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2008 July

The national sprint team — Chris Cook, Andrew Newell and Torin Koos — headed out Friday to New Zealand’s South Island. It’s the seventh consecutive year the Waiorau Snow Farm has played host to the U.S. Ski Team for the summer on-snow camp. The Canadian national team already is in the Southern Hemisphere. The two national teams are talking about hooking horns in two time trials – a skate sprint and a ten kilometer classic....

New Gloucester, ME. The 2008 Summer Biathlon National Championships and World Championships Team Trials open this Friday at the Whitetail preserve in Luzerne County near Bloomsburg, PA. Competitions begin with the Mass Start on Friday, followed by Sprints on Saturday and closing with Pursuits on Sunday. Categories include juniors, seniors, and masters for both men and women. The host Whitetail Preserve offers a variety of hunting options including quail and chukar as well skeet, trap,...

Hello Everyone,divspan class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre" /spanI have finally returned back home so I can find my graduation card from Tara Gregg that has my username and password for this blog. Thanks to Tara Gregg for setting this up for me!!!/divdivspan class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre" /spanI will give you a little update of what has happened since I GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL. I was home for less than a week before I took off for my summer training adventures. In that short amount of time I tried to get off some thank you cards for all my generous gifts, and started packing for college. Some of my dad's clients were going up to Anchorage to visit family the next week, and they were only bringing carry-on's, so they offered to bring four bags up for me. As I went through my room, finding stuff to pack, it finally hit me I was going to college...... in ALASKA!!! I attempted to organize the things I needed, and the things I would need to leave behind. I ended up packing two 50 pound bags of clothes, a big bag of bedding, and a ski bag filled with all of my skies and poles.  I sent most of my winter stuff up, but I probably will not need any summer stuff with the weather they have been getting!/divdivspan class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre" /spanA week later I packed up to head off to Park City, Utah for the USST Regional Development Camp along with three other Methow skiers, Jamie Devin, Casey Kutz, and Erik Bjornsen. All the top Juniors from around the Western part of the US gather /divimg style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_l4L_01UOs1s/SHzuJTapk9I/AAAAAAAAAAs/2R2UMG8ZKHI/s320/non+corrupted+one.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223311511441216466" /divfor a week of intense training in Park City. We took off, not making it far before the van broke down, about twenty minutes outside of Wenatchee. Erik, Jamie, Casey and I walked back to the nearest gas station, about four miles up the road and called our favorite coach in the WORLD, TJ Owen. TJ was picking up turtle food for her pet turtle, so she drove on out to the sketchy gas station and entertained us until we could continue. We later found out we wouldn't be able to continue until the next day. As long we were in the city we figured we would take advantage of the mall, so us girls drug the boys down there, and went on a small shopping spree!!! After rollerskiing the next morning, we /divdivcontinued on with with our drive in a new van. Driving all day we made it into City of Rocks around 10:30, which is right about when we realized we forgot the tent!!! We parked the van on a flat surface, and each of us four picked a seat, spread out our sleeping bags, and slept in the van. We woke up early, an/divimg style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_l4L_01UOs1s/SHzohHugB6I/AAAAAAAAAAc/oj-lIoE7wiw/s320/scott+and+erik.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223305323550345122" /divd headed out to climb. Scott taught us some basics about climbing and we took off. br //divdivWe climbed all morning, then once again hopped in the van, to drive the rest of the way to Utah. Arriving in Park City around 4:00, we quickly changed and took off for our first workout. We spent the next week waking up early for first workouts, coming home during the afternoon and resting, and then taking off again for the second workout. We then came home, showered up, ate dinner, and had some sort of talk every night from coaches, national team member, or U/divimg style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_l4L_01UOs1s/SHzvB-UkXuI/AAAAAAAAAA0/Dk4LwcfDTb4/s320/good+picture+of+cake.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223312485031108322" /divS coaches. We did lots of running, bounding, rollerskiing, strength, plyos, and of course taking advantage of the tourist rides at the resort. Rosie Brennan, Elizabeth Guiney, and I spent our spare time baking a cake for Joanne Reid's birthday, which was one of the nights of the camp. We have decided to go pro in it after our successful hamburger for Matt Gelso last summer, and our cat for Torin Koos! We baked the entire happy meal this time. (everything edible). All in all the week went super well! One running time trial up Agony Hill (its called that for a reason!). We also got to do a sprint simulation at Soldure Hollow midway through the week, which was pretty fun! It's always good having the top skiers in the country living in the West, so it can truly work like a sprint race! There were some gnarly rollerski falls throughout the week, involving lots of road rash, but not too serious injuries.... luckly!!!! At the end of the week, the rest of my team took off for home, while I stayed in Park City with Rosie Brennan and Mali Noyes to get some more training in. For four more days we took advantage of the great training in Park City. We then drove over to Sun Valley for the weekend to get some training in with the Olympic Development Team, and see some of the people I never get to see!! (Alexa Turzian, Sophie Caldwell and NOAH Hoffman). The weekend flew by, and once again I was on the road! By then I felt like I had driven all the way around the WEST and back! I caught a ride with one of my skier friends Ian Havlic, over to Bozeman, where I spent the week training, and spending time with my sister. My mom, and Erik came down as well, so I had a way to get back from Bozeman! After three and a half weeks away from home, I FINALLY returned.....to my own bed! I plan on spending the rest of my four weeks home before I take off for college. Getting in some good training, and making some money!/divdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2018521813175454198-838369063676696456?l=sadiebjornsen.blogspot.com' alt='' //div

New Gloucester, ME June 14. US Biathlon Executive Director Max Cobb today announced that Patrick Coffey (St. Alban’s, VT) has been hired as a full-time Assistant Coach for the US Biathlon Team, while Gary Colliander of the Maine Winter Sports Center (Caribou, ME) will assist with the National B Team. The 2008-2009 National Team rosters were announced in conjunction with the coaching realignment. Coffey has worked with the Ethan Allen Biathlon Club in Jericho, VT...

Robert Douglas and Ilke Van Genechten outpaced the field in the 10km Climb to Mountain Top – the first event in the NENSA Summer Rollerski Series. The pack stayed together for the first several kilometers, spreading out as the grade increased. Winner Douglas broke away from Montana State University skier, Norwegian Anders Folleras on the final climb to take the victory by an impressive 50 seconds. Jessed Downs claimed the third spot, +1:13. In the...

Central Cross Country Ski Association recently concluded a week of testing, training, and technique work at Cresthill Resort in Hayward, WI. Participants included the 12 CXC Elite Team members, 11 Junior Development Group athletes, 4 Regional Elite qualified juniors, 23 members of the qualified State Development Group and 10 juniors and seniors that petitioned in to the camp. Also attending were 8 coaches participating in the 3 day Coaches Education program. Coaching staff included US...

While the masses are enjoying their summer holidays, Cross-Country skiers remain hard at work to be in top shape for the upcoming season which will include three highlights: the 3rd FIS Tour de Ski, the 2009 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Liberec (CZE) and the FIS World Cup Final in Sweden. Athletes from Norway, Sweden, Germany and the US traveled to Whistler after the end of the Cross-Country season, to inspect and train on...

The next International Ski History Congress is scheduled to take place at Mammoth Lakes (USA) from March 29 — April 3, 2009. The 2009 Congress has been entitled “From Skiing to Snow-Sport: Cultures, Images, and Adventures.” The Call for Papers has been published and abstracts of papers are due by September 15, 2008. The 25 minute presentations can discuss topics related to the cultures, images, and adventures of different eras of skiing and snow-sports, including...

The Gunnison Country Times reports that college leaders announced that the Western State Ski program has been dropped. The historic program lost school funding in 2004 and had been kept alive through private support. Efforts to build a significant endowment failed however, and pledges to cover operating expenses were not being honored. “In the end, for whatever reasons, it did not sustain itself,” WSC Athletic Director Greg Waggoner said of the push to keep the...

The Vancouver Sun reports that the husband of Canadian cross-country skiing star Sara Renner has announced a return to competition in preparation for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. Grandi retired after the 2006/2007 season and is considered Canada's best ever technical alpine racer. Over the last year, Grandi was a fixture at Nordic races, supporting Renner in her return to racing after giving birth to the couple's first child, and caring for their daughter while...

“The way to beat the Europeans is to take advantage of training in our high mountains.” — Vlady Members of the Junior National Biathlon Team and several fellow senior athletes came together from across the United States for a two week camp that began at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs and later moved to Winter Park. This camp pushed these hopeful athletes to a higher level with a primary focus on a high...

PARK CITY, Utah (July 10) – Bill Demong (Vermontville, NY) has accomplished a great deal in his career as a nordic combined athlete. With six World Cup podium finishes, including one win, and third place on the World Cup overall podium in the 2008 season alone, Demong knows what it takes to become a great nordic combined athlete and he wants to give others a chance to become the same. Last summer, “Billy's Kids,” a...

Rob Bradlee has competed for 35 years in cross country skiing and most recently competed in the World Masters Championships last year in McCall, ID. Rob can be seen most every weekend racing the Eastern Cup circuit as well as coaching skiers from the successful CSU program near Boston. 1. Rob, you work full time in the Computer field- how you find the time to work, coach and train for your own events? True confession...

CANMORE, Alta.—Nearly 100 of the Canada’s top junior level cross-country skiers, training at four targeted clubs across Canada, will benefit from increased coaching capacity and athlete development as their clubs are the 2008 recipients of grant funding from the AltaGas Club Incentive and Coach Mentoring Program, Cross Country Canada announced on Tuesday. The Sovereign Lake Nordic Ski Club near Vernon, B.C., Team Hardwood near Barrie, Ont.; along with Club Skibec Nordique and Club Nordique Mont...

The Jackson Ski Touring Foundation in Jackson, NH, considered by many to be one of the premier cross country ski areas in the Eastern United States, has begun construction of a new competition venue for cross country skiing. The new trail design, a collaboration between John Morton of Morton Trails and the Foundation’s executive director Thom Perkins, will make Jackson XC only the sixth cross country ski area in the country to meet FIS homologation...

Brian Seppala is an 8th grade science teacher and Head Track Coach at Chaparral High School in Parker, CO. Among other titles his boys won the 5A State Championship in the 4×800 meter in 2006 (7:53) and 2007 (7:54). In 2008 the girls team brought home the state 5A title (9:21). I grew up skiing in New Hampshire, went to college to ski there, and wasn’t planning on leaving skiing or “Back East” anytime soon....

Expanding a bit on Matt's points, I will hopefully provide you with some fuel for thought as you make your way through summer and fall training… What gets you, and keeps you motivated? What keeps you hungry so that when you toe the start line, you are ready to give 110% no matter what happens? So that when a break forms in a mass start race, you hammer til you catch it; or when you...

Without a doubt, Lukus Bauer will be the hometown favorite when the 2009 Ski World Championships begin in February in Liberec, Czech Republic. But he is not alone. Last week in Meraker, Norway, his rising compatriot co-star showed how well summer training has gone: U23 World Champion Martin Jaks put the Norwegians in place on their home turf in the classic race of the Tour de Trondelag. Despite the retirement of perhaps the most famous...

The NENSA Rollerski Series kicks off next weekend with a 10km hill climb in Chittenden, Vermont. The three race series also includes two races on the Ethan Allen Firing Range rollerski track in Jericho, Vermont. July 13, 2008- Climb to Mountain Top Chittenden, Vermont 10K all uphill Freestyle Registration is now open for the first race. To register and view the course profile please visit http://www.nensa.net/v2series/ August 9, 2008 – Jericho, Part 1 Jericho, VT...