Jessie

 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…

Three days ago, I got to be a part of the fastest relay I’ve ever skied in my life! I was lucky enough to anchor the US women’s 4x5km relay at World Championships in Oslo, and it was an experience I’ll never forget. The day was beautiful and sunny although…

Something HUGE just happened in Oslo today. Alex Harvey just hushed thousands of Norwegians as Canada took the Gold from Norway on their home turf. I’m so excited and proud of them! I was with a bunch of teammates yelling, screaming and bouncing up and down in front of the…

Two days ago, I raced my first 15km pursuit ever…at the World Championships! Maybe not the ideal time to experiment with pacing, but it sure was fun while it lasted. It was an interesting day with heavy fog that made it hard on the spectators and racers alike; you couldn’t…

Never in my life have I ever been more excited or nervous! It was somewhat overwhelming to be racing in front of screaming crowds of thousands, in front of tv cameras, alongside the best in the world. But it was amazing! I got to the stadium and during my warmup,…

Tonight I got to experience the crowds lining the most famous street in Oslo, that leads from the palace past the National Theatre. People showed up to cheer and wave flags for their favorite countries, as the athletes, accompanied by a flag-bearer and a group of school kids decked out…

Holmenkollen venue, Oslo, Norway. It’s just too amazing! Yesterday was my first training day at the venue, and my eyes were WIDE open the whole time. We are staying at a Radisson Blu hotel in Oslo, and the organizers arranged for shuttles that zoom back and forth to the venue…