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Strandberg Leads International-Flavored 5 K
Continental CupGeneralNewsRacing

Strandberg Leads International-Flavored 5 K

Topher SabotNovember 27, 2010

The women’s 5 k classic SuperTour may have been held in West Yellowstone on Saturday, but the top of the results sheet read like an event from Scandinavia, with international skiers claiming three of the top four spots. Kristina Strandberg (XC Oregon) edged out Holly Brooks (APU) for the victory, while fellow Swede Maria Graefnings (U of U) rounded out the podium, ahead of Czech Eliska Hajkova (CU). Strandberg capped an excellent stretch of racing...

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Fresh From Europe, Zimmermann Takes West Yellowstone Classic Race
Continental CupGeneralNewsRacing

Fresh From Europe, Zimmermann Takes West Yellowstone Classic Race

Nathaniel HerzNovember 27, 2010

Leif Zimmermann is one of only two athletes in West Yellowstone with European racing experience this winter. But he’s also one of two athletes coping with the effects of a transatlantic jet flight, making a pair of sensational performances this weekend even more impressive. With his 20-second victory in Saturday’s 10 k classic, Zimmermann (BSF) won for his third time in four years in West Yellowstone, less than one week removed from racing 4,500 miles...

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GeneralNewsRacingWorld Cup

Cold Fails to Deter Randall, North Americans, at ‘Ruka Triple’

Kieran JonesNovember 27, 2010

While skiers at the first SuperTour event in West Yellowstone, Montana, were feeling the effects of cold weather this weekend, their fellow skiers on the World Cup in Kuusamo, Finland, faced similar temperatures. The official FIS press release listed the temperature in the northern Finnish town as a balmy -17 degrees Celsius, just under the legal racing limit. Despite struggling during Friday’s classic sprint, finishing 42nd and failing to qualify, on Saturday Randall bounced back,...

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With Skate Win, Fitzgerald Upstages Favorites in West Yellowstone
Continental CupGeneralNewsRacing

With Skate Win, Fitzgerald Upstages Favorites in West Yellowstone

Nathaniel HerzNovember 26, 20101

You had to look hard, but the signs were there. Over the past two years, Kate Fitzgerald’s results had been steadily progressing, topping out with a 14th place at last year’s U.S. Nationals. A few weeks ago, she was nearly as fast as 2010 Olympian Holly Brooks in a time trial with her club, Alaska Pacific University (APU). And in Thursday’s double sprint qualifier, she finished third and fifth. Still, no one expected Fitzgerald’s victory...

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Timing Snafus Slow SuperTour Results, But Officials Say Accuracy Uncompromised
Continental CupGeneralNewsRacingTech

Timing Snafus Slow SuperTour Results, But Officials Say Accuracy Uncompromised

Nathaniel HerzNovember 26, 2010

Thursday’s weather in West Yellowstone was a big improvement from earlier this week, but race timers still found themselves in a perfect storm during the season opening SuperTour races. Coaches and athletes were in the dark all afternoon Thursday, when results from the double sprint qualifier were delayed for hours due to timing snafus. Two different finish lines, a skeleton crew of volunteers due to the holiday, a tight racing schedule, and an overambitious timer...

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Healthy and Fit, Goldsack Snags Double Victory in West
Continental CupGeneralNewsRacing

Healthy and Fit, Goldsack Snags Double Victory in West

Nathaniel HerzNovember 25, 2010

With temperatures in the single digits for the SuperTour-opening double sprint qualifier in West Yellowstone, it was all about staying warm on Thursday. But Drew Goldsack did better than that—he was on fire. Goldsack, racing for the Canadian National Team and the Alberta World Cup Academy, skied to convincing wins in both competitions, showing that he has returned to form after a down Olympic year recovering from injury. In the morning classic race, he won...

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Sprint Showdown Faces of the Day
GeneralNews

Sprint Showdown Faces of the Day

FasterSkierNovember 25, 20101

Thanksgiving day featured the first double sprint qualifier in SuperTour history.  As is usually the case in West Yellowstone at this time of year, the races featured large fields – over 200 athletes took part in the class and skate sprint events. Cold temperatures and tough courses made for a challenging day and some memorable expressions…

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Canadian National Ski TeamGeneralNewsWorld Cup

Widmer Makes Return to World Stage

Kieran JonesNovember 25, 2010

Phil Widmer is no stranger to sprinting at the highest levels of skiing. At 28, the Canadian has started 17 World Cups, raced at two World Championships, and represented Canada at the Torino Olympics in 2006. Despite falling short of the Olympic team last year, Widmer dominated the North American sprint scene. He finished on the NorAm podium three times, and won a SuperTour sprint before opting for surgery at the end of February to...

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GeneralNewsNordic CombinedRacingUS Ski TeamWorld Cup

U.S. NoCo Starts 2011 as…Favorites?

Nathaniel HerzNovember 25, 2010

An American team entering a winter as a favorite in a nordic sport is kind of like the Detroit Lions somehow starting an NFL season with good odds to win the Super Bowl. But here’s the U.S. Nordic Combined Team, its members entering the 2011 season with targets on their backs. After winning four medals at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, the squad’s “Big Three” are back, and will headline the American presence at...

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Turkey Day Sprints to Kick Off 2011 SuperTour Season
Continental CupGeneralNewsRacing

Turkey Day Sprints to Kick Off 2011 SuperTour Season

Nathaniel HerzNovember 24, 2010

WEST YELLOWSTONE, MT – The road to Oslo starts here. In this unlikely town of 1,500 people that has withstood sub-zero temperatures and nearly two feet of snow over the last few days, the 2011 SuperTour race series is scheduled to kick off Thursday morning with a double sprint qualifier. After a 24-hour postponement due to cold and the foul weather that stranded timing equipment and officials 100 miles from the competition venue, highways have...

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The FasterSkier Blog Giveaway!
GeneralNews

The FasterSkier Blog Giveaway!

FasterSkierNovember 24, 2010

If you’ve ever placed 1,347th in the American Birkebeiner and felt you deserved as much attention and credit for your achievement as Kris Freeman does for a fourth place at World Championships, we’ve got a contest for you. Yes, we’ve got a way that you can be mentioned in the same breath as Andy Newell, Kikkan Randall, James Southam. And you don’t even have to break any anti-doping rules to do it. Nope—we’re not raffling...

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GeneralHealthNews

Results Released On Compartment Syndrome Survey

FasterSkierNovember 24, 20107

Cambridge Sports Union has completed its on-line survey examining the prevalence of chronic  exertional compartment  syndrome (CECS) within the competitive nordic ski community in North America. The purpose of the survey was to gauge the extent of CECS among cross-country skiers, and to collect data that contributes  to understanding the etiology of CECS. Fifty coaches responded to the survey, representing roughly 1,500 athletes. The teams represented include  youth and regional clubs, the U.S. and Canadian...

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Continental CupGeneralNewsRacing

SuperTour Opener Delayed; Postponement “Probably An Option”

Nathaniel HerzNovember 23, 20102

As snow hammers Idaho and Montana and forecasts call for frigid temperatures, the fate of Wednesday’s SuperTour-opening double sprint qualifier hangs in the balance. With road closures stranding the race timer and other officials in Idaho, and the National Weather Service (NWS) predicting a high of negative seven degrees on Wednesday, the start of the event has already been pushed back two hours, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. And since the International Ski Federation’s...

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GeneralNews

Randall Pushes Democracy in Europe

Nathaniel HerzNovember 22, 2010

As one of two cross-country representatives to the International Ski Federation’s (FIS’s) Athletes’ Commission, Kikkan Randall has taken the American spirit of democracy to Europe. Along with Finland’s Sami Jauhojaervi, the sport’s other representative, Randall is seeking to create a committee of athletes within the sport of cross-country skiing, to better voice their opinions about changes to the sport. On Thursday, Randall and Jauhojaervi held a meeting with more than 20 skiers in Gallivare, Sweden,...

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GeneralNewsRacingUS Ski TeamWorld Cup

Norway Wins Women’s Relay Unchallenged; U.S. 13th

Nathaniel HerzNovember 21, 20102

Norwegian fans looking for a good view of the finish line for the women’s relay at the 2011 World Championships might want to start staking out their seats now. Given this weekend’s performance by the Norwegian women, there’s not much doubt about who will be waving her country’s flag as the winner of the relay in Oslo. After putting six of their skiers in the top 11 in Saturday’s 10 k freestyle, the Norwegians skied...

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