Here's what the next five weeks will look like:
2/1 - MOD Squad reunites in Geneva, SUI; travel to Klausen, SUI and our base of operations
2/2 - 2/4 - Train in Klausen
2/4 - Travel to Campra, SUI
2/6 - 2/7 - Race Campra OPA Cup
2/8 - 2/10 - Train in Klausen, SUI
2/10 - Travel to Forni di Sopra, ITA
2/12 - 2/13 - Race Forni di Sopra OPA Cup
2/14 - 2/18 - Train in Italy
2/19 - Race Monguelfo, ITA OPA Cup
2/20 - Return to Klausen, SUI
2/20 - 2/24 - Train in Klausen, SUI
2/25 - Travel to Feutersoey, SUI
2/27 - 2/28 - Race Feutersoey FIS Cup
3/1 - Scott returns to USA; Sam, Sadie and Erik join US Development Team OPA Group
3/6 - 3/7 - Race La Fleclaz, FRA OPA Cup
3/8 - Travel via train to Geneva; paint town red
3/9 - Fly Geneva - Seattle - Wenatchee
For a more legible version of this schedule, check out www.methowolympicdevelopment.com/calendar
For results, the best place to go is www.fis-ski.com. Under the "Cross-Country" tab, click "Results" and find the location in question.
We'll do our best to update regularly. Ciao!
Departure Imminent...
Here's the last post before the MOD crew reunites on the Continent. While the younger elements of the squad have been competing over in Hinterzarten the past two weeks, I've been capitalizing on two weeks of training. And for the first time since mid-October, I feel RACE READY. Lots of rest, food, and solid training has brought me back to a level where I feel fast, snappy, and competitive. A great sensation to have going into five weeks of high-level European racing!
But now I must contend with packing. It seems I have about 300lbs of equipment and 3lbs of clothing and softgoods. It's always a conundrum to decide which/how many skis to take abroad, or anywhere, for that matter. One pair stiff and one pair soft skate skis. Zeroes have become a must-have. Klister skis are probably a good idea given the history of snow conditions in northern Italy/Switzerland area. That's four pairs. The essentials. But then you think of the extra pairs, the overlappers. That second pair of stiff skate skis with a finer grind - sure would be nice to have those to test against in certain conditions... Then there's the pair of medium-flexed classic skis which slough into both soft-track and firm-track conditions. They also have a unique grind. Don't want to leave those guys behind. Add to that the three additional pairs of matched test skis, a pole tube, two pairs of boots and a partridge in a pear tree. I should throw in a seven-iron and a pitching wedge just to keep TSA guessing.
I got in my last ski for a few months here in the Methow yesterday. The Gunn Ranch road has always been one of my favorites for views: on a sunny day you get the full mountain panorama and as a bonus you can take your dog with you. Here's a nice parting shot of Clancy enjoying his day on the tracks. Next report is from Europe!
But now I must contend with packing. It seems I have about 300lbs of equipment and 3lbs of clothing and softgoods. It's always a conundrum to decide which/how many skis to take abroad, or anywhere, for that matter. One pair stiff and one pair soft skate skis. Zeroes have become a must-have. Klister skis are probably a good idea given the history of snow conditions in northern Italy/Switzerland area. That's four pairs. The essentials. But then you think of the extra pairs, the overlappers. That second pair of stiff skate skis with a finer grind - sure would be nice to have those to test against in certain conditions... Then there's the pair of medium-flexed classic skis which slough into both soft-track and firm-track conditions. They also have a unique grind. Don't want to leave those guys behind. Add to that the three additional pairs of matched test skis, a pole tube, two pairs of boots and a partridge in a pear tree. I should throw in a seven-iron and a pitching wedge just to keep TSA guessing.
I got in my last ski for a few months here in the Methow yesterday. The Gunn Ranch road has always been one of my favorites for views: on a sunny day you get the full mountain panorama and as a bonus you can take your dog with you. Here's a nice parting shot of Clancy enjoying his day on the tracks. Next report is from Europe!
World Junior Sprints: Erik weighs in...
Sorry for the delay in the blog post; the internet at our hotel has been down for a couple of days. We arrived in Hinterzarten, Germany a week ago to race in the World Junior Championships. Hinterzarten is a really nice small town in the Black Forest. The venue is about a half an hour drive up a steep road in the mountains. I had my first race Monday morning, the 1200 meter skate sprint. The course had two significant hills: the first one is really steep and the second is less steep and pretty wide, a low enough grade to V2. I had a decent qualifier and placed 22nd, but definitely felt like I had a lot left to push it harder in the rounds. My qualifying time was two seconds back from tenth and about six seconds back from first.
The heats started two hours later, enough time to refuel and get a little bit of rest before starting the rounds. I was in the fourth heat with 5 other guys, two of them being top Norwegians. I had the far-left starting lane and the course had a right-hand corner 100m out of the start into the first hill. So I ended up in 5th place going up the first hill. At the second hill I made a move up into third place. After the second hill there is a pretty big downhill and I was gaining on the second place guy so I went for the pass on the left and it was a right hand turn, I got boxed out and two people passed me on the right. From there on I skied in fifth place to finish a tenth of a second behind the fourth place person, and maybe a second behind the first. My heat ended up being the fastest so all four guys in front of me moved on, the third and fourth guy as lucky losers. I skied that heat 6 seconds faster then my qualifier. I was really happy about how good I felt out there, but was disappointed I didn't move on to the semifinals. I know I was feeling fast enough to ski in the top ten, It is a really tight group of guys and I am excited to get the chance to race some of them again in the OPA Cups next month. More later!
The heats started two hours later, enough time to refuel and get a little bit of rest before starting the rounds. I was in the fourth heat with 5 other guys, two of them being top Norwegians. I had the far-left starting lane and the course had a right-hand corner 100m out of the start into the first hill. So I ended up in 5th place going up the first hill. At the second hill I made a move up into third place. After the second hill there is a pretty big downhill and I was gaining on the second place guy so I went for the pass on the left and it was a right hand turn, I got boxed out and two people passed me on the right. From there on I skied in fifth place to finish a tenth of a second behind the fourth place person, and maybe a second behind the first. My heat ended up being the fastest so all four guys in front of me moved on, the third and fourth guy as lucky losers. I skied that heat 6 seconds faster then my qualifier. I was really happy about how good I felt out there, but was disappointed I didn't move on to the semifinals. I know I was feeling fast enough to ski in the top ten, It is a really tight group of guys and I am excited to get the chance to race some of them again in the OPA Cups next month. More later!
World Junior and Under-23 Championships: Scott reports on the Sprints
The World Championship Sprints are done; the results only tell a small part of the story, so let us begin...
The fat lady has sung and it was a bitter sweet tune that we will be humming for a while.
On Monday, Erik raced in the junior men's skate sprint. His qualification time trial went off at 10:43 and he went out of the stadium looking very impressive. The men are able to V2 all the hills on the course even though the first one at around 200 meters is quite steep. His time placed him in 22nd position (first American), about 7 seconds behind the leader but only 2 seconds out 10th and 4 seconds out of 3rd. So the field was packed in very tightly with 12 guys all stacked up in the 2 seconds ahead of Erik. For a good head to head skier like Erik we felt that this would be to his advantage to have so much close competition in the heats.
When his quarter began we realized that one must always be careful what one wishes for; Erik’s heat was the fastest heat of the day and it had some very aggressive skiers in it. Last year Erik got shoved by a Russian in the quarterfinal who liked Erik’s track better than the one he was in. This year being a skate sprint the chance for skier contact and obstruction really favored the most aggressive skiers. Erik came over the top of the first climb in 5th-6th position but he carried really good speed over the top and by the start of the next big climb he was in 4th and moving around the Norwegian who was in third. Up the long second climb his V2 powered him solidly into third place, gaining time on the eventual heat and race winner Thomas Northug. The next section was a long fast downhill with a pretty sharp right hander at the bottom. This right hander lead into short gradual uphill and a 180 degree left turn. During all of this twisting and turn to the stadium in the last 300 meters I had only once seen the lead change in all of the heats I have watched over the last 2 days. So it has been apparent that the order over the top of the second or “big” climb is usually the finish order with only some jockeying in the 2-4 placers. Erik’s speed in third spot on the big downhill allowed him to get a bit of a sling shot effect and pull alongside the second place Italian. This was the crucial moment in the race as it caused Erik to take a somewhat wider line out to the left. In doing so he got boxed against the next turns inside V boards and trapped. I watched him stand up and raise his poles to avoid breaking them as his tactical error became painfully obvious when he dropped from a hard fought second place into a powerless 5th. From there to finish his fate was sealed as there is no room on this course to make a move in the last sections.
His heat was the fastest one of the day and he finished 1.5 seconds behind the leader. It was such a fast heat that both the lucky losers came out of that heat meaning that, had the course layout allowed it, Erik could have moved up to 4th and then been advanced into the semi finals. He clearly had the speed and power necessary to ski with the leaders. His inexperience and tactical error cost him big. And yet, that sort of tactical error can be a great learning experience. Unfortunately for our US skiers it is only when they race in Europe that they get a chance to ski in such fast, tight and aggressive fields. The gentlemanly US sprints do not prepare our developing young skiers for the rough and tumble top level. As with last year’s all too distant shoving event Erik’s first reaction beside the obvious disappointment was incredulity: “How can they get away with that”? he mused, disappointed as much in himself as the other skier.
On Tuesday the Under-23s raced. Sadie has been in top physical form for the last few weeks since she had a great sprint at US Nationals (before falling) and then a very fast qualifier in the Methow Super Tour Sprint the day before leaving for these races. I have watched both Sadie and Erik these last few weeks come into racing shape and can see that they are both skiing better and faster than ever before. Sadie seemed in a very good space heading into today’s race and sensed a good race coming up. Her plan was to not push it too hard on the first hill (a mistake she made in the qualifier in Anchorage at US Nationals that cost her several seconds later in the race). Having watched all of the junior girls races I was of a different opinion but in the final decisions she is the one to make the call and I am here to support her considered choices. She was 2-3 seconds off the top pace as she came past me in the middle of the big/long second hill. But she looked very smooth and strong and was beginning to add the power as she V2ed over the top of the hill. Her finish time put her into 13th place (second US skier) and I could tell that there was a lot more speed on tap.
Having seen Erik get boxed out of a semi heat with his choice and seeing the banging and shoving going on in almost every heat I told Sadie before her race to “take the gloves off”. This was going to be racing like she probably had never done. Nothing I could say would overcome her lack of confidence though. And this in the end was her downfall. This year she has always been able to lead out of the start and this sets her up for controlling the race if she chooses. She was out in her quarterfinal in her typical bolt of speed alongside the two fastest Russians. After 100 meters just as she passed me I saw her stand up and slow down and drop into 3rd. She said later: “I have never lead at World Championships in any race and I was not confident I should be there." She climbed the first hill in 2nd position and began the big climb in a tight third with her skis overlapping the second place Russian. I had tried to make the point to her, in our pre-race discussions, the importance of going over the top of this big hill in first or second place since there was no place to pass afterward. She put herself nicely into second at the top and I am sure felt good about her position. In the same spot as Erik had made his mistaken move, the third place Russian shot alongside Sadie and gave her hefty shove. This knocked Sadie off balance for a stride and she slipped to third. Like Erik, Sadie was rattled and got boxed out of her third place spot on the next turn. She finished less than one second out of first in her heat but not in a position to move into the semis. Also like Erik, she was indignant at this unsporting behavior.
After a sufficient cooling off period she realized that she had had more speed on tap and had been too timid over all. She felt strong the whole way and could have given more. An expensive lesson to be sure but sometimes those that cost the most are the most valuable.
While the results are not so impressive the confidence building was huge and the speed is there so it is only a matter of time till they put it together.
Other news:
-US skier Simi Hamilton won the U23 Sprint qualifier by over one second. He had a nice solid lead in his quarterfinal until a Norwegian skied over his pole basket and pulled his pole out of the handle. There is no recovering from this sort of thing in a sprint so he was knocked out of any further heats.
-Ida Sargent qualified 4th in the women about 3 seconds ahead of Sadie and being a very scrappy skier battled he way all the way into the A final and wound up 4th there too. Congrats to both Simi and Ida for showing that we can get it done!
Our next 6 weeks of racing on the European Continental Cup will provide 5 more opportunities to knock heads and trade some paint with the best Europeans who are not at the Olympics. More lessons, more experience, more chances to give as well as they get.
Erik battling in his quarterfinal heat
Sadie picking up some streetfighting tactics from a Russian
Germany Living
view of stadium
Today is our fourth day in Germany and we have the day off so I figured it would be the best time to write an update. The internet here is pretty slow as more and more people arrive in the hotel and start sucking up the limited supply of service- so uploading photos could take several hours. I hear rumors that some of the boys upstairs are downloading movies.... which seems to be slowing down everyone. The last couple of nights I have sat underneath the internet box out in our hall while I talk to my mom on skype to avoid the 5 second delay in our talking.
The last four days in Germany have brought many new things. I am finally starting to get on the sleeping schedule. I still seem to wake up pretty early- but when you try to be in bed by 9:30 that is still quality sleep. I am rooming with Kate Fitzgerald from APU, and she is quite the sleeper. This is her first trip to Europe so it is fun to watch her figure out the whole jetleg and all the changes a foreign country brings. She seems to be pretty damn experienced in my opinion! The most amazing part is she is able to take naps in the middle of the day and still sleep a full 9-10 hours every night!
The last two days we have been driving up to the racing courses, which are about 25k away. The courses are really great. They are truly grinders. I would say there is maybe 200 yards of flat section on the entire course- and that is coming into the stadium. It sure does keep you on your toes though. There are 2, 3 and 3.75 km loops. All the courses open up with a big uphill and follow with continuous climbing and sharp downhill cornering. There is one point on the course that you actually feel like an alpine racer as you come ripping down some hill and it takes a sharp left at the same time you are trying to suck in the air that you receive from a little hump in the trail. Even though I have skied it about 15 times since I have been here it catches me by surprise every time. The sprint course is also really great. It has lots of hills and will benefit the strongest skier out there. Both courses the skiers with the motors are going to be dominating! Tomorrow we are planning on skiing the sprint courses hard together so we can see if there are any slingshot corners or technical areas that we should plan ahead for.
One of the many huge climbs on the course
Getting a nice wax job from Randy Gibbs- Team USA wax tech
The food here has been really great! Of all the four previous world junior trips I have been on- this is by far the best! All the meals are buffet style so we can actually pick what we want!
Fruit options near the end of the buffet
We have been taking some trips into town during the daytime between workouts. The hotel we are staying at is just some pull-off on the side of the highway. There is actually a town name- but the only thing here is our hotel and a little gift shop that we have taken over and turned into our waxroom facilities. To avoid cabin fever we try to keep ourselves occupied during the day various ways. The first day we took a trip into the host town of Hinterzarten. Yesterday we ventured a few more kilometers down the road to a town called Titisee. Both towns are fairly small but all of them have not failed on a) a bakery b) a grocery store and c) a bank. That is enough to keep you entertained for a couple of hours. Today we are going to go on a longer trip and take the train into the larger city of Freiburg. My guess is there will be more options for shopping and more entertainment.
Our wonderful Accommodations- Best Western
Erik and I soaking up some sun after a ski up at the venue
All of the last athletes arrived last night- so now we are a full team. Everyone is really excited and getting more and more pumped as we get closer to the races. We have some serious potential for some great results this year! The first races start on the 25th. Erik races the sprint on the 25th, the pursuit on the 29th and hopefully the relay on the 31st. I will be racing the sprint on the 26th, and the pursuit on the 30th. Unfortunately there is no relay for the u23's.
- Thanks to Sverre Caldwell for many of these pictures. Click to enlarge the photos.
Pursuit Exchange Practice- out of the pit first :)
Man On A Roll: Brian Gregg
If I were asked to name the one athlete on the circuit this year who is excelling to great heights, one who deserves such excellence, I would name Brian Gregg. A local Methow skier who races for CXC Team Vertical Limit out of Wisconsin, Brian and I grew up together racing and training. This season he has reached a new level of success, finishing in the top-10 three different times at US Nationals in January and qualifying for the Canmore World Cups in early February. More than anyone else out there I believe Brian is deserving of this success for his humility and quiet dedication, and I'm psyched to see a fellow Methow native doing so well! It's been great to have a few training sessions with him while he's been in the Valley, as well as to race alongside him in last Saturday's sprints at the Methow SuperTour.
Brian leading out a semi-final in last weekend's sprints (Photo courtesy Kristen Smith)
Good luck, Brian - you've got the MOD Squad and the whole Valley behind you!
Brian, his brother Chad, and I racing back in high school - faster every year!
Brian leading out a semi-final in last weekend's sprints (Photo courtesy Kristen Smith)Good luck, Brian - you've got the MOD Squad and the whole Valley behind you!
Brian, his brother Chad, and I racing back in high school - faster every year!
(Insert Photo Here)
After the weekend's racing, Brian and I got a chance to show off some of the trails we grew up on to our fellow SuperTour athletes and friends. This morning a group of about twenty met at the Winthrop Barn and carpooled to the Cub Creek trailhead where we all ventured forth on a trip over the Rendezvous. The snow was rather wet but very well groomed (per usual) and we made good time up to the pass. We made a detour on to Cougar Mountain Loop (yes, THAT Cougar Mountain!) and to the overlook where folks got a taste of where we live. The mountains swathed in fog provided a fitting visual snack before we continued down the other side, then up Fawn Hill, THEN up Sick Joke, and finally descending into Mazama.
What with the incredibly organized and executed SuperTour and the post-weekend 30K point-to-point ski over the mountains, I'd like to think our friends left knowing why Brian and I always talk proudly of where we grew up.
If only someone had brought a camera...
What with the incredibly organized and executed SuperTour and the post-weekend 30K point-to-point ski over the mountains, I'd like to think our friends left knowing why Brian and I always talk proudly of where we grew up.
If only someone had brought a camera...
Methow SuperTour
It was an exciting weekend for Methow Valley skiing - we hosted our first national-level event at the McCabe Trails and saw racing action featuring some of America AND Canada's top athletes. After a nerve-wracking week of above-freezing temperatures and rain, Friday night gave way to cold and clear skies which set the course up nice and firm. Having gotten my soft-snow racing skis prepped in anticipation of slush for the sprint, I showed up to the venue and saw the hardpack. I made sure to give Scott my stiffer skis to get them ready for the heats and prepared for the qualifier. Our 1.3K course was running super fast, with top times for men in the two and a half minute range. Coming off of very little training in the past few months after overtraining, I was happy to post a qualifier result that put me in the mix, 8th place.
Getting off the line first - thanks to friend and pro photographer EA Weymuller for the excellent photo!
It was a real treat for those of us local athletes to be racing on our home turf. With Sadie and Erik gone to the airport for their flight to Europe, Brian Gregg and I got to absorb the wild energy of our home crowd and got huge cheers and support through the heats. I had people tell me afterward that they could barely catch their breath after the semi-final heat with both Brian and I racing together!
After feeling super strong in the qualifer, quite strong in the quarterfinal, and pretty strong in the semi-final, I dropped plow in the B Final. My tank had run dry; I led the heat out and into the first hill and realized my only way to survive was the control the pace at something I could maintain. Well, that ended about halfway into the hill when that pace dropped to pedestrian and everyone behind me realized they should get the heck around me. In the shuffle I got tangled and spun around and was off the back. And stayed that way. After crossing the finish line I stumbled a few feet and, amidst abundant support from friends, threw up everything in my stomach. A hard-fought day.
Scott and I talking strategy under the watchful eye of MOD sponsor David Bonn
After Saturday's effort Scott strongly advised, and I agreed on not racing Sunday's 15K. With only two weeks until I fly to Europe my focus right now is on rebuilding a training base on which I can race for five weeks in OPA Cup action. For now, it's all about putting in the hours on the hometown turf. Thanks to everyone who put in countless hours to make a spectacular SuperTour, and to everyone who showed up to cheer - what a community!
Getting off the line first - thanks to friend and pro photographer EA Weymuller for the excellent photo!It was a real treat for those of us local athletes to be racing on our home turf. With Sadie and Erik gone to the airport for their flight to Europe, Brian Gregg and I got to absorb the wild energy of our home crowd and got huge cheers and support through the heats. I had people tell me afterward that they could barely catch their breath after the semi-final heat with both Brian and I racing together!
After feeling super strong in the qualifer, quite strong in the quarterfinal, and pretty strong in the semi-final, I dropped plow in the B Final. My tank had run dry; I led the heat out and into the first hill and realized my only way to survive was the control the pace at something I could maintain. Well, that ended about halfway into the hill when that pace dropped to pedestrian and everyone behind me realized they should get the heck around me. In the shuffle I got tangled and spun around and was off the back. And stayed that way. After crossing the finish line I stumbled a few feet and, amidst abundant support from friends, threw up everything in my stomach. A hard-fought day.
Scott and I talking strategy under the watchful eye of MOD sponsor David BonnAfter Saturday's effort Scott strongly advised, and I agreed on not racing Sunday's 15K. With only two weeks until I fly to Europe my focus right now is on rebuilding a training base on which I can race for five weeks in OPA Cup action. For now, it's all about putting in the hours on the hometown turf. Thanks to everyone who put in countless hours to make a spectacular SuperTour, and to everyone who showed up to cheer - what a community!
Big Black Forest of Germany
Sunday morning we woke up early and headed to the airport. All the flights and connections were smooth and surprisingly drama less all the way to Switzerland. The flight from Atlanta to Zurich was pretty empty so I was lucky enough to spread out over two seats for the long haul.
After arriving in Zurich we drove the two hours to our hotel which happens to be this pull off on the side of the highway. I have yet to go exploring around the area but it seems there are just a couple of hotels that make up the town here. We are staying in a euro Best Western, which is fairly fancy. A lot nicer than you would find in an american Best Western. It looks like the Czech and Polish teams will be staying here with us- so a competitive exciting atmosphere all around!
Hopefully tonight I will be able to sleep through what is daytime at home, beat the jet leg as soon as possible. Tomorrow we will head out to the venue for some training and then hopefully some exploring around the area. I will try to remember to bring my camera and take pictures.
A view of the jumps from the town of Hinterzarten- host town for World Juniors
Race Three
We just got back from the naming of the Under-23 and World Junior Championships trip. The team is chosen by scoring the athletes two best results and then the top 6 junior and top 5 under-23 athletes make the team. Sadie and I both made our respective teams. We take off on the 16th after the Methow SuperTour sprint.
Today's race was a 10 km classic for the junior men. The temperatures warmed up and it snowed mostly all day. My race was scheduled to start at 1:50 but was postponed 30 min because of the snow. My plan today was to start out hard and to finish harder. So I got a good warm up and headed out at 2:20. I was happy with my first 5 km, feeling good and trying my best to ski the very hilly course strong. On my second 5 km lap I wasn't able to turn the speed up as much as I was hoping. I caught Lex Treinen who started 30 seconds in front of me at 6 km. I finished in 5th place on the score board and then shortly after got bumped back to finish in 7th place. I was happy with the way my race felt but was a little disappointed by my result.
Sadie opted to drop out of the race because "The field was lacking competition so I decided to drop out and eat tacos."
Racing Into It
Yesterday was our second race of the week, a 10/15K skate race. It was on a great course, plenty of short climbs and comparable recovery, but almost no flat skiing to be had. For Erik and Sadie it was the second of three qualifying races for their U23/World Junior team placement. Initially I was not planning on racing this one; Scott and I had made a plan of just racing the sprints which book-ended the week. But, after a mediocre finish in last Saturday's sprint I realized that a) I'm not really in racing shape following our mistakes of November and December, and b) I love to race. Why not?
We all knew that the course would see a lot of people blow up by the last lap, and wanted to start conservatively, building into the race as it progressed. Erik and I both skied our first lap in almost identical splits, and both of us probably started TOO slow. Erik was able to pick it up over the next two laps and finished a very respectable 37th. I kept trying to push my pace throughout the race and felt like I structured things well, but I just wasn't skiing FAST. That had better change soon.
Sadie also had a respectable race, finishing 19th in the women's 10K. Both she and Erik are racing in tomorrow's classic race - Sadie in a 20K mass start and Erik in the 10K junior interval start. I will be nursing my cold which appeared two nights ago, and helping Scott and Ben test skis.
As an aside, please refer to the following photo for proper cold treatments, as per MOD regulations:
We all knew that the course would see a lot of people blow up by the last lap, and wanted to start conservatively, building into the race as it progressed. Erik and I both skied our first lap in almost identical splits, and both of us probably started TOO slow. Erik was able to pick it up over the next two laps and finished a very respectable 37th. I kept trying to push my pace throughout the race and felt like I structured things well, but I just wasn't skiing FAST. That had better change soon.
Sadie also had a respectable race, finishing 19th in the women's 10K. Both she and Erik are racing in tomorrow's classic race - Sadie in a 20K mass start and Erik in the 10K junior interval start. I will be nursing my cold which appeared two nights ago, and helping Scott and Ben test skis.
As an aside, please refer to the following photo for proper cold treatments, as per MOD regulations:
Back in the Saddle Again
Our first race at the US National is over and from the coach's perspective I am pleased and proud of all three MOD skiers. They have made a very strong recovery from their over training episode of a few weeks ago. Their hearts and minds were fully in the races today.
Sadie went out in the A seed in 8th position this morning in the qualifier. Starting just before dawn. AT 10:04 AM!!! The temp was minus 15C. That is about 4F and there was nice breeze coming off the ocean. She looked strong right from the start. Her finishing position at 6th was very solid but she lost a few seconds in three critical places. It was not her best effort and she knew it and we talked a bit afterward about how she might make up that time. As the Quarter Final approached I could tell Sadie was in a good head space and had lots of confidence. She and I were ready for her to win this quarter final.
She started with her trademark blast out from the gate and by 50 meters had a nice 2-3 meter lead and began to relax into her stride. I turned from the start to run to the best hill to watch in the stadium when I heard the announcer say Sadie was down. I could not see her or the pack. I knew she would have lost her lead but didn't know by how much. When the pack emerged into view Sadie was off the back in a distant 6th place. I knew that if anyone could make up the distance it was this girl.
She skied her heart out for the next 1000 meters. She looked strong and smooth as she made headway in every stride. She had dropped a good 5-7 seconds in the fall. and closed all the way back up so that coming into the final straight she was closing fast on 3rd place which would have allowed her to advance in the semifinals as the lucky looser. Sadly it was not to be and she just missed getting 3rd.
While you could cut the disappointment with a knife there was a silver lining. It was a great learning experience. She could have won the heat so her confidence is high. We have more racing all week.
The men went off at 11 and the weather had not warmed one iota and in fact it was not -16C and the wind had kicked up. Sam was off in 17th position and also in the A seed. Just before the race Sam allowed as how he was not feeling well and had a little stomach bug thing. He was game and otherwise feeling strong so off he went.
Sam's qualifier went pretty well and he finished 16th. He looked smooth and was super quick looking. We talked about some areas where he could have made up a few seconds. However , when the heats were posted Sam ended up in a very strong heat and we knew he would have his work cut out for him. The eventual 2nd and 5th place finishers took off and set a fast pace making a 10 meter break over the top of the course's biggest climb. As the skiers entered the stadium and made the climb over the underpass Sam closed the gap and really looked like was going to be back in the hunt. Our skis were very fast and he was able to tuck right in behind the leaders.
In the final 300 meters the whole pack accelerated and Sam was out sprinted to the finish.
He left nothing on the table and it was good race but I know he has more in him. Coming off the long recovery period Sam has had I am quite pleased to see this result and know he'll only get faster and stronger.
Erik was out next just 2 minutes later. Winding up the qualifier 23rd overall and 4th junior was an encouraging result and we headed off to the wax room to get everyone skis ready for the heats.
Erik is not typically the fastest starter and he left the stadium in the quarter final in 4th or 5th place. As he re-entered the stadium and the three remaining climbs Erik made his move and started to pass one after another. As the pack disappeared over the last hill for the final 300 meters into the finish, Erik put on one final move and took the lead. He kept pulling away all the way to the finish line looking like he was in full control.
In his semi finally heat the leaders made a break that left Erik in the second pack and it was obvious to him that he could not bridge the gap and since only the top 3 would move on to the A final, he made the wise tactical move to coast in to save himself for the B final.
The B final was an exciting race and Erik skied well. Local Methow skier Brian Gregg, now racing for CXC skied a very strong B final heat finishing 2nd and 8th over all. Erik moved up to finish 4th in the heat and 10th overall as teh second junior. It was a tremendous result for a junior and Erik's first time to crack the top 30 at senior nationals.
More racing to come.
Scott
Sadie went out in the A seed in 8th position this morning in the qualifier. Starting just before dawn. AT 10:04 AM!!! The temp was minus 15C. That is about 4F and there was nice breeze coming off the ocean. She looked strong right from the start. Her finishing position at 6th was very solid but she lost a few seconds in three critical places. It was not her best effort and she knew it and we talked a bit afterward about how she might make up that time. As the Quarter Final approached I could tell Sadie was in a good head space and had lots of confidence. She and I were ready for her to win this quarter final.
She started with her trademark blast out from the gate and by 50 meters had a nice 2-3 meter lead and began to relax into her stride. I turned from the start to run to the best hill to watch in the stadium when I heard the announcer say Sadie was down. I could not see her or the pack. I knew she would have lost her lead but didn't know by how much. When the pack emerged into view Sadie was off the back in a distant 6th place. I knew that if anyone could make up the distance it was this girl.
She skied her heart out for the next 1000 meters. She looked strong and smooth as she made headway in every stride. She had dropped a good 5-7 seconds in the fall. and closed all the way back up so that coming into the final straight she was closing fast on 3rd place which would have allowed her to advance in the semifinals as the lucky looser. Sadly it was not to be and she just missed getting 3rd.
While you could cut the disappointment with a knife there was a silver lining. It was a great learning experience. She could have won the heat so her confidence is high. We have more racing all week.
The men went off at 11 and the weather had not warmed one iota and in fact it was not -16C and the wind had kicked up. Sam was off in 17th position and also in the A seed. Just before the race Sam allowed as how he was not feeling well and had a little stomach bug thing. He was game and otherwise feeling strong so off he went.
Sam's qualifier went pretty well and he finished 16th. He looked smooth and was super quick looking. We talked about some areas where he could have made up a few seconds. However , when the heats were posted Sam ended up in a very strong heat and we knew he would have his work cut out for him. The eventual 2nd and 5th place finishers took off and set a fast pace making a 10 meter break over the top of the course's biggest climb. As the skiers entered the stadium and made the climb over the underpass Sam closed the gap and really looked like was going to be back in the hunt. Our skis were very fast and he was able to tuck right in behind the leaders.
In the final 300 meters the whole pack accelerated and Sam was out sprinted to the finish.
He left nothing on the table and it was good race but I know he has more in him. Coming off the long recovery period Sam has had I am quite pleased to see this result and know he'll only get faster and stronger.
Erik was out next just 2 minutes later. Winding up the qualifier 23rd overall and 4th junior was an encouraging result and we headed off to the wax room to get everyone skis ready for the heats.
Erik is not typically the fastest starter and he left the stadium in the quarter final in 4th or 5th place. As he re-entered the stadium and the three remaining climbs Erik made his move and started to pass one after another. As the pack disappeared over the last hill for the final 300 meters into the finish, Erik put on one final move and took the lead. He kept pulling away all the way to the finish line looking like he was in full control.
In his semi finally heat the leaders made a break that left Erik in the second pack and it was obvious to him that he could not bridge the gap and since only the top 3 would move on to the A final, he made the wise tactical move to coast in to save himself for the B final.
The B final was an exciting race and Erik skied well. Local Methow skier Brian Gregg, now racing for CXC skied a very strong B final heat finishing 2nd and 8th over all. Erik moved up to finish 4th in the heat and 10th overall as teh second junior. It was a tremendous result for a junior and Erik's first time to crack the top 30 at senior nationals.
More racing to come.
Scott
Day 1- US Nationals- Skate Sprint
Sadie Starting- still a little dark
Fast skis- Thanks to Ben Husaby and Scott
Great day of racing all around for US skiers today. Erik, Sam and I all skied strong and are feeling like we are back in good racing form. The day started early with the 1.5km qualifier round. Temperatures were cold, with an even colder wind blowing off the ocean making for some cold hands, cold feet and cold.... everything! Fortunately the snow is so wet here that even with this cold weather, it's still fast!In the qualifier rounds the woman's field was all pretty tight with exception to World Championships medalist, Kikkan Randall who finished around 8 seconds ahead of the second place racer. I finished 6th place overall, first U23 skier, about 12 seconds out from Kikkan. I was happy with the results and the way I was feeling, but saw many places that I could pick up time if I were to ski the course a little smarter. After putting my feet up and resting for about two hours before the heats I started pumping myself up for the coming rounds. I knew I was feeling good today, and anything could become if I remained calm and powerful. I took off from the gun quick and aggressive wanting to get a good position within the pack, but about 200 meters down the trail I stuck my pole between my legs and was down. Before I had time to think what just happened, I quickly tried to hoist myself back up and get going again. Falling in a sprint race is hard- mentally and physically. There is not much time for mistakes, and the time you lose from the loss of momentum is hard to gain back. The first thoughts that ran through my head as always in a situation like this were, "crap, the race is over for me". As quickly as possible I pushed those thoughts out of my head and started thinking positive again, convincing myself that I had to give it my all and try to come back. Throughout the next two minutes I put my head down and skied as hard as I could, knowing every position I picked back up was valuable. I ended up catching two girls, and was coming close to the third girl, but ran out of time. I felt awesome though, and am confident that if I wouldn't have gone down at the start things could have gone really well! Falling is part of sprint racing though. Many great skiers fall and are still able to gain their position back to advance on. That is part of the learning experience. Today was a disappointment for me- but a learning lesson and a good experience as well. Even after things went bad from the start, I pulled myself back together and was able to push like hell to the finish line. The good news is we still have three more races, so I have three more opportunities to show "what I really got".
On a happier note Sam and Erik qualified 16th and 23rd respectively. Sam's quarterfinal was a strong group and he managed to finish 5th in his heat missing out on moving on by not much. I watched him ski and he looked powerful and smooth. I believe he was satisfied with the day but is confident he can do better in the next sprint. Erik had an unbelievable quarterfinal and won his heat which allowed him to advance onto semi-finals. He skied the course really smart and made all the right moves in the right places which set him up for a great race. His semi-finals he skid strong again, but was dropped a bit by the top pack, finishing 5th in his heat. From there he advanced onto B Finals, where he once again skied a very smart race finishing 4th in his heat, 10th OVERALL- 2nd junior!!!!! This is by far Erik's best result at US Nationals, which is extremely exciting to see. I have watched Erik ski all year and it was very clear today that he is back on his game and he and Sam will be tearing it apart this week. It is exciting to watch!
Erik 10th Place!
Also other impressive results from today- Simi Hamilton took his first National title today!!! Beth Reid- former speed skater Beth Heiden took 6th!
Our next race will be Monday, which is a 10km skate race for the woman and 15km for the men.
2010 US Senior Nationals Underway
Tomorrow is the first day of the four day Senior Nationals Competition in Anchorage, Alaska. It seems the weather will be warm enough to start the races this year!!. Todays temperatures in the stadium hovered around single digit numbers, so it is in no way warm out there! The humid conditions still make for fast skiing, which will be great for tomorrows Skate Sprint Competition. The races kick off as soon as the sun rises, 10 AM for woman, and 11 AM for men. Sam, Erik and I all have good starting positions, racing in the A seed for the 1.5km skate course. We are all feeling quick, healthy and ready for some good racing tomorrow. Live timing should be posted at http://www.summittiming.com/races/
Top 30 qualify for the heats which will run from 1:00-2:45 tomorrow afternoon.
GO MOD!
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