs Village” fills a large part of the village of Antholz (population maybe 500). This 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. party venue features medals presentations nightly, concessionaires, plus more music and dancing. To keep the roads safe, virtually everyone save the athletes and staff travels to Antholz from their accommodations by an extensive bus transport system.
Besides all of the television productions and the 10-day non-stop party, the competitions are the true reason for this once a year event. Many times the competitive fire wanes in the top athletes in the year after the Olympic Winter Games. This year is an exception, as Olympic Gold medalists from Torino top both the men and women’s Overall World cup standings. Germany’s Kati Wilhelm only took the lead in the final competition at Pokljuka, but her performances have been steadily improving making her a favorite to win several World Championships here. Close on her heels is Anna Carin Olofsson of Sweden whose skiing ability and the confidence from a gold medal last year in Torino could produce some classic battles with the red-haired German star.
Atop the men’s standings is Michael Greis of Germany, the multi-gold medalist from Torino. Despite being at the top of the heap, Greis has struggled at times and has only one victory this season. He has competed in every possible competition to accumulate 398 points thus far. Breathing down his back is Norway’s Ole Einar Bjorndalen. After four gold medals in Salt Lake City 2002, the “king of biathlon” failed to score a victory in Torino, settling for less shiny medals, after a season of illness. This season is a different story. Bjorndalen started the year with a cross country World Cup victory and never looked back. He competed in nine of the 14 Biathlon World Cup competitions, winning seven, mostly in a dominant fashion and Greis by just 10 points
The U.S. Biathlon team came to Antholz with Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, N.Y.) in 22nd place in the overall World Cup and capable of competing equally with all of the top men. Burke’s last three World Cup competitions resulted in 13th, 11th and 6th places, by far one of the best race series ever put together by a U.S Biathlete in World Cup competition. Burke, as well as Jay Hakkinen (Kasilof, Alaska), 10th in the Olympic Mass start competition was capable of good results here. Their teammates Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, N.Y.) and Jeremy Teela (Anchorage, Alaska) have also scored world cup points this season, making it possible that all four could be in the top 30. This quartet forms a potent relay team that will be trying to improve their 7th place season best at Ruhpolding.
The Barnes twins, Lanny and Tracy (Durango, Colo.), lead the U.S. women. Lanny had a 15th place in an individual competition earlier this season and hopes to repeat that. Tracy recently placed 10th in Europa Cup competitions, is shooting well, and should challenge her sister in each competition. Carolyn Treacy Bramante (Duluth, Minn.), Sarah Konrad (Laramie, Wyo., and Erin Graham (Jericho, V.T.) will also start in one or more competitions. Graham, a first time World Championships competitor and member of the National Guard will be the U.S. flag bearer in Friday evening’s opening ceremony.
January 21, 2007
••••••Burke 6th in Mass start: Best U.S. Result in 7 Years••••••
Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, N.Y.), after missing the podium in the Pursuit competition, came back even stronger in today’s 15K Mass start competition, finishing sixth with the best U.S. Biathlon result since January, 2000.
Burke left the stadium frustrated in the Pursuit after three penalties in the final shooting stage dropping him from fifth to 11th place. It was a different story, as Burke had only two penalties total, compared to four the day before. “After the race, I was determined not to let that happen again. I came out here intending to have a good race and be on the podium”. Finishing sixth, 1:29.4 behind repeat winner Christoph Sumann of Austria, who won in 38:24.18, with no penalties, Burke matched Jay Hakkinen’s 6th place finish in the Pursuit competition at Ruhpolding in 2000. Burke’s sixth is the high water mark for the U.S. program since the millennium.
The competition showcased Burke’s skills. On a sunny plus 15-Celsius day, he started in the middle of the 30-man field, staying there on the narrow, slushy and rapidly melting tracks. In both prone stages, he took longer to set up than others around him, but each time shot clean. After the first stage, he was in 11th position. Another clean stage moved him to eighth position. Coming to the standing stages, there was tension in the U.S. camp, as standing was his undoing in the Pursuit. Missing only one target in the first stage, Burke actually maintained his spot. Over the fourth loop, he briefly moved to sixth, but then decided to follow the Austrian Mesotitsch and Norway’s Stian Eckhoff. The trio shot together, with Burke picking up another penalty, but leaving the loop in sixth position with Mesotitsch and Nicolay Kruglov of Russia chasing. With only two penalties, Burke was not to be denied. Over the final 2.5K, he widened the margin on both of his pursuers, leaving them 11 and 16 seconds behind him at the finish.
At the finish, there were high fives and hugs from all of the staff, for the young Burke who is the sensation of the World Cup Circuit to this point. There were no frowns as Burke talked about his race. “I felt good and was really relaxed. On the fourth loop, I was just cruising, so I expected to have a good final standing stage. Unlike a lot of the others, I had afterburners on the last loop and pulled away from the group.” During the flower ceremony, the smile never left Burke’s face. He was suddenly a part of very exclusive group of athletes and was part of a victory ceremony broadcast live to millions of homes across Europe. Burke’s sixth place capped the best week of his competitive career, with 13th in the Sprint, 11th in the Pursuit, and sixth in the second Mass start of his career.
Less than two months prior, Burke had never scored a World Cup point. This year he was on the podium and ranked 22nd in the World Cup Overall (just one point from 2lst). “You have no idea how many times I have dreamed of this. It is a dream come true. When interviewed by a German television station, he discussed his rise in the World Cup rankings. “I had an excellent year of training under our two new Swedish coaches, Per Nilsson and Mikael Lofgren. That has been a big difference for me. My form has been getting better and better each week. It was just a matter of time before I was on the podium.”
Burke, a graduate of Saranac Lake (N.Y.) High School, prepared for his breakout season mostly on his home turf, using the world-class facilities of the Olympic Training Center and the Verizon Sports Park in Lake Placid, N.Y., as well as traveling to camps in Sweden and Utah. Prior to this season, he and training partner, Lowell Bailey had trained at the Maine Winter Sports Center in Fort Kent.
January 20, 2007
••••••Burke 11th in Exciting Pokljuka Pursuit••••••
Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, NY), after being in fifth position before the final shooting stage finished a frustrated 11th in the Pokljuka Pursuit on January 20, 1:22.3 behind the winner, Christoph Sumann of Austria, in the Men’s 12.5K Pursuit competition.
Prior to the final standing stage, Burke, who started in 13th position, missed only one of fifteen shots in the 20-shot Pursuit competition. That single penalty came on the second prone stage, early in the competition. By shooting well, and skiing equally as well, Burke stayed in contention throughout the first four 2.5K loops. With each loop, Burke inched closer to the top group, from 40 seconds back; to 30 seconds back, until he entered the range 20 seconds back in a group of five athletes, positions two through five, all shooting simultaneously. Conditions could have not been better for shooting all day, as the wind flags hung limply on their stakes throughout the competition.
In uncharted territory, Burke missed the first two shots, reset his position; hit the next two, and after a long hesitation missed the final shot. Three penalties for Burke while others around him shot either clean or had a single miss, took him out of contention for a top eight finish. While Burke toiled on the penalty loop, he slipped from the top 10, leaving in 12th position. He pushed the last loop and sprinted in the final stretch, trying in vain to take 10th place from Sweden’s Bjorn Ferry. Both leaned at the finish, with Ferry getting the nod by a less than a foot, although the results recorded it as three tenths of a second.
At the finish with his 11th place glaring at him from the scoreboard, Burke was frustration personified. “I felt very good. I skied comfortably all day. I was gradually moving up all of the time, even after I missed the prone shot. Coming to the last standing stage, in my mind, I was telling myself to shoot just like in practice. Unfortunately, you cannot practice being in fifth place in a World Cup. It was my first time in that position. I guess it got to me a bit. Still, it left me hungry. I have practiced it now and am ready for the next time. If I had shot poorly in the race and gradually moved up to 11th place, I would be ecstatic. However, after being so close, I am not happy with the 11th place. The only consolation is that I scored some good World Cup points, and I get another chance tomorrow in the Mass start.”
Those 24 points Burke scored moved him up to 24th place in the overall World Cup, up from 27th. As one of the 30 men in the 15K Mass start competition, he has an opportunity to move higher as all competitors who finish the Mass start score World Cup Points.
Jeremy Teela (Anchorage, Alaska) and Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, N.Y.) also competed in today’s Pursuit competition. Bailey had only one penalty in the two prone stages, like Burke, while Teela had three. At one point, both moved up close to 30th position. Unfortunately, both had four standing penalties, which pushed them down in the results. Bailey also lost a magazine prior to the final stage, losing valuable time, when range officials reacted slowly to his raised-hand request for one from the U.S. spare rifle. Teela finished 41st, with seven penalties, 4:18.5 back while Bailey was 4:57.3 back.
The winner, Christoph Sumann won for the first time since a Sprint victory at Osrblie, Slovakia, in December 2001. The Austrian was near perfect on the shooting range with a single penalty, covering the 12.5K distance in 34:25.9. Sprint victor Alexander Wolf of Germany, with two penalties, placed second, 15.7 seconds back, while France’s Vincent DeFrasne, also with two penalties, was third, 27.6 seconds back.
January 18, 2007
••••••Burke Bounces Back with 13th Place at Windy Pokljuka••••••
Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, N.Y.) after 23rd in the mass start at Ruhpolding, came back today with his second best ever World Cup result, 13th place in Men’s 10K Sprint.
For the first two days on the Pokljuka plateau, the wind flags barely moved. That all changed as a front started to moved in from the southwest, bringing strong winds from noon on. By the time Burke, with start number six, left the starting gate, many of the national flags behind the shooting range were wrapped around the poles from the blustery winds. Burke entered the shooting range for prone during a particularly gusty period. He shot aggressively, but missed one shot. “I knew it was a bad shot,” he commented later. Even with one penalty, Burke was flying around the tracks. He came to standing and again left with one penalty, but his skiing was so strong that he almost out skied the penalties. With two penalties, he finished just 52.8 seconds behind the winner Alexander Wolf of Germany, who shot clean. Wolf’s winning time was 22:41.4. Second went to Bjorn Ferry of Sweden who also shot clean, 6.6 seconds behind Wolf. Emile Hegle Svendsen of Norway, with one penalty was third, 8.7 seconds back.
Standing in the finish area with about 30 competitors through the standing stage, Burke was all smiles. “Even with the two penalties, everything was good. It was very windy both times that I shot. I really had to battle in standing to have only one penalty. The skiing was good today. The tracks held were pretty fast. I like where I am with my form now. I feel like it is going in the right direction before World Championships.”
U.S. head Wax Technician Bernd Eisenbichler, flashing a big grin, like Burke, commented on track conditions and Burke’s race. “The tracks were in very good shape for Pokljuka where there is usually a big difference between the woods and the open spaces where the sun hits. These were probably some of the best conditions of the season so far. Tim was very strong today. He was ninth on the tracks as well as on the last loop. He was very good. Some of the athletes were not as strong as him on that last loop.”
With the 13th place, Burke moved up to 27th position, from 29th, in the overall World Cup, virtually assuring him a spot in the mass start competition. Three of the top 30 men did not compete here, which solidifies his place in the top 30 men for the mass start. The 13th also put him in an advantageous position in the 12.5K Pursuit, starting 52 seconds behind Wolf.
Jeremy Teela (Anchorage, Alaska) tried to match Burke, but finished 37th, with three penalties, 1:46.2 back. Skiing faster than Burke on the first loop, Teela shot conservatively, but still had one penalty. “I shot really slowly. When I go to the final shot, my mind was saying, “you are holding too long, and I missed.” In standing, he had an additional two penalties. “Actually, I did not feel that good,” he added. Still, in Saturday’s Pursuit, Teela will start within striking distance of the top 30 and World Cup points.
Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, N.Y.), like Teela started strong, with only one prone penalty. He shot standing during a period of wind gusts and picked up two additional penalties. Bailey finished 51st, 2:09.5 back. Jay Hakkinen (Kasilof, Alaska) was also battered by the wind and finished 63rd, with four penalties, 2:42.7 back.
January 17, 2007
••••••Lanny Barnes 43rd in Women’s Sprint••••••
Lanny Barnes (Durango, Colo.), missing only one of ten shots, placed 43rd in the women’s 7.5K Sprint. “It was tough,” is how Barnes described the competition. She added, “Of course that is how the conditions have been all year. The steep uphill was very soft and deep, but the rest of the tracks were pretty good. I was a little tired, after a very hard workout on Monday”. It would have been better to do it on Sunday, but since there was no training on Sunday in Ruhpolding, I had to do it on Monday”.
Barnes finished 2:23.5 behind Anna Karin Olofsson of Sweden, who clocked 21:45. Olofsson, and like Barnes, had one penalty. The winner missed her final shot, while Barnes missed the first prone shot. “I shot the first one too fast,” Barnes lamented. Russia’s Tatiana Moiseeva, with clean shooting was 6.8 seconds behind the Olympic Gold Medalist from Sweden. Third went to Kati Wilhelm, with one penalty, 17.4 seconds back. Wilhelm confirmed Barnes’ comments on the conditions, “This was a hard race, as the snow is deep in places, a bit dirty and accordingly slow.”
Pokljuka is always the spot on the World Cup circuit where snow is virtually guaranteed. Unfortunately, like the rest of Europe, it had seen little this year. Still, conditions were the best since the competitions in Hochfilzen. There was little natural snow in Pokljuka, but the organizers made snow whenever possible over recent weeks, providing good coverage on the tracks, even though there is no more that 30 cm. in most spots. Cold nights at this one-mile high venue made the conditions overall much better than the slush of recent weeks. With her 43rd place finish, Barnes qualified for the 10K Pursuit competition.
January 14, 2007
••••••Burke Crashes Again: Recovers to Finish 23rd in Mass Start••••••
Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, N.Y.) suffered another time and energy consuming crash in the first 2.5K of the 15K mass start competition, but regained his composure to finish 23rd, 3:00.1 behind Ole Einar Bjorndalen of Norway.
Burke, looking like Rocky Balboa at the finish, with several small scratches from the previous collision near the finish, was frustrated as he spoke about his first mass start competition. “I had a good start, in the middle of the pack, skiing comfortably. Under the bridge near the ski jump, Vincent DeFrasne (France) cut right in front of me and took me out at the knees. I went flying across the tracks, with my pole going the opposite way. As I got up, someone else slammed me into the ground again and I lost a magazine. By the time I made it to the shooting range, I was in last place. The chief of competition gave me a new magazine there.”
In that first prone stage, Burke missed two shots low and to the right. “All of Tim’s shots were low, which is unusual,” commented Coach Per Nilsson. Burke came to the second prone stage in 29th position. This time, he had five good shots, but another miss in the same spot. “After the crash, I definitely changed my tactics,” Burke added, “I was not going to follow anyone after that. I led every group during the second half of the race.”
Burke’s aggressiveness paid off, as he moved up steadily during the two standing stages. He came to the first standing stage in 26th, had only one penalty, and moved up to 24th over the next 3.3K. A clean final stage would put him within striking distance of 20th place. He shot fast in the final stage, yet missed another shot, giving him five penalties total. Still, he was able to pick up another spot to finish 23rd, a stellar effort considering the nearly catastrophic beginning.
“I felt good today, so I am pretty disappointed with the early part of the race. I expected a better place. Still, I got eight World Cup points, so it was worth it,” Burke stated as he left the stadium. Unaware of Burke’s mishaps, other than a dropped magazine, Nilsson commented about his performance, “Tim did a good job today. Of course, he can shoot much better. Still, he is competing with the top 30 guys in the world here and fought hard all of the way to the finish.”
Bjorndalen, shooting clean, claimed his 71st World Cup victory today with another stellar performance. He played with the other competitors until after the first standing stage, when he started to put more distance on them, eventually winning by 47.7 seconds over Norwegian teammate, Emile Hegle Svendsen. Svendsen, with one penalty topped Austrian Christoph Sumann by 2.2 seconds. Sumann tried to stay with Bjorndalen over the first three loops, but fell back when the Norwegian turned on the afterburners, leaving Sumann struggling to hold on to third at the finish.
In Europa Cup action in Cesana San Sicario, Italy, Russell Currier (Stockholm, Maine) was the third U.S. Junior National Team Athlete on the podium in three days with a personal best third place in the Junior Men’s 10K Sprint. He follows Wynn Roberts (Brainerd, Minn.), fifth in the Junior 15K Individual and Brynden Manbeck (Grand Rapids, Minn.) fifth in the Junior Women’s 12.5K Individual. Currier, with three penalties, continued to burn up the slushy tracks, finishing 28.6 seconds behind Claudio Mussner of Italy. Roberts finished 14th with four penalties, 2:21.5 back, after losing the butt plate on his rifle before the prone stage. He eventually fixed it, but lost time and concentration in the process. Brian Olsen (Heber City, Utah) was 48th in the senior men’s 10K Sprint, with two penalties; 2:21.1 back of Germany’s Jorn Wollschlager. Kevin Patzoldt (Grand Rapids, Minn.) followed in 73rd place, with three penalties, 4:48.4 back.
January 13, 2007
••••••Hakkinen 29th in Ruhpolding Sprint: Burke Makes Mass Start Field, Despite Fall••••••
Jay Hakkinen (Kasilof, Alaska), with 29th place in the Men’s 10K Sprint on January 13 continued his climb back from a sub-par December with his third World Cup point scoring effort in a row.
On another picture perfect day with clear skies and temperatures at plus 12 Celsius, Hakkinen continued to resemble the man who placed 10th in the 20K Individual at the Torino Olympic Winter Games last February. With only one penalty, he was 1:45.6 behind Ole Einar Bjorndalen who demolished the field once again. Bjorndalen and teammate Halvard Hanevold, both shot clean, but Bjorndalen outstanding race put second placer Hanevold 37.2 seconds behind at the finish. Norway swept the top three with Emile Hegle Svendsen taking third, with one penalty, 41.7 seconds back
On a calm day when good shooting was the norm, Hakkinen was only 22.7 seconds out of 15th place. His shooting, on both prone and standing was both fast and accurate, despite the one standing penalty. Twenty-five of the top 30 finishers had either one or zero penalties. The close time back and the shooting statistics once again illustrates just how closely matched the top men are in the Biathlon World Cup competitions. Hakkinen has now moved up to 54th in the Overall World Cup standings.
Even with his 38th place finish, Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, N.Y.) remains in the top 30 in the World Cup. After not scoring any points, Burke slipped to 29th place. By holding his top 30 ranking, he earned a spot in the 15K mass start competition, reserved for the top 30 competitors. This would be Burke’s first ever World Cup mass start.
Burke started the day on his way to another big result, cleaning prone and coming into the standing stage in seventh position. Burke promptly dropped the first two targets, before a close miss on the third. He pressed to hit the final two targets, missing both. This pushed him back into the low twenties. Approaching the finish, he was battling for a final place in the mid-twenties when his skis tangled with those of Michael Slesinger of the Czech Republic. The Czech athlete wobbled but kept upright, while Burke tumbled hard, face down. He was on the ground several seconds before getting up and finishing, losing all of his momentum and valuable time. At the finish, Burke was O.K., other than a few scratches on his face. With a look of frustration on his face, he commented, “I do not know what happened with the last two standing shots. I knew the third was close. As for the fall, I tangled with Slesinger on the final bridge and lost.”
“I felt the best I have all year, so I went for it,” was Jeremy Teela’s (Anchorage, Alaska) description of his 58th place finish. Teela despite starting 109th had a fast ski time, but four penalties that left him 2:45.5 behind Bjorndalen. Teammate Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, N.Y.) had one less penalty than Teela, but finished 63rd, 2:56.6 back.
In the this afternoon’s Sprint competitions at the Europa Cup in Cesana San Sicario, Italy, Brynden Manbeck (Grand Rapids, Minn.) finished second in the Junior Women’s 7.5K Sprint, with two penalties, 1:55.1 behind Shumilova of Russia, who won the previous Individual competition.
In the Women’s 7.5K Sprint, Sarah Konrad, (Laramie, Wyo.) placed 19th with 4 penalties, 3:10.8 behind Ute Niziak of Germany. Carolyn Treacy Bramante (Duluth, Minn.), with two penalties placed 23rd, 3:36.9 back while Haley Johnson (lake Placid, N.Y.) with three penalties was 4:54.6 back.
January 12, 2007
••••••Barnes Sisters’ Shooting Improves in Sprint••••••
Lanny and Tracy Barnes (Durango, Colo.), each with just one penalty finished 67th and 70th in the Women’s 7.5K Sprint on January 12.
Warm weather took toll on the tracks but Ruhpolding organizers had adequate snow on the tracks. It continues to melt, and organizers cancelled morning training to preserve the tracks for the races. Before the start of the women’s sprint, head U.S. Wax Technician Bernd commented, “Actually the tracks are in good shape. They salted overnight and allowed no one on until 11:30, so they are actually hard right now. It should be fair conditions.”
According to Tracy Barnes, that changed by the time she started at number 86, “On the flat part, it was getting really deep by the time I started. It is all slow, but the hills are in better shape than the flat parts.” Barnes, in 70th, finished 3:39 behind Sandrine Bailly of France, who won in 24:24, with perfect shooting. Lanny Barnes, in 67th place, was just 15.3 seconds ahead of her sister. Second place went to Olympic Gold Medalist Anna Carin Olofsson of Sweden, who finished 18.5 seconds behind Bailly. Olofsson had one penalty, in standing. France scored two women in the top three as Florence Baverel-Robert, shooting clean like Bailly picked up third, 37 seconds behind her teammate.
For the Barnes sisters, it was another step back towards consistency. The two are normally excellent shots, but had struggled. Lanny was a bit slow on prone, but hit all of the targets, while having one standing penalty, compared to needed three extra rounds in the relay to clean the targets. Tracy broke her string of sub-par performances in Wednesday’s relay with 10 shots and 10 targets down. Today, she missed her first shot, but hit the next nine. After she finished her clean standing stage, Coach Per Nilsson, looking at his shot chart, said, “That was more like it, really good shooting. All five shots were in the prone ring.” Tracy Barnes added, “I wish I knew where that first prone shot went. The standing felt very good, so it is going better now.”
Denise Teela (Anchorage, Alaska) did not match the Barnes sisters on the shooting range. Teela missed three targets in prone, which put her in an immediate deficit. In standing, she added another penalty, pushing her to 87th place, 5:01.9 back.
January 11, 2007
••••••U.S. Men “Sensational” with 7th in Relay! ••••••
Jeremy Teela (Anchorage, Alaska) crossed the finish line in 7th place in the Men’s 4 X 7.5K Relay with a broad smile and a raised ski pole as the stadium announcer described the U.S. finish as, “sensational” several times.
In a relay won by Norway in 1:29:17, after a seesaw battle with second place Russia, the U.S. Team of Jay Hakkinen (Kasilof, Alaska), Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, N.Y.), Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, N.Y.), and Teela, 2:27.4 back, had a breakthrough day. “I told the boys after the 9th place in Oberhof, that they should be up there in 5th to 7th place; they are that good,” Coach Per Nilsson commented after Teela had sealed the 7th place finish. Today’s finish erases their season best from last week and the identical 9th in last February’s Olympic Winter Games, as a recent best. U.S. Biathlon Executive Director Max Cobb punctuated the importance of the day, exclaiming above the din of the stadium packed with 15,000 fans, “I do not remember ever being in seventh place in a relay. It is pretty exciting!”
The U.S. used their same order as in the Olympic Games and in the previoius week’s relay, leading off with Hakkinen. He normally keeps the team in a good position, as a leadoff man. Hakkinen shot aggressively in both prone and standing. He needed three extra rounds in prone and an additional two in standing to topple the 10 targets. Still, he fulfilled his job, tagging to Tim Burke in 10th position, just 50.2 seconds off the lead.
Burke’s performance was one of the two legs key to the seventh place. The other was that of third man, Lowell Bailey. With a full staff covering all points of the tracks and shooting range, information was plentiful. Burke skied well right from the start closing the gap on the lead group of teams. In prone, he only needed a single extra round to be clean, moving up to eighth position. In standing, he dropped all five targets with a steady, confident cadence. On the final 2.5K, he passed another team while skiing just behind France’s Raphael Poiree, tagging Bailey in seventh position. Burke was happy with his day. “I felt good skiing behind Poiree; that was a big help. With only one extra shot, what more can you say?”
Bailey’s effort was the second key to the U.S. Team’s success. From the moment he started, the radios, were saying, “Lowell is skiing well.” In prone, Bailey shot clean with no extra rounds. “That was the first clean prone in a long time,” he said with a bit of satisfaction in his voice. The clean prone stage pushed the U.S. up to sixth. Bailey delivered for the second time with only two extra rounds in standing, maintaining the sixth position. “My range times were not the fastest today, but I tried to be patient. I have been working hard on this and it paid off.”
The fate of the team fell directly into Teela’s hands. As he left the stadium, just four second ahead of Austria’s Christoph Sumann. Sumann cleaned prone rapidly and Teela needed two extra rounds to clean, as the U.S. fell back to seventh position. In the standing stage, Teela needed all three rounds to clean, but maintained the seventh place to the finish and the roar of the crowd and announcer. At the finish, Teela talked about his day, “My shooting was not the best or fastest. The other guys gave me a good cushion (eighth place Czech Republic was 45.5 seconds back at the finish), so I tried not to be too aggressive. We have never been in seventh before, so I thought it was the day to take that and not risk any big mistakes (like penalties). It was fun hearing the announcer and the crowd as I finished. This is a big step for U.S.”
Nilsson analyzed the big day for the U.S. Men. “If you look at the 13 extra rounds (but no penalties) and compare to Sweden and Austria, fourth and fifth, with four (plus one penalty), and six extra rounds, we were right with them. Each extra round takes 8-10 seconds, so do the math. Our boys can ski with any of them; the difference is on the shooting range. We will get better. I am very pleased with the results.”
This is the second big day so far this season for the U.S. men, who earlier placed, Burke, Bailey, and Teela all in the top 25 in the Hochfilzen Sprint for the first time ever. Nilsson was smiling as he closed with, “I think there will be more days like this.”
January 7, 2007
••••••Hakkinen Slips into Top Thirty with Good Standing Shooting••••••
Jay Hakkinen (Kasilof, Alaska), with only one standing penalty, moved up from 32nd position before the final standing shooting stage to finish 29th in the Men’s 12.5K Pursuit competition. Hakkinen was the only U.S. biathlete to finish in the top thirty, as Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, N.Y.), who started 19th, struggled with nine penalties to finish 40th.
After another, rainy, windy, and slushy competition, Hakkinen had some regrets about his overall shooting (five penalties). “I would have had a good race if my prone shooting was better (four penalties). Standing is all that saved me. The prone was bad; skiing was good and so was my standing shooting. As soon as all three come together on the same day, I will have a good race! Despite this, it was fun being out there. It was challenging, equally hard for everyone.”
“I admit that the organizers have done as good a job as possible with these conditions.” commented head U.S. Wax Technician Bernd, Eisenbichler, “Still, some of the officials should ski 3K of the tracks, and I think they would realize the conditions are not good.” Eisenbichler’s comments came just prior to the start of the 12.5K Pursuit competition. All night rain and warm temperatures reduced the icy tracks to nothing more than 15-20 cm of crushed ice similar to what you would find in a snow cone on a hot summer day. Organizers worked all night, yet the tracks were narrower and definitely in worse condition. This prompted the frustrated and very tired Gerhard Kohler, Chief of Competition to comment, “I have been here in Oberhof since 1968, and have never seen this type of conditions here at this time of the year. We always have at least some snow!”
Hakkinen finished 3:33.8 behind winner Nicolay Kruglov of Russia, who won for the second time in 20 hours here. Kruglov had one penalty in a 36:18.2 win, pulling teammates Dmitri Iarochenko and Maxim Tchoudov to second and third place, 28.6 and 30.1 seconds back, respectively. Ironically, places one, two, and three had the same number of penalties as their place.
Tim Burke, despite nine penalties was the second U.S. finisher, 4:26.3 back. He had four prone and five standing penalties. This was the first time Burke has missed the top 30 all season. Jeremy Teela (Anchorage, Alaska) started 56th and finished 50th, 5:20.6 back, with six penalties. ‘I knew I was in a bad starting position, so I decided just to work on some fundamentals, because a race is the best training. My skiing was strong, so that is a positive.”
Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, N.Y.), like his roommate Tim Burke, had nine penalties, with five in prone and four in standing. Bailey finished 53rd, 5:53.8 back.
January 6, 2007
••••••Burke 19th, Hakkinen 24th in Rainy Oberhof Sprint••••••
Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, N.Y.) started 2007 in the same manner that he finished last year, with an strong performance, finishing 19th place in the 10K Sprint, while Jay Hakkinen (Kasilof, Alaska) had his best result of the season, finishing 24th.
After the downpours and gusty winds during the Women’s 7.5K Sprint on Friday, January 5 no one thought conditions would be worse. Unfortunately, nature is full of surprises and it was. Fog settled in during zero forcing the coaches to move to the shooting apron to see the targets. Shortly thereafter, the fog started to lift and drizzle turned into two hours of downpour, which left water running like small rivers across the tracks in several places. Adding to the misery of rain and sloppy snow/ice were brutally strong wind gusts from three different directions on the shooting range.
Even with the elements against them, all four U.S. men, led by Burke and Hakkinen qualified for Sunday’s 12.5 K Pursuit competition. Burke, by virtue of his top 30 ranking, started in the first group at number 21. The tracks were soft at this point, but the hardest rain was yet to come. With some fog remaining, virtually no one in front of him shot clean on prone. As he entered the shooting range, head Wax Technician reported, “Tim is skiing well, just a few seconds behind (Michael) Greis,” who eventually finished second. As the wind swirled, Burke missed two shots by small margins, causing Coach Per Nilsson to remark, “That is good shooting in these conditions, as good as anyone so far.”
Burke came to the standing stage during a period of gale force winds. He set up, waiting about 30 seconds before he fired five shots in quick succession, with each dropping a target! He was clean and in back in the battle for the top 30. He crossed the finish line in 16th position 1:07.4 behind the first starter, Nicolay Kruglov of Russia, who finished in 30:49.4, with two penalties. Only three of the remaining starters were better than Burke was, as he eventually finished 19th. Looking like a drowned rat at the finish, Burke was smiling. “When I came to the shooting range, I realized that was the strongest wind I had seen all day. I just waited; it was all I could do if I was going to hit any targets. I have only been back on the ground here in Europe for seven days so 19th is good. I will only continue to feel better as I get re-acclimated.” With that, he rushed inside a building to escape the rain and dry off.
Unlike Burke in the front, Jay Hakkinen started near the end of the field, at 103. After chasing Ole Einar Bjorndalen in the first leg of the relay two days prior, it was obvious that the Alaskan was returning to form. He confirmed that with 24th place, 1:23.5 back. Reports from the tracks said he was skiing well as he approached the prone stage. With the television cameras focused on him, he dropped the five prone targets in rapid succession. He left the stadium in 10th position, continuing to attract the live television coverage. The TV scrutiny was so intense that Hakkinen appeared several times literally jumping over small rivulets of water that crossed the tracks. With the wind swirling, he dropped the first three targets, but hesitated as the wind picked up and he missed the final two. Still, he was not to be denied a top 30 finish today battling deep wet snow and the hard rain to earn his first World Cup points of the year. Hakkinen was happy, but subdued at the finish, knowing a clean shooting race would have moved him into the top 15. “It is coming. That was better. I am not where I want to be yet (performance or place-wise),” he commented at the finish.
Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, N.Y.) had another solid performance in 40th place, with three penalties, 1:51.4 back. He was just over 20 seconds behind the 30th place finisher previously undeafeated, Ole Einar Bjorndalen.
Jeremy Teela (Anchorage, Alaska) had trouble on the shooting range finishing with five penalties, but managed to finish 56th, 2:34.5 back. Teela skied well, with the 27th fastest time on the tracks. With his 56th place, all four U.S. men qualified for the January 7 Pursuit competition.
|
| |
3/15/2007
•••••Valaas Sprints to U-23 Silver in Italy - First U-23 Medal by a U.S. Woman•••••
Laura Valaas (Wenatchee, WA), who cruised to the Cross Country SuperTour Sprint title this winter, scrambled her way to the silver medal in the 1.3K classic technique sprint in the opening race of the Under-23 Cross Country Championships. All three U.S. women were in the top 13.
Slovakian Alena Prochazkova took the gold medal just ahead of Valaas, a Whitman College graduate, with Estonian Piret Pormeister in third place. Northern Michigan University racer Morgan Smyth (Vernon, VT) was eighth and Lindsay Williams (Hastings, MN), another NMU skier, finished 13th in the field of 43.
In the mens race, Swedes Robin Bryntesson and Marcus Hellner went 1-2 while Tyson Flaharty (Fairbanks, AK), an Alaska Pacific University Nordic skier, was 24th and Michael Sinnott (Sun Valley, ID), fresh from helping Dartmouth College win its first NCAA Ski Championships title in 31 years, was 25th. Brenton Knight (Anchorage, AK), a University of Alaska Anchorage skier, was 40th and Bart Dengel (Valdez, AK) from the University of Alaska Fairbanks finishing 52nd.
Valaas medal is the first won by an American woman. Kris Freeman (Andover, NH) used the 2003 U-23s as his international launching pad, winning the opening mens event, a 30K classic race in Valdidentro, Italy. He was fourth in the pursuit, which closed those championships and a week later Freeman finished a shocking fourth in the 15K CL. In the 04 season, Freeman produced the best U.S. results in more than 20 years, finishing sixth and then fifth in two World Cup races.
Valaas joined the new CXC team from the Central Division this winter and has teamed with Caitlin Compton (Minneapolis, MN) to dominate the domestic racing scene. Each made her first World Championships team for Sapporo, Japan, last month; Valaas was 24th in the CL sprint at Worlds.
•••••Demong 11th in Hurricane Sprint•••••
Bill Demong (Vermontville, NY) had a so-so lone jump Saturday, March 3 and finished 11th in a World Cup Nordic combined "Hurricane" sprint 24 hours after capturing the second win of his career at the Lahti Ski Games.
"To be 11th on a mediocre day still shows Billys skiing well. Hannu Manninen, Finlands defending World Cup champion and sprint gold medalist at World Championships last month in Japan was third yesterday behind Demong and 14th. Magnus Moan - Norways Olympic and Worlds silver medalist was 25th...so we learn from this, take the positives and keep going forward," Head Coach Lasse Ottesen said.
In the sprint, athletes get one jump and then race over 7.5 kilometers. In the Hurricane sprint, skiers are penalized so much distance - rather than the traditional time handicap - behind the top jumper and then line up in a swirl with everyone starting together, but with the field unrolling from the swirl as the athletes begin to go after the jumping leader.
Demong, silver medalist in the individual event at Worlds and winner of an individual competition Friday, was 16th in jumping and moved up five places in the race, finishing just over a minute back of German Bjoern Kircheisen. Felix Gottwald of Austria had the fastest sprint time and moved up from 13th to second, 14.2 seconds behind Kircheisen.
"Billy had a good trial jump, but then was about four meters shorter in the comp, and thats enough to hurt him," Ottesen said. "He was a little early on the jump - since you only get one jump, he wanted to make sure it was a good one, but he pushed a little too hard and came up short... and that dropped him back to start the race...
"And, Ive got to admit, Billy didnt have the skis he had yesterday. Hed catch up to everyone than theyd leave on the downhills...and hed catch up again - he said he felt good and he skied like it - and then theyd take off again."
Former sprint world champion Johnny Spillane (Steamboat Springs, CO) did not start the event because of continuing pain in his left shoulder, which was reinjured during the World Championships in dryland training.
•••••Randall 7th in FR Sprint at Lahti Ski Games•••••
Kikkan Randall (Anchorage, AK) finished seventh Saturday, March 3 in a 1.2K freestyle World Cup sprint at the Lahti Ski Games while Andy Newell (Shaftsbury, VT) had the top U.S. mens result, finishing 14th in their 1.4K sprint.
World Cup leader Virpi Kuitunen of Finland won the womens sprint with teammate Riitta Liisa Roponen, also on the gold-medal winning sprint team at the recent World Championships in Japan, taking second.
Randall, who was second to Norways Marit Bjoergen in their quarterfinal heat, didnt qualify for finals from her semis heat. That put her in the B Final (places 7-12), where she had the fastest time.
Norwegian men, led by Jens Arne Svartedal - who won the mens sprint title at Worlds when it was a classic technique event, took the top three places. Newell was 14th with Torin Koos (Leavenworth, WA) 21st.
•••••Demong Wins Lahti World Cup - First World Cup Win in Five Years•••••
World Championships silver medalist Bill Demong (Vermontville, NY) took the lead at the 8K mark Friday, March 2 and went on to the second World Cup Nordic combined victory of his career, winning by 6.6 seconds at the Lahti Ski Games.
"Im psyched to put another result back to back, just for my own confidence, that I didnt get lucky [in the sprint at Worlds], that this really is the shape Im in," Demong said. "Its nice to put together two in a row like this."
"Billy showed everyone that the medal he won last weekend in Sapporo [Japan, during the individual event at the 2007 FIS Nordic world Ski Championships] wasnt a fluke, wasnt a one-time lucky deal - that hes the real deal," Head Coach Lasse Ottesen said. "Hes shown that all year, but he just hasnt gotten to the podium," a reference to two photo finishes for third place which Demong lost each time.
The field was cut to 35 after the first round of jumping on the 130-meter hill; Demong was 10th with Johnny Spillane (Steamboat Springs, CO) 19th but Eric Camerota (Park City, UT), who was 38th, was eliminated.
Demong, 1:25 behind jump leader Espen Rian of Norway, started fast, reeling in skiers ahead of him as the six-lap 15K race opened, and he finished by holding off Sebastien Haseney of Germany, who was another minute behind Demong to start the race. Third place went to World Cup champion Hannu Manninen of Finland, who was nine seconds father off the pace with Ronny Ackermann of Germany, who has won the last three individual titles at World Championships, in fourth place.
"Today was good," Demong, a three-time Olympian from the Lake Placid region, said, "because I was out there by myself for the last 7.5 Ks...off the front, on my own. I didnt ski the best tactical race, but this is a hard course. Its an all-new course and it almost bit me.
"I was putting it out during the first five Ks but I was hanging on for the last 10. Well, thats probably a little exaggeration, but its really tough. When I spit out [No. 2 jumper Austrian Christoph] Bieler, I said Lets imagine theres somebody 20 seconds, or maybe 30 seconds, in front and I have to go get him. Those last five Ks I was digging deep, just kept putting one foot after the other...
"I took three [liquid] feeds and the last one kicked in for that last kilometer, gave me a little bit of juice in the legs," he said.
Lahti organizers revamped the traditional cross country layout, he said, which starts in a track & field stadium, climbs up a hill to a series of trails on the second level. But they ran the new trails down a couple of hillsides and back, creating more climb for the skiers.
"There are at least 10 solid climbs over five Ks, three of them are multiple-minute climbs, so its very challenging," he said.
The victory also washes out some of the sour taste he had from his 2002 World Cup triumph in Liberec, Czech Republic, when he won following a protest over weather conditions when a block of skiers refused to compete. "Today was much more satisfying," he said.
"Once he took the lead, Billy had control all the way although he said [before going into a press conference] he thought he might have pushed a little too hard on the second lap because he tired at the end as [Germanys Sebastien] Haseney put on a real effort to catch him."
It rained during the night and up until perhaps an hour before the jumping competition and then everything went still, Ottesen said. "Ive never seen Lahti this way, no wind whatsoever. It was definitely the calmest jumping competition weve had this year."
Demong and U.S. coaches said Pete Vordenberg, cross country head coach and his staff pitched in to test and wax the combiners skis Friday after combined waxer Snorre Haugland had a death in his family and returned earlier in the week to Norway for the funeral.
"We got it down to one pair apiece which Johnny, Eric and I wanted to ski on, and we gave our skis to Vordy and the guys. We counted on them for the pure, finishing touch and they did a bang-up job," he said, noting combined Coach Dave Jarrett also helped with the testing and waxing.
The Lahti Ski Games, at the end of every World Cup season, are among the most prestigious in Nordic skiing. The last American combined win in Lahti came in 1983 when Kerry Lynch won what turned out to be the next-to-last unofficial World Cup meet; the combined World Cup officially began with the 84 season - and Lynch was a co-winner in that opening event in Seefeld, Austria.
•••••Freeman Powers to 12th in Worlds 50K•••••
Kris Freeman (Andover, NH) ignored shoulder pain and muscled his way through softening snow Sunday to finish 12th in a 50K mass start classic technique "slushfest," the final race of the 2007 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships. It was the the fifth top 20 of the season for Freeman, who injects himself with insulin up to six times a day to fight diabetes.
Norwegian Odd-Bjoern Hjelmeset out-sprinted teammate and defending champion Frode Estil for the gold medal by four-tenths of a second in 2:20.12.6 with Germanys Jens Filbrich taking bronze (2:20.17.1). Freeman, who injured his right shoulder in a fall during the 30K pursuit a week earlier, had a time of 2:22.51.5 with Lars Flora (Anchorage, AK) 37th and James Southam (also Anchorage) 50th in the field of 68 starters.
"It was a slushfest. One hill was firm at the start and by the last lap, it was slush. It was really soft," said Freeman of the six-lap Shirahatayama course. The weather was sunny with temperatures in the low 40s.
"There was a north loop and a south loop, and the south loop was slush to begin with and the north was firm - but at the end it was all slush, too," Freeman said. He won the U.S. 50K CL title at the end of last season in Fort Kent, ME, but noted wryly, "The pace here was a little faster."
His result is the second-best in U.S. history behind only Jim Galanes 11th-place finish at the 1978 Worlds in Lahti, Finland, before there were separate "freestyle" and "classic" technique distinctions for races, in a period when all races were classic.
Hjelmeset, 2005 Worlds 50K bronze medalist in a snowstorm behind Estil, was part of a five-man lead group that was left from an original pack of 10 skiers within 6.1 seconds of the lead at the 30K mark. Freeman, who was 10th - 4.7 seconds out at 20 Ks, was part of the chase group through the last half of the race.
"Around 30 Ks the lead group of guys was too fast and I stayed in the chase group the rest of the way," he said. "The chase would have guys drop back to it, or move up, and some would fall off and die...
"I put every drop of what I had into there. I was hoping for better things to come," he said. "The wax techs did an awesome job. I had awesome skis the whole way. My glide was better than everybody I was skiing with."
When he was toppled in the pursuit on opening weekend, Freeman said he strained upper biceps muscles in his right arm. "It was all right when I was poling," he explained, "but that was only during the poling motion. I cant lift my arm to the side, so it was painful taking feeds."
Head Coach Pete Vordenberg said, "We knew Kris could be top 10, and he was pretty close to that. He showed he can be a winner although I think that may be a year, maybe two, out. But hes shown hes on the way back. His trainings been going well but we have some work to do to erase that 2-1/2 minutes to put him on a podium."
He also said he was pleased with Floras effort, starting hard "and putting himself up with the leaders early. His goal was to be top 30, and he paid for it, but he kept fighting the whole way. I like that - go after your goal, no matter whats happening."
He echoed Freemans praise for the waxing staff and said the teamwork among all members of the staff - coaches, waxing technicians and others - was "awesome." At the same time, Vordenberg said, "Weve got a lot of good stuff to come, but its going to be hard work and we cant have any illusions. We still have a ways to go before were a consistent contender."
•••••Demong Wins World Champs Silver Medal•••••
Bill Demong of Vermontville, NY starting 100 seconds back after jumping, out-sprinted Finn Anssi Koivuranta by two-tenths of a second Saturday, March 3 to collect the silver medal in the Nordic combined individual event at the 2007 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, only the second medal in combined by a U.S. skier at the Olympics or World Championships.
Germanys Ronny Ackermann, fifth after jumping and starting 34 seconds behind leader Jason Lamy Chappuis of France, broke away for his third consecutive individual world championship. That left Demong, a three-time Olympian, and Koivuranta, second in jumping - 12 seconds back to start the 15K, to compete for silver.
Demong, eighth after jumping - 1:40 back of Lamy Chappuis, stalked Koivuranta, caught him at about 14Ks and stayed with him into the stadium before out-skiing him to the finish. Demongs medal is the second by an American combined skier following the sprint gold medal won at the 2003 Worlds by Johnny Spillane (Steamboat Springs, CO), who was 20th despite a painful shoulder injury.
"I didnt think about it. I just kept looking forward, kept looking ahead,” Demong said of his race plan. He wasnt looking to "get a ride" from any of the other big guns who might be coming up in the four-lap race at the Shirahatayama cross country complex.
"I traded in those two photo finishes for a medal at Worlds," he said, referring to losing a photo finish for third place in two World Cups a week apart in early January.
Ackermann won in 38:35.6 with Demong taking silver in 38:44.1 and Koivuranta .2 back for bronze. Lamy Chappuis faded to 15th, three minutes out, while Spillane - 10th after jumping - was 20th, 3:42.3 back. Brett Camerota (Park City, UT) won a photo finish for 31st place and his twin brother Eric was 44th.
Demong told a press conference he may have benefited from a dropoff in jump training at weeks end when winds were bothersome and he was losing his concentration on the event although it was the competition he had singled-out as where he could turn in a top result.
After 2-1/2 weeks in Japan, he said, "I started to focus on more training and was losing [race focus. I was a little far off on the jump and I was losing my expectations. It was good today to come into this just trying to do my best on the jump hill and cross country."
Still, as he neared Koivuranta and could sense he was closing in on a medal, Demong said he played a mental game with himself so he didnt think too much about the podium." This is my first podium since 2002 when he won a pre-Olympic World Cup in Liberec, Czech Republic, my first top-10 in the Olympics or Worlds. I think I started to play a game in my head to keep my mind off that I was actually in third.
"I wanted to forget what was on the line, to make this just a ski race." He set a new goal of catching Ackermann. Demongs tactic worked as he skied up to the young Finn, skied with him and then passed him in a close duel for the finish.
Demong, who could have gone into the adjoining lane on Koivurantas right for the final 100 meters, said he felt he was being squeezed almost off the track as he passed Koivuranta over the last 40 meters.
"When I crossed the finish, I was in a different race. When I crossed the finish, it was, Oh, theres another guy ahead of me, not Ronny. I wasnt thinking this was Worlds, that Id won a medal...it took about 10-15 minutes to pull it back in," Demong said.
"I had a good feeling coming into this," said Demong, who is skiing the best cross country of his career. "I did some video homework and I was relaxed, ready to ski."
"Billy really stepped up today. He was ready to go," Head Coach Lasse Ottesen said. "We did some video last night; we looked back at some good stuff, some good jumps in training in Park City before we came here and in the World Cups in Oberstdorf and Ruhpolding, Germany, where he lost a photo finish for third place on consecutive weekends...did some side-by-sides, and looked at his good stuff.
"The wind wasnt such a big factor today, so he could have some good jumps...and then he went right at it in the race," Ottesen said. "This was definitely the comp we looked forward to.
"And if anyone deserved it, it was Bill. Hes got such a strong work ethic and hes been doing a helluva job all season. Hopefully, hes shown everyone else, too, that you have to work hard and believe in yourself - thats so important - to get a medal. They dont just hand these out; you cant buy em anywhere. You work for em."
|
| |
3/15/2007
•••Bretton Woods 50K Nordic Adventure•••
Enman of Huntington, Vermont skied to victory at the sixth annual TD Banknorth Great Glen to Bretton Woods Nordic Adventure on Sunday, March 4. A 50 km and 25 km classical ski event, the course rounds the northern half of 6, 288 ft. Mt. Washington, the highest peak in the Northeast. His winning time was 3 hours, 12 minutes and 5.43 seconds. Enman, who skis for Rossignol, also placed first in the 2005 event. This year’s field had 262 skiers participating. “We realized we had to break trail early, so no one was going to break away early. The battle really heated up on Jefferson Notch,” Enman said. Rounding out the top spots were second place finisher Justin Freeman, 2006 Olympic team member, of New Hampton, NH with a time of 3 hours, 13 minute 18.6 seconds, and placing third was David Herr, of Canaan, VT, with a time of 3 hours, 14 minutes, 17.21 seconds.
In the women’s division, Kathy Maddock, of Wilton, NH, finished first with a time of 3 hours, 25 minutes, 33.11 seconds. She placed second in the 2005 event. Finishing second was Martina Stursova, of Albuquerque, NM in 3 hours, 27 minutes, 34.88 seconds, and Lindley Van Der Linde, of Plymouth, NH took third place in 3 hours 31 minutes 35.05 seconds. Lindley won the 2007 White Mountain 30K and the 2007 Craftsbury Marathon.
In the 25 km option, Will Anderson of Norwich, VT took top honors with a time of 1 hour 35 minutes, 52 seconds. Finishing second in the men’s division was Tristan Baldwin with a time of 1 hour 35 minutes, 55 seconds. Tristan took second place in the 25K in 2005 as well. Chris City, of Belmont, MA took third in 1 hour 37 minutes, 23 seconds. First place in the women’s division went to Hanna Lucy of Intervale NH, finishing in 1 hour 55 minutes and 54 seconds. Krietta Phillips, of Waitsfield, VT finished second in 1 hour 59 minutes and 35 seconds and Tiffany Teaford of Holderness, NH placed third with a time of 2 hours 2 minutes and 29 seconds.
A point-to-point event similar in format to the Canadian Ski Marathon or Birkebeiner of Wisconsin, the TD Banknorth Great Glen to Bretton Woods Nordic Adventure began with a mass start at Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center in Pinkham Notch, NH. The course utilized the trails of the Great Glen and Bretton Woods Nordic Centers, a narrow connector trail into the White Mountain National Forest, trails of the U.S. Forest Service Dolly Copp system, forest roads not plowed during winter, and part of the Presidential Range Rail Trail. The use of the trails was made possible by working in coordination with the U.S. Forest Service, the NH Department of Transportation, the NH Bureau of Trails, NH Fish & Game and the local snowmobile clubs.
The greatest climb of the event took skiers to the top of Jefferson Notch, a 1,600 foot climb to an elevation of 3,000 feet. A long descent took the participants to the final kilometers on the Bretton Woods Nordic system, at the western base of Mt. Washington.
From the panoramic views of the Northern Presidential Mountain Range on the Great Glen side to the grand Mount Washington Hotel coming into view as adventurers skied out of the wooded trails and crossed finish line adjacent to Bretton Woods’ Nordic Center, the course traveled through some of New Hampshire’s most scenic terrain.
As with every year of the Nordic Adventure, conditions were in question right up to the last minute of the race. Thanks so abundant new snow, conditions proved to be favorable with intermittent snow showers and relatively warm temperatures in the high 20s.
•••Alberta Cup Dominated by Banff Ski Runners•••
With top Banff Ski Runners athlete, Haakon Lenes, already departed for World Junior Championships in Italy, and Michaela Howie, Graeme Killick and Evan Bruce at Canada Winter Games in the Yukon, the strong finishes of Banff Ski Runners athletes at the Alberta Cup in Hinton, AB on March 3 and 4, 2007 truly illustrate the depth of the club.
Athletes in Atom and Master 5-6 stood atop the podium in Hinton over the two-day event. Saturday’s classic sprint featured wins by Eric Groeneveld, Hillary Schrama, Zack Holland, and two Master athletes, John Groeneveld and Doug Gudwer. Eric Groeneveld said it was truly special to win a gold medal in the same event as his father. Alastair Duncan, a Scot training with Banff Ski Runners, also had a season-best result of 3rd.
Sunday’s skate distance events highlighted the skills of Banff Ski Runners athletes. With seven gold medals and a total of nine medals, including a sweep of the podium in the Junior Boy category, Banff Ski Runners put a stamp of ownership on the event. Across the weekend events, Banff Ski Runners won 12 gold medals, three silver and three bronze, with only 19 athletes racing.
Banff Ski Runners are a Bow Valley cross country ski club with a focused racing program. The club will be skiing at Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec on March 15 to represent the Bow Valley at the Canadian National Cross Country Ski Championships.
•••Craftsbury Spring Fling Cross Country Ski Race•••
Over 135 skiers participated in the annual Craftsbury Spring Fling ski race under typical mid-winter skiing conditions. With cold temperatures in the morning, Spring did arrive later in the afternoon with a few rain drops and temperatures near 40 F. In the 30 km men’s race, Eli Enman from Huntington, VT won in a time of 1:27:03 followed by Ryan Kerrigan (Moretown, VT ) and Tim Donahue (New York, NY). Six skiers battled it out for the 2nd and 3rd positions. Dorcas Wonsavage (Hanover, NH) won the women’s 30 km in 1:39:37 followed by Kelsan Allan (Williston, VT) and Abbie Harris (Derby Line, VT). In the 15 km race, Paul Allison (North Creek, NY) won the men’s event in 43:30 and Mary Stewart (Ripton, VT) took the women’s race in 51:37. 30 kids took part in the lollipop, 2 and 4 km races with Forrest Hamilton (10:05) and Moriah Lafotz (8:43) winning the 2 km boys and girls race, respectively. Ethan Evans (15:14) and Christina Dege (20:09) won the 4 km race.
|
| |
3/15/2007
•••••Woodward Named Dagfinn Ragg Award Winner•••••
Bend, Oregon-based writer/photographer Bob Woodward has been named the 2007 winner of the Dagfinn Ragg award. Named for the late international marketing manager at Norway’s Rottefella ski binding company, and a man noted for his boundless enthusiasm for the cross country ski sports, the award goes annually to a person whose efforts have helped advance the cross country ski sports in North America.
In announcing the award, award committee chairman David Chantler noted:” Over the past three decades no other person in American has more consistently spread the joys of cross country skiing than Bob Woodward. His boundless enthusiasm for the sport has been exhibited not only through his writings and photographic images, but also by his involvement with everything from operating ski instruction camps, organizing equipment test teams, sitting on industry boards, chairing conferences and consulting on gear and apparel for numerous manufacturers. There could be no better
recipient for this award.”
On receiving the award Woodward noted: “for 36 years covering and participating in all aspects of cross country skiing have been a personal passion. Making this award even more special is my long friendship with Dagfinn Ragg. With him, I experienced some memorable moments on skis.”
Woodward is the eleventh recipient of the award.
•••Backcountry Snowsports Alliance Names Brian Holcombe New Executive Director•••
Brian Holcombe has been appointed as the new Executive Director of the Backcountry Snowsports Alliance. Holcombe comes to the Backcountry Snowsports Alliance following a four-year stint split between The Mountain Shop in Fort Collins and Moonlight Basin Ski Resort in Big Sky, Montana. “I look forward to infusing the BSA with my wide-ranging experience in business management and sales, public land management, fundraising, event planning and recreation programming,” said Holcombe.
“I am excited for the future of the BSA, not only in continuing and improving upon the organization’s strong history as a non-motorized advocate, but also as a more member-centric organization. I look forward to working with our diverse, creative Board of Directors, as well as a core of enthusiastic volunteers to implement new programs, while continuing successful programs, including the Backcountry Skills Series. Over the coming months and years, BSA will strive to become an even more central player in the lives of Colorado’s backcountry skiers, snowboarders and snowshoers!”
Holcombe anticipates exciting new services for members and non-members, as well as engaging opportunities for volunteers interested in forwarding the mission of BSA. Additionally, a member survey will be sent out in the coming months to determine how BSA can best serve its membership.
•••250 Attend First Recreation Forum in Golden, Colorado•••
Some 250 leaders from government agencies, the non-profit community and corporations gathered in Golden, Colorado on March 1 to share ideas and information regarding the roles of public lands and waters in America today and tomorrow. Labeled “Turning Inside Out - Opening New Doors to the Outdoors,” the session was the first of five regional recreation forums convened by the American Recreation Coalition (ARC) and the National Forest Foundation and planned by key organizations ranging from the USDA Forest Service to the Colorado Youth Corps Alliance.
The forum included expert speakers, panels and several opportunities for participants to add ideas, suggestions and opinions to a “Great Outdoors Idea Bank.” Speakers included Rocky Mountain Regional Forester Rick Cables, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Colorado Director Sally Wisely, Dr. Louise Chawla of the University of Colorado and Dr. Eric France, Chief of Preventative Medicine for Kaiser-Permanente Colorado Region.
Although many themes emerged during the forum discussions, the challenge of linking youth to the outdoors and the vital role of recreation in reversing a pattern of diminishing physical activity and consequent growing health concerns and costs emerged as key themes.
Derrick Crandall, President of ARC, one of the forum conveners, noted that Colorado was one of the last states where obesity remained below 20% of the population. Extensive public lands in the state managed by multiple federal and state agencies are a part of this positive statistic, he told the group. But even in Colorado, growth in sedentary, indoor leisure pursuits is high. And he noted that Californians had added 360 million pounds of fat over ten years. “The chief problem is not about appearance - it is about the increased costs of healthcare and the decline in quality of life,” Mr. Crandall said.
The diversity of participants was unusual, ranging from representatives of virtually every recreation form to Wild Oats Markets to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Three break-out sessions focused on increasing outdoor opportunities for urban, diverse and younger populations; exploring effective educational, employment and recreational ways to engage youth in the outdoors; and increasing public awareness of healthy habits, diet choices and physical activity.
Additional forums will be held in Atlanta, Georgia (March 9), Los Angeles, California (March 12), Portland, Oregon (March 15) and Chicago, Illinois (March 22). A National Recreation Forum will be held on April 30 in Washington, DC, where a report of the proceedings of all the forums will be presented to national policy makers. For more information, or to register to attend a forum, go to www.recreationforums.info.
|
| |
3/1/2007
Regional News
Dexters Inn Trails by Norsk Outdoors Open
Dexters Inn Trails by Norsk opened its doors in late February after 20 inches of snow. It brought out many more people than we expected to ski on seven groomed kilometers and eight kilometers of ungroomed offerings. From all indications, everything at the new venue worked very well, including the parking, and the indoor operations and the trails were warmly received as was lunch, brunc and the Inn itself. Norsk managers are optimistic that they have the start of something very special at Dexter’s Inn.
Dexters Inn Trails are groomed for classical skiing only and are located on Stagecoach Road in Sunapee, N.H.
For more details, pricing, and a link to the Inn log on to www.norskoutdoors.com, or call 603/763-5571 or 800/232-5571.
Great Glen to Bretton Woods Nordic Adventure Set for March 4
Thanks to the recent snowfall, the race organizers of the TD Banknorth Great Glen to Bretton Woods Nordic Adventure, scheduled for March 4, 2007, are planning to hold the race as scheduled.
“I measured the snow depth at various spots along the course and the coverage is good,” said Sue Wemyss of Great Glen Trails and Event Director for the TD Banknorth Great Glen to Bretton Woods Nordic Adventure.
The TD Banknorth Great Glen to Bretton Woods Nordic Adventure is a classic technique cross country ski race. Skiers may choose the 25 kilometer or 50 kilometer option and participate in timed or non-timed categories. The race begins at the Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center and follows that trail system to trails and multi-use forest roads in the White Mountain National Forest. After paralleling Route 2, the 25 km event finishes in Randolph, but the 50 km skiers continue with a climb up Jefferson Notch Road, then a long descent to the final kilometers on the Bretton Woods Nordic system.
“The vast majority of the course is not on traditional cross country ski trails,” said Wemyss. “So we will be grooming the course and working with the local snowmobile clubs that help make this event possible to get the course ready for race day.”
2007 will mark the sixth year of the Nordic Adventure. Since its inaugural running in 2002, the TD Banknorth Great Glen to Bretton Woods Nordic Adventure has been a part of the New England Nordic Ski Association’s (NENSA) Marathon Series. For the second year, the event is part of the prestigious American Ski Marathon Series, the premier long distance ski event series in the United States.
Registration for the TD Banknorth Great Glen to Bretton Woods Nordic Adventure visit www.GreatGlenTrails.com, or call 603-466-2333.
NORTHEAST PASSAGE ESTABLISHES PARALYMPIC ATHLETE DEVELOPMENT CENTER FOR NORDIC SKIING
Northeast Passage has recently secured a contract with U.S. Paralympics, a division of the U.S. Olympic Committee, to develop Nordic skiers with physical disabilities and/or visual impairments for elite level competition.
The Paralympic Games is an international competition among each nation’s elite athletes with physical disabilities and is second in size only to the Olympic Games. The Paralympic Games follow the Olympic Games at the same venues and facilities. The next Winter Paralympic Games will be held in 2010 in Vancouver, British Colombia.
As part of the U.S. Paralympics’ new strategy, Northeast Passage is currently one of two sites in the country for grassroots Nordic development. The other is Park City, Utah.
The Jackson Ski Touring Foundation in Jackson will be the main training site for this program. Jackson has a long history of hosting and developing adaptive cross country skiing and held the World Championships for Disabled Nordic Skiing in 1990.
“This is a superb opportunity to partner with Northeast Passage,” said Thom Perkins, Executive Director of Jackson Ski Touring. “This program offers folks with mobility impairments an introduction to the wonderful winter sport of cross country skiing.”
The Weston Ski Track in Weston, Mass., will also serve as a training site.
Former Paralympian Craig Gray of Scarborough, Maine, competed in Nagano in 1998. He says he is excited about the prospect of new, young athletes joining the sport.
“The United States will see better results in Nordic skiing when we match young athletes up with coaches who can teach them the discipline and techniques it will take to win at the world class level, while their endurance capacity is still increasing,” said Gray. “This program has the potential to drastically change the sport of disabled Nordic skiing.”
Northeast Passage is a program of the University of New Hampshire’s School of Health and Human Services, and is an affiliate of Disabled Sports USA. Northeast Passage develops and delivers innovative, barrier-free recreation and health promotion programs. Northeast Passage is also a Paralympic Athlete Development Center and offers student-athletes the opportunity to train and attend the University of New Hampshire.
Northeast Passage is looking for interested athletes to participate in this new program. This opportunity is open to people with physical disabilities and individuals with visual impairments, ages 8-35. No previous skiing experience necessary. For more information, visit the Northeast Passage web site at www.nepassage.org for “Learn to Ski” group dates, or call 603/862-0070 to schedule a private lesson to try the sport or develop skills.
12th Annual Winter Trails Day At Estes Park Showcases President’s Challenge Clinic for Children and Adults
Geared towards children, families, newcomers, and outdoor enthusiasts, the Winter Trails annual on-snow event offers free snowshoe demos and the health message that snow sports are good for your mind, body and soul. New this year at Estes Park is the chance for children and adults to participate in the President’s Challenge Clinic, a national program of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. Participants can earn a “Certificate of Achievement” by taking part in five learning stations - Snowshoe Basics, How to Dress for Winter Outdoor Activity, Nutrition and Hydration Tips, Basic Conditioning Exercises and Essentials for Winter Hiking and Camping.
“Outdoor activity in winter often is overlooked in the U.S.”, said Mary Jo Tarallo, director of Education for SnowSports Industries America (a national trade association for snow sports suppliers). “Snowshoeing is so easy to do and you can get a great workout. Snowshoeing uses every major muscle group, which burns lots of calories and conditions the cardiovascular system, each step of the way. If you can walk, you can snowshoe.”
The Winter Trails event provides an opportunity for participants to learn the sport of snowshoeing in a fun, friendly and education-oriented way. The goal is for people to establish an exercise habit that they can carry with them from winter to winter.
Estes Park Winter Trails Program:
• Guided snowshoe hikes, winter safety presentations, and expert advice on fitting and selection of snowshoes.
• Ongoing demonstrations and free use of snowshoes
• Outdoor gear product demonstrations
• Igloo Construction. Igloo Craftsman will be demonstrating the art of constructing an Igloo throughout the day.
• Presidents Challenge Clinic
Estes Park Winter Trails organizer Ken Arnold notes, “Estes Park is fantastic in the winter. The climate is agreeable, there is lots of snow, gorgeous views, fantastic wildlife viewing, and no crowds. The Winter Trails program fits well into our outdoors lifestyle here in Estes. The event is well worth any drive!”
Winter Trails is part of a larger program called Winter Feels Good, a public awareness program that promotes the health, fitness and social benefits of snow sports.
Winter Trails is presented through a partnership between SnowSports Industries America, the not-for-profit member-opened trade association representing snow and winter sports companies, American Hiking Society, a recreation based conservation organization that promotes and protects foot trails and hiking experience, and Cross Country Ski Areas Association.
Go to www.wintertrails.org for updates on locations and event details.
YELLOWSTONE CONCESSIONAIRE XANTERRA PARKS & RESORTS PROVIDING SKI TRAIL REPORTS ON WEB SITE
Now that lodge operator Xanterra Parks & Resorts is grooming cross country ski trails in Yellowstone National Park, the company is posting trail conditions and descriptions on its Web site.
The postings include the trails conditions and dates they were last
groomed as well as their lengths, altitudes, degrees of difficulty and
what skiers should expect to see. The ski report covers 34 trails in six
regions of the park and is available through a direct link from the home
page www.travelyellowstone.com. The report is updated several times per
week.
The parks winter season began Dec. 20, 2006 with the opening of the Old
Faithful Snow Lodge while the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel opened Dec. 22, 2006. The lodges provide the only wintertime accommodations within the park. Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel will close for the season on March 4, 2007, and Old Faithful Snow Lodge will close March 11, 2007.
Except for the road from Gardiner, Mont. to Cooke City, Mont. via
Mammoth Hot Springs, transportation within the park is limited to
snowmobiles and enclosed heated snowcoaches during the winter. Snowcoach transportation is available daily to a variety of park locations.
Xanterra also offers a variety of half- and full-day snowcoach, ski and
snowshoe tours and ski and snowshoe rentals as well as expert
instruction and other services.
Reservations at Yellowstone can be made by calling 307/344-7311, or call 866/GEYSERLAND (866-439-7375), or visit the web site
www.TravelYellowstone.com.
Progressive Bonfire Dinner Offers Taste of Crested Butte, Colorado
The Crested Butte Nordic Council’s Progressive Bonfire Dinner is a truly distinctive dining experience with visitors and locals traveling on skis or snowshoes to enjoy a four-star, four-course, four-fire meal. Enjoy the warmth of camaraderie, the cozy atmosphere around crackling fires, and the satisfaction of good food to eat and warm drinks to indulge in along the way.
Beginning at 5 p.m. on March 17, diners will be greeted at the first fire at the Town Ranch trailhead with a cup of hot wine or cocoa to sip while sitting on straw bales. Skiers can leisurely follow a path of luminaries along 4 kilometers of local Nordic trails within the historic mining town of Crested Butte and enjoy appetizer, soup, entrée and dessert courses of fabulous Italian fare at the bonfires along the way.
Progressive Bonfire Dinner participants not only will feel warm in spirit and full in the belly, they will be supporting the Gunnison/Crested Butte Junior Nordic Ski Team.
Reservations are required, with seatings beginning at 5 p.m. and concluding at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $30 for adults and $15 for children under age 12. For reservations, call the Crested Butte Nordic Center at 970/349-1707.
Crested Butte Nordic Center Facts
The Crested Butte Nordic Center is a full service cross country center providing lessons and complete rental packages for skate and classical skiing, as well as ice skating, snowshoeing, and sledding. The Nordic Center maintains more than 45 kilometers of groomed trails that meander through and around Crested Butte. For the second season, a Bombardier 180 snowcat with tiller and dual-track setting capabilities will be used for trail grooming.
Located in the heart of town at Second Street and Whiterock, the Nordic Center opened for the season on Nov. 18 and is connected to Crested Butte Mountain Resort and various stops in Crested Butte by a free shuttle bus. For more information about the Crested Butte Nordic Center and its winter 2007 calendar of events, visit www.cbnordic.org.
To find out more about Gunnison-Crested Butte’s calendar of events or to book personalized vacation packages, call the Gunnison-Crested Butte Tourism Association’s reservations center at 800/814-8893 or visit www.GunnisonCrestedButte.com. The Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport is served year-round by United Airlines and during the winter season by American Airlines.
ASPEN’S OWL CREEK CHASE BECOMES “SUPER EVENT”
Unprecedented. Landmark. Historic. On February 10th the famed Owl Creek Chase was transformed into a signature event, an extravaganza of Nordic races unparalleled in the United States. Rocky Mountain Nordic, presenters of the Owl Creek Chase, is sponsoring this “Super Event”, where national level elite racers will tackle the same course as citizen racers, top juniors and recreational skiers gliding and skating in a non-competitive tour. For perhaps the first time in U.S. cross country skiing history, all levels of the sport met on the same day and at the same time and pass their skis over the same track.
Since last spring, the City of Aspen, the Ute Mountaineer and the Aspen/Snowmass Nordic Council have been working diligently to prepare for what could be one of the finest cross country events the Roaring Fork Valley has ever seen.
For decades, citizen racers, elite racers, juniors looking to qualify for the Junior Olympics, and recreational tourists have never been able to ski together due to the different agendas of each group. However, on February 10, 2007, history will be made. The USSA SuperTour, FIS Marathon Cup, RMN Junior Olympic Qualifier, Colorado Cup citizen’s series and the newly formed Bappa’s Tour will combine under one purpose, the Owl Creek Chase. “We really tried to use our imagination this year and expand the Owl Creek Chase to include juniors, families and recreational skiers as well as the top level elite racers. Our goal with this event is to bring junior racers and citizens together with their skiing heroes, the aspiring Olympians that come to town for the SuperTour,” said Race Director Bob Wade. “We have picked up a new title sponsor in Rocky Mountain Nordic, and they have worked hard to bring the new Bappa’s Tour in line with Owl Creek. This will be our biggest cross country event yet and we should really turn some heads this year. We’re extremely excited.” Wade added.
And if that is not enough, the entire event was touted as an environmental statement. Under the slogan Keep Winter White, Rocky Mountain Nordic in cooperation with the City of Aspen’s Canary Initiative, will be purchasing wind and solar power to offset all the emissions from the event. One hundred percent of the Owl Creek Chase’s CO2 emissions from energy consumption including participant travel, course preparation, shuttle transport and Nordic center operations will be offset. In addition, the after-party for all participants in zero-waste, meaning all food scraps, plates and forks can be composted and are biodegradable. For more information go to: www.canaryinitiative.com.
Whether you’re an elite racer, junior Olympian, citizen racer or recreational tourist, make plans to be in Aspen February 10-11 2007 for the Owl Creek Chase presented by Rocky Mountain Nordic; there’s something for everyone!
The Backcountry Snowsports Alliance Appeals the Approval of A-Basins Expansion into Montezuma Bowl
Some of Summit Countys best lift-accessed backcountry is off the backside of A-Basin Ski Resort. Montezuma Bowl offers up plenty of moderate to extreme backcountry riding in a dramatic setting. The Forest Service recently approved the expansion of A-Basin into this popular backcountry area. Plans call for a new lift and facilities, which would of course, greatly impact the backcountry experience. The BSA has joined forces with several non-profits, including Colorado Wild, to appeal the decision. We are currently waiting for a response from the Forest Service and will keep you informed.
While the BSA doesnt see all ski resort expansion as bad, we are alarmed by the rate of expansions around the state and in particular Summit County. We continue to monitor the situation and will continue speak up for people like you who want to see quality backcountry areas preserved.
TD Banknorth Eastern Cup Series Makes Surprise Visit to Southern Maine
The TD Banknorth Eastern Cup Series ended up at Pineland Farms when the original host site in Massachusetts cancelled because of lack of snow. It was a perfect day for skiing with a fresh four inches of snow falling on the Friday night before the race with cool temperatures and bright sun greeting the competitors, coaches, and spectators when they arrived. Competitors enjoyed the well-designed rolling terrain on the Oak Hill, the meticulously groomed snow, the hospitality of the Coastal Nordic Ski Club volunteers, and a wonderful array of prizes including chocolate, baked goods, and cheese produced at Pineland Farms.
The day began with the men’s 7.5 kilometer classic. This distance is shorter than usual ten or fifteen kilometer Eastern Cups for the J1 and older classes – those over age fifteen – but longer than the usual five kilometer distance for the younger skiers. Gunstock’s Alex Howe (Gilford, N.H.) had expected to be in Italy this week for the World Junior Championships. Because of the postponement of that event he competed in the region’s most competitive race circuit and earned a narrow victory over U23 Sam Naney (Bozeman, Mont.). Sam Marshall (Etna, N.H./Gunstock), Matt Briggs (Concord, Mass./Colby) and GMVS coach Jon Arne Enevoldsen (Waitsfield, Vt.) rounded out the top five.
Even though they raced together with together with the older skiers, the J2 athletes were recognized at the awards ceremony and should be recognized for their strong performances. Preston Butler (Marion, Mass./GMVS) took the victory for his second straight J2 Eastern Cup classic victory. The Craftsbury Nordic Club and Morrisville, Vt. pair of Jake Barton and Ethan Dreissigacker took the next two spots on the podium. Barton finished just three seconds behind Butler, with Dreissigacker another ten seconds back.
Burke Mountain Academy’s Ida Sargent (Orleans, Vt.) grabbed a large victory in the women’s race. She finished thirty-nine seconds ahead of second place Tyler Parker (Londonderry, Vt./Stratton.) Tyler too managed a large gap on the rest of the field, earning a time forty-seven seconds faster than local start and Burke Mountain Academy skier Lucy Garrec. J2 skiers Megan Killgrew (Peru,Vt./Stratton) and Hilary Rich (Andover, Mass./CSU) dueled for fourth and fifth and were separated by a mere 2.5 seconds. Crossing the line tenth overall and third for the J2 girls was Stephanie Crocker (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.)
WHAT’S NEW AT 26th ANNUAL NORTH LAKE TAHOE SNOW FESTIVAL
More than a dozen new events have been added to the 26th Annual North Lake Tahoe Snow Festival, a 10-day winter carnival celebration, scheduled for Friday, March 2 through Sunday, March 11.
A long-standing tradition throughout the North Lake Tahoe community, Snow Festival provides winter fun, on and off the slopes, for local residents and travelers to the area, especially families. It is produced by sponsorships
from local businesses and the support of the North Lake Tahoe Marketing
Cooperative. This year’s event, themed Celebrate Tahoe, is expected to draw
thousands of attendees.
New this year is the Tails by the Lake Dog Ability Course March 2 at Tails
by the Lake in the Village at Squaw Valley; Paint the Bear March 3 at the
Tahoe Arts Center in Tahoe City, where children paint a flat, wooden bear
with acrylic paints; Last Tracks at Diamond Peak Ski Area March 3 and 10 in Incline Village, where participants enjoy wine tasting and appetizers with a panoramic view of Lake Tahoe before skiing down a freshly groomed run at sunset; Cal Neva Resort’s Battle of the Bands March 5-7, and 10 in Crystal Bay; Brooms, Boards and Boots March 8, a triathlon consisting of
broomball, snowshoeing and cross country skiing, at the Resort at Squaw
Creek; Mamasake Sushi and Wasabi Ea |
|
