Author: Weston

[ C L I C K . I M A G E S . T O . E N L A R G E ]br /br /br /A view down the in-run of the K130 jump:br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cBFLp0vFuic/S1yVaL0LxPI/AAAAAAAAALQ/aDgOzLTRlb4/s1600-h/view-down-jump-good-900.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;” src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cBFLp0vFuic/S1yVaL0LxPI/AAAAAAAAALQ/aDgOzLTRlb4/s400/view-down-jump-good-900.jpg” border=”0″ alt=””id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430379527782778098″ //abr /br /Vigers looked fast today:br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cBFLp0vFuic/S1yVUshLZLI/AAAAAAAAALI/9dvE2XtEErs/s1600-h/vigers-KDP-900.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;” src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cBFLp0vFuic/S1yVUshLZLI/AAAAAAAAALI/9dvE2XtEErs/s400/vigers-KDP-900.jpg” border=”0″ alt=””id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430379433482216626″ //abr /br /Sinclair horsing around:br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cBFLp0vFuic/S1yVNTD8ryI/AAAAAAAAALA/WUazR3zboWY/s1600-h/sinclair-laughing-900.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;” src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cBFLp0vFuic/S1yVNTD8ryI/AAAAAAAAALA/WUazR3zboWY/s400/sinclair-laughing-900.jpg” border=”0″ alt=””id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430379306389647138″ //abr /br /Izzy climbing:br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cBFLp0vFuic/S1yVIPvkfII/AAAAAAAAAK4/72Q_1khTjnc/s1600-h/caldwell-stride-900.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;” src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cBFLp0vFuic/S1yVIPvkfII/AAAAAAAAAK4/72Q_1khTjnc/s400/caldwell-stride-900.jpg” border=”0″ alt=””id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430379219599522946″ //abr /br /The AK girls doing intervals:br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cBFLp0vFuic/S1yVCF4xm_I/AAAAAAAAAKw/jJKVLUWGSWk/s1600-h/AK-girls-stride-close-900.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;” src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cBFLp0vFuic/S1yVCF4xm_I/AAAAAAAAAKw/jJKVLUWGSWk/s400/AK-girls-stride-close-900.jpg” border=”0″ alt=””id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430379113874562034″ //adiv class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8099746996508773021-5815867769123138153?l=usaj1team.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div

This is a video of the Women’s A-Final Sprint from the 2001 World Ski Championships. This gives an idea of what the stadium is like when it is packed.br /br /We did our final ski in Lahti this morning, and then drove about 3.5 hours to Kuopio. We’re in our new hotel here, and things are going well. Soon we’ll unveil the theme song for our trip. Until then… //Timbr /br /object width=”425″ height=”344″param name=”movie” value=”http://www.youtube.com/v/-sTocSuseO0hl=en_USfs=1″/paramparam name=”allowFullScreen” value=”true”/paramparam name=”allowscriptaccess” value=”always”/paramembed src=”http://www.youtube.com/v/-sTocSuseO0hl=en_USfs=1″ type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” allowscriptaccess=”always” allowfullscreen=”true” width=”425″ height=”344″/embed/objectdiv class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8099746996508773021-8606070198868215974?l=usaj1team.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div

a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cBFLp0vFuic/S1thW7112kI/AAAAAAAAAKo/73U1BAMtLsU/s1600-h/team-supper-900.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;” src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cBFLp0vFuic/S1thW7112kI/AAAAAAAAAKo/73U1BAMtLsU/s400/team-supper-900.jpg” border=”0″ alt=””id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430040822373800514″ //abr /br /br /Today was a good day, just a little slow and squeaky on the trails this morning. It was a beatiful sunny day, at least.br /br /We took a tour past some interesting shops during our morning jog. The neon lights are all still glowing at 08.00h. Some of the highlights from today include watching one of the coaches try to eat half a can of cheap caviar from a toothpaste tube, watching Tim Burke race in World Cup, and a great dinner at a steakhouse called Manhattan. Being a New Yorker myself, I’m proud to announce that we have a lot of new fans of the New York Yankees.br /br /The crew seems to be getting along with one another really well. They’ve been happy to relax after most of the meals, talking with each other and making new friends. For our time here in Lahti, everybody got to share a room with someone they didn’t know before the trip.br /br /Tomorrow most of the athletes will do some sort of race pace intervals. Then we’ll load up our vans and drive North to Kuopio. They’re in a pretty deep freeze up there right now (-27* C), but it looks like we may see temps as high as -10* C by Tuesday. At least the sun is shining, and the saunas are still hot!br /br /Over and our from Lahti, //Timdiv class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8099746996508773021-1273502382314480497?l=usaj1team.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div

a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cBFLp0vFuic/S1thW7112kI/AAAAAAAAAKo/73U1BAMtLsU/s1600-h/team-supper-900.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;” src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cBFLp0vFuic/S1thW7112kI/AAAAAAAAAKo/73U1BAMtLsU/s400/team-supper-900.jpg” border=”0″ alt=””id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430040822373800514″ //abr /br /br /Today was a good day, just a little slow and squeaky on the trails this morning. It was a beatiful sunny day, at least.br /br /We took a tour past some interesting shops during our morning jog. The neon lights are all still glowing at 08.00h. Some of the highlights from today include watching one of the coaches try to eat half a can of cheap caviar from a toothpaste tube, watching Tim Burke race in World Cup, and a great dinner at a steakhouse called Manhattan. Being a New Yorker myself, I’m proud to announce that we have a lot of new fans of the New York Yankees.br /br /The crew seems to be getting along with one another really well. They’ve been happy to relax after most of the meals, talking with each other and making new friends. For our time here in Lahti, everybody got to share a room with someone they didn’t know before the trip.br /br /Tomorrow most of the athletes will do some sort of race pace intervals. Then we’ll load up our vans and drive North to Kuopio. They’re in a pretty deep freeze up there right now (-27* C), but it looks like we may see temps as high as -10* C by Tuesday. At least the sun is shining, and the saunas are still hot!br /br /Over and our from Lahti, //Timdiv class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8099746996508773021-1273502382314480497?l=usaj1team.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div

a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cBFLp0vFuic/S1m_PnRui9I/AAAAAAAAAJQ/YddZGPjWblI/s1600-h/ski-jumps-1-700.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;” src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cBFLp0vFuic/S1m_PnRui9I/AAAAAAAAAJQ/YddZGPjWblI/s400/ski-jumps-1-700.jpg” border=”0″ alt=””id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429581100734122962″ //abr /br /This morning we got the team together for a jog at 08.00h. It was not totally dark, but it was certainly still before dawn. We’re on the edge of the city, so we ran over to the train station and then back home to the warm hotel, and our breakfast buffet.br /br /I’ve been to Europe a few times, but I’m never quite sure of what to expect of the food in different regions / restaurants / hotels. I think we were all anticipating what we’d find awaiting us as the Best Western breakfast buffet. Once we entered the dining room, it was pretty clear that this is not the same as a Continental Breakfast in the good ole US of A. This was, clearly, intercontinental! It had everything we need, including 3 types of fish — 2 pickled varieties (which nobody touched) and one other breaded type, which Mr. Vigers put onto his sandwich. Apparently it hadn’t been totally boned…Some of the crowd favorites included the cookies (?!), Blaabarsopa (blueberry soup, like they give @ the Vasaloppet), and the Nestle Fitness cereal.br /br /We had a relaxed time eating, and watched as the dawn gradually turned to daylight. We later loaded our 2 Ford vans, and started driving to the ski area. It was only 2-3 km from our hotel to the ski area, so I didn’t bother to ask for specific directions. After about 45 minutes of driving, we found ourselves at the trails. A non-English speaking groomer directed us to a warm room where we scraped and applied some cold kick wax. After that, well the pictures are probably better than my writing.br /br /The temps peaked today around -15* C. Everybody has warm clothes and balaclavas (not to mention nice new jackets), and I nobody complained. That’s just what we’ll have for the next 10 days.br /br /Back home in the hotel, we had our choice of World Cup biathlon from Antholtz, ITA, live on Eurosport, or the classic-Sprint at Finnish Nationals, live on a local channel. We watched Sammi Jauhojaervi win the men’s race while at lunch.br /br /Now it’s just after 5pm, and we’re all just chilling. I just watched some of the Super-G that happened earlier today @ Kitzbuehl AUT, and now its K134 Ski Jumping from Zakopane, POL. It seems to have been a beautiful day all over Europe!br /br /In our hotel lobby, watching the classic-sprint race @ Finnish Nationals:br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cBFLp0vFuic/S1nFA8nEApI/AAAAAAAAAKY/09GeBW0WyuQ/s1600-h/watching-finnish-SM-700.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;” src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cBFLp0vFuic/S1nFA8nEApI/AAAAAAAAAKY/09GeBW0WyuQ/s400/watching-finnish-SM-700.jpg” border=”0″ alt=””id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429587445832483474″ //abr /br /The sun nears its peak for the day (this is just after noon):br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cBFLp0vFuic/S1nExj_LIbI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/n17-HvyoyQM/s1600-h/team-sun-700.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 326px;” src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cBFLp0vFuic/S1nExj_LIbI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/n17-HvyoyQM/s400/team-sun-700.jpg” border=”0″ alt=””id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429587181524689330″ //abr /br /Trail network:br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cBFLp0vFuic/S1nErmsoL4I/AAAAAAAAAKI/RnEAXENW1xY/s1600-h/trail-map-700.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 358px;” src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cBFLp0vFuic/S1nErmsoL4I/AAAAAAAAAKI/RnEAXENW1xY/s400/trail-map-700.jpg” border=”0″ alt=””id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429587079172992898″ //abr /br /Most of the team taking a break:br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cBFLp0vFuic/S1nEc8DE3HI/AAAAAAAAAKA/a1r4xgzYCLY/s1600-h/team-700.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;” src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cBFLp0vFuic/S1nEc8DE3HI/AAAAAAAAAKA/a1r4xgzYCLY/s400/team-700.jpg” border=”0″ alt=””id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429586827206253682″ //abr /br /Striding towards the big jump:br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cBFLp0vFuic/S1nEP-aiNvI/AAAAAAAAAJ4/b5gQ5447XfQ/s1600-h/strinding-towards-jump-700.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;” src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cBFLp0vFuic/S1nEP-aiNvI/AAAAAAAAAJ4/b5gQ5447XfQ/s400/strinding-towards-jump-700.jpg” border=”0″ alt=””id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429586604503217906″ //abr /br /View down to the Nordic stadium:br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cBFLp0vFuic/S1nD-M4tlAI/AAAAAAAAAJw/IJPlYJ7H-h4/s1600-h/kids-in-stadium-700.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;” src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cBFLp0vFuic/S1nD-M4tlAI/AAAAAAAAAJw/IJPlYJ7H-h4/s400/kids-in-stadium-700.jpg” border=”0″ alt=””id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429586299150242818″ //abr /br /The big jumps:br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cBFLp0vFuic/S1nDjzSiWiI/AAAAAAAAAJo/bU2R1IbcLw4/s1600-h/jumps-through-tress-700.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;” src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cBFLp0vFuic/S1nDjzSiWiI/AAAAAAAAAJo/bU2R1IbcLw4/s400/jumps-through-tress-700.jpg” border=”0″ alt=””id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429585845602638370″ //abr /br /Lahti downtown, around 15.45h:br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cBFLp0vFuic/S1nB_wif6wI/AAAAAAAAAJg/nBX3e1MiSGA/s1600-h/lahti-city-center-700.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;” src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cBFLp0vFuic/S1nB_wif6wI/AAAAAAAAAJg/nBX3e1MiSGA/s400/lahti-city-center-700.jpg” border=”0″ alt=””id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429584126877362946″ //abr /br /Some of the gals:br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cBFLp0vFuic/S1nBtKIz0fI/AAAAAAAAAJY/bLQavRbKeEw/s1600-h/chicas-700.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;” src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cBFLp0vFuic/S1nBtKIz0fI/AAAAAAAAAJY/bLQavRbKeEw/s400/chicas-700.jpg” border=”0″ alt=””id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429583807331422706″ //adiv class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8099746996508773021-3240543733033096203?l=usaj1team.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div

Just a quick update to announce that we made it to our hotel in Lahti around 4pm local time. All our travel was on schedule, and without any major mishaps. We arrived at the hotel just before dark, and the temperature was already down to -21* C. Our hotel is within 5-10 minutes walk of the city center, and only a few KM from the ski trails. Tomorrow morning we will await the sunrise, and then check out the venue and do a classic ski.br /br /I’ve got to say, we must have some future NASA scientists in this group, because we managed to defy physics with our ability to fit 15 people, 14 ski bags, 15 duffels, and countless backpacks, into 2 Ford 9-passenger vans. It was a miracle to accomplish, without putting any gear on the roof!br /br /Over and out from Finland, //Timdiv class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8099746996508773021-404776880204360488?l=usaj1team.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div

A big thanks to the folks at

J1 Scandinavia Cup Teambr /Kuopio, Finland, January 29-31br /br /January 6, 2010br /br /Congratulations, and welcome to the 2009 USA J1 Scandinavia Cup Team. A lot of intervals and ODs went into this achievement, and we thank you for that dedication. Whether this is your first year on the team or you are a seasoned veteran, we are going to Finland as a new team that is on a mission to accomplish one thing together—to compete for the USA against some of the best in the world.br /br /As the stresses associated with making this team subside, regain control of your training next week. Refocus your goals. Whether you squeaked onto this team or qualified first, you now are all equal teammates. As you look around at your new teammates in this room, can you see yourself having the best races of your life with the support of this crew? See it.br /br /Train wisely in these next two weeks, and make sure you are healthy before the travel. Contact us if you have any questions about training, travel, and racing. Congratulations, thanks for your hard work, and get the engines tuned! Remember that your qualification to this team is a stepping-stone to your next big goal, rather than a destination. We’ll see you in Finland, if not sooner.br /br /Best,br /br /Tim, Matt, and Ashleydiv class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8099746996508773021-2559481496440324174?l=usaj1team.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div