Calgary, Alberta – With the onset of winter, Fast and Female is preparing to host its third Annual US X-Country Ski Festival. After being held for two consecutive years in Anchorage, Alaska, the 2011 Annual US X-Country Ski Festival will travel to Gould Academy in Bethel, Maine and take place on Sunday, January 9. On this special occasion, more than 150 female cross-country skiers and biathletes between the ages of 9 to 19 years old will get to enjoy a day of inspiration both on and off snow.
In keeping with the highly successful signature Fast and Female day camps, the 2011 Annual US X-Country Ski Festival will include ski drills, a healthy lunch, an inspirational presentation, yoga and dancing – all led by outstanding Olympians and current US Cross-Country Ski Team athletes Caitlin Compton, Morgan Arritola, Liz Stephen and Holly Brooks.
“After two successful events in Alaska it’s great to see the Fast and Female momentum carrying eastward to Rumford, Maine for the 2011 Annual US Fast and Female Ski Festival,” said US Ski Team racer and lead Fast and Female Ambassador in the US Kikkan Randall. “With such a great cross-country ski history in the Eastern US already, it will be fun to share the passion for being Fast and Female with a new generation of skiers!”
Founded in 2005, Fast and Female is a non-profit organization based in Canmore, Alberta, Canada and dedicated to the empowerment through sport of young women. Started by the 2006 Olympic gold medalist in Cross-Country Skiing – Chandra Crawford – Fast and Female operates across Canada and the US and currently reaches out to girls in the sports of Cross-Country Skiing, Biathlon, Alpine Skiing, Triathlon, and Cycling. The organization is intensely focused on delivering innovative non-competitive programming to increase the retention of girls in sports and offset the factors that make girls six times more likely to drop out of sports than boys.