CXC Elite Team Blog

Updates from March, 2011 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

• Maria Stuber 2:22 pm on March 30, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

  Birkie Sweaters 

  By Maria Stuber

  On Wednesday of Birkie week, I had arranged to meet Caitlin at Mooselips Coffee to plan for the Ski and Tea clinic we were hosting that afternoon.  Randomly, (or not so randomly if you know Caitlin) she had gotten a ride down from the OO trailhead by Allison Barta, better known to me at the time as “The Birkie Sweater Lady.”  As soon as the car pulled up, I saw the backseat overflowing with knit Birkie apparel and I immediately got star struck and bombarded her with questions and asked to get my picture taken with her and an autograph.  We talked for a while and I bought a pattern book from her in the parking lot, fully intending to start knitting immediately and have my Birkie sweater ready by 2016.

  

  So Awesome!

  Fortunately for me, I don’t have to knit my own sweater, because after Caitlin and I finished (and Caitlin won!!!), Allison had sweaters made for us with our names, results and the year knitted into them!  She also sent hats to match!!  I’m sorry for all the exclamation points but I’m having trouble accurately portraying my excitement with words.

  

  Such Detail

  The sweaters are beautiful and I would strongly recommend going to http://www.irishcableknitting.com/ to pick one up for yourself.  Just looking at it makes me excited for next year.  If you’re not a sweater wearing person, there are all kinds of hats, mittens, scarves, and (my favorite) blankets.  Although it’s not pictured on the website, you can get a Birchlegger blanket in the color of the Birchlegger bib.  It could be proudly displayed on a bed or the back of a chair and looks much classier than tacking all 25 of your bibs to the wall.  Don’t get me wrong, I have my bibs tacked on my wall.  Only 22 more years until I can purchase one of those blankets.  Maybe that gives me enough time to make one if I start knitting now.  Gosh I love the Birkie. 

  

  If you look closely at the lower left hand corner, Caitlin's sweater has her name and her time and the words "Birkie Champion" knitted right into it!

  Thank you so much for the wonderful gift Allison.  Your sweater will be a part of my Birkie preparation for many years to come.

  Good luck to all my teammates finishing up the season in Sun Valley.  I wish I was there!
   

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• jessdiggs 1:12 am on March 28, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

  First 30km ever! (and first successful feed) 

  By: Jessie Diggins

  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’ve even raced 30! So THAT threw all my plans of complaining out the window…and got me motivated to suck it up and get tough. And it was a beautiful day, which always helps!

  I went into the race with these goals in mind:

  1. DON’T break a pole. And don’t fall down.

  2. If you do fall, fall where nobody can see you.

  3. Don’t give yourself a gatorade facial again. Take at least one feed the RIGHT way. (In Oslo I managed to disgrace myself in front of coaches from around the world by first dropping a feed, and then slooshing the next one all over yet still not getting a drop in my mouth. Sooooo embarrassing).

  And believe it or not, I managed to accomplish all three (although I got ridiculously close to going down face first on the largest downhill a few times). And I’ve decided I need to start figuring out which feeds to take when during a distance race, because my stomach was doing some curious flip-flops in that last lap. But hey, it’s all a learning experience, right?

  And wow, did I learn a lot today. It was such an honor to ski with more experienced girls who know how to pace and navigate a pack without wasting energy. After the second lap, I was in a small group with Kikkan, Maria, Morgan and Holly. During the third lap, we lost Holly and Morgan, and I tried my hardest to hang onto Kikkan and Maria but the long climb at the end of the lap was more than I could handle. So I skied the final lap alone, always within sight of Kikkan and Maria but never quite able to bridge the gap. On that final hill, I knew Morgan was putting in a huge effort to catch me and I was totally dying, but our coaches (Gus and Cork) gave the CXC girls such fantastic skis that I knew I just had to make it over the top with a tiny gap and I could stay in 3rd place. Although I’m not going to comment on my technique in the last few km of the race because if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.  :)

  Lap splits and results can be seen HERE.

  One of these days I’ll remember to bring a camera to the race, but for now I think the words “sunny”, “picturesque mountains” and “totally enthusiastic cheering crowd” ought to do it!
   

• benjaminlannin 11:30 pm on March 15, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

  Season Review: How awesome is skiing? 

  By Benjamin Lannin

  As 50 degree temps and rain are threatening my area trails it seems a good time to reflect on the ski season that was.  With great snow all winter, I write this remembrance with a huge smile.  As late as November I still was not sure I would be able to ski at all.  To have skied from Thanksgiving till mid March, with my dieing knee feeling even better, I count it blessing upon blessing.  While my results took a step back, after 7 months of basically no lower body training, having so much fun out racing and mixing it up, its been nothing but a blast.  Here are a few tid-bits from a season of marathon racing.  1)  Toko Blue over Moly with Jetstream Blue top coat always results in fast skis for the duration.  Simple combo, no magic, but I’ve used it even just above freezing, never disappointed (great Nordic Ultratune grinds never hurt this combo either).  2) Dress your support crew as if they were going on an arctic exploration to avoid bitter people waiting at the finish.  3) The chicken soup at the Birkie finish does not taste nearly as good if you have not just banged for 50k.  4) Racing with a smile makes you feel faster (even if your not).  Thanks so much to Team CXC, Salomon, and Toko for helping me glide through another snow filled winter!  How awesome is skiing?

  

  Pit Crew

  

  Spring skiing with the Sugarbear, nothing better

  benjaminlannin and Dave Knoop are discussing. Toggle Comments

   

  • Dave Knoop 12:00 pm on March 17, 2011 Permalink | Reply

    Ben,
    Sisu 45k in Ironwood good times eh?

    Dave

  • benjaminlannin 12:27 pm on March 17, 2011 Permalink | Reply

    Dave,
    An awesome day! Wish we could be getting snow now like it came down then.
    benjamin

• jessdiggs 2:40 am on March 15, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

  Your podium in 10 years 

  By: Jessie Diggins

  The 5 and under podium – how cute is this!?!?

  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 young skiers out hammering the trails, having fun and ripping around the obstacle course set up at the top of the skate park. Watching the skiball tournament was a blast as well! I definitely witnessed a few skiers take one for the team as they’d dive flat-out for the ball, hit the snow with a thud and then a THUNK as their skis went up over and whacked them on the head. And they’d pop right up and charge down the field to do it again!

  The “ski-er totter” was an adventurous start to the obstacle course

   Seeing everyone out with their family was a great reminder to me that I do this sport because it’s fun and a great lifestyle, not just for the racing. Ever since I can remember, MYSL has been a part of my life. Every Sunday, my family and I would head to the Willow River state park in Wisconsin, and ski all afternoon with the club. It’s where I made friends and learned to love the sport.

  Me and the Miners: Seth, Tim and Stella

  This is my first coach ever – Tim Miner. He and his wife Ellen started and coached the Willow River MYSL group and he’s still a part of the club, with his own kids; Seth and Stella! It was really nice to see them at the park enjoying the snow and sharing their love of skiing.

  Midwest JO team members at the MYSL day: Keely Jackson, Alayna Sonnesyn, me and Kelin Dunfee

  After the races and games, I was joined by some of my Midwest teammates to present a slideshow to the kids, sharing with them why we love skiing and the cool places it has taken us. We also signed CXC posters that were almost as tall as some of the kids!

  Keely shares her favorite ski moments.

   

  Young Mr. Jackson ponders his CXC poster
   

• Jennie Bender 11:05 pm on March 13, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

  By Jennie Bender Alright Pipe Line don’t fail… 

  By Jennie Bender

  Alright Pipe Line, don’t fail on me now.

  This past February I went on my last U23 Worlds trip. Since I have been back, some of my elders have all said a similar line. “Beware, now the game really gets tough.” Great.  Suuuuuuper.

  

  World Juniors my first year 2006/2007

  

  My first time to Europe – Scandinavian Cup Trip

  I didn’t realize how cool it was to have the Junior Olympics in Minneapolis until I was strapping timing chips on ankles the day of the sprint. MAN I miss being apart of this! Oh wait, how many years ago was my last JOs? *first pang of where-did-the-time-go* occurs. Oh yeah that was end of high school….and college was in between now and then…..*second pang of -where-did-the-time-go.

  

  Blast from the past - first Junior Olympics in Lake Placid 2004

  Meanwhile, if only I had been born a year younger,  I would be racing NCAAs right now *third pang* ON MY HOME COURSE at Trapp Family Lodge. It frosts my biscuit (huh?) that I am missing this, you have no idea.

  

  First NCAAs in Montana 2007/2008

  Recently,  I had two random talks with completely unrelated  friends about living life to its fullest. We all agreed that if you don’t have something to strive for in life, what good are ya anyway. I don’t mind having where-did-the-time-go pangs, because I know that the time was well spent with good memories attached. These experiences, although full of ups and intense downs, will stick with me forever.

  Which brings me to growing up. In reality, as fun as that end of the week dance IS, if I was still doing JOs, it would probably be kind of old by now. Instead, look where life has brought me in only a year. I am living in a different part of the country, have had an exciting jump in ski progress, have met a whole new group of skiers, and have traveled more than ever.  I even won my first 54k classic Birkie in front of a big crowd on a main street which was pretty cool!

  

  Classic Birkie - 54 really cold k

  So to any of you youngens reading this, don’t worry if this is your last year racing in an event or age category, because the future can be just as exciting. It is what you make it to be.

  I am on my last phase of races right now for the season, which include Canadian nationals in Canmore, and Spring Series in SunValley Idaho. I have always heard that Canmore is amazing, and its all true. The mountains are some of the best I have seen to surround a world class nordic venue. I am racing the 5k skate, 10k classic, and classic sprint. Maybe the 30k but we’ll see.

  

  
  

  Joke of truth by a few sarcastic Canadians – “Why the heck do they call it Junior Olympics?!” “Probably because the USA likes to think that they are the only country in the world…”

  Common, you know it’s kinda funny…..
   

• santiocariz 3:29 am on March 10, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

  Brushes and Acrylics 

  By Santi Ocariz

  As the Birkie week drew to a close, the excitement of the race carried on through the week.   Following the race, my main focus switches from distance skate performances, to distance classic.  One of my favorite aspects of our sport is this diversity of racing and training.  Much of our team (including myself) will be focusing on preparing for the races in Sun Valley, ID at the end of the month.  In anticipation of the trip, I have been dabbling with paints and brushes in the evenings.  I have completed a painting that I am putting up for silent auction to try to offset the travel expenses accompanying the spring series races.

  

  "Solitude"

  The 24×30’’ acrylic painting (approximately 28×34 with frame) is called “solitude” and is of one of my favorite and arguably the most difficult ski race in North America, the 90 km North Routt Coureur des Bois (Clark, CO).

  The race course takes you up Hahn’s Peak (the mountain in the background) and over the continental divide. At times, the course separates the racers by kilometers leaving them to endure a long solitary effort.

  I am starting the auction at $300 and will be extending it through April.  If interested in supporting my spring racing by bidding on the painting email me at sa.ocariz@gmail.com with your name, phone number, and bid amount!
   

• nygrenk 6:28 pm on March 9, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

  A “Zero” Day 

  Nygren

  

  I typically check the weather forecast before going to bed and last night when I saw  32 F and snowing for today I got me excited.  With 6 x 4 min level 4 classic interval planned I knew it would be a perfect day to test my Salomon Zeros.  Having grown up just south of Minneapolis and skiing at Eldora Resort in Colorado in college I am used to cold snow.  As  a result I feel I have my cold, hard wax classic skis and cold skate skis dialed.  I know exactly how they will perform in different cold snow conditions and when one will likely out perform another.  When the temperature rises, however, I get less confident.

  This fall I got a great pair of new Salomon Zeros and I have been anxiously awaiting a good day to really test them out.  Zeros are a classic ski with different base material in the kick zone that is designed to be roughed up and then the little hairs that stick up provide great kick around 32 F or 0 C (Zeros).

  

  Last night I roughed up the kick zone with 150 grit sand paper on an orbital sander.  The choice of grit, direction and mode of sanding can be fine tuned to a science but what I did seemed to work great.  Next, I coated the kick zone with silicon.  This provides lubrication so the little hairs can grip the snow but don’t stick to it.   A similar sanding/lubricating process can be done to normal classic skis and the resulting skis are typically called hairies.  With a specifically designed kick surface Zeros often work better but hairies can also work.

  Once out on the trails I was amazed.  There was an inch of fresh, wet, snow ball packing snow on the trail and a little snow in the air but kick and glide was perfect.  Hard wax would have slipped and klister would have iced terribly.  The intervals went great as I was able to kick up even the steepest hill and glide well.  I don’t often ski in condition around 0 C but I now can be confident that if I wake up race morning to tricky wax conditions with  fresh, wet snow around 32 I will have great skis.  I am willing to bet the top skiers today in the Junior Olympic classic race at Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis went out on Salomon Zeros.
   

• Caitlin 4:11 pm on March 6, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

  So Proud… 

  Earlier this season I made the decision with my coaches to focus on domestic racing and the Marathon circuit. It seemed like a good idea for many reasons. I would be able to take a step back from monthly training camps, I would be able to race closer home, and I would get the opportunity to be a part of the 2011 Junior Olympic Volunteer crew in Minneapolis, MN.

   

  A goal of mine for many years has been to race and race for the Win at the American Birkebeiner. My CXC coaches felt this was a good plan and we designed my training and travel accordingly. As the season began my results were not as strong as previous years but I knew I would be focusing on the last week of February to have my “peak”. Racing at the Super Tours, Nor Ams and US Nationals this year was just as fun as previous years and it was great to see so many friends that I hadn’t seen since Spring Nationals.

   

  When Nationals was over I was informed that my points were still low enough on the points list for me to qualify for a position on the World Championship Team in Oslo, Norway. I knew and the Team Selection group knew that I was still holding points that were from my pervious season. I felt strongly that as an athlete I knew whether or not I deserved to represent the US at Worlds. I spent many hours considering my training from the summer and fall, reviewing my races and performances from the season thus far and also looking at the girls who were just below me on the points list but were racing incredibly.

   

  Sometimes points can be a good indicator of potential or success but sometimes they are not as accurate. As much as I know racing at the World Champs in Norway would be a once in a lifetime experience, deep down I knew that these Championships were not where I supposed to be.

   

  I let the Team Selection group know my feelings and told them I understood the “points” challenge. I told them not to take me and to instead allow the girls who were behind me on the list but beating me in the races go. I wished the girls good luck at the World Championships and continued focusing on the Birkie.

   

  I have had an absolute BLAST this season racing the domestic circuit. The Super Tour schedule is fun and brings you to some awesome places. I enjoyed racing in Minneapolis on the trails behind my house in front of a hometown crowd, I got to visit Aspen, CO a place I will certainly be returning to and most importantly I had the opportunity to compete in the 50K American Birkibeiner in Hayward, WI.

   

  My training and racing went great and I found myself in top form on the morning of the Birkie. The deep freeze couldn’t even hold me back. I went on to win the race in record setting time in front of hundreds of friends and lots of family. It was an incredible event and meant so much to me. I will never forget how much fun it was and how great the feeling was coming down Main Street in first place to the roaring crowd. It was a perfect day and a perfect race!

  As I was preparing for the Birkie and after it was over I spent many hours watching and cheering for the American girls (and the Canadians) over in Oslo. I have to say that as much fun as it was to feel like a rock star here at the domestic races, those girls are becoming rock stars in front of the World! With each race came amazing results from our women. They were nailing it!!! Having six out of seven of the girls on the team score World Cup points by being in the top 30 is absolutely incredible!!! (Ida I know you will be back to the top soon!) J I have never been so proud to be a part of American women’s Cross Country Skiing. Their results are the outcome of hard work, dedication and a fantastic group of youth and veterans chasing down new heights for all of us in the sport.

  

  Diggins posting the seventh fastest time (and she is just a Junior) and anchoring the US Women to a decade best 9th place in the 4*5km World Championships Relay.

  I am on cloud nine right now in awe of what they have accomplished. As much as I would have loved to been in Oslo I know that I made the right decision and I am now inspired beyond belief. I cannot wait to see the girls when they get back and congratulate all of them on their performances. More importantly I cannot wait to tell the story about what they accomplished to the up and coming women at the Junior Olympics next week!

   

  Great Job Ladies!!! You are on track to something great in Sochi!!!