March 2011

The mini-tour marking the end of the Supertour and (for me, at least) the last races of the season kicked off today with a challenging skate prologue race. And I’m excited to get this mini-tour underway!   Prologues are kinda weird because they’re not really a sprint – especially not in…

This morning when I was busy speculating on just how much a 30km might possibly hurt, I got a text from my family wishing me and the team luck and saying “Kenzie says 35km was a blast ;)”. Kenzie is my 14 year old sister. And she raced 35km before…

I’m quickly falling into the habit of making regular and rather lengthy appearances at the Java coffee shop. It’s the best place to sit and read, I swear! I decided to take the longer walk back home today instead of the bus and instantly wished I had on boots and…

Okay, I went back and read my last post and….whoops, I didn’t realize I was so grumpy! I must’ve needed more time to thaw out after such a chilly ski. However, I have turned around my opinion of Sun Valley after an awesome late morning exploring Ketchum (the town next…

Right now I’m lounging in a condo in Sun Valley, Idaho…wondering why on earth it’s called SUN Valley! It’s been gray with damp snow all day! No worries, I’ve been reassured that it will clear up and be beautiful sometime in the next two weeks. However, it’s a little dissapointing…

Yesterday I went back to Theodore Wirth park to watch and cheer for the young skiers that will be gracing the top steps of the podium at JO’s in about 10 years. MYSL (Minnesota Youth Ski League) was hosting the Midwest Junior Championships! It was so inspiring to see these…

 On Saturday, I started my last Junior National race. And it was my favorite – a relay! Five years ago, in Soldier’s Hollow, I raced my first Junior National relay ever, on a team with Libby Ellis and Lynn Duijndam. Libby scrambled, Lynn went second and I anchored. We started a lot…

In between races at Junior Nationals here in Minneapolis, we’ve found lots of time to explore downtown. The Marriott hotel is right near Macy’s and a plethora of other places to shop. Yesterday, I took the lightrail to the Mall of America with Libby, Rosie and Elizabeth. While we might have…

Holy cow, I’m never going to be a wax tech. Nope, never. Because today, with warm temperatures and new snow falling, our wax techs were up BEFORE the crack of dawn, working so hard to ensure that the Midwest team was on the best kicking classic skis possible. And you…

Junior Nationals kicked off with a skate sprint under the lights Monday night at Theodore Wirth Park. It was incredible – the organization, volunteer work and trail work that went into making the event possible! There was a huge home crowd out cheering, and flood lights, lanterns and ice bucket…