Bormio, Italy – The 2007-2008 World Cup season came to a close with a pursuit competition as part of the “mini-tour” World Cup finals. The three day event consisted of a prologue, a mass-start classical, and finally, a free style pursuit, with the start order based on the times from the first two race. Virpi Kuituen (FIN) wrapped up her second overall World Cup victory by winning the pursuit in a sprint to the line...
Team Alaska had another strong showing Saturday in the relay races at Kincaid Park to rack-up 1601 points to win the 2008 Alaska Cup for the top overall team at this year's JO's. New England was 2nd and Intermountain was 3rd. (Our apologies for not having a podium picture of the J2 girls.) J1 Girls J1 Boys
Oslo, Norway March 15. Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, NY) had his best result of the season with a seventh place finish in the 12.5K Pursuit competition this afternoon. Burke moved from 45th at the start to finish seventh, 1:15.1 behind Ivan Tcherezov of Russia. Freidrich Pinter of Austria, with three penalties finished second 22.2 seconds back, while Emile Svendsen of Norway was third, 47.4 seconds back despite five penalties. Shooting under what Coach Mikael Lofgren...
Anchorage, Alaska – Alaska, New England and Intermountain combined to take 15 of 18 podium spots as the 2008 Junior National Championships came to a close with the always exciting relays. New England needed a big day to close the gap on Alaska in the overall standings. The eastern squad started the day well with the J2 girls skiing to victory over Intermountain and Alaska in the 3x3km race. The team of Isabel Caldwell, Heidi...
Italy – Virpi Kuitunen (FIN) won the women's 10km classic mass start race at the World Cup Finals in Bormio, Italy. Kuitunen out-sprinted Justyn Kowalczyw of Poland for the win. Marit Bjoergen (NOR) showed good form, finishing third, 3 seconds out of the win. Thanks to her 30 bonus seconds, Kuitunen is now leading the World Cup Final standings after yesterday's prologue and the today's 10 km with a total time of 38:21.8 minutes, Kowlaczyk...
Italy – Vincent Vittoz (FRA) was able to open up a gap on the field by the 7 kilometer mark – an unusual ocurrence in World Cup mass start races where a large pack usually leads the race until the final sprint. Vittoz, who has had an inconsistent season, posted his first victory of the season, winning by 18 seconds over overall World Cup champion, Lukas Bauer (CZE). Tord Asle Gjerdalen (NOR) took third in...
Anchorage, Alaska – Resse Hanneman (AK) won the boy's OJ 15km mass start classic race at the Junior Olympics in Anchorage, Alaska. Hanneman skied to the top of a star-studded field, edging World Junior team members Noah Hoffman (RM) and Max Treinen (AK) by 1.5 and 1.7 seconds respectively. Another Worl dJunior skier, Reid Pletcher (IM) finished fourth, +28.2. “The course is just gorgeous,†says Hanneman. “It was just an amazing day out there.†With...
Italy – German Claudia Nystad won the 2.5km freestyle World Cup Final Prologue in Bormio/St. Caterina (ITA) yesterday. Nystad finished the 2,5 km in soft snow conditions in a total time of 7:46.4 minutes, 5.6 seconds ahead of Norwegian Astrid Jacobsen. Riitta Liisa Roponen (FIN) was third, 9.3 seconds behind Nystad. Nystad, who was 13th at the first intermediate point at 0.8km, increased her speed to the end of the race while Jacobsen, who was...
Italy – Pietro Piller-Cottrer (ITA) won the World Cup Final Prologue over an easy course in St. Caterina, just 0.1 seconds ahead of Tord Asle Gjerdalen of Norway. Third place went to Czech Martin Jaks, 1.8 seconds behind the winner. This was Jak's first ever World cup podium finish. The race counts toward the World Cup Final (3 competitions in 3 days), which is a kind of ‘Mini Tour'. To get the World Cup points...
PARK CITY, Utah (March 13) – U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) President and CEO Bill Marolt has named Olympian Luke Bodensteiner as associate athletic director of high performance. Bodensteiner will be responsible for providing support services to the directors of each of the USSA's six sport programs. Bodensteiner, a two-time cross country Olympian and three-time U.S. champion, has been with USSA's Nordic programs since 1996. In his tenure he has developed greater depth and...
Oslo, Norway. Jay Hakkinen (Kasilof, AK) and Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, NY) finished just 2.6 seconds and two places apart in the 10K Sprint yesterday afternoon. The close proximity of the two US Biathletes is an indicator of how tightly packed the Men’s field was in this final Sprint of the World Cup season. Emile Hegle Svendsen picked up another victory, in 25:19.9, with no penalties confirming him as the sensation of the last month....
Editor's Note: Amy Glen won the girls J1 classic sprint at the Junior Olympics on Monday in dominating fashion. She was 5th in Wednesday's 5km freestyle event. It is also worth noting that it says something about Amy that she describes trying to avoid accident and dodge between two cars at high speed, as “making her move” – as if she were taking the lead in the sprint finals… ANCHORAGE, ALASKA — Feb. 1, 2008...
Skiers Head to Sea-to-Sky Country for 2008 Haywood Ski Nationals -650 athletes to hit the competition trails at Whistler Olympic Park- Squamish, BC—Athletes, teams, and coaches from across Canada will arrive in Sea-to-Sky country to compete at the 2008 Haywood Ski Nationals, the 81st edition of the Canadian Cross Country Ski Championships, March 16-23, 2008 at Whistler Olympic Park. Event organizers will welcome competitors from 16 nations, including some of the world’s top-ranked skiers from...
Anchorage, Alaska – Racing continued at the Junior Nationals in Anchorage, Alaska, with the 5 and 10km freestyle events. Intermountain bounced back from a disappointing showing in the classic sprint, taking seven podium finishes, more than both New England and Alaska. In the girl's J2 5km race, Tara Geraghty-Moats (NE) skied to a 6.8 second victory over Katie Gill (IM). “My skis were awesome, the fastest they have been all year,†says Geraghty-Moats. The home-schooled...
Just back from the World Junior/U23 Championships in Italy, US Ski Team Development Coach Matt Whitcomb took the time to talk with FasterSkier about the trip. FasterSkier: The World Junior/U23 Championships concluded last week. What is your overall evaluation of the success of the US Team? Matt Whitcomb: We had an awesome trip. The food was over-board classic Italian, the venue was hilly and spectator / service-friendly, the snow was deep and the days were...
Battling bitter temperatures and blustery conditions, fifty-five of the best skiers in New York State faced off in the annual NYSSRA Champions Cup Race on Sunday, March 9, sponsored by High Peaks Cyclery:Nordic Specialists. Robert Douglas of Honeoye Falls won the 25 km New York State Championship race on the Olympic trails of Mt. Van Hoevenberg in Lake Placid in convincing fashion. Douglas dominated the race from the start, beating defending champion, Paul Allison of...
The Valtellina ski area (Italy) is hosting the 2008 FIS World Cup Grand Finals this weekend. Bormio is already a regular host of World Cup Alpine skiing competitions, and is now making a welcome return to the cross-country World Cup. This same event was held in 2000 with a series of races that witnessed successes by athletes such as Bente Skari Martinsen, Erling Jevne, Julija Tchepalova and Italian Stefania Belmondo. Three days of cross-country skiing...
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA. Three inches of fresh snow drifted down on Kincaid Park, greatly improving the courses for the Freestyle Interval Start today at the 2008 USSA Junior Olympics Cross Country Ski Championships in Anchorage, Alaska. Competition continues through March 15, 2008. “We received the snow we desperately needed,†says Steve Patterson, Junior Olympics race secretary. “The groomers were out late yesterday and the courses have firmed up due to the lower temperatures. It’s going to...
New England holds a narrow two point lead over Alaska after the opening classic sprint race at Junior Nationals in Anchorage, Alaska. Racing continues today with a 5km freestyle for the J2 boys and girls and the J1 and OJ girls. The J1 and OJ boys will race 10km. This race was switched to freestyle due to low snow and icy conditions. The mass start classic race is now scheduled for Friday. Intermountain, Alaska and...