Some people may refer to me as “Megan the Klutz†(I had a book with that title when I was a kid) and sometimes it couldn’t be more true! How many other cross country skiers (a non-contact sport I might add) have undergone 3 orthopedic surgeries in 4 summers (two ankles and now a knee)?? Well, I am the lucky one! My dad says I’m no longer allowed to do the following things: Football, soccer,...
Last time, I introduced you to the plotline: While training for the upcoming ski season, I took a bad fall and shattered my collarbone. So now, instead of documenting my training routine, I am documenting my attempted recovery. For more details, as well as photos and X-rays, click on the link in the right-hand column. Now, back to our story… I tried to mentally prepare myself for the next few weeks. This would give me...
For those of you who don’t already know me, my name is Jess Kiesel. I am a cross country skier racing for the University of Utah. I have been skiing since I could stand and racing for as long as I can remember. I come from an incredible family with an incredible athletic history that includes World Cup wins, Olympic gold medals, U.S. National Championships wins, NCAA Championship wins, Junior Olympic wins and medals, former...
Norwegian National Team coach Svein Tore Samdal denies that there is anyone on the women’s national team with diet problems, but points out the challenge of good nutrition. – Supplying good nutrition is a constant challenge for us in the support system. We are constantly focused on making sure that the athletes are getting enough and a balanced nutrition that makes it possible to avoid getting sick and achieve optimal results. I’m not saying that...
Norwegian National Team skier Vibeke Skofterud had lost lots of weight through dieting when she made lots of progress two years ago. It didn’t work in the long run.
Norwegian National Team skier Hilde Gjermundshaug Pedersen doesn’t like the word dieting, but notes that some skier has it on their plan. She warns very strongly against young skiers trying this in order to become a better ski racer. -This is a warning to all young skiers since this is not the way to go. Dieting is not a short cut in order to become a better ski racer. The only thing that will make...
WADA (World Anti Doping Agency) recently decided to remove caffeine from the doping list. “We have removed caffeine because we consider it a very weak stimulant with very little performance enhancing effect†says WADA-director Rune Andersen. The leader of the medical committee in FIS, Bengt Saltin recently expressed his disappointment when WADA had decided to keep caffeine on the list. However the agency has now made a “180,†and removed caffeine. Norwegian skier Ine Wigernaes...
I do much of the ski waxing in our house. I am not sure why this is. My wife has been racing competitively much longer than I have. However, she was racing at a level where there were coaches who tested and selected the wax of the day and just told her what to put on. This was also in the pre fluorocarbon/graphite/molybdenum era and waxing was much simpler then. The state of the art...
Nov 19, 2002 Dear friends, family, and fellow cyclists, On or around the 22nd of November, certain information regarding myself will become public. It will not be good news but I thought that hearing my side of the story first, might lessen the shock a little when you do read this, or hear about it in a few days. Some of what you will read in the media and hear on the streets will be...