Back in Business!

Last night (and for the past 48+ hours) I watched a movie because the Internet crashed in the entire Ramsau Valley.  I couldn't get much work done or respond to all my unanswered emails but it wasn't for lack of trying, that's for sure!  So...  I finally allowed myself to enjoy "Water for Elephants" a movie about the Circus and really, life on the road or better yet, a train. I had to laugh because afterwards, I realized that a friend of mine had referred to the World Cup as the "White Circus."  Ever since she brought the term up, It's been surfacing everywhere. (Funny how that always works, isn't it?)

The girls squad competing in Rogla, Slovenia

While we don't have acrobats, lions, tiger, and an elephant named Rosie (if you've seen the movie you know what I mean) we do travel like vagabonds and spend a lot of time on the road.  The athletes, the mondo Norwegian wax truck, the blow-up WC Craft arch, the entourage of massage therapists, sports psychologists, wax techs, and VW vans full of skis bounce from one end of Europe to the other, unpacking and repacking every weekend in a different locale. People are good at opening up the show and closing it down when it's time to leave and move on.  As for my road trip with the White Circus? Well, it looks as though my original 6-week stint in Europe has turned into much more - potentially even an entire World Cup season. 

Ida kickin some butt and scoring her first legit World Cup points!  

Throughout the past training season (April-November) I was worried about the 2011-2012 season.  Without an Olympic Games or World Championships to qualify for and race in, what in the world was I going to do?  I had a couple different brainstorms up my sleeve but the plan has morphed into Plan A+ or better than I had expected.  Where shall I race this season? Why, the World Cup of course!  Months ago my coach at APU, Erik Flora, told me: "Train hard, train well and good things will happen to you. Opportunities will present themselves."  He was right.  Here I am in Ramsau, Austria, spending Christmas and getting ready to compete in my first Tour de Ski!!!!!  But more on that later... REWIND!

In the Rogla press conference last week the women's sprint winner, Maiken Casperson Falla stated that she couldn't wait to go home because "they had been on the road since December 2nd" and it was "hard."  To that I say: "Try five months on the road!"

Liz and the Hoff chillin on the Pisten Bully, Rogla Stadium

North Americans definitely have the proximity disadvantage when it comes to being a Cross Country World Cup ski racer.  From Alaska it takes close to 36 hours of travel to get to Europe and another 8+ days to "acclimate" to the ten hour time difference and feel like my body was in a place where it could perform well.  Realistically, any trip "home for a break" would take me a week to adjust to home, then another week upon my return here.  Maybe that is an unrealistic amount of time if I'm chasing points and trying to improve my world rank???

Simi after a great sprint in Rogla - qualified 7th, finished 10th!!!! 

What I've realized, through intimate realization is that living on the road and the "lifestyle" of the White Circus is a true skill; one that takes a long time to perfect.  Our team moves and makes decisions as a group; there is no "I" in we.  With limited transportation options and resources, compromise and working together is the name of the game.

Rest and rejuvenation is an essential skill: how can one make a new hotel room every couple of days "homey?"  Some of you may be envious of not having to cook for yourself (ever) but it can be tiring to eat from endless buffets or sit through another 2-hour three course lunch when all you want is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich - on your own clock.  Speaking of peanut butter, it's only available in select countries and certain stores. Your eyes have to scan at least 356 kinds of preserves, 87 kinds of honey and 34 varieties of nutella to potentially find a lone jar of the good stuff. Then, once you find it, you'd better buy a bunch, save it, cherish it, and make sure it doesn't get lost in the bowels of the cargo van - you never know when the next opportunity to purchase it will be.  Being a traveler requires proactive planning you see!

Noah and I using the "contrast bath"...... one minute in the blow up cold tub, the other person in a warm shower, then switch. (x4!)

The Internet is a topic in and of itself.  I could write a book on my frustrations with this form of communication and my hours spent trying to get online embarrassingly outweigh my winter training log hours.  The Internet in many ways is my only true lifeline to family, friends, coaches, the US, Washington, and Alaska.  I don't have a phone that works in Europe - I can't place or receive calls.  So when the Internet doesn't work, which is about 1/2 of the time, I feel like my limbs have been cut off.  Lame, I know. It's not the end of the world to read a book instead but with Christmas just a couple days away, numerous plane tickets to buy for the next period, and countless emails to write, this is a problem. 

"Friends of Liz" are good people.... 

While technology frustrations are endless and I love peanut butter which is hard to find, the White Circus is well worth the buffet lines and occasional frustration.  As a relative World Cup novice I am experiencing "firsts" on a daily basis.  New countries I've checked off my list so far this trip include Austria, Slovenia & Switzerland.  Next are Italy, Czech, Poland, Russia (if my complicated VISA comes through!) & Estonia.  The travel from place to place is so swift that I find once I have finally learned the basics of one language: "Hello, Please, Thank You, Good bye" we're already moving onto another place altogether!

Good buddy and "North American teammate" Chandra Crawford, a minute before stepping on the Rogla sprint podium! 

Me in Rogla! 

Thinking ahead, knowing what to expect, but also having the ability to be flexible is SO important when you are living your life out of a duffel bag.  In terms of spontaneity, I try to find small, spontaneous & novel things that add to my travel experiences here.  My best example, by far, is the local, organic milk vending machine that we found while out on a run in Slovenia.  One can buy reusable plastic or glass milk bottles from a vending machine and fill them up from a "milk spicket."  The milk shack is stand-alone and when you step up to purchase milk, or even to examine what in the heck is going on, the lights turn on and soothing music starts to play.  I decided fresh milk was a must - and I had to get one of the glass milk jars in honor all of my friends (and family!) that have any association with Williams College.  (For those that don't know, the Williams Ski team competes in purple spandex cow suits.)  Check out pictures from this small adventure here: 

That's it for now!  HAPPY HOLIDAYS!  

Cheers, 

Holly :) 

Darling Davos and Beyond….

We’re currently speeding away, the opposite direction of Davos, headed to Rogla, Slovenia for the upcoming weekend’s World Cup races.  So far we’ve spent what seems like ½ of Austria in a series of tunnels, the last of which was 15 kilometers long.  I’ve always heard about the amazing transportation feats accomplished over here and yes, I must admit, I am impressed.  The other day I heard a rumor about a Russian business man who wants to build a tunnel from Russia to Alaska and you know what, I wouldn’t put it past them (in a non Sarah Palin way of course!) 

 With Sadie!

Casey's been my tax tech for World Cup period 1 and he's been doing an awesome job - thanks Casey for all the hard work and fast boards! 

But back to Davos. I had an awesome weekend of races, one that by far surpassed my personal expectations.  In Saturday’s distance race I began getting splits that I was leading the race – and I thought they were wrong. On Sunday, when I qualified 18^th for the sprint heats, I expected to get “bumped out” by later starters.  While I was far from winnig the race on Saturday I experienced a World Cup best and on Sunday, I qualified and participated in my first European World Cup sprint heat!

Coaches from four different countries ready to go at the "broken pole coaches zone" 

I won’t belabor all the boring details of each race but there are a few things worth noting. First, I love skiing on real snow, and I love racing at altitude!  Altitude can be incredibly deceiving because it actually has a horrible “race feel.”  For those that can drive manual transmission cars, I liken it to driving on the highway in third gear when you should undoubtably be in fifth.  You feel like you should be going faster, you know you can, but the car is stuck – and won’t shift.  Perhaps you could force it but then you run the chance of ending up as that car on the side of the highway mountain pass smoking in the ditch as all the other cars speed by thinking, “Geez! Look at that sorry soul!”  After crossing the finish line in second place the stadium announcer interviewed me and asked for my impression of the course. I think I said something like, “I loved it – you have to go as fast as you possibly can without going too fast!”  At the completion of the race I finished a World Cup best of 13^th place, only 5 seconds down to 10^th.  It’s my nature to always want more (that tenth place!) but I forced myself to be patient, and to be satisfied with the result that I turned in.

Podium poles, ready to go! 

After each World Cup race we receive a “competition analysis.”  This analysis is complete with each intermediate split and ranks each section of the course and how you skied it compared to the rest of the field.  I had some sections that were as good as 6^th or 7^th place overall and my last two, I really tanked it at 35^th place!  While I couldn’t hold my pace the entire time, I took a risk and skied the race at a pace that I would ideally like to hold. My coach Erik, and I have talked about this as I have tanked races before, going out too hard and they dying in the end.  He’s always been encouraging and said to me, “Someday Holly, you will go out fast and be able to hold onto the pace – and THAT, will be a good race!” 

Picture from Men's race... 

Coming off the high of my World Cup best on Saturday, Sunday I was determined to qualify for the heats.  The sprint course was unique in that the Davos course is a two-lap race. Its one of the only courses where the men and women compete on the same distance.  Going into it, I knew that the course fit my strengths and I was hoping for a good day. And a good day it was! Even after a few fumbles I crossed the line in 18^th!  On top of that, Kikkan, my teammate at APU won the sprint qualifier, a feat that she’s never accomplished despite her list of World Cup victories! 

Fun to finally meet Skyler Davis!

Once heats were sorted out I found out that I would be racing the quarterfinal with none other than Olympic and World Champion, Norway’s Marit Bjorgen.  Also in my heat were my Canadian friends, Chandra Crawford and Perianne Jones.  Both Chandra and Peri joined us up in Alaska this past summer for the first annual “NAWTA Camp” or the “North American Women’s Training Alliance Camp.” The camp included one week of skiing on APU’s Eagle Glacier where we got the chance to work together and race around the top of the glacier head-to-head! 

Training on APU's Eagle Glacier earlier this summer - USA & Canada!

Before starting we had a quick North-American “power-pound” and lined up for the gun. I reminded myself, this is just like the glacier! J Skate sprint starts now consist of a short double pole before you are allowed to skate.  The tracks are short, allowing for little to no time to spread the field. Consequently, Bjorgen and I started next to each other and upon exiting the track, almost took each other out.  Unfortunately I missed some key steps and was forced into a position near the back of the group.  Unfortunately I wasn’t quite fast enough to move onto the next heat but the race was SO MUCH FUN. I couldn’t be disappointed. At the end I didn’t even feel tired. Instead, it was some kind of weird euphoria that left me wishing and wanting to try it again!  But, the day was over for me and my consolation prize was a prime spot on the course to take photos and watch Kikkan absolutely destroy the rest of the women’s field!

 

Kikkan in the final, lap one

A happy coach 

In all of this I keep returning to the same theme: Confidence and Interface or aka, “Opportunity.”  It’s priceless to know that we CAN compete with these girls and each weekend of head-to-head racing I learn something new and get better. Now that’s not to say my results will continue to improve each and every weekend. (A bad day on the World Cup can easily result in a 70^th place finish.)  If that were the case, I’d be winning World Cup races come February. I am optimistic by nature and don’t believe in putting limitations on dreams but I don’t think that will be happening – not quite yet at least! 

That’s it for now – time to get settled into Rogla.  

Have a great week, take care of yourself, and find a reason to be thankful for all life’s blessings! (There are so many!)

Sincerely,

Holly :)

A Stone in the Road + Images of Davos

The internet is finally working this morning - I'll post this quickly as it's t-1hr before leaving for the race this morning! Check out the pics of Davos.... it's literally transformed since we've been here.  Below all the pictures is a short story that my mom sent me last week. It has nothing to do with skiing but harbors a great message - read it if you have time. As always, thanks for all the words of encouragement! 

Holly ;) 

This is one of the tiny man-made loops that we skied on for the first couple of days here. 

Another man made loop we traveled too..... Pontresina, Switzerland. Fun to think that Rob, my husband competed in World Juniors here in 1998! 

Pontresina again... 

Huge groups of Nordic walkers all around Davos. 

Snow guns were pumping at full tilt for days on end to provide an excellent base! 

Finally - it SNOWED! 

This is Jesper Modin - a 6'6" Swedish Sprinter rocking a tiny unicylce with a flat tire in the closet-sized gym in downtown Davos! 

Outside our hotel

The Swiss gas stations have a well-stocked, gormet selection of Swiss chocolate - always!

The first natural snow we skied on since arriving in Europe almost a month ago.... a couple of us got in the habit of getting up really early to get first tracks :)

APU girls, Davos, Stadium

I love the Swiss wood work.... 

A cup of love at the famous "Clatch" coffee house

Took a tram up the side of the mountain one day for a gorgeous view

Tad reading a poem on his love for the state of Alaska!

A couple nights ago we had the second annual secret santa gift exchange. Everyone gets a gift and writes a poem about someone on the team. As you can imagine, it was hilarious! 

More later - off to the 15k this morning!  Have a great weekend everyone and congrats to the Alaska high school skiers who had their first day of Lynx Loppet!  

Holly ;) 

The stone in the road

There is a story told of a king who lived long ago in a country across the sea. He was a

very wise king, and spared no effort to teach his people good habits. Often he did things

which seemed to them strange and useless; but all that he did, he did to teach his people to

be industrious and careful.

“Nothing good can come to a nation,” he said, “whose people complain and expect

others to fix their problems for them. The good things of life are given to those who take

matters into their own hands.”

One night, while everyone else slept, he placed a large stone in the road that led past

his palace. Then he hid behind a hedge, and waited to see what would happen.

First came a farmer with his wagon heavily loaded with grain, which he was taking to

the mill to be ground.

“Well, whoever saw such carelessness?” he said crossly, as he turned his team and

drove around the stone. “Why don’t these lazy people have that rock taken from the road?”

And so he went on complaining of the uselessness of others, but not touching the stone

himself.Soon afterward, a young soldier came singing along the road. The long plume of his

cap waved in the breeze, and a bright sword hung at his side. He was thinking of the

wonderful bravery he would show in the war.

The soldier did not see the stone, but struck his foot against it and went sprawling in

the dust. He rose to his feet, shook the dust from his clothes, picked up his sword, and

stormed angrily about the lazy people who had no more sense than to leave such a huge

rock in the road. Then he, too, walked away, not once thinking that he might move it

himself.

So the day passed. Everyone who came by complained and whined because the stone

lay in the road, but no one touched it.

At last, just at nightfall, the miller’s daughter came past. She was a hard-working girl,

and was very tired, because she had been busy since early morning at the mill.

But she said to herself, “It is almost dark. Somebody may fall over this stone in the

night, and perhaps he could be badly hurt. I will move it out of the way.”

So she tugged at the heavy stone. It was hard to move, but she pulled and pulled, and

pushed, and lifted until at last she moved it from its place. To her surprise, she found a box

underneath.

She lifted the box. It was heavy, for it was filled with something. Upon it was written:

“This box belongs to the one who moves the stone.”

She opened the lid, and found it was full of gold!

The miller’s daughter went home with a happy heart. When the farmer and the

soldier and all the others heard what had happened, they gathered around the spot in the

road where the stone had been. They scratched at the dust with their feet, hoping to turn up

a piece of gold.

“My friends,” said the king, “we often find obstacles and burdens in our way. We may

complain out loud while we walk around them if we choose, or we can lift them and find

out what they mean. Disappointment is usually the price of laziness.”

Then the wise king mounted his horse and, with a polite “Good evening,” rode away.

W. J. B.

....

Celebrating the Success of Teammates and Thoughts on a Coach

I just returned to "home away from home" hotel Kulm from an exciting, high-paced World Cup weekend in Dusseldorf, Germany. While the weekend's racing format didn't explicitly compliment my skill set it was a great experience and more importantly, I was there to witness my teammates stand on a World Cup podium. 

If you've been living under a rock (or perhaps you aren't a ski news junkie and that's perfectly okay)  Kikkan and Sadie won a silver medal in the team sprint yesterday on the city streets of Dusseldorf, Germany.  Ida Sargent and I teamed up for the sprint as well and unfortunately we were 2 seconds from making it through to the finals as "lucky losers."  Although I was disappointed, it provided us with great viewing and cheering opportunities for the other girls.  Funny thing was, amongst the crowds, Sadie and Kikkan both said they could hear us screaming for them on course!!!! 

The women's start, next to the Rhine River in Downtown Dusseldorf, Germany

Yesterday was an incredible day for my teammates and for all of US Skiing.  Once again, we have shown the Euros that WE can be in there.  That we are competitors, and even though we live out of a suitcase for months on end to do it, they should not discount our fitness, courage or tenacity.  

The men's race

I have to admit, when it comes to taking pictures, I have no problem pushing to the front of crowds and getting my canon "powershot SD1300" out there amongst the 3-foot long lenses.  Also, perhaps I'm a horrible person for doing this but I may or may not have stepped in front of a small child to get some great shots! I couldn't help it - how often do the girls you roller ski in the rain with (while everyone else is still sleeping off hangovers) stand on World Cup podiums? I mean, really?! Can you say Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center ROCKS?! I can! 

Flower ceremony, team sprint D-Dorf!

YEHAW APU!

While it's easy to give all the congratulations to Kikkan and Sadie - and of course they deserve every ounce of it..... I'd like to acknowledge the coaches and particularly one person, Erik Flora for helping make this happen.  As a competitor that's also been a coach and a wax tech, my perspective stems from all angles.  While there were only two people standing on the podium yesterday in D-dorf, Erik Flora has  gone above and beyond to make that silver medal possible, not to mention, my success over here too....

Myself, Erik & Kikkan at Super Tour finals in Sun Valley, March 2011

I don't know anyone else in the world that loves skiing more than Erik does. The guy could literally inspire a rock to get up off the ground and do some burpees. (A really hard exercise that combines a push up and a jump.)  He is a student of the sport spending his night-time hours watching the latest video, corresponding with other coaches from around the world on theories, testing our skis by headlamp once everyone else has gone home..... some may say he's crazy but isn't there some kind of saying that says something like, "Great things happen when people break the norm" or something to that effect? 

Erik & Casey waxing at NorAms in Silver Star last year... 

In 2006, the APU program was in transition.  Erik saw the opportunity to create a World-class ski team in a setting where the time was right.  He seized the opportunity.  Since then, everyday for the last five years he's been working 12-23 hours a day to make us fast.  To make us competitive. To give us every advantage he possibly can.  

Erik on Eagle Glacier this past summer... 

Erik turns any hardship into an opportunity (it may be white-out fog and blowing wind but THIS could be CHAMPIONSHIP conditions one day!) and exudes the excitement of a 6-year old on Christmas morning on a DAILY basis.  His work ethic and his dedication to the betterment of the sport and to the athletes he coaches is impressive and admirable. When times are tough and confidence is low he has a special ability to find the bright side of any situation. He never underestimates anyone or tells them they can't or they won't or they shouldn't.  

Look at this enthusiasm!

Yesterday, when I was standing in the crowd looking up at my teammates on the podium I was envisioning three people up there: leg one and two of the team sprint relay along with their coach who had the biggest grin from ear to ear that you've ever seen. 

Thanks to Erik Flora for his dedication and to all the coaches and support stuff out there that help athletes realize their dreams and inspire others to do so as well. 

Oh - and here are a couple of other shots from D-Dorf.... the Germany Christmas bazaar was amazing! I wish I had more than 1/2 hour to check it out.

 Christmas trees everywhere - oh so festive, even in sweaty spandex! 

Hard to be on a low-carb diet in Germany..... the bakeries are intense! 

 Sharing a fresh German street pretzel with my team sprint teammate, Ida!

Thanks for reading and thanks again for the words of support and encouragement! 

Holly :)