FasterSkier

Category: XCFeeds

A collection of live feeds from cross-country ski blogs around the web.

  • Thoughts from Lahti

    I’m well over-due for a blog update so I suppose that I will pull myself away from the live skiing on TV and attempt to use the caterpiller-speed internet! 
    The famous jumps of Lahti, Finland
    I’m currently in Lahti, Finland on the eve of the “Lahti Winter Sports Games.”  Lahti is a regular, annual stop on the World Cup and this is my first World Cup experience that is not right before a Championship series.  Tomorrow’s 10k pursuit will be my 5th World Cup and Sunday’s classic sprint will be my 6th. 
    I’m psyched for this opportunity to experience what I feel is more representative of the “real” World Cup (if that’s fair to say.)  I’m here with a small group from the US, namely the World Cup “A team.”  Lars Flora, my APU teammate and I both have the opportunity to be here as “Continental Cup, Super Tour” leaders.  Basically, each continent has a “cup series” where the leaders gets start rights to participate in the World Cup beyond a country’s regular start right quota.  I recently learned that as CC leader I also have the opportunity to attend and participate in World Cup finals in Sweden following the race in Lahti.

    One of the things that has struck me while being in Europe (or simply high level ski racing in general) is how tired one can become from competing at a high level.  My experience on the road is a complete, 180 difference from my life at home. In Alaska I’m a multi-tasker, I thrive on being busy.  I often train twice per day, coach at least once, complete some school work, spend time with friends and family, take care of my house, etc, etc.  In comparison, over here is feels as if it takes triple the energy to complete daily tasks, even if it’s a short one hour ski and eating lunch that is prepared for you buffet style!  I really think there is an incredible amount of subconscious energy that’s expended by being so far away from home.  Sometimes my lack of ambition and energy frustrates me but then again, rest & recovery is a really important part of this business.  
    Nonetheless, I have been taking some mental notes on things that help – both comfort wise, and perhaps making it feel a bit more like home. Or, just ways to embrace being on the road.  Some of those things are even as simple as buying some cheap flowers for your hotel room or traveling with a jar of peanut butter (not popular over here) that I bring to breakfast with me.
    Flowers, coffee, hand sanitizer and LIVE skiing on the Tube! 
    Finnish PB is actually quite good
    The other thing that I always find a bit shocking is how fragile my body starts to feel at this time of year. It’s good at one thing and one thing only.  For example, I woke up this morning and found that my hamstrings are a bit sore.  Now, is this because I ran for 30 minutes rather than 20 yesterday or because I took 6 flights of stairs because our huge hotel has one closet-sized elevator?  During the training season I pride myself as someone who can mow the lawn and complete an awesome interval set afterwards, or even someone that can train three times per day.  Sometimes, being in “race shape” towards the end of the season when the racing density is high because you physically cannot do much other than race and rest.  Personally, I love racing but I also love training and I always wish I could ski MORE during this period of the year.  However, I know that it would only be detrimental and make me more tired than I already am! It’s just funny to think that I train incredibly hard year round for this time of year and if you asked me to do a dozen pull-ups right now, I might struggle with it whereas other times of the year, it’s no problem.
    The race venue is just a short walk from our hotel… the “Grand”
    I certainly don’t want to give the wrong impression. I am stoked to be here and stoked to have the racing opportunities that I have in the next month.  
    I’m excited for this weekend in respect to my own racing and also excited for the APU junior competing at JOs in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  This is the first time in five years that I haven’t coached at Junior Olympics but I got a chance to Skype with a bunch of the APU junior athletes last night.  They’re having an awesome time at JOs and skiing really well! (I am one proud coach!)
    APU kids at JOs!  (Thanks for being patient with the horrible internet guys!)
    The start list is out for tomorrow’s pursuit and the filed looks tough and deep.  The competition at any Scandinavian World Cup is fierce and I know that tomorrow is going to be tough. There are seventy-two female starters and I am #46. I’ll give it everything I’ve got!
    Thanks for reading,
    Holly 

    Ski jumpers are also staying at our hotel. I have to say, I’m certainly glad that I don’t have to travel with one of those bags! 

  • Thoughts from Lahti

    I’m well over-due for a blog update so I suppose that I will pull myself away from the live skiing on TV and attempt to use the caterpiller-speed internet! 
    The famous jumps of Lahti, Finland
    I’m currently in Lahti, Finland on the eve of the “Lahti Winter Sports Games.”  Lahti is a regular, annual stop on the World Cup and this is my first World Cup experience that is not right before a Championship series.  Tomorrow’s 10k pursuit will be my 5th World Cup and Sunday’s classic sprint will be my 6th. 
    I’m psyched for this opportunity to experience what I feel is more representative of the “real” World Cup (if that’s fair to say.)  I’m here with a small group from the US, namely the World Cup “A team.”  Lars Flora, my APU teammate and I both have the opportunity to be here as “Continental Cup, Super Tour” leaders.  Basically, each continent has a “cup series” where the leaders gets start rights to participate in the World Cup beyond a country’s regular start right quota.  I recently learned that as CC leader I also have the opportunity to attend and participate in World Cup finals in Sweden following the race in Lahti.

    One of the things that has struck me while being in Europe (or simply high level ski racing in general) is how tired one can become from competing at a high level.  My experience on the road is a complete, 180 difference from my life at home. In Alaska I’m a multi-tasker, I thrive on being busy.  I often train twice per day, coach at least once, complete some school work, spend time with friends and family, take care of my house, etc, etc.  In comparison, over here is feels as if it takes triple the energy to complete daily tasks, even if it’s a short one hour ski and eating lunch that is prepared for you buffet style!  I really think there is an incredible amount of subconscious energy that’s expended by being so far away from home.  Sometimes my lack of ambition and energy frustrates me but then again, rest & recovery is a really important part of this business.  
    Nonetheless, I have been taking some mental notes on things that help – both comfort wise, and perhaps making it feel a bit more like home. Or, just ways to embrace being on the road.  Some of those things are even as simple as buying some cheap flowers for your hotel room or traveling with a jar of peanut butter (not popular over here) that I bring to breakfast with me.
    Flowers, coffee, hand sanitizer and LIVE skiing on the Tube! 
    Finnish PB is actually quite good
    The other thing that I always find a bit shocking is how fragile my body starts to feel at this time of year. It’s good at one thing and one thing only.  For example, I woke up this morning and found that my hamstrings are a bit sore.  Now, is this because I ran for 30 minutes rather than 20 yesterday or because I took 6 flights of stairs because our huge hotel has one closet-sized elevator?  During the training season I pride myself as someone who can mow the lawn and complete an awesome interval set afterwards, or even someone that can train three times per day.  Sometimes, being in “race shape” towards the end of the season when the racing density is high because you physically cannot do much other than race and rest.  Personally, I love racing but I also love training and I always wish I could ski MORE during this period of the year.  However, I know that it would only be detrimental and make me more tired than I already am! It’s just funny to think that I train incredibly hard year round for this time of year and if you asked me to do a dozen pull-ups right now, I might struggle with it whereas other times of the year, it’s no problem.
    The race venue is just a short walk from our hotel… the “Grand”
    I certainly don’t want to give the wrong impression. I am stoked to be here and stoked to have the racing opportunities that I have in the next month.  
    I’m excited for this weekend in respect to my own racing and also excited for the APU junior competing at JOs in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  This is the first time in five years that I haven’t coached at Junior Olympics but I got a chance to Skype with a bunch of the APU junior athletes last night.  They’re having an awesome time at JOs and skiing really well! (I am one proud coach!)
    APU kids at JOs!  (Thanks for being patient with the horrible internet guys!)
    The start list is out for tomorrow’s pursuit and the filed looks tough and deep.  The competition at any Scandinavian World Cup is fierce and I know that tomorrow is going to be tough. There are seventy-two female starters and I am #46. I’ll give it everything I’ve got!
    Thanks for reading,
    Holly 

    Ski jumpers are also staying at our hotel. I have to say, I’m certainly glad that I don’t have to travel with one of those bags! 

  • Sunny Engadin

    Another ideal day in St Moritz.  Course inspection is complete having skied each half of the race course the past two days.

    The course is groomed impeccably, start to finish and we still haven’t seen a single cloud.  Unfortunately, the forecast is calling for 2 to 5 inches of fresh snow the night before the race which could make waxing a little tricky.  We’ve run into quite a few of the 84 total Americans competing in the Engadin this year.

    four of the 84 americans in the engadin this year

    So far, everyone has asked what the best wax will be.  Given the snow in the forecast and the temps hovering around 32 degrees F, I’ll be waxing with a Toko HF yellow/red 50/50 mix and Jetstream on top of that for a little extra speed.  For kick, I’d recommend a thin Toko green binder (not sure how long you’ll be on the course), followed by a 4 – 5 thin layers of Toko red kick wax.  If you think you’ll be on course for a while, toss a yellow and silver into your bag to re-wax as the temperature warms throughout the day.

    The corduroy and tracks are perfect.  There’s room to ski at least 10 skiers wide across the lakes during the first 15km of the course!  My favorite part of the course, hands-down, is Mattress Hill.  It’s a long, glade style descent through the trees dropping from St Moritz to Pontresina at the 20km mark.  The trees are covered with mattresses, but there will surely be some epic collisions during the race!  Here’s a little preview. . .

    When we’re not skiing, we’re enjoying some great food and company.  Last night, we joined a group of Don’s friends from Hecklingen, a small town in Germany’s Black Forest.  We ate at the Scaletta, a classic Swiss restaurant in the village of S-chanf, located right next door to one of the many homes of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.  The Scaletta’s owner, Mario, remembered Don from the last time he stayed there over 5 years ago and was a great host for our dinner.

    the crew from wisconsin and hecklingen

    While the whole group spoke great English, I occasionally played the role of translator.  I realized how tough translating can be when, at one point, I turned to ask Don and Jim a simple question.  They looked back at me blankly and couldn’t answer the question.  After a moment of waiting for their response, I realized I’d been speaking to them in German!  They haven’t let me forget that one anytime I try to tell a story or ask a question.

    Aga Bednarz, the fourth (any by far the best looking) member of our crew, arrived last night.  Now we’ve got the whole team in St Moritz and ready for the Engadin on Sunday.  We’re taking a rest morning today, getting caught up on the internet and sights.  This afternoon, we’re off to Muottas Muragl for some sledding.  Don’s already trash-talking his ability to set the new land-speed record on the descent!

  • Last Call For Stonegrinding–Birkie Wrap Up!–Cyclops 3.1

    I know, I know…March is the best time of year for skiing. The temperatures are always hovering around 40, and the sun is high enough in the sky that you feel like you’re baking out there on a 40 km ski (kind of). But we have to face the fact that the nice warm sun is hard on our beloved trails, and start thinking about upcoming escapades of awesomeness (that should be our slogan:

  • Last Call For Stonegrinding–Birkie Wrap Up!–Cyclops 3.1

    I know, I know…March is the best time of year for skiing. The temperatures are always hovering around 40, and the sun is high enough in the sky that you feel like you’re baking out there on a 40 km ski (kind of). But we have to face the fact that the nice warm sun is hard on our beloved trails, and start thinking about upcoming escapades of awesomeness (that should be our slogan:

  • A lot more of Russia before the World Champs Relay

    With three days in between our Individual race and the Women’s Relay, I knew I needed to have a day to mentally re-charge, take a break from the range and normal routine in order to be fresh and excited about training and the final competition of World Champs. I’m back to the training plan today and am truly look forward to getting back out there after the Individual race. I felt much better skiing, so I know I continue to move on the right track even as the season comes to a close. Shooting still eludes me, but today is another day. Despite my challenges in biathlon, there is always another chance – another shooting stage, another loop, another race, another year. 
    Yesterday I took the time to get back into town to see the Nature and Man museum in the morning and spent the afternoon classic skiing on a bunch of side trails off the race loops. Annelies and I joined up with the Canadian team to check out a museum that you could spend hours in trying to decipher the history of the Yugra region in order to gain a better understanding of life in Siberia beyond the snow, cold and sterile stone buildings of Khanty-Mansiysk. Siberia is perhaps one of the most interesting place skiing has taken me.
    Their prize Siberian fossils are woolly mammoths.  
    Did you know woolly rhinoceras even existed?
    Typical native garb for a child. They look like small animals and their clothes are decorated with beads and colored cloth to ward off evil spirits. This children’s display was the introduction into the incredible and mysterious arctic culture. Their creative dress and pagan rituals give a lot of color and spirit to this otherwise seemingly harsh and cold region.  
    In the matter of an hour or so our tour guide led us through the people, customs, traditions and history of the region. Nothing unusual for a museum – artifacts, replications, old photos, etc. But one artifact stood out as a stark reminder of different this location in the world is compared to any other place I’ve been. Below is a map from the 1701 Chart Book of Siberia.   
    It looks like an ordinary map until it was explained that the orientation is opposite than what we might think. The Moscow and Ural Mountains looked like they were on the “wrong” side. Maps at this time and place were drawn in orientation from the North Pole looking down to Russia. The west was now on the right, the east on the left, the north on the bottom and the south on the top. 
    Display rooms of the native Siberian tribes quickly transitioned into rooms of a more recent past. During the Russian Revolution the Ob river valley was increasingly populated by political exiles. The Ob river valley is a confluence of many large and small rivers, as the map above, illustrates. These rivers also brought together many different peoples, often fatally, as the region was established and populated over the last century. 
    A few decades ago oil became the dominate natural resource.
    The museum also had a special biathlon exhibit for World Champs.
    Zina Kocher, of Canada, Annelies and I and the endless sites to see in Khanty.
    On the walk back to the hotel shuttle – the following contrasts seem to speak for themselves.

    And now its back to training. The Men’s Relay is tonight!
    6:30pm local time 8:30am EST
    www.biathlonworld.com

  • A lot more of Russia before the World Champs Relay

    With three days in between our Individual race and the Women’s Relay, I knew I needed to have a day to mentally re-charge, take a break from the range and normal routine in order to be fresh and excited about training and the final competition of World Champs. I’m back to the training plan today and am truly look forward to getting back out there after the Individual race. I felt much better skiing, so I know I continue to move on the right track even as the season comes to a close. Shooting still eludes me, but today is another day. Despite my challenges in biathlon, there is always another chance – another shooting stage, another loop, another race, another year. 
    Yesterday I took the time to get back into town to see the Nature and Man museum in the morning and spent the afternoon classic skiing on a bunch of side trails off the race loops. Annelies and I joined up with the Canadian team to check out a museum that you could spend hours in trying to decipher the history of the Yugra region in order to gain a better understanding of life in Siberia beyond the snow, cold and sterile stone buildings of Khanty-Mansiysk. Siberia is perhaps one of the most interesting place skiing has taken me.
    Their prize Siberian fossils are woolly mammoths.  
    Did you know woolly rhinoceras even existed?
    Typical native garb for a child. They look like small animals and their clothes are decorated with beads and colored cloth to ward off evil spirits. This children’s display was the introduction into the incredible and mysterious arctic culture. Their creative dress and pagan rituals give a lot of color and spirit to this otherwise seemingly harsh and cold region.  
    In the matter of an hour or so our tour guide led us through the people, customs, traditions and history of the region. Nothing unusual for a museum – artifacts, replications, old photos, etc. But one artifact stood out as a stark reminder of different this location in the world is compared to any other place I’ve been. Below is a map from the 1701 Chart Book of Siberia.   
    It looks like an ordinary map until it was explained that the orientation is opposite than what we might think. The Moscow and Ural Mountains looked like they were on the “wrong” side. Maps at this time and place were drawn in orientation from the North Pole looking down to Russia. The west was now on the right, the east on the left, the north on the bottom and the south on the top. 
    Display rooms of the native Siberian tribes quickly transitioned into rooms of a more recent past. During the Russian Revolution the Ob river valley was increasingly populated by political exiles. The Ob river valley is a confluence of many large and small rivers, as the map above, illustrates. These rivers also brought together many different peoples, often fatally, as the region was established and populated over the last century. 
    A few decades ago oil became the dominate natural resource.
    The museum also had a special biathlon exhibit for World Champs.
    Zina Kocher, of Canada, Annelies and I and the endless sites to see in Khanty.
    On the walk back to the hotel shuttle – the following contrasts seem to speak for themselves.

    And now its back to training. The Men’s Relay is tonight!
    6:30pm local time 8:30am EST
    www.biathlonworld.com

  • A lot more of Russia before the World Champs Relay

    With three days in between our Individual race and the Women’s Relay, I knew I needed to have a day to mentally re-charge, take a break from the range and normal routine in order to be fresh and excited about training and the final competition of World Champs. I’m back to the training plan today and am truly look forward to getting back out there after the Individual race. I felt much better skiing, so I know I continue to move on the right track even as the season comes to a close. Shooting still eludes me, but today is another day. Despite my challenges in biathlon, there is always another chance – another shooting stage, another loop, another race, another year. 
    Yesterday I took the time to get back into town to see the Nature and Man museum in the morning and spent the afternoon classic skiing on a bunch of side trails off the race loops. Annelies and I joined up with the Canadian team to check out a museum that you could spend hours in trying to decipher the history of the Yugra region in order to gain a better understanding of life in Siberia beyond the snow, cold and sterile stone buildings of Khanty-Mansiysk. Siberia is perhaps one of the most interesting place skiing has taken me.
    Their prize Siberian fossils are woolly mammoths.  
    Did you know woolly rhinoceras even existed?
    Typical native garb for a child. They look like small animals and their clothes are decorated with beads and colored cloth to ward off evil spirits. This children’s display was the introduction into the incredible and mysterious arctic culture. Their creative dress and pagan rituals give a lot of color and spirit to this otherwise seemingly harsh and cold region.  
    In the matter of an hour or so our tour guide led us through the people, customs, traditions and history of the region. Nothing unusual for a museum – artifacts, replications, old photos, etc. But one artifact stood out as a stark reminder of different this location in the world is compared to any other place I’ve been. Below is a map from the 1701 Chart Book of Siberia.   
    It looks like an ordinary map until it was explained that the orientation is opposite than what we might think. The Moscow and Ural Mountains looked like they were on the “wrong” side. Maps at this time and place were drawn in orientation from the North Pole looking down to Russia. The west was now on the right, the east on the left, the north on the bottom and the south on the top. 
    Display rooms of the native Siberian tribes quickly transitioned into rooms of a more recent past. During the Russian Revolution the Ob river valley was increasingly populated by political exiles. The Ob river valley is a confluence of many large and small rivers, as the map above, illustrates. These rivers also brought together many different peoples, often fatally, as the region was established and populated over the last century. 
    A few decades ago oil became the dominate natural resource.
    The museum also had a special biathlon exhibit for World Champs.
    Zina Kocher, of Canada, Annelies and I and the endless sites to see in Khanty.
    On the walk back to the hotel shuttle – the following contrasts seem to speak for themselves.

    And now its back to training. The Men’s Relay is tonight!
    6:30pm local time 8:30am EST
    www.biathlonworld.com

  • A lot more of Russia before the World Champs Relay

    With three days in between our Individual race and the Women’s Relay, I knew I needed to have a day to mentally re-charge, take a break from the range and normal routine in order to be fresh and excited about training and the final competition of World Champs. I’m back to the training plan today and am truly look forward to getting back out there after the Individual race. I felt much better skiing, so I know I continue to move on the right track even as the season comes to a close. Shooting still eludes me, but today is another day. Despite my challenges in biathlon, there is always another chance – another shooting stage, another loop, another race, another year. 
    Yesterday I took the time to get back into town to see the Nature and Man museum in the morning and spent the afternoon classic skiing on a bunch of side trails off the race loops. Annelies and I joined up with the Canadian team to check out a museum that you could spend hours in trying to decipher the history of the Yugra region in order to gain a better understanding of life in Siberia beyond the snow, cold and sterile stone buildings of Khanty-Mansiysk. Siberia is perhaps one of the most interesting place skiing has taken me.
    Their prize Siberian fossils are woolly mammoths.  
    Did you know woolly rhinoceras even existed?
    Typical native garb for a child. They look like small animals and their clothes are decorated with beads and colored cloth to ward off evil spirits. This children’s display was the introduction into the incredible and mysterious arctic culture. Their creative dress and pagan rituals give a lot of color and spirit to this otherwise seemingly harsh and cold region.  
    In the matter of an hour or so our tour guide led us through the people, customs, traditions and history of the region. Nothing unusual for a museum – artifacts, replications, old photos, etc. But one artifact stood out as a stark reminder of different this location in the world is compared to any other place I’ve been. Below is a map from the 1701 Chart Book of Siberia.   
    It looks like an ordinary map until it was explained that the orientation is opposite than what we might think. The Moscow and Ural Mountains looked like they were on the “wrong” side. Maps at this time and place were drawn in orientation from the North Pole looking down to Russia. The west was now on the right, the east on the left, the north on the bottom and the south on the top. 
    Display rooms of the native Siberian tribes quickly transitioned into rooms of a more recent past. During the Russian Revolution the Ob river valley was increasingly populated by political exiles. The Ob river valley is a confluence of many large and small rivers, as the map above, illustrates. These rivers also brought together many different peoples, often fatally, as the region was established and populated over the last century. 
    A few decades ago oil became the dominate natural resource.
    The museum also had a special biathlon exhibit for World Champs.
    Zina Kocher, of Canada, Annelies and I and the endless sites to see in Khanty.
    On the walk back to the hotel shuttle – the following contrasts seem to speak for themselves.

    And now its back to training. The Men’s Relay is tonight!
    6:30pm local time 8:30am EST
    www.biathlonworld.com

  • Some Impressive Performances At WBC

    It’s really some of the women’s performances that I want to call attention to, but let’s start with the men’s 20k individual race from the other day. Here’s the top five (click through for full version):

    Another impressive race from the youngster Tarjei Bø. But as you’ll note, not a wildly dominant race when measured by standardized percent back from the median. In the ‘Inhuman’ territory, to be sure, but it isn’t until things start getting below 3 standard deviations better than the mean that things really start getting extreme. Maksimov’s race mostly came out of nowhere, though he did have an equivalent performance several years ago. Christoph Sumann’s season (and the one before) has been a small step backwards it seems, in terms of his median performance, but he certainly still dangerous.

    As for the women’s 10km individual race:

    A couple things are notable here. First, Ekholm’s race just sneaks into the really, really extreme territory of being more than 3 standard deviations better than usual. It’s not hugely different from her typical performances, but it’s still notable since if we add it to the impressive display that Neuner and Mäkäräinen put on in the sprint and we have the 5th (Neuner), 8th (Mäkäräinen) and 9th (Ekholm) most extreme performances by a woman since 1992.

    Also interesting is that Tina Bachmann skied so well despite her shooting really taking a dive this season.

    Related posts:

    1. <Drammen 10/15km Classic Recap
    2. <WSC Pursuit Recap
    3. <WSC Women’s 30k Recap


  • The Secret of Success

    We had an easy ski day today. With races yesterday and the next two days our plan was to inspect the course and give the wax crew our race skis for tomorrow. The snow was fast this morning and with strict instructions to stay behind J2 coach Kiz Kantack, we were able to stick to task.
    All of the teams were out enjoying a low stress non-race day with good skiing and no waxing issues. Spirits are high and we are looking forward to the skate race tomorrow and the classic relays on Saturday.
    The team from Intermountain was taking their pictures too.
    Team “J2” gathers for a couple of pick ups at the end of the ski. The goal is to stimulate the body without tiring it out.
    OK…. back to the blog title. Here is a picture of a bunch of NE parents who are out here cheering on their kids. The host club offered a fun “lopet” race with a choice of techniques and distances (25 or 50 km) for today. All of these parents jumped in and it got me thinking…. “jeez, what an active group of parents”. I’ve always known that the kids who enter our program coming from a family that does lots of different outdoor activities have a big advantage over kids who hang out watching TV or playing video games. The group of parents heading out for their ski today helped enforce that belief. It is very important to make exercise a part of your life from an early age. Get out the door and have fun.

  • Progress In Women’s Biathlon Shooting

    A commenter yesterday noted that the TV coverage of yesterday’s women’s WBC race noted that the women’s shooting has been improving over the last decade or so, and wondered if we could make a graph to go along with that observation.

    Looking at only World Cup, World Championship and Olympic races, here’s the shooting statistics for men and women by season:

    Shooting accuracy for all men and women for each season.

    As you can see, the shooting data for the 1997-1998 season are missing (they’re missing on the IBU website). The men’s field has been quite stable since 1992 at just under 80% overall. The women’s field has clearly improved significantly since the early 90′s and perhaps modestly since the early 00′s as well. Interestingly, the entire women’s field’s shooting seems to have dipped downward slightly this season.

    Those values cover the entire field, which includes every skier in every race. This captures a lot of not very good biathletes (relatively speaking, of course) who may have only done 1-2 races, so just for fun let’s restrict ourselves to individuals who’ve had at least 200 shots in a season:

    Shooting statistics for men and women with at least 200 shots/season.

    You’ll have to look back and forth between these two graphs, but clearly the latter group shoot better, although the trends remain essentially the same.

    Related posts:

    1. <Biathlon Shooting Accuracy
    2. <US Biathlon Preview: Men
    3. <Mid-Season Review: USA Biathlon


  • Stonegrinding Last Call: Friday, March 18!

    Frank loves stonegrinding and wants to grind your skis – but this is your last chance for the season!  Photo Credit:  Dave Gabrys of Cycleture.com

    It is mid March already.  The Birkie and most of the other big races have passed us by.  We’ve had one of the best snow years on record.  Cyclova XC hope that you had one of your best ski seasons ever aboard the fastest skis of your life!
    Sadly,

  • Stonegrinding Last Call: Friday, March 18!

    Frank loves stonegrinding and wants to grind your skis – but this is your last chance for the season!  Photo Credit:  Dave Gabrys of Cycleture.com

    It is mid March already.  The Birkie and most of the other big races have passed us by.  We’ve had one of the best snow years on record.  Cyclova XC hope that you had one of your best ski seasons ever aboard the fastest skis of your life!
    Sadly,

  • Ahh…Spring Skiing

    I don’t think I will ever be able to get enough of spring skiing in Alaska. Powder, groomed trail, crust, snowmachine trails, or sastrugi… it seems like there’s a fun and freeing way to experience it all. With increasing daylight, the exploration routes through the mountains, trees, and river systems seem endless. And I feel like I have barely begun to tap into what is possible.Here are some

  • Ahh…Spring Skiing

    I don’t think I will ever be able to get enough of spring skiing in Alaska. Powder, groomed trail, crust, snowmachine trails, or sastrugi… it seems like there’s a fun and freeing way to experience it all. With increasing daylight, the exploration routes through the mountains, trees, and river systems seem endless. And I feel like I have barely begun to tap into what is possible.Here are some

  • Ahh…Spring Skiing

    I don’t think I will ever be able to get enough of spring skiing in Alaska. Powder, groomed trail, crust, snowmachine trails, or sastrugi… it seems like there’s a fun and freeing way to experience it all. With increasing daylight, the exploration routes through the mountains, trees, and river systems seem endless. And I feel like I have barely begun to tap into what is possible.Here are some

  • Ahh…Spring Skiing

    I don’t think I will ever be able to get enough of spring skiing in Alaska. Powder, groomed trail, crust, snowmachine trails, or sastrugi… it seems like there’s a fun and freeing way to experience it all. With increasing daylight, the exploration routes through the mountains, trees, and river systems seem endless. And I feel like I have barely begun to tap into what is possible.Here are some

  • Reasons to Believe

    After leaving the wax cabin this afternoon, it seemed hard to believe that we are halfway through Junior Nationals.  All season we’ve been talking about skiing fast and looking forward to Junior Nationals and positive attitudes.  The last few days have shown just how important that all is — and how success builds on success.
    Here is Heidi after her third place finish in the J2 Sprint having an, “I CAN DO IT!” moment.

    Through 2 of 3 individual races at the 2011 Junior Nationals all of our GMVS skiers have had top-20 results.
    Hans Halvorsen was 15th in the J1 Sprint and Ryley Walker was 19th in the OJ 15km classic.
    You might remember this guy — David Sinclair ’10 — who finished the year ranked 11th in the EISA Ranking in his freshman year at Dartmouth.  Here he is after winning the B Final in the OJ Sprint.  David epitomizes the “can do” attitude — in typical Sinner fashion his post race words were, “I felt really good in that one.”  When David says that the competition better watch out.  Keep reading.
    Heidi on the podium at the J2 Flower ceremony with some of the company that is raising the bar in New England.  On Monday evening, Brooke Mooney and Cate Brams were right there too — looks a lot like an Eastern Cup Podium.  Sometimes it feels tough to be the 3rd or 5th Junior in your Regional Races — you gotta believe and remember the Big Picture.
    In the Wax Cabin post race Monday — David and Elena with two top ten smiles.  7th and 10th on the day.
    Go Gumby.
    Tonight was the first award ceremony at the Marriot.
    How about the J1 performance.  Rachel Hall, Cam McDermott, Heather Mooney, Corey Stock and Tara Gerathy-Moats.
    The Swiss Miss in good company with Alaska and Warren, VT’s  own Olympian,  Caitlin Compton.
    David and Chris Stock taking it in.
    Skyler Davis had his first Junior National victory on Monday.  His success is helping other New Englanders raise the bar and realize where hard work and self confidence can get you.
    A good Vermont grouping on the stage — Austin Cobb, Peter Hegman and Bridger Tyler.
    How about Hilary Rich making a season breakthrough with a sixth place finish in the OJ Sprint!
    More local talent in the pipeline — Sam Merrens and Ben Hegman.
    Heidi skied the smartest race of her season to date and she improved her placement.  Silver Medal in the 5km Classic!!  Absolutely fantastic effort out there today.
    Again in excellent company.
    Tom Rabon with the top New England finish today in the J1 Boys Race.  
    Eli Hoenig has been a force all season — today he was in the hunt with the Nations best.
    Elena all smiles as she receives her 6th place medal from Compton and gets a little reinforcement that she is making progress, not only in sprinting, but also in distance.  Again, “I would have never thought I can ski a good 10km classic.” Of course you can!  Remember that next time your digging deep.  Simple goals for today:
     1. Be tough in the head.
    2. Keep the hips up.
    And again in company with those she’s been battling all season.  Hallie Grossman finished right behind Elena in 7th.
    Vermont Crew: Hegman, Tyler and Davis making a Pat Madden Sandwich.
    Pat had the best applause of the evening with the typical PNSA “slow-clap.”
    You can bet Mr. Husaby was proud of his boy!
    Sinner left the competition in the rear view today.  Like he said, “I felt pretty good out there.”
    PROUD
    How about the OJ’s.  Annie Hart, Midwest and US Star Jesse Diggins, Rutland’s Mary Kate Cirelli, Isabel Caldwell and Kelsey Hoar.
    And a few more New Englanders: Emily Atwood and Hilary Rich.
    Hard to read the numbers, but we’re doing OK as a region.
    Stay humble, believe in yourself and keep doing what your doing — it’s working!!

  • Reasons to Believe

    After leaving the wax cabin this afternoon, it seemed hard to believe that we are halfway through Junior Nationals.  All season we’ve been talking about skiing fast and looking forward to Junior Nationals and positive attitudes.  The last few days have shown just how important that all is — and how success builds on success.
    Here is Heidi after her third place finish in the J2 Sprint having an, “I CAN DO IT!” moment.

    Through 2 of 3 individual races at the 2011 Junior Nationals all of our GMVS skiers have had top-20 results.
    Hans Halvorsen was 15th in the J1 Sprint and Ryley Walker was 19th in the OJ 15km classic.
    You might remember this guy — David Sinclair ’10 — who finished the year ranked 11th in the EISA Ranking in his freshman year at Dartmouth.  Here he is after winning the B Final in the OJ Sprint.  David epitomizes the “can do” attitude — in typical Sinner fashion his post race words were, “I felt really good in that one.”  When David says that the competition better watch out.  Keep reading.
    Heidi on the podium at the J2 Flower ceremony with some of the company that is raising the bar in New England.  On Monday evening, Brooke Mooney and Cate Brams were right there too — looks a lot like an Eastern Cup Podium.  Sometimes it feels tough to be the 3rd or 5th Junior in your Regional Races — you gotta believe and remember the Big Picture.
    In the Wax Cabin post race Monday — David and Elena with two top ten smiles.  7th and 10th on the day.
    Go Gumby.
    Tonight was the first award ceremony at the Marriot.
    How about the J1 performance.  Rachel Hall, Cam McDermott, Heather Mooney, Corey Stock and Tara Gerathy-Moats.
    The Swiss Miss in good company with Alaska and Warren, VT’s  own Olympian,  Caitlin Compton.
    David and Chris Stock taking it in.
    Skyler Davis had his first Junior National victory on Monday.  His success is helping other New Englanders raise the bar and realize where hard work and self confidence can get you.
    A good Vermont grouping on the stage — Austin Cobb, Peter Hegman and Bridger Tyler.
    How about Hilary Rich making a season breakthrough with a sixth place finish in the OJ Sprint!
    More local talent in the pipeline — Sam Merrens and Ben Hegman.
    Heidi skied the smartest race of her season to date and she improved her placement.  Silver Medal in the 5km Classic!!  Absolutely fantastic effort out there today.
    Again in excellent company.
    Tom Rabon with the top New England finish today in the J1 Boys Race.  
    Eli Hoenig has been a force all season — today he was in the hunt with the Nations best.
    Elena all smiles as she receives her 6th place medal from Compton and gets a little reinforcement that she is making progress, not only in sprinting, but also in distance.  Again, “I would have never thought I can ski a good 10km classic.” Of course you can!  Remember that next time your digging deep.  Simple goals for today:
     1. Be tough in the head.
    2. Keep the hips up.
    And again in company with those she’s been battling all season.  Hallie Grossman finished right behind Elena in 7th.
    Vermont Crew: Hegman, Tyler and Davis making a Pat Madden Sandwich.
    Pat had the best applause of the evening with the typical PNSA “slow-clap.”
    You can bet Mr. Husaby was proud of his boy!
    Sinner left the competition in the rear view today.  Like he said, “I felt pretty good out there.”
    PROUD
    How about the OJ’s.  Annie Hart, Midwest and US Star Jesse Diggins, Rutland’s Mary Kate Cirelli, Isabel Caldwell and Kelsey Hoar.
    And a few more New Englanders: Emily Atwood and Hilary Rich.
    Hard to read the numbers, but we’re doing OK as a region.
    Stay humble, believe in yourself and keep doing what your doing — it’s working!!