FasterSkier

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  • Owl Creek Chase this week end

    Here is a fun video of what the race this weekend will be like.  Watch this and you will want to do it!

  • Skiing Nordic Combined

    The Boulder Mountain Tour is a fast 32 k predominantly down.   Conditions were fast and really fast things that make skis go fast were key,  i.e. flex of the skis, wax, grind, and of course, the person driving.  The finish had me surrounded by the U.S. Olympic nordic combined guys.. 23 seconds back from the $3000 first prize.  Full results here

  • Caitlin long pole

    Caitlin Compton surges ahead to win both the sprints and the freestyle City of the Lakes races this past week end.  What was her secret?  By using one long pole and one short pole she was able to fend off any one who would come close.  Caitlin reports “The technique startled some, but overall gave me the edge I needed.”  It was unknown if she was going to bring a long pole for Brian to use next week where she joins him for the Owl Creek Super Tour in Aspen, Colorado. 

    Thanks for loaning me a pole!

  • My First Marathon

    The Marathon this past weekend represented the culmination of a lot of hard work by the Craftsbury Nordic Center staff. Whether it was planning, organizing volunteers, grooming or shoveling snow onto the course, everyone pitched in to make the 30th Craftsbury Marathon a spectacular event!

    Craftsbury Marathon 2011 Start

    Craftsbury Marathon 2011 Start

    The Craftsbury Marathon  was actually my first 50k race in 10 years of ski racing. I enjoyed the marathon immensely for both aesthetic and competitive aspects. I went into the race not really knowing what to expect. It is said that when training for a running marathon, you can only prepare for the first 20 miles of the race, after that you have little idea what your body will do. This thought was in the back of my mind throughout the marathon. I went out reasonably conservatively with the lead pack, hoping to maintain this pace for the first half of race, but at about 10k the remainder of my first marathon turned into an individual start 40k race. I lost the 2 leaders, multi-time runner-up Justin Freeman and eventual winner GRP’s Pat O’Brien, but managed to stay ahead of the chase pack. I was just dangling out in no man’s land with the leaders in sight, but not able to maintain a connection due to sub par waxing, another rookie mistake.

    At 35k I realized that I had never raced this far, followed by a second realization that I actua

    lly still felt pretty good and there was only 15k left in the race. I think this was a turning point for me. I had been eating plenty, and my energy level was still high. I knew I’d have enough to hold my own to the finish.

    It was a pleasure to do my first Marathon in Craftsbury, on my home trails with the support of staff and locals. The weather was perfect, grooming impeccable and race support was superb.  The 2011 Craftsbury Marathon undoubtedly goes right to the top of my list of favorite races. Only 363 days until next year’s marathon. See you there!

  • A different kind of race.

    It’s a big ski weekend in Minneapolis.  The City of Lakes Loppet is expecting over 10,000 skiers which might exceed Birkie numbers.  And if that is not enough check out Caitlin and her dog Lahti. 

     

    Caitlin and Lahti

    Click on this  for the channel 5 Eyewitness News story and video on Caitlin. 

    Brian is in Sun Valley, Idaho for the Boulder Mtn Tour.

  • Heading to Houghton

    We will be posting updates on this week end races at Michigan Tech. in the Upper Peninsula.   The schedules, coarse maps and results (click on http://www.superiortiming.com/)

     will be available from this site.  http://supertour.mtu.edu/

  • CXC Wins at Wirth

    Race temp 4 degrees – finish temp…warmer!

    Jan. 22 & 23,  Theodore Wirth Park,  Mayors Challenge Super Tour

      Nurturing a bad cold I elected not to race on Saturday. I did ski Sunday, but not fast. I am hoping the effort drove out any remaining cold cells. Congrats to Caitlin who was first place in both races. The good cold Minnesota weekend produced 8 podium finishes for our CXC team. Great to have the local crowd out cheering.  Results

  • Things Improve at Lake Placid

    Check out the the evil eye.

    Here is a picture from faster skier.  With more snow and a podium finish, I felt it was a good end to my skiing on the east coast.   The 15k skate race was my best Continental Cup (Super Tour) of the year.   The course was quite flat, with only several steep short climbs, and a seemingly endless section of gradual twisty terrain. There was little rest and transitions aplenty.   We did three laps, me and 200 other skiers, and I tried to keep the same pace on all three.   13:03, 13:21, and 13:21.  Close!   skate results

    The classic race the day before was on another course involving a steep ‘interval like’ climb literally from the bottom to the top of the Lake Placid Olympic jumps.  Five laps on a 2 K course.   Classic results 

    Thanks to the waxing help from Janice Sibilla, the competitive Programs Director for the New England Nordic Ski Assoc.

     Heading back to the midwest for some better snow and local races.

  • Seefeld Individual #1 and Team Comp

    Yesterday we had the only 4x5k Team event of the year besides the world championships in Oslo. We didn’t do as well as we were hoping but with Johnny just comping back from knee surgery, and Todd was sick for a couple weeks straight, I don’t think it was all that bad. In the end we finished where we started and that was 7th.

    Today was the first of two individuals. I was excited about today as I feel like my jumping is getting much better and my fitness in xc is getting better. I had my best just of 93 meters which isn’t the top but I will be closer to the top 30 which is my goal. In the cross country, I had someone fast to follow for the first little bit, I felt great but lost contact as the course was very icy and had to work my way through traffic. I feel like tomorrow will be my best result yet, as jumping is getting better and better and same with the cross country!

    Tune into

  • US National Championships

    A big week in Rumford Maine.  Four races and lots going on…everything that is but snow.  This is a short of what it was like.

    Results http://www.chisholmskiclub.org/2011_us_nationals/results.htm

  • New year update!

    So we just got done with the first competitions of the new year in Schonach, Germany. Its a small little town but with a new hill now and a very hard course. The conditions were very bad for the races and I had some very bad luck in the races as well as my brother. For the first time I had a jump that put me in very close position to points. Unfortunately I had bad luck right out of the start as my pole broke just past the first coaches area. Same went with Bryan as he broke a pole and lost contact with his group. Sundays event was going to be a team event but was canceled and moved to Seefeld due to the Weather. There is some sad news on this trip, as an Italian Woman’s Ski jumper has passed away in Schonach. R.I.P Simona Senoner

    We are now in Seefeld, Austria. This is a very cool place with a newly done hill. Most of the team is here, with a couple of guys still traveling. A couple will be going to Klingenthal, Germany for a COC and the rest will stay here in Seefeld for the World Cup Competitions. Stay tuned for the next Update!

    Seefeld WC:
    Taylor, Bryan, Johnny, Todd

    Klingenthal COC:

    Taylor

  • Home for Christmas

    Family red except for Chad and Leit who were in Minnesota

    It’s always great to be back in the Methow for the holidays.  This was Caitlin’s second Christmas in the Methow so she was treated like a local.  We had a heavy week of training but also time for friends, family, cookies, and wedding planning.

    Please do not dress like this during hunting season.

  • Merry X-MAS

    So as you know today was Christmas. This is my favorite holiday, not because of the presents, but because of the time that I really get to spend with the family. With my life of skiing, I am gone a lot and its not often anymore that I get to come home and see my Parents. So when Christmas comes around training doesn’t really take a back seat, but family comes first! Today was a great day. It started with breakfast, my mother made a very tasty quiche. Then we opened presents. My presents were all I needed, with some books, and a couple toys. Then Bryan and I went and met our dad on the mountain and charged up and down the mountain for several hours.

    After, skiing we all went and did something I have done for a couple years now.  The Board of Realtors in steamboat puts together a Community dinner for anyone that wants to come or is in need. It was very cool to be there as a volunteer, because it lets me see people that I normally wont see everyday!  But the best thing about this dinner, is it allows me to give back to the community that has supported me through my young years of skiing!
    Merry Christmas Everyone!

  • Ramsau 2

    Today was the second day in Ramsau, Austria. Today made me realize things, and how hard work can really pay off and you can get the results easy when you put your mind to it! My brother Bryan got his career best, 8th place, in the Race today. He has worked his ass off all summer and fall to get in to good shape, to fight for points in every competition. He lost up to 20 pounds which puts him in good fitness and makes things way easier. But just a couple weeks before the season he was going in to the season hoping for points in most comps, but thinking a top 10 was out of the picture. Now he puts in view, that its not that far away for myself.

    For me, today was a much better day. I knew going in to the season, I was going to be fast. I didn’t have the form I was looking for in the first trip in November, but I knew it was going to take time before, I was going to be faster. On the jumping side, It is a long process, and I felt like I took some major step

  • Ramsau Am Dachstein

    Today was the first competition  in Ramsau, Austria. I was going in with some high hopes and the confidence of my podium in Park City. From the start I knew it was going to be a tough comp on the jumping side, when I saw that we were 4 gates lower than Official training yesterday. Im not really sure what happened on the jump but something didn’t go at all right and therefore had a very bad jump. The conditions didn’t make for sweet jumping either with different wind all over the hill. So I had to put that jump behind me and focus on having a better race. Some days its just luck of the draw and you have to make with the conditions you have.

    The Cross country was much better for me. Today I felt like I actually had legs and could keep a good tempo going through the whole race! I will be looking forward to tomorrow, and trying to score points for the first time!

    Tomorrow is another day!
    Taylor

  • First Period Recap! Podium in COC

    Picture

    3rd Place in Park City Continental Cup! 1st Geoffrey Lafarge (France)2nd Joergen Graabak (Norway)3rd Taylor Fletcher (USA)
    Hey everyone, Sorry for not getting updates earlier, but I have been pretty busy and trying to focus as much on the Competitions as possible. I first went to Kuusamo, Finland for the first World cup. I was super excited being there and starting on World Cup. The competitions were not the best for myself, but i was not expecting to do anything special. I had some pretty good Competition jumps for myself, but I felt that my fitness was not to great, so I didn’t have the best races! It was -20* C in Kuusamo, so it was very hard to race with that cold of snow and air.

    Next we Moved back to Lillehammer for the second set of competitions. There I Felt a little better on the jumping but had some back luck with the conditions. The racing felt a little better, but still wasn’t were I was hoping to be at. We had some fun in Kuusamo and Lillehammer, and was excited for my brother, being able to score points 2 of 4 competitions in the period.

    After that I our team headed back to Park City, Ut to take a short rest before heading to Ramsau, Austria. There was a Continental Cup going on at the time. The first period consisted of two races in Steamboat Springs, CO and two in Park City, UT. Todd Lodwick won the first two in Steamboat with a good size margin over the other skiers. I was asked if I wanted to ski on of the days in Park City, and feeling well, I said Yes. So the first day I helped out the team and took some fore jumps. Billy Demong skied the first day moving up 1 minute 40 seconds to finish 5. I got to ski the second day in park city. After not having my best jump, I thought I would be a little out of the podium, but it ended up being hard conditions for everyone. Teammate Brett Camerota won the jumping and I came in 23rd 1 minute and 22 seconds behind him. I knew I was skiing better and having scored a podium for that position last year in Lake Placid, I knew I had a chance. I started out pretty slow since the conditions were very soft and slushy. I followed the guys I knew I needed to follow and started to pick up my pace after each lap. Around the end of lap 3, I was only about 30 seconds from 1st with a pack of about 4 skiers. We all worked well together to try and gain more time. At the start of the 5th lap we caught the leaders the pace really started to pick up. Skiing my hardest to the finished I was able to come into 3rd at the finish giving my all.

    We are now in Ramsau, Austria for the next set of world cups before the Christmas break. We Arrived here on the 14th for Park City. We had a jump session today as well as Intervals, and I can comfortably say I am excited for the weekend coming off a good result in Park City. I will update after Offical training and as well on Sunday after the competitions.

    Wish me luck!

  • Family Ski Outing

    As the sun was setting this evening and my kids were returning home from school, I was waxing five rather dull looking skis. Yes, I ignored the golden rule of ski care and left the skis unwaxed since last spring! My husband returned home from work as I was finishing the last pair. An hour later all the kids (ages 2-11) were dressed for one digit temperatures and had a snack that would hopefully tide them over for a couple hours. After loading up all the gear, we drove to our local high-school ski course and unloaded. The kids fought over who would wear the three headlamps we had in our possession. Five minutes into the ski my nine year old fell to the ground complaining of cold hands, feet, and skis that were too soft. I was still feeling optimistic, four of the five were still not complaining. The nine year old and my husband headed back to the car. I was now in charge of keeping the other four from getting lost in the complete darkness that was lit only by a fingernail moon. My two year old kept a steady pace, even as his five year old brother tried repeatedly to run him over head on. Keeping the younger two together, I watched as the darkness seemed to swallow my seven and eleven year olds as they skated away along the trail. After nearly an hour had passed the young crew was ready to share the car with their sister. My husband and two boys skied one last loop before calling it a night. divbr //divdivTo save time we drove directly to a Burger King for dinner. We raised a few eyebrows with our attire, and shared a good conversation about family with a restaurant patron. Years ago, when I was in my twenties, I never would have imagined that a night like this would be fairly typical. Life is a ton of work, but unexpectedly good./divdiv class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1572647974447867713-8455500230009844222?l=vakavaraceteam.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div

  • Lillehammer

    This Past week, I was in Lillehammer, Norway with Bryan Fletcher, Billy Demong, Brett Camerota and our coaches. We just got done getting in our final preperation for the first world cup event of the year. We had several jumping sessions on the large hill in Lillehammer as we will have a competition there at the beginning of December. Also we were able to get more session on X-C skis since there wasn’t enough to ski in the U.S.A. We are now heading to Kuusamo/ Ruka which is in Northern Finland. This is a very fun event, being it is the first world cup of the year, you never know how well you are doing against others. It will be good for me and the rest of the team since there isn’t to much expectations for the first competition. I will be excited to see how well my Fitness has progressed since the summer. I am excited to see if my jumping as improved to a much higher level, which would make things easier in the racing part of competition.

    I will try my best to update after every competition. Also I will be taking pictures and having our pt take pictures during races and comps.
    Stay tuned
    Taylor

  • From Trees to Lumber

    Starting with a tree...

    Starting with a tree…

    A year’s worth of trail work and clearing projects around the Craftsbury Outdoor Center have added up to one giant log pile, towering over Elinor’s field.  Will Strong, a colorful Craftsbury native and current Wolcot resident  brought in his portable saw-mill to turn our log pile into some lumba’ and a big pile of sawdust for various COC projects. Will made quick work of the pile, milling about 30 logs or about 1000 board feet per day as he said his goal was to “get outa he’ya befo’ah the snow flies”. He may have jinxed himself, as almost everyday he spent at Elinors there were flurries, but Will didn’t let this slow him down. Logs were mostly milled for optimal utilization, but some of the cedar logs were milled in half for use in the up coming nature trail through Craftsbury’s scenic swamp. The rest of the lumber will be stacked at the center. Feel free to stop by and watch the exciting lumber drying process!

    The finshed product

    The finshed product

  • When Vakava Women Take Time Off from Ski Training