Finally.... Finals in Falun!

This only means one thing... that is: SPRING IS NEAR! (or here?)

We just did THIS:

.... our last World Cup of the season... 

The dust has settled and the 2013-2013 World Cup season has come to a rest.  It's been a marathon - with the culmination here in Falun, Sweden.  World Cup Finals began with a city sprint circumnavigating the Royal Palace in downtown Stockholm -very cool indeed. After the race we jumped on a tour bus (un-showered) and drove three hours north to Falun, home to the 2015 Nordic World Championships.  Here we raced three races - although we almost raced no races due to the threat of an athlete strike.  After training on the courses there was significant concern about the safety of the athletes on one of the course's downhills, especially for the classic mass start race.  In Eldar Ronning's words: "This is cross country, not skier cross."  Thus, the athletes organized and held 3 "emergency" meetings in the span of 17 short hours; even one the morning of the first race.  It was great to see skiers from Sweden, Norway, France, Italy, Ukraine and more band together for a unified cause.  Our action ultimately resulted in a revised course, one that the athletes and FIS agreed on together.  I am certainly glad we raced because the start gave me the opportunity to have the second best result of my season, a 7th place in the 2.5k skate prologue!!!!  

 Germans and Americans cheering on the men! (Nordic Focus photo) 

 Liz, post race with old school camera and tutu! (Nordic Focus photo) 

 Drinking hot blueberry soup, a Swedish tradition at the royal palace sprint! 

 Hoff mixing it up in the men's 15k classic mass start

Rosie, Maria Grafnings & Me! 

 A tribute to my "Farmor" (or grandmas in Swedish... I am 1/4 Swedish after all!) 

I got a new suit for my international collection! A great trade with French skier, Aurora Jean! 

Time to wear something other than spandex! 

Liz & Newell 

It's been a milestone year, one where most people on the team have had a "personal best" moment.  Since November I've raced 30 World Cups in 8 or 9 different countries.  I've been away from home, without a single step in the US for going on 5 months now. We've previewed the 2014 Olympic courses in Sochi, suffered through another Alpes Cermis, dined on fondue in France, and danced underneath the stars in Italy. It's been a long season and I've learned a ton; both what works for me as a professional athlete and for me as a person.  I can't wait to initiate some new ideas into my training for next year.  This afternoon the USST ladies are staying to help out with Fast and Female Sweden. Then, Tuesday morning, flights to the great US of A! It's safe to say I'm exhausted and really looking forward to some well deserved R&R! 

Apparently we aren't the only tired ones.... Justyna opted to watch the last race rather than participate... (Nordic Focus photo)

Thanks to everyone for their support, encouragement & enthusiasm! 

Cheers, 

Holly :) 

Thanks to Cory, my world cup wax tech for a great year... and to Bryan Fish who helped me with skis for Falun! 

Falun skate prologue! 

Lahti, Norway & the home stretch

 Oh World Cup… you can be so gratifying but more often that not, you are a heart-breaker.  It’s true.  Consider me and yesterday (Lahti Sprint).  Little mistakes cost big time and before I knew it, I found myself in an embarrassing 65^th place.  I’ll repeat that – 65^th place!  Something happened to my skis between when I tested them and when I clipped in to race.  I felt like Bill Koch skiing on the sandy beaches of Hawaii – only without the Koch or Hawaii parts; just sand.  I have some theories about what happened but I'll spare you the details.... Point is, here, on the World Cup, the margins are so small.  To “make a good race” (Euro skier terminology) everything has to line up.  You need a “good body,” nearly perfect skis…. And it doesn’t stand a chance of being really good unless it’s your best technique, ideal racing format (mass start versus interval) fitting terrain & perfect snow type.  Yes, it is just that touchy, that specific, that important. 

One of the food for purchase at the Lahti races were these pan-fried mackerels.... Not too appetizing to me but they were everywhere

When I was racing domestically it’s funny – I didn’t really know what I was truly good at or what types of races suited me more than others.  In the US if you’re fast, you’re most likely fast at everything and vise versa.  I can think specifically back to the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver…. It was the day before the classic sprint. The course and the snow was a goopey red klister mess.  Growing up in the Pacific Northwest I’ve grown to love skiing goopey wet klister.  The best was using straight orange and racing in the rain in Leavenworth Washington for a bushel of apples. 

The day before the race I felt good, I was comfortable.  The snow type and conditions fit me.  In fact, I distinctly remember a 10-second burst of speed on the first left hand turn of the course where I felt amazing, unstoppable.  It was a kind of speed and quickness that I had never felt before.  I thought optimistically, “tomorrow could be good!” 

With Caitlin Compton/Gregg wearing rain ponchos and plastic surgical gloves it was so wet out.... 

I think it got cold overnight and there were undoubtedly numerous complaints about the state of the course.  The next morning when I arrived at the Olympic venue the conditions were 180 degrees different.  The groomers had salted the S*** out of the course and consequently, I found the hardest ice-rail tracks I’ve ever seen or put a ski in in my entire life. Think concrete hard, if you fall you will shatter your bones.  Needless to say, I was out of luck and although I did my best, the end result didn't reflect that.  The conditions weren't ideal for me. 

While my personal racing was lack-luster perhaps the highlight of Lahti was getting to go to Aino Kaisa Saarinen's house - twice.  I guess what goes around comes around because we had her, as our guest in Alaska this past summer to train in Anchorage and up on Eagle Glacier.  It's always fabulous visiting a "real home" while on the World Cup (yes, it really is that much of a novelty when you live out of a suitcase and eat from the "World Cup troff", aka a buffet for five months).  We ate homemade food compliments of her mother, checked out her new house (which was gorgeous) and after the race, tried out her sauna(s) which is a Finnish staple.  (Sorry... no sauna pictures!!!!)

 I can't remember what these are called but it's rice pudding inside of a rye-bread like shell.  They are absolutely amazing! 

Aikku has her own personal gym in the basement of her new house. On the wall are pictures of her racing & podium shots - as well as pictures of her husband Tom who was a professional basketball player in Finland. One day I would LOVE to have my own gym too! 

 Ida and Sadie leaning up against the tulikivi, a traditional Finnish stove that holds and emanates heat for a long time... 

 Aikku's parents spent half of the year, every year picking lingonberries.  Her mother made this beautiful tart for us! 

Group shot! Left to right - Me, Rosie, Kikkan, Jessie, Sophie, Sadie, Liz, Aikku & Ida 

After Sunday's distance race we had visit number 2.  Here we are again eating lunch at Aikku's table.  Funny enough, the three most decorated skiers at the table hadn't even changed out of their race suits or race bibs!  (In the middle is Charlotte Kalla of Sweden who joined us) 

For visit number 2 Aikku's mother made us a "bread cake." 

As I write this we are in Drammen, Norway for today's classic city sprint.  The sun is shining and it promises to be a fun, action packed day. There are allegedly 22 Norwegian girls on the start list today so the competition is going to be really, really tough. That said, I'll go out and do my best and who knows what could happen.  More soon! Thanks for checking in.... 

Cheers, 

Holly ;) 

PS.  A big shout out to all the athletes at JOs in Fairbanks!  Go Team Alaska!!!!!! 

For the Joy of the Sport!

 Tad Elliot after skiing an awesome anchor leg in the men's 4x10k relay (Thanks to NNF for helping us be here!)

 Newell and the full spirit of Italy.... eating pasta road side, waiting for a ride after the men's relay

After a week and a half of grey skies the Italian sun finally showed it’s face for arguably the most popular World Championship events; the team relays and the 30 & 50k.  These races are possibly the most fun to watch and if you win, the most prestigious medals to have on your awards shelf.  This time around I watched the races as a teammate & spectator rather than racing myself. While I prefer to be the one laying down a lung-busting effort sometimes the timing just isn’t right. 

We had four super strong girls who laced together an impressive fourth place finish in the relay (huge improvement over the last World Champs where we came in 8^th) and a brave crew that took on possibly the hardest courses in history for the long distance events. 

With Ida getting my cheer on for the women's relay! 

With an Italian fan! 

Each race morning I clipped into my skis and had incredibly training sessions with awesome grooming… then I’d change my clothes, drink a couple shots of espresso (thanks Italy!), dawn my cheering attire and watch the races with expectation and excitement.  It was fun to be a sports fan… .a Nordic skiing sports fan… the anticipation was palpable and the cheers deafening.  This was the Super Bowl of skinny ski skiing, the World Series of the men in tights(!)  There was an immense spirit to the crowd and after a bit of rest, watching these events helped re-invigorate my love and passion for the sport.

APU/USST GIrls! 

Steph & Joey

Overall, our team is growing more and more competitive on the World stage.  We’ve proved this weekend after weekend on the World Cup and here, at Val di Fiemme, Italy.  Personally it hasn’t been the banner week that I had hoped for but I think more good racing is just around the corner.  In the meantime, thank you Italy for hosting a fabulous event, thanks to the coaches & staff for working so hard, thanks to my teammates for throwing down news-worthy results and thanks to NNF and the larger North American ski community for your support. We wouldn’t be doing this without you!  Next up, Lahti, Finland!

Ciao & Grazie,

Holly :)

Norwegian fan in full reindeer regalia! 

Erik Flora, always working hard! (Post men's 50k)

World Champs and planning for next time....

First things first…. While I haven’t “hit the nail on the head” this week there are many of my teammates who have. The first and most obvious performance that comes to mind is Kikkan and Jessie’s Gold Medal in the Team Sprint; the first Gold Medal for the USA in women’s cross country skiing.  

Yesterday, Liz, “spider monkey” Stephan was a stunning 5^th place in the women’s 10k skate and today, the Hoff was 15^th in a stacked field of World Cup men….. 

Congrats to all my teammates for performing at the peak of the season when it really counts!  The spotlight is heightened and head-turning performances like these give confidence to all North Americans and provide excitement to our entire “ski nation.”  Because of these results and others, our team is no longer “written off….” We are contenders and other teams certainly take notice.  While Norway is completely “spanking” the rest of the countries in the overall medal count (they have 12, the next best nation, Austria currently has 4!) it’s great to see other people, including US in the mix. The week isn’t done and I have a feeling there is more excitement right around the corner.

As for myself…… here is a little post that I put together for the National Nordic Foundation:

What athletes doesn’t dream of winning? I do. I think everyone does. But the harsh reality of it is that for someone to win, someone has to loose. For someone to absolutely rock, someone has to falter.  For someone to have a good day, another must have a bad. It’s not necessarily pretty, but mathematically, it’s reality.

That said, when someone has “their day” it’s easy to look past all the races they’ve lost, or the crashes they’ve had or the times they haven’t met their expectations. It’s easy to think that it came easily to them. But what about all the roller skis in the rain, the Friday nights in the weight room , the holidays spent in the airport, or the jet-lag that keeps you up when you’re just trying to get to your next race?

Racing calls on polarities and more often than not, it’s an emotional roller coaster. If the hard times weren’t so trying the good times wouldn’t feel so darned good, so accomplished.  While it’s cliché, blood sweat and tears is a real thing in our sport.

I won’t lie, this week has been tough for me. I haven’t had nearly the Championships that I wanted, or dreamed of.  I had hoped for an individual top 15 and today I came up short, crossing the finish line in an unimpressive 27^th. 

The result leaves me disappointed but not hopeless. I have a rolling list in my head of things that I want to do differently, to change next weekend, and more importantly, next season.  

What’s next? Well, tomorrow I’ll cheer on our women’s 4x5k relay as they ski for a medal. I don’t want to jinx us but I promise this is going to be a good race. The men’s relay is Friday, and then the equivalent of the marathon, the 30 & 50K mass start classic races are this weekend.  Also, there is no rest for the weary as Tuesday our team will fly to Lahti for the continuation of the regular season’s World Cups. Funny that one week a win equals a World Championship title and a win the following week is just that, a win.  I’m hoping that I can find something left in the tank and turn in a couple more good performances. 

Team USA Ladies.... 

Having Rob, my husband here has helped immensely. Spending time together…. Imagine that!

Thanks everyone for your cheers and words of support!  They can be heard all the way across the ocean!

Ciao,

Holly :)

Davos & ROB!

The Davos race weekend just came to an end and today is the first full day in Val di Fiemme. The sun is out, the weather is gorgeous and of course, I'm not allowed to ski today.... Especially at this time of year, off days are needed but they're not always necessarily fun.  

I was the sole USST member who raced both races in Davos this past weekend while all of my teammates opted to rest up for World Champs.  I've been struggling with some fatigue lately and I felt that I needed to test my race fitness after a period of rest.  Lucky for me I was able to turn in solid results in both the classic sprint on Saturday as well as the 10k skate on Sunday. In doing so, I fulfilled one of my season goals to score World Cup points in all four disciplines: skate sprint, skate distance, classic distance and classic sprint! 

APU Girls with Coach Erik Flora 

 Coach Matt with a van pull of full-sized bike pumps! Everyone that raced at Swiss National Championships got one as the "race present."  They are super sweet.... the only problem is transporting them home! 

Maybe I raced well this weekend because I took some rest ..... or..... maybe it's because Rob is finally here for a visit!  I won't sugar-coat the situation. It's hard to be married and spend months on end away from my husband.  This go-around it had been two months since seeing him last.  Between my lack of a world-wide phone, the 10-hour time difference to Alaska and the simple fact that the Internet crashes everywhere we go, it's the equivalent of a full time job to stay in touch.  He's been working his tail off at home in order to be here and it is SO GREAT to see him.  Even better, in addition to visiting me & watching the races he was able to catch up with an old friend from college who lives in Germany.  While I can't downhill ski with him, Rob and Flo had an awesome time and I was really grateful that he had a ski buddy! 

Rob and Flo dining on Fondue after a "hard" day of skiing! 

 Somehow Rob found this in Davos.... I'm not really sure what it is but he thought it was maybe a playground? 

 The grooming is spectacular in Davos. Here is the Piston Bully literally pulling up to the gas station across the street from our hotel! 

The skiing infrastructure in Switzerland is unbelievable. Davos is a giant maze of trams, gondolas, chair lifts, palma lifts, trains and buses that you can link together for some amazing lines and tours. Here's Rob on the train after some skiing.... 

Flo using the streets of Davos to extend his ski run! 

 I feel incredibly lucky to have the best, most supportive husband in the world. It's corny, I know. But it's true.  When we got married almost four years ago he had no idea he was signing up to be a perpetual "bachelor", spending up to 7 months a year home, alone.  (Five month race season and 2 months out of town @ training camps.)  Rob was actually on the US Ski Team when he was young so it's interesting watching him be pulled into the scene yet once again. It's full circle in a funny but different way.

Here is a picture that Rob took from Sunday's 10k skate race in Davos. The Swiss track is traditionally my favorite as last year it was my top result of the season.  This year I finished 20th which in my mind was decent, yet un-spectacular.  I skied into the race, emphasizing pacing and knowing that efforts at altitude pile up and hit you like a ton of bricks if you're not careful.  The race "feeling" and result was a huge improvement over my mid-season distance racing slump and I hope that I'm returning to form. With just a few more days rest I hope that I can get my level of performance up another level. Time will tell! 

 The USST has been staying at the Kulm since the mid 1980's.  Heinz, the owner, is absolutely fantastic, calling each and every person by their first names the second they walk through the door.  The food is fabulous, the atmosphere exquisite and you can ski in gorgeous classic tracks right out the door!  If you're lucky, Heinz will even bust out his Swiss Alps Horn and play it for you...... 

 One of the best capps in the world at the Klatsch... 

 While in Davos we also celebrated a big birthday.  Erik Flora tried to let it slip under the radar but he had no such luck!  We surprised him with 40 cans of Coca-Cola classic, balloons and a plate full of Swiss chocolate.  Good thing he's doing a lot of ski testing over the next two weeks! Happy Birthday Erik :) 

Literally two hours after Sunday's 10k we hopped in the vans for five hours and drove directly to Val di Fiemme where World Championships will kick off Thursday with the classic sprint.  We're staying in a hotel that we've stayed in the past two years for the Tour de Ski so it feels familiar and comfortable. The Cross Country crew is joined by the Nordic Combined guys and special jumpers so there is a huge USA contingent here.  

A walk in the sun with my music to stretch the legs..... more soon and thanks so much for reading and the supportive words of encouragement! 

Ciao, 

Holly ;) 

PS: 

A couple words to live by..... the same message can be "translated" to other aspects of life beyond sport. Think work, family, friends, goals, dreams, adventures.....