While we wait for results to start coming in this morning, here's a snapshot of the scene in the stadium. Qualification begins at 10:00 am and heats start at 1:00 pm MST.
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US Nationals
Ready or not, the 2013 SuperTour season is fast approaching. Here’s what you need to know about the domestic race scene this year. At this point, we’ve pretty much said everything we can about the twelve senior ski programs in the U.S. We ran a series throughout the summer highlighting each team’s past accomplishments and goals for the future. Read back through ‘em for comprehensive rosters and standalone previews (scroll down for links). Now that...
For developing skiers all over the globe, the chance to compete at Junior and U23 World Championships can be the high point of an entire young career. American athletes compete for a spot on the team every year at U.S. Nationals, but before nationals even gets under way, up to two men and women in each age class can pre-qualify for the team if they meet a specific FIS-point standard at certain races. That standard...
Tested and picked glide waxes yesterday as was the plan as I anticipated that today’s kick solution could be a demanding one. It did some freezing raining last night before they groomed. Still, the tracks got an ice glaze on them which made things a bit tricky this morning. We tested kick waxes, straight base green, straight klisters, and klisters covered. Before qualifying, our best wax was Nordic Green Klister covered by Nordic Red...
U.S. Nationals: Men’s 15 k Freestyle Video
Matthew VoisinJanuary 8, 2012
RUMFORD, Maine — Watch the action from Thursday at Black Mountain of the men’s 15 k individual start skate race, which featured four laps of a 3.26 k loop.
U.S. Nationals: Women’s 10 k Freestyle Video
Matthew VoisinJanuary 8, 2012
RUMFORD, Maine — In case you missed it on Thursday, check out the action from the women’s 10 k skate race at Black Mountain, which featured three 3.26 k loops.
RUMFORD, Maine – Following a nail-biter of a skate sprint to open the U.S. Cross Country Championships, the athletes contesting Sunday’s classic sprint can be expected to finish out the week with another great race. And with important U23 Championship qualifying points still up for grabs, the younger skiers especially will be looking to fight to the top spot on the podium. Athletes have been racing and training on the 1.4 and 1.6 k sprint...
Sounds of Nationals: What was the Wax?
Sam Evans-BrownJanuary 7, 2012
Rumford, ME – In this podcast Sam Evans-Brown talked to the techs who prepped some of the winners’ skis to find out what exactly was the right combination for a rocket pair of skis. And for those of you who’s eyes cross when wax talk starts, we ask how to get fast skis with minimal research. Have a listen… [podcast]http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/01/Classic-Podcast-Final.mp3[/podcast]
RUMFORD, Maine — The stadium at Black Mountain held its collective breath as spectators waited for the lead pack of the women’s 20 k classic mass start to come through for the last time at the U.S. Cross Country Championships. The question in everyone’s mind was, could Jessie Diggins (CXC/USST) pull off yet another win? The race came down to tactics — the top five women stayed in a tight group for the first five laps,...
With two events down, the U.S .Cross Country Championships is now half over. Friday, January 6th, 2012 will kick off with the 20/30 k classical mass start events. Conditions appear to be remaining steady, making for relatively predictable glide, which allows coaches to concentrate on kick. This may prove to be useful as the event is the first classic event of these championships. We’re especially excited about the race because it’s the first domestic mass...
RUMFORD, Maine – A cold and windy day on the trails of Black Mountain resulted in tactical sprint races on Tuesday. When the boots finally crossed the finish line it was a CXC sweep of the podium, check out how it went down. Contributing camera work by Evan Dethier.
U.S. Cross Country Championships: 10/15 k Freestyle Preview and Predictions
Steve BedardJanuary 5, 2012
RUMFORD, Maine — Racing resumes at Black Mountain on Thursday at 9:00 am with the 10/15 k individual-start freestyle. With forecasts predicting temperatures to remain below freezing for the majority of the week, the upcoming races will likely all be held on hard-packed, fast courses. The Course On Wednesday, athletes and coaches were seen testing skis, training and acquainting themselves with the entirety of the 3.26 k lap of which the women with do...
RUMFORD, Maine — There was no shortage of excitement at Black Mountain on Tuesday, where U.S. Cross Country Championships kicked off with a freestyle sprint. We checked in with the day’s winners Torin Koos (BSF/Rossignol) and Jessie Diggins (CXC/USST), as well as Caitlin Gregg (CXC), Jennie Bender (CXC), Ida Sargent (CGRP/USST), Corey Stock (CSU), Colin Rodgers (SVSEF), Karl Nygren (CXC), Joanne Reid (CU), Eliska Hajkova (CU), Bryan Cook (CGRP) and Nils Koons (CGRP). Sprint Brackets...
The Sounds of Nationals: Men’s Freestyle Sprint
Sam Evans-BrownJanuary 3, 2012
RUMFORD, Maine – Sam Evans-Brown caught up with skate sprint champion Torin Koos, and talked with other skiers in the men’s final to hear how the race unfolded. Listen in. [podcast]http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/01/Finished-Mens-Cast.mp3[/podcast]
US Nationals: Photos of the Ladies’ Freestyle Sprint
FasterSkierJanuary 3, 2012
RUMFORD, Maine – A firm and fast track in addition to a finish stretch that greeted the racers with a hard wind created a race that was full of tactics today on the trails of Black Mountain for the US Cross Country Ski Championship. Here is a look at the ladies’ action.
Rain Delays U.S. Nationals, Black Mountain Adjusts
Audrey ManganJanuary 3, 2012
RUMFORD, Maine — The old adage “If you don’t like the weather, wait a minute,” was overheard many times at Black Mountain on both Sunday and Monday, but waiting around all morning didn’t change the fact that Sunday night’s rain put a serious damper on U.S. Nationals. News broke early Monday morning that an overnight downpour had soaked the artificial snow at Black Mountain and forced race organizers to postpone the scheduled freestyle sprint indefinitely....
Kris Freeman (USST) will be the odds-on favorite to win Saturday’s U.S. national championship in the 50 k classic. But the way his last two seasons wrapped up, just making it to the start line in Sun Valley, ID, is a victory in and of itself. In late March, 2009, Freeman was recuperating from surgery on his legs to relieve the debilitating symptoms of exertional compartment syndrome; he had been forced to end his season...
It may not have been the Olympics, but you couldn’t tell from the weather. Just like at Whistler Olympic Park last year, the weather for the US Biathlon Nationals at Mt. Itasca, MN had a little bit of everything, with some significant rain during the Sprint competitions on Thursday, gorgeous sunshine with firm snow during Saturday’s Pursuit, and light drizzle with heavy overcast for the Mass Start on Sunday. The athletes had good attitudes however,...
CCSA Skiers Impress At U.S. Nationals Skate Race
FasterSkierJanuary 10, 2011
A day after a dominant performance in the classic races, Alaska once again were top dogs at U.S. Nationals, though a number of CCSA skiers turned in outstanding performances in the freestyle events at Maine’s Chisholm Ski Club. The Nanooks again swept the association’s top spots, with Raphaela Sieber and Lex Treinen finishing as the top CCSA skiers in the women’s 20K and men’s 30K races, respectively. Green Bay’s Carolyn Freeman and NMU’s Christina Turman...