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.
Fast and Female’s expansion into the US was made possible in 2009 thanks to the friendship and collaboration between Crawford and Randall. Since 2009, Randall has hosted two Annual US X-Country Ski Festivals in her hometown of Anchorage in Alaska, reaching a total of more than 300 girls. In 2010, the State of Maine hosted a highly successful regional Fast and Female event and this year’s event marks the first Annual US X-Country Festival to be held outside of Alaska.
“We’re really excited to be hosting the 2011 Fast and Female Annual Festival in the East this year,” said Abby Weissman, Youth and Introductory Programs Director for the New England Nordic Ski Association. “Making cross country skiing accessible to girls (and kids in general) is a huge priority of NENSA and I’m so pleased that we could partner with Fast and Female to bring this amazing opportunity to Western Maine.”
The 2011 Annual X-Country Ski Festival in Maine promises to offer participants a memorable experience thanks to the generous financial and in-kind contributions of Gould Academy, the New England Nordic Ski Association, the Maine Sports Center, Buff Multifunctional Headwear, Lululemon Athletica and Cold-FX.
Registration for the highly anticipated 2011 Annual X-Country Ski Festival is now officially open and participants can secure a spot by visiting: www.fastandfemale.com and ff2011usfestival.eventbrite.com. The deadline to register is January 1, 2011.
The registration fee for the event is only $25 and includes a Fast and Female t-shirt ($35 value), a lululemon yoga mat, a lunch, access to the activities, and equipment rental if required. Financial assistance is available for participants in need. Please contact info@fastandfemale.com to inquire.
For more information concerning the event, please contact the local event coordinator: Abby Weissman at abby@nensa.net or 207.944.4720.
