FasterSkier

Category: XCFeeds

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

  • Events, Clinics, Talks = busy!

    It’s great to have a mid-winter break at home!  Being in Alaska gives me a chance to sleep in my own bed, hang out with my husband, make sure my friends don’t forget who I am (!) and coach folks that I’ve been working with all spring, summer, and fall.  Training for World Champs is priority number one but luckily I have some time leftover to participate in some community events.  As an athlete, I’ve received a lot of support from my community and I love the opportunity to give back via sharing my experiences and knowledge.  Heck, it always ends up being a lot of fun!

    A bunch of these things have an option for Alaska-based folks to participate so please spread the word! Here is the quick list:

    • Participating in Alaska Public Radio “Faces of Alaska” family genealogy project.  Show will air 1/26 on KSKA and 1/27 & 1/29 on television
    • Thursday evening, 1/27 I am giving a free informational talk about the Tour of Anchorage at REI. Come learn all my secrets – Tour fever is starting to spread throughout Anchorage! 
    • Saturday, 1/29 Kikkan and I are leading the third annual, Alaskan Fast and Female at Chugiak High School! 
    • Tuesday, February 1st Kikkan and I are the key note speakers for the Rotary event, “Pillars” at the downtown Sheraton.  This is a luncheon for local high school students and tickets are available to the public as well. 
    • Saturday, February 5th I am offering TWO FREE SKATE SKIING CLINICS at Kincaid Park, compliments of one of my greatest sponsors, Rhyneer Clinic, Specialty Orthopedics.  The clinic will feature both on-snow and inside sessions. I’ll talk about my experience at the Olympics, injury prevention, and how you can make the most of your own skiing. A clinic t-shirt and refreshments are included!
    Here are more details and links to all events: 

    Faces of Alaska

    Weds., Jan. 26


    2:00 pm & 7:00 pm

    on KSKA FM 91.1
    Thu., Jan. 27


    8:00 pm on KAKM

    Channel 7 TV

    Sat., Jan. 29


    9:00 pm on KAKM 

    Channel 7


    Get Ready for the Tour of Anchorage with Olympic Skier
    Holly Brooks
    Jan 27th at 6pm
    New t-shirt design and poster for 2011!






















    Event Co-Hosts

    “Pillars” is a program sponsored by the Rotary Clubs of Anchorage.  Every 
    year Rotary brings inspirational presenters to a luncheon for upwards of 500 high school 
    students.  This year, Kikkan Randall and I are excited to be the key-note speakers.  We will 
    talk about our individual paths to the Olympics, the value of teamwork, the importance of 
    healthy lifestyles, and encourage folks to pursue their dreams – and even find work in an area 
    of their lives that are important to them!  This event is also open to the public. If you are 
    interested, it’s February 1st at the downtown Sheraton Hotel. The event starts at noon and 
    tickets can be purchased at the door. 

    If you’ve been wanting some pointers on your skate technique 
    or know someone who does, please join me for this FREE
    clinic, compliments of one of my generous sponsors, the 
    Rhyneer Clinic!  Pre-registration is necessary but it’s totally 
    FREE! I will offer two sessions on Saturday, February 5th. 
    Email rhyneerclinic@yahoo.com to register! Go to 
    http://rhyneerclinic.com/ to learn more about the clinic and
    Dr. Rhyneer and his staff! 

































  • Events, Clinics, Talks = busy!

    It’s great to have a mid-winter break at home!  Being in Alaska gives me a chance to sleep in my own bed, hang out with my husband, make sure my friends don’t forget who I am (!) and coach folks that I’ve been working with all spring, summer, and fall.  Training for World Champs is priority number one but luckily I have some time leftover to participate in some community events.  As an athlete, I’ve received a lot of support from my community and I love the opportunity to give back via sharing my experiences and knowledge.  Heck, it always ends up being a lot of fun!

    A bunch of these things have an option for Alaska-based folks to participate so please spread the word! Here is the quick list:

    • Participating in Alaska Public Radio “Faces of Alaska” family genealogy project.  Show will air 1/26 on KSKA and 1/27 & 1/29 on television
    • Thursday evening, 1/27 I am giving a free informational talk about the Tour of Anchorage at REI. Come learn all my secrets – Tour fever is starting to spread throughout Anchorage! 
    • Saturday, 1/29 Kikkan and I are leading the third annual, Alaskan Fast and Female at Chugiak High School! 
    • Tuesday, February 1st Kikkan and I are the key note speakers for the Rotary event, “Pillars” at the downtown Sheraton.  This is a luncheon for local high school students and tickets are available to the public as well. 
    • Saturday, February 5th I am offering TWO FREE SKATE SKIING CLINICS at Kincaid Park, compliments of one of my greatest sponsors, Rhyneer Clinic, Specialty Orthopedics.  The clinic will feature both on-snow and inside sessions. I’ll talk about my experience at the Olympics, injury prevention, and how you can make the most of your own skiing. A clinic t-shirt and refreshments are included!
    Here are more details and links to all events: 

    Faces of Alaska

    Weds., Jan. 26


    2:00 pm & 7:00 pm

    on KSKA FM 91.1
    Thu., Jan. 27


    8:00 pm on KAKM

    Channel 7 TV

    Sat., Jan. 29


    9:00 pm on KAKM 

    Channel 7


    Get Ready for the Tour of Anchorage with Olympic Skier
    Holly Brooks
    Jan 27th at 6pm
    New t-shirt design and poster for 2011!






















    Event Co-Hosts

    “Pillars” is a program sponsored by the Rotary Clubs of Anchorage.  Every 
    year Rotary brings inspirational presenters to a luncheon for upwards of 500 high school 
    students.  This year, Kikkan Randall and I are excited to be the key-note speakers.  We will 
    talk about our individual paths to the Olympics, the value of teamwork, the importance of 
    healthy lifestyles, and encourage folks to pursue their dreams – and even find work in an area 
    of their lives that are important to them!  This event is also open to the public. If you are 
    interested, it’s February 1st at the downtown Sheraton Hotel. The event starts at noon and 
    tickets can be purchased at the door. 

    If you’ve been wanting some pointers on your skate technique 
    or know someone who does, please join me for this FREE
    clinic, compliments of one of my generous sponsors, the 
    Rhyneer Clinic!  Pre-registration is necessary but it’s totally 
    FREE! I will offer two sessions on Saturday, February 5th. 
    Email rhyneerclinic@yahoo.com to register! Go to 
    http://rhyneerclinic.com/ to learn more about the clinic and
    Dr. Rhyneer and his staff! 

































  • Events, Clinics, Talks = busy!

    It’s great to have a mid-winter break at home!  Being in Alaska gives me a chance to sleep in my own bed, hang out with my husband, make sure my friends don’t forget who I am (!) and coach folks that I’ve been working with all spring, summer, and fall.  Training for World Champs is priority number one but luckily I have some time leftover to participate in some community events.  As an athlete, I’ve received a lot of support from my community and I love the opportunity to give back via sharing my experiences and knowledge.  Heck, it always ends up being a lot of fun!

    A bunch of these things have an option for Alaska-based folks to participate so please spread the word! Here is the quick list:

    • Participating in Alaska Public Radio “Faces of Alaska” family genealogy project.  Show will air 1/26 on KSKA and 1/27 & 1/29 on television
    • Thursday evening, 1/27 I am giving a free informational talk about the Tour of Anchorage at REI. Come learn all my secrets – Tour fever is starting to spread throughout Anchorage! 
    • Saturday, 1/29 Kikkan and I are leading the third annual, Alaskan Fast and Female at Chugiak High School! 
    • Tuesday, February 1st Kikkan and I are the key note speakers for the Rotary event, “Pillars” at the downtown Sheraton.  This is a luncheon for local high school students and tickets are available to the public as well. 
    • Saturday, February 5th I am offering TWO FREE SKATE SKIING CLINICS at Kincaid Park, compliments of one of my greatest sponsors, Rhyneer Clinic, Specialty Orthopedics.  The clinic will feature both on-snow and inside sessions. I’ll talk about my experience at the Olympics, injury prevention, and how you can make the most of your own skiing. A clinic t-shirt and refreshments are included!
    Here are more details and links to all events: 

    Faces of Alaska

    Weds., Jan. 26


    2:00 pm & 7:00 pm

    on KSKA FM 91.1
    Thu., Jan. 27


    8:00 pm on KAKM

    Channel 7 TV

    Sat., Jan. 29


    9:00 pm on KAKM 

    Channel 7


    Get Ready for the Tour of Anchorage with Olympic Skier
    Holly Brooks
    Jan 27th at 6pm
    New t-shirt design and poster for 2011!






















    Event Co-Hosts

    “Pillars” is a program sponsored by the Rotary Clubs of Anchorage.  Every 
    year Rotary brings inspirational presenters to a luncheon for upwards of 500 high school 
    students.  This year, Kikkan Randall and I are excited to be the key-note speakers.  We will 
    talk about our individual paths to the Olympics, the value of teamwork, the importance of 
    healthy lifestyles, and encourage folks to pursue their dreams – and even find work in an area 
    of their lives that are important to them!  This event is also open to the public. If you are 
    interested, it’s February 1st at the downtown Sheraton Hotel. The event starts at noon and 
    tickets can be purchased at the door. 

    If you’ve been wanting some pointers on your skate technique 
    or know someone who does, please join me for this FREE
    clinic, compliments of one of my generous sponsors, the 
    Rhyneer Clinic!  Pre-registration is necessary but it’s totally 
    FREE! I will offer two sessions on Saturday, February 5th. 
    Email rhyneerclinic@yahoo.com to register! Go to 
    http://rhyneerclinic.com/ to learn more about the clinic and
    Dr. Rhyneer and his staff! 

































  • Events, Clinics, Talks = busy!

    It’s great to have a mid-winter break at home!  Being in Alaska gives me a chance to sleep in my own bed, hang out with my husband, make sure my friends don’t forget who I am (!) and coach folks that I’ve been working with all spring, summer, and fall.  Training for World Champs is priority number one but luckily I have some time leftover to participate in some community events.  As an athlete, I’ve received a lot of support from my community and I love the opportunity to give back via sharing my experiences and knowledge.  Heck, it always ends up being a lot of fun!

    A bunch of these things have an option for Alaska-based folks to participate so please spread the word! Here is the quick list:

    • Participating in Alaska Public Radio “Faces of Alaska” family genealogy project.  Show will air 1/26 on KSKA and 1/27 & 1/29 on television
    • Thursday evening, 1/27 I am giving a free informational talk about the Tour of Anchorage at REI. Come learn all my secrets – Tour fever is starting to spread throughout Anchorage! 
    • Saturday, 1/29 Kikkan and I are leading the third annual, Alaskan Fast and Female at Chugiak High School! 
    • Tuesday, February 1st Kikkan and I are the key note speakers for the Rotary event, “Pillars” at the downtown Sheraton.  This is a luncheon for local high school students and tickets are available to the public as well. 
    • Saturday, February 5th I am offering TWO FREE SKATE SKIING CLINICS at Kincaid Park, compliments of one of my greatest sponsors, Rhyneer Clinic, Specialty Orthopedics.  The clinic will feature both on-snow and inside sessions. I’ll talk about my experience at the Olympics, injury prevention, and how you can make the most of your own skiing. A clinic t-shirt and refreshments are included!
    Here are more details and links to all events: 

    Faces of Alaska

    Weds., Jan. 26


    2:00 pm & 7:00 pm

    on KSKA FM 91.1
    Thu., Jan. 27


    8:00 pm on KAKM

    Channel 7 TV

    Sat., Jan. 29


    9:00 pm on KAKM 

    Channel 7


    Get Ready for the Tour of Anchorage with Olympic Skier
    Holly Brooks
    Jan 27th at 6pm
    New t-shirt design and poster for 2011!






















    Event Co-Hosts

    “Pillars” is a program sponsored by the Rotary Clubs of Anchorage.  Every 
    year Rotary brings inspirational presenters to a luncheon for upwards of 500 high school 
    students.  This year, Kikkan Randall and I are excited to be the key-note speakers.  We will 
    talk about our individual paths to the Olympics, the value of teamwork, the importance of 
    healthy lifestyles, and encourage folks to pursue their dreams – and even find work in an area 
    of their lives that are important to them!  This event is also open to the public. If you are 
    interested, it’s February 1st at the downtown Sheraton Hotel. The event starts at noon and 
    tickets can be purchased at the door. 

    If you’ve been wanting some pointers on your skate technique 
    or know someone who does, please join me for this FREE
    clinic, compliments of one of my generous sponsors, the 
    Rhyneer Clinic!  Pre-registration is necessary but it’s totally 
    FREE! I will offer two sessions on Saturday, February 5th. 
    Email rhyneerclinic@yahoo.com to register! Go to 
    http://rhyneerclinic.com/ to learn more about the clinic and
    Dr. Rhyneer and his staff! 

































  • Some Video of the Tops at World Juniors

  • Great Skiing at Sun Bowl.

    a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUC9y_qM-RI/AAAAAAAAGJQ/YR7xBIQ30GU/s1600/IMG_0815.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/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUC9y_qM-RI/AAAAAAAAGJQ/YR7xBIQ30GU/s400/IMG_0815.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566657823209486610″ //aThis morning we skied out to the Sun Bowl trails for a great classic OD ski. The trails are in perfect condition and it was nice to cruise for a couple of hours.br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUC8rJuHUJI/AAAAAAAAGJI/R5Gt_v8-eQ8/s1600/IMG_0820.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/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUC8rJuHUJI/AAAAAAAAGJI/R5Gt_v8-eQ8/s400/IMG_0820.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566656588959666322″ //a’Kenzie is growing!divbr //divdivThis afternoon Austin and the coaches hosted the West River BKL kids for a skating practice. We had fun doing a variety of drills and a 2 person sprint relay. Here are a couple of pictures (thanks Lilly).br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUC8Ue10csI/AAAAAAAAGJA/Gbw-z0krAiU/s1600/IMG_0832.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/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUC8Ue10csI/AAAAAAAAGJA/Gbw-z0krAiU/s400/IMG_0832.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566656199492137666″ //aLook mom, I’m flying!br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUC8Adg-vsI/AAAAAAAAGI4/PurXnJb_Nbw/s1600/IMG_0839.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/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUC8Adg-vsI/AAAAAAAAGI4/PurXnJb_Nbw/s400/IMG_0839.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566655855538912962″ //aRound ’em up.br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUC7Roryd7I/AAAAAAAAGIw/Ns4M3gfQj2I/s1600/IMG_0842.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 394px; height: 400px;” src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUC7Roryd7I/AAAAAAAAGIw/Ns4M3gfQj2I/s400/IMG_0842.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566655051083184050″ //aNew drill. Step 1: Lift one leg.br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUC7CV7KKwI/AAAAAAAAGIo/nK5Km1D2pfg/s1600/IMG_0844.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/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUC7CV7KKwI/AAAAAAAAGIo/nK5Km1D2pfg/s400/IMG_0844.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566654788349340418″ //aThis doesn’t look good..but it looks fun!br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUC6qkM4BrI/AAAAAAAAGIg/PeLrHs2wxZw/s1600/IMG_0845.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/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUC6qkM4BrI/AAAAAAAAGIg/PeLrHs2wxZw/s400/IMG_0845.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566654379864884914″ //aUndo the binding.br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUC6IRHUjpI/AAAAAAAAGIY/iD1t-BRRGiw/s1600/IMG_0848.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/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUC6IRHUjpI/AAAAAAAAGIY/iD1t-BRRGiw/s400/IMG_0848.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566653790625762962″ //aTake the ski off.br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUC5uLuQB7I/AAAAAAAAGIQ/UtLBpvnHdgc/s1600/IMG_0851.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/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUC5uLuQB7I/AAAAAAAAGIQ/UtLBpvnHdgc/s400/IMG_0851.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566653342501832626″ //aSpin the ski…. then put it back on without touching it to the snow (or falling down).br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUC5B1DCFiI/AAAAAAAAGII/_0m0EFdVvew/s1600/IMG_0852.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/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUC5B1DCFiI/AAAAAAAAGII/_0m0EFdVvew/s400/IMG_0852.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566652580500739618″ //aTough bindings.divEveryone got 2 chances at the balance/ski spin drill and a couple of them nailed it!br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUC4m1kZGOI/AAAAAAAAGIA/cfjKwABNXyE/s1600/IMG_0854.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/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUC4m1kZGOI/AAAAAAAAGIA/cfjKwABNXyE/s400/IMG_0854.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566652116784191714″ //aGrace.br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUC37r1ojPI/AAAAAAAAGH4/Mb-Vb1DMRZc/s1600/IMG_0862.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/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUC37r1ojPI/AAAAAAAAGH4/Mb-Vb1DMRZc/s400/IMG_0862.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566651375437778162″ //aHelena.br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUC3f9JDe3I/AAAAAAAAGHw/aLn0vjYHwVc/s1600/IMG_0866.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/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUC3f9JDe3I/AAAAAAAAGHw/aLn0vjYHwVc/s400/IMG_0866.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566650899046300530″ //aScott and Benbr /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUC2RdCbN0I/AAAAAAAAGHo/Zneim0_pcjI/s1600/IMG_0871.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/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUC2RdCbN0I/AAAAAAAAGHo/Zneim0_pcjI/s400/IMG_0871.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566649550398764866″ //aCharlotte and Carly.br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUC156IpFdI/AAAAAAAAGHg/Z56DU9fV8KQ/s1600/IMG_0872.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/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUC156IpFdI/AAAAAAAAGHg/Z56DU9fV8KQ/s400/IMG_0872.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566649145892607442″ //aTag demo.br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUC1kQ4pc6I/AAAAAAAAGHY/gyjktsjuSZY/s1600/IMG_0873.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/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUC1kQ4pc6I/AAAAAAAAGHY/gyjktsjuSZY/s400/IMG_0873.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566648774042416034″ //aAustin and Owen.br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUC1OLSY8gI/AAAAAAAAGHQ/IFQuqJbiDNY/s1600/IMG_0875.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 373px;” src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUC1OLSY8gI/AAAAAAAAGHQ/IFQuqJbiDNY/s400/IMG_0875.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566648394582651394″ //aCarter applies a good tag.br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUC0198Dn5I/AAAAAAAAGHI/eaZrpH0aoaI/s1600/IMG_0881.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 398px; height: 400px;” src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUC0198Dn5I/AAAAAAAAGHI/eaZrpH0aoaI/s400/IMG_0881.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566647978682458002″ //aEli and Owen sprint for the gold.br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUC0aPMSyOI/AAAAAAAAGHA/RM2NDZyc_CY/s1600/IMG_0889.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/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUC0aPMSyOI/AAAAAAAAGHA/RM2NDZyc_CY/s400/IMG_0889.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566647502277626082″ //aWe finished practice by skiing back to school for some hot chocolate.br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUC0HwK6n4I/AAAAAAAAGG4/TaKVUgurB-U/s1600/IMG_0891.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/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUC0HwK6n4I/AAAAAAAAGG4/TaKVUgurB-U/s400/IMG_0891.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566647184712703874″ //abr /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUCz1tf8iuI/AAAAAAAAGGw/K8WBBgBeXkw/s1600/IMG_0894.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/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUCz1tf8iuI/AAAAAAAAGGw/K8WBBgBeXkw/s400/IMG_0894.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566646874757958370″ //abr /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUCzbXSS-FI/AAAAAAAAGGo/av5_EtFLnB8/s1600/IMG_0895.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/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUCzbXSS-FI/AAAAAAAAGGo/av5_EtFLnB8/s400/IMG_0895.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566646422118529106″ //abr /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUCzFvSJYCI/AAAAAAAAGGg/hgiuprw7uek/s1600/IMG_0897.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/_H2SCM3lmKm8/TUCzFvSJYCI/AAAAAAAAGGg/hgiuprw7uek/s400/IMG_0897.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566646050603229218″ //aAhhhhhh…../div/divdiv class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4680416899705879324-7979978699849943645?l=smsxc.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div

  • For Sale: Rossignol World Cup Classic boots, size 38, barely used

    ullibThey are white, unlike any sold in the US./b/lilibWomen’s Size 38, but probably fits more like a 37.5 or 37/b/lilibUsed 1/2 dozen times at the beginning of this winter season./b/lilibI’m selling them because they are too small for me and someone should be using them so they don’t sit useless in my closet!!!/b/li/ulbr /bPlease contact me for more information and if you are interested: haleyhjohnson@gmail.com/bdiv class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1362992899157556571-5894859632726557816?l=comeskiwithme.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div

  • Skis in a Sauna (cheap sauna kits wanted)

  • The Mysteries of Andrus Veerpalu

    To mark last weekend’s World Cup races in Estonia, I thought a post on Andrus Veerpalu would be in order.

    I’ve heard it said, from various sources, that Estonian skier Andrus Veerpalu<1 has a particular ability to show up at major competitions (i.e. Olympics, World Championships) and significantly over perform, based on his results that season.  Naturally, this observation is often accompanied with little suggestive commentary on his pharmacological habits.

    My interest in this has little to do with doping allegations, which I doubt I’d be able to shed any light on.  Rather, I’m intrigued by the notion of a skier that is “clutch”.  I’m borrowing that term from American baseball or basketball, where it refers to players who appear able to perform at a higher level when the stakes are higher.  In nearly every case where I’ve read a serious statistical examination of this topic in those sports, it has been found to be a figment of our collective imaginations (though this conclusion remains somewhat controversial).

    I’m not going to attempt a large scale debunking of this concept in skiing at the moment, as that’s a pretty big project.  Instead, let’s focus on two particular skiers, Andrus Veerpalu and Oxana Jatskaya (KAZ).

    I’ve plotted the results for each skier above (excluding this season).  I’m keeping things simple at the moment, so the y axis is simply rank, or the place they finished in a distance event.  I actually omitted some of Veerpalu’s early career so as to focus in on when he’s been the fastest.

    Let’s talk about Veerpalu first.  The first thing to observe is that the guy sometimes has really crummy races, occasionally finishing as poorly as 60th or so.  Now, in that respect, Veerpalu is exactly the same as nearly every other skier out there.  Everyone from Kris Freeman to Petter Northug have some really horrible days from time to time.

    But, are Veerpalu’s results at the Olympics or World Championships consistently (or even frequently) very different from his results from the rest of the season?  Let’s walk through the relevant seasons:

    • 1998: His results at Nagano were pretty much right in line with the rest of his WC results that year.
    • 1999: His best result this season was his Silver in the 50k in Ramsau, but he also had two WC top tens and was consistently in the top thirty.
    • 2001: His best and third best results came at Lahti this year, but he also had two other WC top tens, along with 2-3 ok races and one really bad one.
    • 2002: He won a Gold and Silver in SLC at a doping ridden Olympics, but also had five other top 10 WC finishes that season (which are difficult to see due to points being plotted on top of each other).
    • 2003: One of his best seasons overall; his two WSC top tens in Val di Fiemme are right in line with his performance the rest of the season.
    • 2005: His races in Oberstdorf weren’t actually his best this time and were right in line with his other WC races.
    • 2006: Again, his best race came at the Olympics in Turin, but he was consistently in the top twenty all season and four times in the top ten.
    • 2009: A Gold at WSC in Liberec, along with a lot of races right around 10th in WC and TDS events.
    • 2010: In Vancouver, Veerpalu hung on for 6th in the 50k, and that was again not much different from his WC results this past season.

    So.  When Veerpalu “steps it up”, he appears to transform himself from “merely” a top ten skier to a podium finisher, but just as often Veerpalu hasn’t really over performed at major events at all.  While I’d certainly call the ability to step things up from a top ten caliber performance to a podium level performance a major achievement, it’s not something that I’d consider suspicious, at least from a statistical perspective.

    How about Oxana Jatskaya?  She’s someone who wasn’t really on my radar until I started looking specifically for people who did considerably better at Olympics or World Championships than normal.  She hasn’t had as much success as Veerpalu, as her best seasons saw her just breaking into the top ten.

    Our real interest, though is in the difference between her results at major competitions and regular WCs.  Not always, but in five seasons (1997, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2009) it seems that her WSC or OWG results display near complete separation from her WC results from the same season.  In several other years she raced at more comparable levels in both regular WC’s and at major championships.

    My reason for pointing this out is absolutely not to accuse Jatskaya of anything.  There are all sorts of perfectly reasonable explanations.  My point is to show you what sort of data I think of when someone tells me that a skier regularly over performs at major events.  What I think of is something like what we’re seeing in several of Jatskaya’s seasons, and I just don’t see it in Veerpalu’s.

    1. Fun fact: Andrus Veerpalu has four children and their names all begin with the letter “A”.  His wife is named Angela. <↩

    Related posts:

    1. <Gadflies & Punching Bags
    2. <Podium Heartbreak
    3. <Career Retrospective: Claudia Nystad (Kuenzel)


  • Planes, Boats, and Automobiles

    After a hectic fall balancing school, travel, and skiing, I decided to take the a break from school this winter just focusing on skiing.  So a little over a week and a half ago I left Craftsbury and flew to Finland, starting what will be a two month stint in Europe.

    The first stop was in Vierumaki, Finland for a U23 World’s pre-camp.  Vierumaki is a little more than an hour north of Helsinki and is home to a National Sports Institute, a golf resort, and not much else.  It was a great location for training and recovering from all the travel and time change with easy ski trails looping through the golf courses which surrounded our hotel.  The weather was cloudy and grey but compared to northern Finland earlier this fall it seemed very light and warm!

    ida-steals-a-bike

    Lahti, Finland, a city which is home to a World Cup and World Championship venue was only 20 minutes away so we visited it a few times.  The stadium was huge and the courses very challenging so we had fun skiing on the courses especially during harder intensity workouts.

    lahti jumps

    Then last Sunday our team took a ferry from Helsinki, Finland across the Gulf of Finland to Tallinn, Estonia.  The 10 floor ferry was more like a cruise ship with a dance club, stores for shopping, karaoke bar, Wii room, slot machines, restaurants, lounges, and cafes.

    ferry

    From the “sun decks” we could watch the boat moving through the very icy waters.

    helsinki

    From Tallinn we drove 3+ hours south across the country of Estonia to Otepaa where the U23 and Junior World Championships are being held.  We’ve spent the last couple days previewing the courses that were also the site of last weekend’s World Cup races.  All the teams are here testing skis, training, and prepping for the races which start today in the Tehvandi Stadium.

    81-600x350

    I’m getting very psyched to race especially after not doing much of that in the last month or two but I have a few more days to wait.  My first race is on Saturday so until then I’m going to have fun cheering on my other American teammates and watching some of the races which are being televised on Eurosport and Estonian TV!

  • Otepääst Script: Bibs, Boards, and Bandanas

    The racing in Otepää was pretty damn good, as usual. No Estonians reached the podium, so they’d better start tweaking their “training.” Worlds is just a few weeks away!The bibs were matter of fact. The female sprinters and male distance racers wore the logo of Swedbank, which is, unsurprisingly, a Swedish bank – “the leading bank in Sweden, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.” If the bibs inspired any

  • Otepääst Script: Bibs, Boards, and Bandanas

    The racing in Otepää was pretty damn good, as usual. No Estonians reached the podium, so they’d better start tweaking their “training.” Worlds is just a few weeks away!The bibs were matter of fact. The female sprinters and male distance racers wore the logo of Swedbank, which is, unsurprisingly, a Swedish bank – “the leading bank in Sweden, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.” If the bibs inspired any

  • Otepääst Script: Bibs, Boards, and Bandanas

    The racing in Otepää was pretty damn good, as usual. No Estonians reached the podium, so they’d better start tweaking their “training.” Worlds is just a few weeks away!The bibs were matter of fact. The female sprinters and male distance racers wore the logo of Swedbank, which is, unsurprisingly, a Swedish bank – “the leading bank in Sweden, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.” If the bibs inspired any

  • Otepääst Script: Bibs, Boards, and Bandanas

    The racing in Otepää was pretty damn good, as usual. No Estonians reached the podium, so they’d better start tweaking their “training.” Worlds is just a few weeks away!The bibs were matter of fact. The female sprinters and male distance racers wore the logo of Swedbank, which is, unsurprisingly, a Swedish bank – “the leading bank in Sweden, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.” If the bibs inspired any

  • Sometimes The Adventure Is In Getting To The Ski Race!

  • Harrachov COC Podiums

    Picture

    So this last weekend, We had two competitions in Harrachov, Czech Republic. I was excited coming in after skiing well in Seefeld.

    The first day was a very good day for me, as I jump better than I had most of the season. I started 13th one minute and six seconds behind the leader. I was confident that I could reach the podium that, but didn’t realize how much harder it was going to be than I thought. It was not until the last lap that I caught 2nd and 3rd place. I knew that I was skiing better than them but I wasn’t sure If they were saving up for a sprint or were going to break away right away. So I decided to hang on the back instead of go and push the pace. On the last little hill about .5k from the finish I was able to put in a little bit of a gap that would allow me to get second place. It was a good day but I knew I could improve on the result and try and grab the top step!

    Picture

    The Second day was a little bit harder for me. The jumping in the morning was tough due to some tail wind. When its tail wind that means the wind is coming from your back and kind of pulls you down instead of lifting you up like head wind. I personally though I had a pretty good jump. It was shorter than the first day but so was everyone else. Instead of starting at 1:06 I started at 1:00. I knew that i would be contending for the podium again but wasn’t so sure if I would be able to get on. After the 2nd lap I had Caught on to a pack of skiers that was right behind the lead pack. So I move up to the front knowing if I stay in the back it was possible for me to get skied of the back if I wasn’t paying attention. Going up the large hill on the last lap I tried to make a move on a flat section before the downhill.  I was able to get a gap but it was closed up as we started going up the next hill and I started to lose ground on the 1st and 2nd place. After fighting back and catching up to them I lost in sprint for 1st and ended up in 3rd place.

    With two podiums this weekend I am extremely happy with my level of skiing at the moment. The best thing is I know it is going to get better with the more I train and have fun!

    More news Coming soon!

  • Otepää Sprint Recap

    As always, heat time data supplied by WorldOfXC.com.

    Beginning with the men:

    Ola Vigen Hattestad went progressively slower as the day wore on, though often there are tactical reasons for that depending on the speed of your heat. And of course, he ended up second. There is also the issue of skiers switching between classic and skating skis given the flat course.

    Erik Brandsdal qualified with a fairly fast time, but then managed to get through the quarters and semis with comparatively easier efforts. The same was true for Nikita Kriukov, but this didn’t lead to quite as happy an ending in his case. Once again, the men’s final was a bit on the slow side considering all the times for the day. Another thing to note is that this marks the fourth sprint race this season where Jesper Modin has finished 6th (i.e. making the finals and then finishing last in the finals). Here’s a look at just his sprint performances:

    I’m not sure how much we can say about this, since the men’s heats tend to get slower as the day goes on. I’ll have to work on some way to do a fairer comparison.

    As for the semifinals,

    Semifinal 1 was definitely a bit faster, again.

    On to the women:

    The women’s final wasn’t this much more spread out than the men’s; note the scale is less compressed since we don’t have an large outlying time. All of these finalists put in some very fast quarterfinal times. I can’t recall reading how many of the women switched back and forth between classic and skating gear, but note that Brodin, Kowalczyk and Andersson all skied roughly 9-10 seconds faster in the quarters compared to qualification! I may have to go back and see how this compares to other big changes in times for different athletes.

    I’m guessing there wasn’t as big a gap between the semifinals in this case:

    Yeah, they were pretty close, though Semifinal 2 probably had a slight edge.

    Related posts:

    1. <Düsseldorf Sprint Recap
    2. <Recap: Davos Sprint
    3. <Recap: Davos Sprint Con’t


  • Images and Thoughts – Mid-Winter

    Hans Halvorsen racing at US Nationals.  4th J1 on the day.

    Skate distance.

    The wax room.  For Nationals we had a great team effort.  Ben Husaby – Bend Nordic, Janice Sibilia – NENSA, Scott Johnston – Methow Olympic Development and GMVS. 

    Ryley Walker getting his skate sprint on.

    Jackson Rich on the final climb of the skate sprint. 9th J1.

    Ryley having a great race and getting dynamic. 15km classic.

    Alum ’10, David Sinclair, in his new Green Suit.  David recently topped the field at the White Mountain 30km. 

  • Bitter Cold Biathlon

    The range at Jericho played host to another set of biathlon NorAm races this past weekend. I missed the first ones right after Christmas because of a cold, so it was exciting to finally get down to race on what is essentially our home biathlon course. We go down there quite a bit to train with Algis and it’s always fun to race at a venue that you know so well. The forecast for the weekend was bitterly cold and we prepared by basically packing every single article of the warmest ski clothing available. Plus hand warmers, key to keeping your trigger finger warm.

    Saturday was a sprint race, which in biathlon means two shooting stages and 7.5 km of skiing for the women. Susan won and Hannah came in 2nd!

    Hannah racing to victory in Saturday's race.

    Hannah racing on Saturday.

    Susan only missed one target on Saturday but neither Hannah or I were particularly happy with our shooting. I went 3-3, meaning I missed 3 targets each in prone and standing. That’s pretty bad for me in prone. I went hard and felt good skiing, though. As I crossed the finish line and tried to catch my breath, Algis was standing there and John Madigan checked my bolt and waited patiently for my bib.

    Bent over my poles, I asked Algis, “What happened to prone?” I knew he had been looking through the scope and I thought maybe I hadn’t taken the wind into account.

    “What happened to prone? Let me tell you what happened to prone.” Algis is one of the nicest people I know but he couldn’t hide the frustration in his voice. “You didn’t do what you train! You slowed down, became cautious. Your range time was almost a minute. You tried too hard to hit the targets.”

    “Was it the wind?” I asked, “I took a click.”

    “No, it wasn’t the wind. Your misses were all over the place.” He patted me on the shoulder, releasing me to take off my bib and go get warm.

    Whoops. A range time of a minute is a good 20 or more seconds longer than I have in training. After cooling down, changing my clothes, and getting something to eat I went back to chat again with Algis. He talked to me about needing to act with confidence on the range, being sure of every action. Slowing down because it’s a race and you’re afraid of messing up will guarantee that you do mess up.

    And that, right there is the big reason I love biathlon. I love the fact – even though it can be agonizingly frustrating – that shooting is so mental and that the smallest of changes will be the difference between missing a target and hitting one. Perhaps it is because most of my personal athletic history was in gymnastics, a sport where the changes required to stay on the beam instead of landing in a heap on the mat are too small for most people to see. Shooting is pretty much exactly the same and I love that you have to pay such close attention to it.

    Needless to say, Hannah and I were both looking forward to another chance to improve our shooting the next day. Sunday’s race was delayed by an hour to allow the temperatures to warm up to a balmy 0 degrees. Using overmitts and hand warmers, I managed to keep my trigger finger warm and I went into the range thinking “confidence. confidence. confidence.” Coming into the first prone stage I kept my normal cadence and only missed one! In the middle of my next ski lap Algis ran over to me and told me to take two clicks up, even though I had had four hits they must have been low. Back at the range again I took the correction, dropped into position, and fired off five rounds. Only one miss again, but this time it was the last one, guess I got a little too excited. Still, I was really happy with my prone shooting. (Standing was still rough, I definitely have a lot of work to do there…) Even more importantly than hitting targets, Algis told me later that I decreased my range time in prone by 20 seconds. So Sunday was a good race, and with no frost bite!

    I must be finishing here because I dropped my overmitts after the last shooting stage.

    Sunday's race set a personal record for the most layers worn in a ski race.

    Hannah skiing wicked fast on Sunday.

    Hannah skiing wicked fast on Sunday.

    My Dad and I after Sunday's race. I actually was trying to smile here but my face was too frozen to make it happen.

    My Dad and I after Sunday's race. I actually was trying to smile here but my face was too frozen to make it happen.

    Next we head to Lake Placid for one more weekend of NorAms.

  • A Perfectly Clean Winshield