Koos Sharp Despite Layoff

Torin Koos (USST) skied to a convincing win in the freestyle sprint as the SuperTour stopped in the Methow Valley.  As a member of the US World Cup Team, Koos doesn’t have many opportunities to race domestically, let alone in his home state.  His thoughts on today’s race and the upcoming Olympics.

The weather leading up to the race was rather lousy. What were the conditions like throughout the day? How did the course hold up?

I’ve never seen it so warm and rain so much here in the Methow and most of the locals would agree with that.  The course today was phenomenal.  There were tons of people out shoveling and fortunately the snow was able to setup last night.

What was it like to race back home?  Did you feel any extra excitement or nervousness in front of the home crowd?

It has been a while since I have raced, so in a lot of ways it felt like the first race of the season.  With the hometown crowd I felt the good and the bad, the bad being the nervousness.

These trails are redesigned so in some ways they were new to you, but did you still feel like you had the home course advantage?

The crowds for whatever reason are really behind me whenever I race in the Methow Valley, its almost like I am their adopted son.

Did you have any trouble moving through the rounds?

No, it was a really good day for me today.  I felt really good about my fitness.

The A-Final is almost always exciting, how did it shake out today?

There was a little cat and mouse out there.  I ended up reluctantly taking the lead early on and setting the pace, just cruising for a little while.  Then Mikey (Sinnott) took over the pacing and tried to raise it up and stretch things out a bit.  Then around one of the last corners I was able to slingshot around.

It’s been a few weeks since you have pulled on a bib.  How did you feel out there today?

Yeah, I was surprised with how I felt.  I have had some health issues so it has been a little while since I have done anything fast… just easy distance training.

How does this race help prepare you for Whistler?

I need to get some race starts.  If I can get them on the SuperTour, then that is great and if I can them in without traveling, then even better.

What are you working on in your training as you get ready for the Olympics?  What is something you are hoping to improve on over the next few weeks to be at your best next month?

Now is time to start sharpening and increase my ability to build up a lot of lactate and handle it really well.

What’s next for you on your schedule?

I leave for the Canmore World Cups on Tuesday and I will be there until a few days before the Opening Ceremony when I will head over to the Olympic venue.