Happy New Year!

December has gone by in a whirlwind - I can't believe that 2008 is over! World U23 Championship Trials start tomorrow and I'm excited to get back on the race trails after a brief Christmas holiday.

My last two NorAms in Silver Star both went well with a classic sprint where I came 12th, and then a 10km classic night race (on an intermittently lit course) in cold temperatures where I finished 14th. We headed back to Canmore on the 15th. I didn't get a chance to relax and contemplate the first races though because I had the unpleasant task of studying and writing my two final exams on the 17th and 18th. Luckily I had found time to study in Silver Star and I had one full day at home before the exams so I was pretty well prepared and both of them went well.

I was going to stay in Canmore after my exams to compete in some Alberta Cup races the following weekend but they were canceled due to the cold weather. I decided to take the opportunity to head home to Salmon Arm a few days earlier than planned. I got to spend about a week at home which was a nice vacation. The skiing was beautiful at Larch Hills and I got to catch up with my family and friends.

I drove back to Canmore on the 27th just in time for a regional team sprint race in Canmore the next day. I was surprised at how good I felt considering I had spent 6hrs sitting in the car the day before. Since I got back I've been getting my life organized and prepping for the races.

Trials start tomorrow (Jan.2). There are four races in 5 days but I am only doing three which are the U23 trials. Unfortunately this means I will not compete in the skate sprint which is one of my favorite events but as it is not a qualifying race for U23s I'm taking Saturday off instead. The official schedule is a 15km duathlon tomorrow, 10km skate Sunday and classic sprint on Tuesday.

The skate sprint at Sovereign (credit Jim Miles)

The Sovereign skate sprint podium

Race Report #1

The first races of the 08-09 season have come and gone so it's time for me to fill you in. The first races are always stressful as you want to get an idea of how you compare against the rest of the skiers after a summer of training. It was also especially exciting for the Academy as it was the first event we had ever competed at as a team. These were also my first races as a senior and I wanted to do well.

Saturday was a skate sprint, one of my favorite events. I felt messy during the qualification round and wasn't very confident about how my result would turn out so I was astonished and excited to see my name in 3rd place on the results board! I celebrated for a few minutes then went back into the lodge to prepare for the heats. I came 2nd in my quarter final, then squeaked into the A final with a 3rd place in my semi final. It was an exciting final since there were 4 AWCA skiers out of the 6 girls in the final, guaranteeing the team at least one medal. Unfortunately the long day took its toll on me and my legs didn't have anything left for the last half of the course. I ended up 6th overall, just making it into the prize money.

Yesterday was supposed to be a 10km individual start classic race but poor snow conditions earlier in the week meant that it was changed to skate. I felt strong and steady for most of the race but not very light and quick. I finished in 27th place which I wasn't that happy with but it gives me something to build on for later in the year.

We were supposed to drive to Whistler tomorrow for the next set of NorAms but they don't have enough snow to hold the races. The organizers decided to move them to Sovereign/Silver Star so now we'll be racing Thurs and Fri at Sovereign then Sunday at Silver Star. I have 3 days to recover then it's back to the races.

Stay tuned for race report #2!

Alysson