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Posted: 12/27/2009
Rhupolding, Germany Maine Winter Sports Center (MWSC) biathletes BethAnn Chamberlain and Walt Shepard, along with MWSC alum, Laura Spector, headed to Germany today for the last stage of Olympic Trials. They will be joined by Zach Hall, Susan Dunklee and Sarah Studebaker for a training camp at Rhupolding, Germany. The contingent will then travel to Altenburg, Germany to meet up with the rest of the US Team, competing for the final two spots on the Men's Team and final three spots on the Women's team.
The competitions start Thursday January 7th with a 10K Sprint time trial between just the US Team. That will be followed by another Sprint competition on Saturday, this one as a part of the Altenburg IBU Cup Race. The last race will be a Pursuit race on Sunday, also as a part of the IBU Cup.
Each race will be scored with a percent-back score and the two highest scores from the three race series will count for each athlete. The top two Men and top-three Women will be named to the 2010 US Olympic Team on Sunday January 10th, after the final race.
The athletes who make the Olympic Team will join the World Cup Team for races in Rhupolding, Germany and Antholtz, Italy. The rest of the athletes will travel to Novo Mesto, in the Czech Republic for an IBU Cup series.
The following athletes will be competing for the final spots on the Olympic Team:
MEN
Walt Shepard (MWSC), Lowell Bailey (MWSC Alum), Wynn Roberts, Zach Hall, Leif Nordgren, Kevin Patzholt
WOMEN
BethAnn Chamberlain (MWSC), Tracy Colliander (MWSC Alum), Lanny Barnes (MWSC Alum), Laura Spector (MWSC Alum), Susan Dunklee, Sarah Studebaker
Posted: 12/23/2009
U.S. Biathlon Names IBU Cup Team
(Mt Itasca, Coleraine, MN) Perfect corduroy greeted athletes at Mt Itasca for Day 5 of competition of the World Team Trials. BethAnn Chamberlain (Grand Rapids, MN) came out swinging and posted the only clean shooting of the day. So far, the Trial events had not gone well for Chamberlain and she needed a victory in order to qualify for the IBU Cup team. Though she now calls Presque Isle, ME home, Chamberlain grew up in Grand Rapids and is right at home at Mt Itasca. With a hometown crowd cheering for her, Chamberlain managed a 5 second victory over Laura Spector (Lenox, MA). Susan Dunklee (Barton, VT) posted the fastest ski time of the day for 3rd place, 28 seconds out of first. Dunklee finished in the top 3 in all five races at Mt Itasca.
In the men’s race, the battle raged in the last skiing loop of the day. The top 4 men went into the last 5km ski loop within 10 seconds of each other. Wynn Roberts (Battle Lake, MN), had a blazing last loop, pulling out a 3 second victory over Leif Nordgren (Marine of St Croix, MN). Nordgren had been fighting sickness at the beginning of the race series and needed a big race today. Hitting 90%, Nordgren pulled himself up in the rankings, but could not quite match his training partner, Roberts, on the ski tracks. Zach Hall (Nikiski, AK), was on the podium again for five out of five races, shooting 80% and skiing a strong last lap. Only .8 seconds behind Hall was Mark Johnson. Johnson, who grew up training and racing at Mt Itasca, tried to squeeze every last second out of the familiar terrain, but the hometown crowd and 90% shooting was not quite enough to put him on the podium.
In the Junior Men’s race, Nordgren took 1st, followed by Wayne McClure (Anchorage, AK). Michael Gibson (Burlington, VT) finished 3rd. In the Junior Women’s Sprint, Grace Boutot (Caribou, ME) won by a large margin, shooting 2 penalties. Hillary McNamee (Presque Isle, ME) was 2nd, shooting 70%. Corrine Malcolm (Hayward, WI) placed 3rd with strong skiing. This is Malcolm’s first season of biathlon competition.
The Youth Women showed some of the best shooting of the day. Andrea Mayo (Soldier Pond, ME) shot 80% for a 40 second win over 2nd place Kelly Kjorlien. Kjorlien (Grand Rapids, MN), in her second year of biathlon competition shot an impressive 90%. Rookie Afton Snyder (Grand Rapids, MN), took 3rd with two penalties.
Casey Smith (Methow Valley, WA) won the Youth Men’s with 80% shooting and impressive skiing, matching second place Raleigh Goessling on the ski tracks. Goessling (Esko, MN) finished 21 second back with 70% shooting. Also shooting 70% was Ben Greenwald (Minneapolis, MN) finishing 3rd, 58 seconds out of first.
U.S. Biathlon Names IBU Cup Team
Today the International Competition Committee of the U.S. Biathlon Association has named the following athletes to the IBU Cup Team for January 2010. The athletes will compete at Altenberg, Germany January 7-10, and Nove Mesto, CZE January 13-16, 2010.
Women:
Tracy Colliander (Fort Kent, ME)
Laura Spector (Lenox, MA)
Susan Dunklee (Barton, VT)
BethAnn Chamberlain (Presque Isle, ME)
Men:
Wynn Roberts (Battle Lake, MN)
Walt Shepard (Yarmouth, ME)
Zachary Hall (Nikiski, AK)
Leif Nordgren (Marine, MN)
These athletes will be joined by Lanny Barnes (Durango CO); Sara Studebaker (Boise, ID); Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, NY); and Kevin Patzoldt (Grand Rapids, MN). The top three women and top two men based on three races at Altenberg will be nominated to the U.S. Olympic Team, joining Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, N.Y.), Jay Hakkinen (Kasilof, AK), Haley Johnson (Lake Placid, N.Y.), and Jeremy Teela (Heber City, UT) who have already met the qualification standards for the Olympic Team.
Posted: 12/22/2009
Some of the most impressive and energetic competitors at Sunday’s Eastern Cup Opener toed the start line well after the final competitors in the 10k Classic race had crossed the finish line. With cloudy skies and a brisk wind, youth ranging from kindergarten through 8th grade came to test their skills on a fast and firm course.
Sunday’s Bill Koch League event started with the Lollipop division, which saw Presque Isle’s Julia Bartley gliding along to the cheers of friends, family and athletes alike. Soon after Julia crossed the line the 3rd and 4th graders made their way to the start. Fort Kent’s Sami Husain and Presque Isle’s Max Bartley showed what it takes to cross a finish line in front of a hometown crowd, and helped set the stage for the largest field of the day; the 5th and 6th graders.
The 3rd member of the Bartley family, Jason (“Dodgeball” to his teammates) made the 2k course look easy, completing the race in 10:28. In his debut race performance, Caleb Willett of Caribou crushed the 2 kilometers of classic track in 11:14. Rounding out the top 3 was Gannon Therrien of Presque Isle (10:22), Malcom Milligan of Ashland (9:43), and in first place was Kamran Husain of Fort Kent with an impressive 8:52.
The final competitors of the day were three talented young skiers in the 7th and 8th grade division. These skiers took three laps around the course to complete a solid 3k classic race. Cody Johnson of Fort Kent showed his strength and talent with a finishing time of 14:09. Yarmouth’s Carter Hall secured second place with a strong time of 11:18, and with the most impressive effort of the day was Ryan Washington of Caribou. Washington cranked through the course to grab a definitive first place finish in 10:21.
Sunday’s BKL event marked the beginning of an exciting season to come for the youth of Aroostook County and points beyond. With more snow on the way, and Maine Winter Sports Center’s Holiday Training Camp on the horizon we have only begun to see the talent emerging in this field of young skiers. Look for each of these faces to show their skill throughout the 2010 Aroostook Cup, Maine’s Bill Koch Festival, and the Middle School Race Season still a couple months away.
Many thanks to all the friends, family, athletes and volunteers who helped make it a successful day for competitors of all ages!
Posted: 12/22/2009
Coleraine, Minnesota BethAnn Chamberlain saved the best for last, winning the final race at the Olympic Trials Selection series. Chamberlain shot clean and skied fast to take the Sprint. Wynn Roberts won the Mens race, but Walt Shepard qualified second overall and is going to the winner-take-all Olympic Trials in Germany next month.
Posted: 12/22/2009
Coleraine, Minnesota Andrea Mayo won the Youth Women's race in today's World Team Trials. She has been skiing fast all week, but struggled to find her rhythm on the range. Today she hit 8 of 10 for the win. Grace Boutot, last years Youth World Championship Silver medalist won the Junior Women's race. Both Boutot and Mayo have secured a spot on the US World Junior Championships Team. With BethAnn Chamberlain winning the Senior Women's race, MWSC won a clean sweep of all the womens competitions today.
Posted: 12/22/2009
Coleraine, Minnesota With a trip to the winner-take-all Olympic Trials Finals in Altenburg, Germany on the line BethAnn Chamberlain proved that she has what it takes with her win today, and vaulted into fourth place in the overall standing. Her score of 293.51 for the top three races is just shy of the qualifying standard of 294 points, so her fate is in the hands of the US Biathlon’s International Competition Committee. In her favor is the fact that she has been skiing very well all week, and her clean shooting today shows what she is capable of when she puts it all together.
Chamberlain, who has struggled on the range this series, but skied well, shot clean to lead from start to finish. In second place was MWSC alum, Laura Spector, 5.6 seconds off the pace. Overall points leader, Tracy Colliander, had an uncharacteristically tough day in the range, missing 4 shots to finish 5th place, 1 minute 38.7 seconds back.
In the Men’s field, Wynn Roberts took the sprint race with 2 misses, beating fellow Minnesotan, Lief Nordgren, who had only 1 miss, by 3.3 seconds. MWSC’s Walt Shepard, like Colliander, had his toughest day in the range, missing 5 to finish in 9th, 1 minute 52.4 seconds back. Russell Currier continued his blistering pace on the trails, but missed 4 shots to finish in 6th place, 48.6 seconds back.
With the final Results are in it is anticipated that the US Team heading over to the final round of the Olympic Trials in Germany will be the MWSC’s Walt Shepard, Wynn Roberts and Lief Nordgren from Minnesota, and Zach Hall from Alaska.
On the Women’s side it will be MWSC alumni, Tracy Colliander, from Fort Kent and Durango, Colorado and Laura Spector from Lenox, Massachussetts. The third spot will be Susan Dunklee from Vermont. A final decision on the fourth Women’s spot will be made later today. At this point, three of the seven spots are filled by MWSC athletes. If Chamberlain wins the petition it will be 4 of 8.
Making it a clean sweep for MWSC Women, Andrea Mayo won the Youth Sprint today and Grace Boutot, last years silver medalist at World Youth Championships, won the Junior Sprint. Mayo has been skiing fast all week, but has had a tough time on the range. She found her shooting touch today, hitting 8 of 10.
An announcement on the Youth and Junior teams for World Junior Championships will be made later today, but both Mayo and Boutot are expected to be named to the team.
For final overall points and shooting percentage click the link below.
Posted: 12/22/2009
Coleraine, Minnesota MWSC athletes Walt Shepard and BethAnn Chamberlain, along with MWSC alumnus Tracy Colliander were named to the team that will compete for the final spots on the US Olympic Team next month in Germany. Colliander won the overall points title for the Olympic Team Selection series and Chamberlain needed her win today to vault from 7th place to claim the final spot on the four woman team. Shepard qualified second and had the highest shooting percentage for the five race series.
Click the link below for the release from the US Biathlon Team.
Posted: 12/22/2009
Coleraine, Minnesota Grace Boutot from Fort Kent was named to the World Junior Team. Teammate Andrea Mayo from Soldiers Pond, was named to the World Youth Team following todays Sprint competition at Mt. Itasca, Minnesota. Grace qualified first in the Women's Junior category after the three race series and Mayo qualified second in the Women's Youth division.
Click the link below to see the final results.
Posted: 12/21/2009
Coleraine, Minnesota Walt Shepard and Tracy Colliander used strong shooting to take the Pursuit competition in day #4 of the Olympic Team Trials Section series. With the pressure heating up for the four slots going on to the final round of Olympic trials, both Shepard and Colliander showed the poise in the shooting range that has won them numerous National Championships.
Shepard beat Leif Nordgren by 5 seconds, hitting 19 of 20 shots and continues to lead the competition in shooting percentage, hitting 88% of his shots over the first four days of competition. Russell Currier was showed improvement posting a 6th place finish.
In the Women's race, MWSC alum, Tracy Colliander also hit 19 of 20 shots to run away with the race, winning by 1 minute 21.6 seconds. Both Shepard and Colliander lead the overall standings after 4 races (with each competitor throwing out their worst result).
MENS's OVERALL RESULTS
Shepard 300.05 points
Hall 299.86 points
Roberts 299.39 Points
Johnson 294.90 Points
WOMEN"s OVERALL POINTS
Colliander 307.99 points
Spector 298.83 points
Dunklee 298.38 points
Cook 291.59 points
The last race in the series will be a Sprint race at 11AM Central Time at Mt Itasca. The official Team heading to Germany will be named after that competition.
Posted: 12/21/2009
Coleraine, Minnesota In the Junior Women's Race Grace Boutot hit 15 of 20 on her way to the win. Addie Byrne placed 2nd with 4 misses; Hilary McNamee placed 4th with 5 penalties. Andrea Mayo placed 3rd in the Youth Women's Race with 11 of 20 shooting.
In the Youth Men's Race Eliot Neal struggled in the range hitting just 50% of his targets to place 9th. Sam Humphries followed Neal placing 10th with 8 penalties.
Posted: 12/20/2009
Today MWSC Alumnus, Tim Burke, took over the yellow bib as World Cup leader in Biathlon. For the first time ever a US athlete is the best biathlete of the world.
With an amazing performance in the pursuit of Pokljuka, Slovenia Tim Burke not only managed to finish in sixth place, he also stayed ahead of his strongest competitor for the yellow bib, French athlete Simon Fourcade.
It was one of the most exciting races so far for the team. Fourcade and Burke were seperated by only one point in the overall world cup so Burke had to stay ahead of the strong Frenchman to take the yellow bib. In the first two shooting stages he cleaned all ten targets with Fourcade already losing time after two misses. The first standing Burke missed two shots. "I just don't know what happened then. It probably was a head thing but seriously, I don't remember anymore", Burke laughed after the race.
With Fourcade at his heels Burke came to the last shooting stage and again missed one target. Nine seconds after the Frenchmen he left the stadium, with all of the team members out on the tracks cheering on him. "I just saw it in his eyes. I just knew that he would get Fourcade", team leader Bernd Eisenbichler was sure. Head coach Per Nilsson's impression was just the same: "He was on fire, that's for sure."
What followed then was - according to Burke - the loudest last loop ever. "I just saw yellow. I completely stopped thinking and with all my team members cheering at the track I just flew over the course!"
As Eisenbichler stated: "I am completely speechless. We tried not to talk with Tim about the possibility of getting yellow, but of course we all thought about it. It's truly unbelievable. The world's best biathlete right now is an American!"
To watch an interview with Tim click here
Posted: 12/20/2009
Story by Chad Salmela: Sunday, American biathlete, Tim Burke, achieved something that even the most ardent American biathlon fans probably never thought they would see—an American awarded the yellow World Cup Overall leaders bib. A few hundred fans who made their way twenty-some miles from civilization to the Pokljuka biathlon venue deep in the Slovenian mountains, stuck around to witness this momentous occasion, helped by the fact that countryman, Klemen Bauer, finished a career-high 7th and would be included in the flower ceremony. Regardless of the lean crowd on hand, the occasion served as a flipping of the biathlon world on its ear.
The opportunity arose partially out of consistently high-level early-season performances by Burke, but partially out of the decisions and fortunes of his strongest competitors as well. Norway’s Emil Hegle Svendsen and the great Ole Einar Bjoerndalen—the leader and second place respectively in the overall standing coming into this weekend in Pokljuka—sat out the weekend in favor of training. Svendsen is the only biathlete whom Burke has yet to beat this season. Burke was not dismayed by his achievement in the absence of the two Norwegians. “I have no control over (them being here or not).”
Then Thursday’s 20km Individual winner, Christoph Sumann of Austria, took a commanding lead in the overall standings over the absent Svendsen second, and was 44 point ahead of Burke, sitting in 3rd place after a 14th place finish. Then in the 10km sprint on Saturday, Sumann missed 8 of 10 targets to finish 103rd, well outside the top 60 necessary to qualify for Sunday’s 12.5km pursuit. Burke finished 8th in the sprint to move into second overall and within 10 points of the defenseless Sumann, who would have to watch his yellow bib fall to someone Sunday. The likely someones were France’s Simon Fourcade and Burke. Fourcade had moved within 1 point of Burke by finishing 6th in the sprint, to take over 3rd spot behind Sumann and Burke. With everyone but Fourcade and Burke mathematically out of contention for the overall leaders bib, Sunday’s 12.5km pursuit became a mano a mano battle between the American and the Frenchman for yellow.
Burke started with perfect shooting in the two opening prone stages and challenged for the lead, trailing by 16 seconds in 4th, entering the third shooting stage, while Fourcade was out of sight behind with a penalty in each of the first two stages. He followed Ivan Tcherezov around the third lap despite feeling stronger. “I felt it was pretty easy skiing behind him, thinking I’d take it easy coming into first standing,” said Burke. But Burke missed twice. “Obviously it didn’t work very well for me. In hindsight, maybe I should have gone around him and just raced.” Fourcade missed once in the third stage, putting Burke three seconds ahead going into the second to last loop, with the two running 10th and 11th respectively.
Burke pulled away from Fourcade on the fourth lap, but a penalty in the final stage while Fourcade shot flawlessly, put Burke in trouble, though he never lost track of Fourcade. “I was looking towards the course (while in the penalty loop) to see where he was. He shot on the point next to me and I saw him go out. I knew exactly how far I was behind him and what to do.” Burke left the loop in 10th chasing Fourcade in 5th, with a gap of 8.9 seconds separating the race for yellow in favor of the Frenchman. Burke skied impressively in the final lap, catching Fourcade midway through and not giving the Frenchman even a glimpse of the maillot jaune in the final kilometer. Burke moved to 6th by the finish, Fourcade slipped to 9th. Evgeny Ustyugov of Russia won.
Burke ends 2009 in yellow with a 7 point lead over Fourcade, and can revel in yellow over the holidays. He’ll take the yellow bib into the hallowed Oberhof venue in the Thuringen region of Germany, where biathlon is a religion. An American in Germany. Burke in yellow will be a horse of a different color for the manic fans of the sport and a signal of a new era in the sport. “I can’t wait,” said Burke, of the opportunity of wearing yellow in front of the Oberhof crowd—likely to be nearly 50,000 strong—when he takes to the start of the 10km sprint, January 9th. “I wish it was tomorrow.”
Posted: 12/19/2009
Coleraine, Minnesota Wynn Roberts and MWSC Alum, Tracy Colliander, won the Men's and Women's Sprint Race on Day #3 of Olympic Trials Selection races at Mt. Itasca, Minnesota. MWSC's Walt Shepard put in another solid performance with a 3rd place finish today, 39.3 seconds off the lead and 14 seconds out of second. Bill Bowler and Russell Currier finished in 9th and 10th place respectively. After three days of competition Zach Hall (299.76 points), Wynn Roberts (298.11), Walt Shepard (297.44) and Mark Johnson (294.44) occupy the four spots to move onto the next round of Olympic Trials in Germany. With two races to go there is still time for others to make there move.
In the Women's Race, Tracy Colliander, wife of MWSC biathlon coach Gary, continued her impressive performance at trials with a solid win, 27.9 seconds ahead of Susan Dunklee. BethAnn Chamberlain skied very well today, but ran into some difficulty in her prone shooting stage, missing three targets. The top four women after three races are: Tracy Colliander (299.32), Susan Dunklee (298.38), Laura Spector (295.91) and Annelies Cook (291.59).
Posted: 12/19/2009
Coleraine, Minnesota Today’s Sprint format was the first of the World Junior Trials. Addie Byrne, Grand Rapids, MN, took first with 90% shooting. Grace Boutot, Presque Isle, ME matched her shooting, and finished 25 seconds behind. In third was Corrine Malcolm, of Haward, WI racing in her first major biathlon event.
In the junior men’s race, Leif Nordgren took first, with Mike Gibson, Burlingon, VT and Wayne McClure of Anchorage, AK in third.
In the Youth Men’s Sprint, Conrad Roberts made it 2 for 2 for the Roberts family and shooting the same as his big brother, 0, 2. Casey Smith of Methow Valley placed 2nd with 3 penalties, and in third was Ethan Dreissigacker, Craftsbury, VT, with 4 penalties.
Kelly Kjorlien, Grand Rapids, MN, shot 80% and took first in the Youth Women’s Sprint. Andrea Mayo, Soldier Pond, ME had a rough day on the range (3,2) but managed a second place with good skiing. In third was Mackenzie Wonders of Anchorage, AK.
The World Team Trials continue on Sunday with at the Men’s 12.5 and Women’s 10km Pursuit.
Posted: 12/19/2009
Presque Isle, Maine Over 200 racers gathered under sunny skies for the first day of racing at the TD Bank/TAMC Eastern Cup Opener at the Nordic Heritage Center. Racers competed in a freestyle sprint, with exciting 6 person heats in the afternoon. J2s competed on a 1km course and all older athletes competed on a 1.2km course. Heather Mooney and Jack Hegman each skied to victory in the girls and boys J2 race respectively. In the women's race, Sophie Caldwell swept the heats and continues to hold reign over the Eastern Cup circuit. In the men's division, Skyler Davis skied away from the competition for the win.
The same courses will be used for the USSA Cross-Country Junior Olympics to be held at the venue in March. Racing will continue tomorrow with a classic mass start on a 5km course. J2 will complete one lap of the course and all others will complete two laps.
Results from today's sprint qualifying round and the heats are available at www.nordicheritagecenter.org under the "Events" tab.
Posted: 12/18/2009
Presque Isle, Maine - The TD Bank Eastern Cup season kicks off tomorrow (Saturday) at 10AM with the qualifying rounds for the Freestyle Sprint. The heats will start at 1PM and run to conclusion at 3:05PM. Temperatures are expected to be in the mid to upper teens with light winds, which will be a pleasant relief from the recent cold and high winds experienced by most of the northern tier of the US.
Temperatures for Sundays mass Start Classic race should be in the upper teens to mid 20's with very little wind. Sunday's race starts at 9:00AM. There will also be a Bill Koch Youth Race at the completion of the Mens Race (approximately noon).
Full details can be found by clicking on the link below.
Posted: 12/17/2009
Viktoria Franke December 17, 2009
When the result board turned to the next page and showed her final result Haley Johnson could not help but cry. To see that historic 21st place on the score board in Pokljuka after the women’s individual today was a relief in many ways. Not only was it the best result for the US women this season, but it also was the direct qualification for the US Olympic Team. “I made it”, Haley screamed, “I made it. Unbelievable!”
It was once again that famous last shot that did not hit the target. “I probably did not drink enough and I somehow was sweating and couldn’t see that last target so I just shot somewhere”, Haley tried to explain. She left the shooting range in 16th place, but not knowing where she stood in the field. “The team manager Bernd Eisenbichler doesn’t give me any splits as I am approaching the shooting range, because he doesn't want to add to the pressure of the moment.”
On the last lap though he finally told her the position. “I tried to go faster to stay up front there but I just couldn’t. I was just empty and probably skied slower than the laps before!” When she crossed the finish line, Haley couldn’t stop shaking. She really gave everything during those 15k that turned out to be her career best. “It is nice to know that you gave everything and did not just end up in a 70th place or something like that. With that result it feels especially good to be so empty.”
Haley was 3:41.8 minutes behind today’s winner and the current best biathlete of the world, Helena Jonsson from Sweden leaving biathlon legends like Kati Wilhelm and Simone Hauswald from Germany behind her.
“I am very impressed with Haley’s race. We did know that she is able to finish in a good position but it was only during the last days that Haley really calmed down. She was confident of herself and her ability on the shooting range and what she showed today seemed just like a normal and perfect training race! It’s just amazing how she pulled that off”, head coach Per Nilsson expressed after the race.
“Haley put together a fantastic performance today hitting 19 of her 20 targets and finishing 21st in the WC. She has worked so hard this year and it's really wonderful to see her have this breakthrough. She's our first woman to make the qualification for the Olympic Team”, stated USBA-executive director Max Cobb.
MWSC Biathlon Team
Posted: 12/16/2009
The US Olympic Trials Selection Races are back on tap this weekend from Coleraine, Minnesota. Race #3 is scheduled for Saturday, race #4 on Sunday and the final race of the series on Tuesday. The races to date have been defined by brutally cold temperatures, with the mercury struggling to reach zero degrees. The cold temperatures made a very difficult course even tougher and also made shooting consistency difficult for some. Temperatures for this coming weekends races are expected to climb to the upper teens, which should make for much better racing conditions for all.
Scoring for biathlon competition is based on taking the average time of the top three competitors and using that as the base score. Each competitor’s time is then scored as a percent of that time. This is a very effective way of rewarding the quality of each performance relative to the field.
The competitors will keep their three best results from the five races and after Tuesday’s race the top four competitors from this series move on to the next, and final, Olympic Trials races to be held In Germany in January.
The field for the last series of the Olympic Trials will be made up of the four Men and four Women from the Minnesota races, as well as the three Men and three Women currently on the World Cup circuit, who have not already qualified for the Olympic Team. Those seven Men and seven Women will race in a Sprint race on January 9th in Altenburg, Germany, and the Pursuit race on January 10th. The top three Men and top four Women from the weekend will be added to the Olympic Team and join MWSC alumnus Tim Burke and Jay Hakkinen, who have already qualified based on performances last season.
Maine Winter Sports Center’s Walt Shepard is currently in second place with 198.56 points after the first two races, trailing Zack Hall of Anchorage, Alaska, who has 200 points. MWSC’s Bill Bowler and Russell Currier have struggled with shooting in the extreme cold, but with each racer able to throw out two results, there is still time for everyone in the field to post the results necessary to put themselves in the top four and earn the trip to Europe.
On the Women’s side, BethAnn Chamberlain, Grace Boutot and Hilary McNamee, have each struggled with the cold, but each has the time and experience to turn their fortunes around in the final three races.
Also being decided this coming weekend will be the World Junior Championship Team, to be held in Torsby, Sweden in January. Grace Boutot won a Silver medal at the Championships, held last year in Canmore, Alberta, Canada. Hilary McNamee, who has competed in four Junior World Championships, will also be trying to nail down a spot on the team this weekend. Vying for their first spot on the World junior Team are Andrea Mayo and Eliot Neal.
Nordic Heritage Sport Club
Posted: 12/14/2009
Presque Isle -Ten inches of new snow in the last week and more in the forecast puts the Nordic Heritage Center in Presque Isle, Maine in a prime position to host the opening Eastern Cup of the season. All hands have been on deck over the last week to make sure the venue, courses and volunteers are ready to start the NENSA TD Bank Eastern Cup series with a bang.
The communities of Aroostook County are excited to show off their world-class venue and host racers from around New England for the December 19-20 event. The race courses will be identical to those at the upcoming Junior Olympics to be held at the Nordic Heritage Center in March. Racers will get a chance to test out the newly designed sprint course during Saturday’s freestyle sprint. Classic mass start races will round out the weekend’s line-up. J2s will race 5k and men and women will do 10k. On Sunday, a Bill Koch race will conclude the day’s events.
To register for the races, visit www.nensa.net. Online registration closes at 5pm on Thursday. For more information about the Nordic Heritage Center, visit www.nordicheritagecenter.org. Please note that wax cabin rentals are available by calling (207)764-5247.
Posted: 12/13/2009
Day 2 of the Biathlon World Team Trials started off with a low of -12 F. Fortunately, the sun pushed through clouds and the Men’s 15km Mass Start began after a 2hr delay. The new range approach, an extremely steep 75m climb, played havoc with the shooting for both men and women.
Walt Shepard, Yarmouth, ME, got the drop on the field after the first shooting with an extremely fast and accurate first prone shooting. A classic biathlon duel evolved over the next three stages with Zach Hall, Anchorage, AK, matching Shepard’s shooting accuracy but falling slightly behind in shooting speed. Hall was able to close the gap down over each ski leg. Shepard and Hall left the last shooting stages only a few seconds apart and pounded out the last 3km with only 2.6 seconds separting the two at the finish. The battle for third went to Dan Campbell, Bozeman, MT, with Jesse Downs, Jericho, VT and Wynn Roberts, Battle Lake, MN filling out the top 5. Roberts posted the top ski time of the day for the second day in a row, but 8 penalties were too many to overcome.
In the women’s race, MWSC alumnus, Carolyn Bramante, Duluth, MN, took the early lead after the first shooting stage with clean shooting, but as soon as the standing stages began MWSC alumnus, Tracy Colliander, Durango, CO, put on one of her signature displays of fast and flawless shooting. Tracy went on to 60 sec victory. Second and third places changed off several times in the later half of the race. Laura Spector, also a MWSC alumnus, diplayed some of the ski speed that had put her on 2 World Championship team and finished 2nd with 6 total penalties. With the fastest ski time of the day, Susan Dunklee, Barton, VT managed to salvage a 3rd place finish after a disappointing day on the shooting range with 9 penalties. MWSC athlete, BethAnn Chamberlain, recovered from a tough day on the range on saturday to hit 16 or 20 and finish in 5th place.
Competition for the 4 men’s and 4 women’s positions on the IBU Cup Team will resume on Dec 19th at Mt Itasca. Three more races remain in the best 3 of 5 race series.
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US Olympic Trials Selection Race
Posted: 12/12/2009
Coleraine, MN - Walt Shepard of Yarmouth hit 8 of 10 targets to finish 5th in today's 10km competition. Finishing in a time of 27:12, Shepard was 53 seconds back of winner Mark Johnson of Grand Rapids who hit 9 of 10. Russell Currier of Stockholm turned in one of the strongest ski times on the day, but struggled in the range finishing 9th. Bill Bowler of Wassau,WI finished 11 with 5 of 10 shooting.
Grace Boutot of Ft. Kent led the MWSC women finishing 9th with 80%
shooting on the day. Teammates BethAnn Chamberlain of Caribou finished
just 14 seconds back with 7 penalties. Hilary McNamee in her first race
of the season finished 11 with 5 of 10 shooting.
MWSC Biathlon Coach Gary Colliander commented afterwards, "This was a
typical first day for an Olympic Trials, there were quite a few misses in
the range, a few surprises in the results, and some obvious nerves out
there. Tomorrow is a new day and I believe this group will get stronger
over the next nine days."
Eliot Neal of Wilson, WY skied a strong race today to finish 2nd in the
Youth Men's race. Hitting 4 of his 5 prone targets, Neal led the race up
to his standing stage. Three misses were probably one too many as Neal
pushed hard the final loop to overcome the deficit finishing 35 seconds
shy of 1st place. Conrad Roberts of Battle Lake, MN was the eventual
winner on the day with a time of 22:37 and 8 of 10 shooting.
Andrea Mayo of Wallagrass had a breakthrough race hitting 70% and skiing
her strongest race of the season. Struggling this season thus far to get
above the 50% shooting mark, Mayo really focused in faltering just once in
prone and twice in standing. "Andrea looked to be in the zone today. She
showed good patience with most of her shots and on the course she looked
really aggressive out there," commented Colliander.
Sunday will be the Mass Start competition and then the athletes will
have a five day break before starting back up again next Saturday.
Posted: 12/11/2009
The Olympic Trials Selection Process is about to begin. Two men, Jay Hakinen and Tim Burke have already pre-qualified, but for the other athletes their journey is about to begin. For the athletes in North America, their trials process begins with five races over nine days. These races will take place in Coleraine, MN, just 15 minutes outside of Grand Rapids, where the athletes are currently preparing. The best 3 of 5 races will be scored and used to select up to 4 men and 4 women to head to Europe and compete in 3 competitions in Germany January 7-10. They will be joined by the athletes currently competing on the World Cup and not qualified already for the Olympics. These competitions in Germany will be the last opportunity to show their metal and make their bid for an Olympic berth.
CURRENT CONDITIONS IN COLERAINE - The current weather in Coleraine is cold. Temperatures are well below zero and the wind chills are even lower. Yet, the athletes continue to head out each day to get their workouts in, to fine tune and stay in sync with their routines.
THE VENUE - Snow finally hit east of the Rockies, although not much in most places. Grand Rapids unfortunately was missed by the storm so the amount of natural snow is only a few inches. Luckily a strong core of volunteers from the community under the leadership of the Mt. Itasca Nordic Ski Association has laid out a 2.5km loop of manmade snow. Working around the clock blowing snow, pushing it out on to the loop, and grooming, the course is just about set for this weekend.
READY TO GO - Walt Shepard of Yarmouth had two strong finishes for the Maine Winter Sports Center in the opening weekend of racing placing 4th and 8th. Last weekend, Russell Currier of Stockholm cleaned (hit 10 for 10) his first race ever and won in the 2nd NorAm weekend. BethAnn Chamberlain of Caribou has also performed well in both weekends and looks poised to make a push on her "home course". Chamberlain grew up and attended high school in Grand Rapids before moving out to Maine. Also competing for the MWSC:
- Bill Bowler - Wasau, WI
- Eliot Neal - Wilson, WY
- Grace Boutot - Fort Kent, ME
- Andrea Mayo - Wallagrass,ME
- Hilary McNamee - Fort Fairfield, ME
US Olympic Team Trials
Selection Races
Mt. Itasca, Coleraine, Minnesota
Saturday December 12 Noon Sprint Competition
Sunday December 13 Noon Mass Start Competiion
Saturday December 19 11AM Sprint Competition
Sunday December 20 11AM Pursuit Competition
Tuesday December 22 10AM Sprint Competition
Up to four men and four women will be selected from these races to compete at the IBU Cup in Altenburg, Germany on January 9th and 10, at which the final team will be chosen. The Men's Team will have five competitors and the Women's Team will have four. With Tim Burke and Jay Hakkinen having already pre-qualified for the Team the final three Men and four Women will be chosen in Altenburg. Contesting for these slots will be the four Men and four Women chosen at the Olympic Trials Selection Races in Minnesota, as well as the US Team members currently on the World Cup circuit who have not pre-qualified for the Olympics.
Posted: 12/10/2009
Presque Isle, ME - 8" of new snow fell at the venue last night and race volunteers are busy preparing the trails for the TD Bank/TAMC Eastern Cup races next weekend. To sign up for the races, visit the NENSA website at www.nensa.net.
Posted: 12/05/2009
Ostersund, Sweden - He might only have slept one hour after his 2nd place on Wednesday but Tim Burke proved once again in today's sprint competition that he can focus on his game the second it counts. As one of the first starters he set the time to beat after two clean shooting stages. Only the strong Norwegian men could beat him. Record-Winner Ole Einar Bjoerndalen hit all targets and showed an extraterrestrial skiing performance, finishing ahead of the winner of the individual, team mate Emil Hegle Svendsen. Burke was back 37.2 seconds in the end.
High Performance Director Bernd Eisenbichler was even more satisfied with today's result than with the one on Thursday. "We knew within the team that Tim was able to repeat his result. But now everyone knows that the second place wasn't just a coincidence! I am really proud of him because he managed to handle all the stress with the press conferences and inquiries that followed after the individual and still came back as strong as before. He stayed focused and he made us enormously proud! Actually the thanks goes out to the whole team of technicians and physio and everyone who is involved. They made those results possible!"
For the rest of the team Tim's results continue to be a big motivation. Jay Hakkinen who finished 43rd with two penalties, was inspired by his teammate's result: "Tim lifts us up somehow. When I see that result I know that everything is possible. I might not be completely satisfied with my own result right now because I guess I need some more racing to really get into the game, but seeing Tim scoring those results makes it easier. It's a good thing for the whole team and for me it's the motivation to work even harder on the small missing details."
Women learned from experiences in Sweden
After there first two competitions of the season the US women also have plenty of reasons to be proud of themselves. With the fifth fastest shooting time and place 64 Lanny Barnes proved today that she found a new confidence on the shooting range. “Of course I am sad that I missed that one target but I felt quite good on the range anyhow. The only thing I still have to improve is my skiing. But for me it always takes some time to get faster. The more competitions I raced the better I get!” A statement that should give new motivation for the races still to come. An even bigger motivation though seem to be Burke’s results. “I think the whole team get’s inspired by his results. His success helps us to be more successful as well!”
For Sara Studebaker and Haley Johnson it seems to be the other way round. Both of them showed some good results on the track with skiing times among the best 60 of the world. “After the race on Wednesday I was a bit calmer today”, stated Studebaker after her 59th place in today’s sprint competition. “I was mad at myself for not hitting all targets. I had good conditions on the range but still didn’t manage to use my chance. But anyway, it was a great experience and I think it will give me more confidence for the next stages.” Johnson is still struggling with her shooting but in the meantime also looking forward for the next chances to prove her current form. “I still have to get in the competition mode. It always takes me some time but I am feeling more confident with every race I skied.”
Posted: 12/03/2009
This past Monday, U.S. Biathlete (Paul Smiths, N.Y.) posted on his athlete blog ( http://timburke.us/ ) that he was looking forward to seeing how the adjustments to his training regime would pay off this season. Well, given today's results in Ostersund, Sweden, he evidently didn't have to wait long to see the progress he's made since last season. Burke made US Biathlon history today, winning silver in the 20km Individual competition, and tying the best World Cup finish ever for a U.S. biathlete and equaling Josh Thompson's 20 km silver medal at Canmore Canada World Cup in 1992.
Burke admitted Monday that he felt ready to overcome the health issues and inconsistency he felt he was having over the past two seasons and he did just that to kick-off the 2009-10 International Biathlon Union World Cup season today in the 20k event.
The U.S. Olympic Committee along with US Biathlon will host a media teleconference with Tim Burke and US Biathlon to discuss this historic achievement at 3 p.m. EASTERN (1 p.m. MOUNTAIN). Joining Burke will be Max Cobb, US Biathlon Executive Director; Per Nilsson, US Biathlon Head Coach; Armin Auchentaller, US Biathlon Assistant Coach; and Bernd Eisenbichler, High Performance Director.
After the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Swedish Coach Per Nilsson took the reins of the U.S. Biathlon Team, bringing a new vision and the exemplary coaching skills needed to take Team USA to the podium. Under his guidance, the U.S. men have posted their best results since 1992. Nilsson guided Tim Burke to two record-breaking seasons, including a 7th place at the worlds in 2007, 12 top-15 finishes in World Cups and six top-15 finishes in the Biathlon World Championships. In March 2008, Burke became the first U.S. biathlete to record the fastest scratch time in an international biathlon competition when he finished seventh in the pursuit at the World Cup in Oslo, Norway. The U.S. men's relay team has become very competitive. In January at the Ruhpolding, Germany World Cup the Men finished 5th, just 22 seconds off the podium
Media can participate by dialing 1-800-311-9410 and entering the passcode of BIATHLON.
A bio for Tim Burke has been provided below:
Name: Tim Burke
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 160
Birthdate: 2/3/82
Birthplace: Saranac Lake, NY
Hometown: Paul Smiths, NY, currently resides in Lake Placid, NY
Years on Team: 6
School: Saranac Lake High School, Empire State College
Equipment: Skis and boots- Rossignol, Poles- Swix Clothing, glasses, suit- Adidas
Sponsors: Lake Placid, Syn-flex, Rossignol, Swix, TD Bank
COMPETITION HIGHLIGHTS:
7th Individual, World Championships 2007
9th Sprint &10th Pursuit World Championships 2008
11th Sprint, 14th Individual World Championships 2009
9 top-10 World Cup finishes
25th World Ranking 2006/2007 season
29th World Ranking 2007/2008 season
25th World Ranking 2008/2009 season
FIRST WORLD CUP:
Ruhpolding, Germany 2004
OLYMPICS/WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS:
2006 Olympian, five time World Champion team member
About Tim:
Growing up in the town of Paul Smiths, NY, just outside Lake Placid, Burke had the opportunity to try many different Olympic sports. With a background in cross country skiing, he was naturally drawn to biathlon. He tried biathlon for the first time when he was 12 and never stopped. He was recruited to the national team program at age 16.
One of the US Biathlon's strongest medal contenders, Burke has had several top-ten finishes on the World Cup circuit in the past three seasons leading up to 2010 Vancouver Games. Tim finds his motivation in being an underdog American in a sport dominated by Europeans.
Burke remembers a great childhood, "I grew up in Paul Smiths NY, with our nearest neighbor about one-half mile away. There is not much there other than woods and water. In the winter, there was always a lot of snow. Whereas kids in town can go out of their house to a store or into town, I went outside and played with my brother and sister. In the winter, that was mostly on skis. I do not remember watching television. We were always outside running around, in the summer swimming, and in the winter on our skis or snowshoeing; always very active.
An avid outdoorsman, Burke loves to fish and hike in the Adirondack Mountains. He also enjoys tele-skiing.
Posted: 12/02/2009
Posted: 11/29/2009
Canmore, Alberta – Walt Shepard of Yarmouth skied another strong race in today’s Pursuit competition. Hitting 13 of his 20 shots Shepard dropped back to 7th place overall. Entering the range in 3rd place Shepard had two shots miss their mark in his first shooting. Dropping back a few places Shepard would stay just out of reach from the lead pack with 5 more misses in his final stages. “My skiing wasn’t quite there today”, Shepard stated after the race. “I didn’t quite have the feeling today like I did yesterday. Nevertheless it has been a decent start to the season.” Shepard’s teammate Russell Currier of Stockholm also struggled with his shooting today hitting just 10 for 20 to place 9th. “Russell skied very well today, he looked like his usual self on the course today, just flying out there”, commented MWSC Biathlon Coach Gary Colliander.
Eliot Neal of Wilson, WY joined the Team last night after a few weeks of training in West Yellowston, MT. In his first NorAm Cup of the season, Neal skied solidly and shot on par with the field. Missing just one in each of his prone stages Neal moved up into the top 5. With 2 penalties in each of his two standing bouts, Neal slipped back to finish 9th overall.
The Biathlon Team will spend one more week training in Canmore and will race next Saturday in the 2nd NorAm of the season.
Updates available at:
mwscbiathlon.blogspot.com
Posted: 11/28/2009
Canmore, Alberta – Nestled in the rugged Canadian Rocky Mountains just over an hour north of Calgary, the Maine Winter Sports Center Biathlon Team has been training for the past ten days. Skiing on a 2.5km loop of manmade snow the Team has spent their days getting used to being back on snow, testing new skis and ski grinds or structures, and fine tuning their shooting skills.
Tomorrow the season opens with the first NorAm Cup. With just under 200 hundred racers in the Youth, Junior, and Senior categories, the competition is sure to be what the Team is looking for. “We’re looking to bring the pieces together with these first few races,” stated Biathlon Coach Gary Colliander. “The athletes have been working hard all season and this will be a good test to bring together a solid performance. Races have a different atmosphere from interval sessions or time trials.”
Races start 1pm (EST).
Racing this weekend:
Bill Bowler – Wasau, WI
Russell Currier - Stockholm
Walt Shepard – Yarmouth
Eliot Neal – Wilson, WY
BethAnn Chamberlain – Caribou
Andrea Mayo - Wallagrass
Updates available at:
mwscbiathlon.blogspot.com
Posted: 11/28/2009
Canmore, Alberta – The season kicked off with a bit of a bite this morning. After nearly two weeks of unusually warm conditions the athletes were greeted with high winds and some of the coldest temperatures they’ve seen this season thus far. With just over a 3km loop of manmade snow in place the course was hard packed and very fast.
Walt Shepard of Yarmouth placed 4th in today’s 10km competition. Hitting 8 of his 10 shots, Shepard was locked in a tight battle as places 3 through 8 all shot the same. Shepard’s final loop was a strong one as he placed 4 seconds in front of Canada’s Tyson Smith and was only 11 seconds from the podium. Russell Currier of Caribou placed 9th with 3 penalties. Bill Bowler of Wasau, WI kick started the season by wearing bib number 1. Bowler had just one penalty in prone but faltered in standing missing of 5 to place 14th.
BethAnn Chamberlain of Caribou had one of just a handful of clean stages in the Women’s race, however 4 penalties in windy conditions during standing left her working a little harder the final loop. Chamberlain finished 8th overall. In the Youth Women’s race Andrea Mayo of Wallagrass finished 9th with 5 penalties.
Tomorrow concludes with the Pursuit competition.
Updates available at:
mwscbiathlon.blogspot.com
Posted: 11/23/2009
The biathlon team has arrived in Canmore, Alberta a few days ago. Site of the 1988 Olympic Biathlon and Cross Country events the venue has seen some remarkable upgrades for recent cross country World Cup races and last season's Youth and Jr. World Championships.
We're enjoying the 2.5km loop of natural and artificial snow. It's fast and the loop they've laid out is pretty sweet. You have your choice of easy terrain or some big climbs. There are numerous Canadian National Team athletes for both cross country and biathlon training here in addition to many of the local clubs so the trails have been busy. Sometimes the downhills seem to be filled with a bunch of moving obstacles as we have to manuever our way through traffic. We've been skiing twice a day, lots of balance and coordination drills, lots of thinking about technique, just trying to find that comfortable feeling on skis. In addition, everyone has new skis to test and ski in so lots of time in the wax room as well!
This is our home for the next two weeks. We'll be training and racing while here with the first NorAm's starting next weekend. To follow the team go to http://mwscbiathlon.blogspot.com/
Follow the MWSC biathlon team as they make the push to the Olympics in Vancouver at www.mainewsc.org/teams_biathlon.html
Nordic Heritage Sport Club
Posted: 11/23/2009
The Nordic Heritage Sport Club seeks a part-time person to staff the Welcome Center through the winter. The job will be 15-20hrs/week with potential for more during vacation times. For more information or to apply, contact the NHSC President Tom Chassse at tomsharo@yahoo.com.
Posted: 11/20/2009
This Saturday, November 21, Bill Green’s Maine will feature a segment about MWSC Olympic hopeful skiers and biathletes. The show airs at 7pm on Saturday evening on WCSH 6/NBC and in Aroostook County on WLBZ channel 2.
Posted: 11/17/2009
Muonio, Finland--Far above the arctic circle in Lapland this past Saturday, Ben Koons, of Sidney, became the first Mainer to achieve an Olympic qualifying standard in Nordic Skiing for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Koons, who holds dual citizenship in the U.S. and New Zealand, raced to a 103rd place in the men's 15km classic at the Olos resort. Initial calculations indicate that it was good enough for a 99.54 point FIS race, and good enough to drop his international point profile below 100 points--the qualifying standard set by the New Zealand Ski Federation.
Koons, who skis for the Maine Winter Sports Center, traveled to northern Finland with the MWSC XC squad in hopes of earning his first Olympic start. An upper respiratory infection nearly stopped him in his tracks.
"We traveled well, and everyone seemed perfectly healthy," said MWSC Coach, Will Sweetser. "Then Ben came down with something just two days out from the race. We crossed our fingers and hit it with everything we had."
It may have been just enough. Koons sat out the classical sprint race on November 13, in order to gain another day of rest. While he was still clearly sick at the start line of the 15km classical race on November 14, he had just enough in the tank to push through with the result he needed.
"That wasn't the finish I was hoping for, but it got me what I needed," Koons said. "I'll take it."
Indeed, despite being forced back to bed on Sunday, the one race Koons managed will likely take him all the way to Vancouver. The next steps in Koons' Olympic journey depend on FIS ratification of the weekend's racing and on the New Zealand Olympic Team naming process. Currently, Koons is the only New Zealand male skier who has achieved the sub 100 FIS point standard. The team will be named on January 19.
Full results from the Muonio XC Openers are available at: http://www.muonio.fi/liikunta/ Full results, including FIS points will be available Wednesday at: http://www.fis-ski.com/uk/604/1228.html?event_id=27797&cal_suchsector=CC
Joey Bard and David Chamberlain training at the Rossignol Field of Dreams, October 23, 2009.
Posted: 10/26/2009
Thursday brought snow to the County--enough to groom in places, and MWSC took advantage with skiing at the Nordic Heritage Center, 10th Mountain Center, 4Seasons Trails and on the groomed trails at Rossignol's Field of Dreams and at the Snowy Mountain Trails. Some of the MWSC crew got in double sessions on snow Friday.
Saturday stayed just cool enough, just long enough that we could pull off a classic sprint race on snow at the Snowy Mountain Trails in Stockholm, ME. After three hard fought rounds, Ben Koons pulled away from Joey Bard and Nick Kline for the victory, while famed local ski supporter Carl Soderberg trounced the masters' field.
Saturday night's rains forced everyone back to the rollerskis for Sunday's 10km and 5km contests. Long-time MWSC teammates David Chamberlain and Sarah Dominick clinched victories over the hilly course.
Full results from the weekend's races can be found at: http://www.mwscxc.blogspot.com/
Ben Koons putting technique to work at Madawaska Lake, October 25, 2009.
Ben Koons putting technique to work at Madawaska Lake, October 25, 2009.
David Chamberlain, full tilt at Madawaska Lake 10km Rollerski Race, October 25, 2009.
Posted: 10/25/2009
MWSC athletes David Chamberlain and Fred Bailey are hosting a benefit reception at Black Mountain on November 1. Highlights include raffle and silent auction. Among the prizes will be a pair of skis. Proceeds from the event will help David and Fred offset training and traveling expenses this winter.
For more info please download the attached document [pdf].
Posted: 10/24/2009
The Nordic Heritage Center, 2010 XC Junior Olympic host venue, reports six inches of new snow over the last day. Athletes from the Maine Winter Sports Center were excited by the opportunity for some early season skiing and toured around the race trails this morning. Pictured here is MWSC athlete Ben Koons on the 5km classic race course and Koons with fellow MWSC teammate Nick Kline skiing by the lodge at the Nordic Heritage Center.
MWSC XC Team member Sarah Dominick on groomed trails in Stockholm, ME this morning.
Posted: 10/23/2009
Stockholm, ME // 10.23.2009 - Sure, we all get plenty of reports of early snow each year. And this snow fall is only about 5". And it likely won't last more than 24 hours on the ground. But in Stockholm, that's no reason not to do it right. Thanks to the dedication and enthusiasm of the Snowy Mountain Trails' groomer/director Tom Campbell, the Maine Winter Sports Center XC squad is already 1 hour into training on groomed trails this year.
Most of the team is in Stockholm this morning for a classic ski. Sarah Dominick, pictured here, has already got in her 2 hour ski and is firing up the Sweetser/Dominick sauna, also pictured here. If the snow holds until early afternoon--which looks likely, thanks to the grooming, the team will head out for a short skate workout.
Just because the snow is thin and temporary doesn't mean you shouldn't treat your ski center like a real venue. Do it right!
Snow cover at the Sweetser-Dominick compound, Stockholm, ME.
Posted: 10/22/2009
Caribou, ME - The Maine Winter Sports Center is excited to announce that Mapleton native Mike Smith will be joining their staff as a Community Development Coach. Smith comes to the MWSC staff with a range of outdoor and leadership experiences, and having grown up in the County, he already has a strong connection with the communities of Northern Maine.
"We are thrilled to have someone with Mike's extensive outdoor skills and experiences join our staff," said Eileen Carey, Vice President of MWSC. "Our success depends on having coaches who are committed to promoting healthy, active lifestyles throughout the communities of Aroostook County. Mike's expertise and his desire to share that with others make him a perfect fit for the job."
Mike is a 2003 graduate of the University of Maine, Orono. Upon graduating he became a registered Maine Guide and has worked as a sea kayak guide along the coast of Maine, as a whitewater kayak guide in Central America, and a cross-country ski coach and telemark ski instructor in Aroostook County. For the last two years Mike worked at MOJO, Presque Isle's bike and ski shop, at which he implemented a variety of programs such as community ski nights, ski and bike maintenance clinics, and beginner mountain bike rides. He has also assisted the University of Maine in Presque Isle with paddling and mountaineering programs, and most recently worked with the Nordic Heritage Sports Club as director of the annual Fat Tire Mountain Bike Festival.
Mike is excited to continue sharing his love for the outdoors in his new capacity as Community Development Coach with the MWSC. "I have been fortunate enough to have incredible adventures in my life, and I've been equally fortunate to have a home as special as northern Maine," said Smith, "I'm excited to share my love for both through my work with Maine Winter Sports Center." As a Community Development Coach, Mike will be a resource for communities looking to establish or build upon existing ski and outdoor recreation programs. His duties will range from coordinating the Healthy Hometown Ski Program and Healthy Hometown Ski Trailers, to running ski leader education clinics and helping communities develop youth and community outdoor programs. He will also be involved in coaching MWSC youth and development teams.
Lobster Roll competitors and coaches at the North Haven Community Center.
Posted: 10/22/2009
North Haven Island, ME--The third annual Lobster Roll saw nearly 75 competitors cruise around this scenic island last Saturday. The event, organized by the Maine Winter Sports Center, serves as Maine's collegiate rollerski championship. Teams from Colby, Bowdoin, UMO, UMPI, MWSC and individuals from Gould Academy and the Maine Coast Nordic Team took on this year's 16km freestyle race.
Lucy Garrec, of Colby College, charged to the finish first in a tight women's battle. Despite relatively cold conditions, Garrec bettered her 2008 time by more than a minute to finish in 47:08. Garrec was followed closely by Colby teammate Amy Lones (47:27) and UMPI's Hannah Shepard (47:31).
In the men's competition, MWSC's Pavel Sotskov crushed the field with a new course record of 33:41. MWSC junior racer Nick Michaud earned second place (36:35) with Colby's Jeremy Blazer taking the last podium position (38:49).
Garrec and Blazer earned the official Lobster Roll championships, as Maine's collegiate rollerski victors. Colby also took both the men's and the women's team titles.
Lobster Roll 2009 Photo Gallery. Click here!
Jake Barton, Sam Mathes and Corey Park leading the Colby train.
Posted: 10/05/2009
The United States Biathlon Association, Inc., the national organization responsible for the Olympic sport of biathlon, is seeking an operations manager to work at the organization's headquarters near Portland, Maine. The operations manager is responsible for a wide variety of tasks supporting both the national team staff with logistical planning as well as managing fund-raising events, campaigns and communications. The operations manager works very closely with and reports directly to the executive director. The ideal candidate will be independent, passionate about sport, have good communications skills, and be able to manage online content and communications. Candidates must be familiar and able to use all standard office software and able to easily navigate online content. Additionally, an accounting background would be beneficial but is not required.
Operations Manager's Specific Duties:
- provide planning and logistical support for the national team staff including but not limited to booking air travel, rental cars, and hotels
- process national team staff expense reports
- maintain the team information and online web-based content for the national team
- manage the planning and execution of the association's board meetings
- manage the association's fundraising activities, including recording donations and managing receipts of gifts
- assist the executive director in maintaining the organization's financial accounting system and grant reports
- work closely with the executive director to ensure high quality operations in all aspects of the association
- some availability for weekend events and to travel is preferred by not required
Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.
Please send applications to:
Max Cobb
Executive Director
US Biathlon Assoc.
www.USBiathlon.org
49 Pineland Drive, Suite 301 A
New Gloucester, ME 04260
Tel: +1.207.688.6500
Fax: +1207.688.6505
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