June Shooting Camp Information and Registration Form

June shooting camp form is available at the following location.

June 2009 Shooting Camp Information and Registration Form

Methow Valley Biathlon Shooting Camp

Posting on behalf of Dr. Betsy:

Mark the dates on your calendar...

Ben Kremer from US Biathlon & Minnesota Biathlon is coming to the Methow to assist us with this shooting camp.

When: Wed June 24 - Sun June 28, 2009
Where: Mazama Biathlon Range, Mazama, WA
Cost: To be determined

Preliminary plans:
June 24-27: Jr 12-18yrs am shooting sessions
June 24,25: kids 9-11yrs pm shooting sessions
June 26,27: adults 20+ pm shooting sessions
June 28: everyone am fun race

I wanted to get this our as soon as I could so people can plan ahead with dates.

Please RSVP to me if you would like to come so I can make sure we have enough rifles & ammo & space. I will let you know more details as soon as I can.

New biathletes welcome. We will have a required safety certification clinic available for new shooters. If this applies to you, please contact me now so I can make arrangements.

Betsy (drbetsy at methownet dot com)

Spring Skiing at the Olympic Trails

The MVNT took advantage of the last weekend of grooming at the 2010 Olympic Nordic trails for a perfect weekend of skiing in the Cost Mtns of British Columbia. Many of the athletes also honed their skills on the Biathlon range shooting next to the U.S. Biathlon team who were also training on the Olympic trails. In the afternoons, when the snow turned to slush, the team went back to Squamish for dry-land training which included a run/hike to the top of the Squamish Chief.
What a great opportunity to preview the Olympic trails!

Newsletter is up.

View the 2009 Newsletter by clicking the following link.
Current Newsletter

Truckee Junior National Photos

Nine MVNT skiers travelled to Truckee California from March 6-16th, and raced with the other top junior skiers from around the nation. The team stopped for a morning of climbing at Smith Rocks on the way down, and they brought energy and quality to their races. Results can be found at: http://xcjuniorolympics2009.org.

Team Photo Day at Sun Mountain Lodge

Last all team practice of the 08/09 season... team photos, hotdogs and fun at Sun Mountin Lodge!

End of Season 'Ski to Town'

On February 24th MVNT celebrated the last big ski of the season. Over 100 kids skied to the Town trailhead from as far away as Chickadee, and points in between. The Tree Candy Fairies heard we were coming and left prizes along the trails. Birthday balloons greeted coach, Rob Crandall, upon arrival.

Bend JOQ Photos and JO Team selection

The MVNT travelled to Bend on Feb. 19-22nd, for the NW High School Championship Races and the last Junior National Qualifier of the season. Thirteen MVNT skiers raced in Bend, and nine qualified for Nationals: Eric Bjornsen, Evan Turner, Matty Coleman, Willie Devin, Casey Smith, Nina Ekblad, Kelsey Dickinson, Sage Abate and Jacqueline O'Keefe. Congratulations to all for a great training season!

Stay tuned for updates from the Junior Nationals in Truckee, CA, March 9-14th.

MVNT Coaches Attend PSIA Clinic

PSIA Clinic

Seven MVNT coaches attended an all day PSIA (Professional Ski Instructors of America) Level I Certification Clinic at Sun Mountain Lodge on Wednesday, February 25th. Our 'own' David Lawrence presented the clinic. David teaches for the Methow Valley Ski School, Coaches for MVNT and is on the PSIA National Nordic Demo Team. It was an info-packed and, as always, fun filled day that left everyone with new ideas and challenges and certification as a Professional Ski Instructor!

Browns Farm Ski

Skate Sprints at the Race of the Methow

Saturday was a beautiful day for races in the Methow Valley. The Skate Sprints for racers ages 6 and up were held at Liberty Bell High School on the new trails. More wonderful photos on the MVSTA Blog.

Soldier Hollow Junior Olympic Qualifier

On January 30th and 31st, three MVNT racers (Kelsey Dickenson, Sage Abate, Jacqueline O'Keefe) competed at the former Olymipic venue near Park City, UT-- Soldier Hollow. The photos below are from Tamera Abate and Janice Dickenson who also travelled to the race.

Sadie and Erik in France: Sprints

Erik and Sadie were the top US finishers in the Sprints: report from FasterSkier.com

Praz de Lys, France; Feb 1, 2009

Scott Johnston

Today began the 2009 Cross Country World Championships for juniors (those 19 and under). Today's event was the Sprint 1.4km for men and 1.1km for women. The sprint format is relatively new to Cross Country skiing and is very demanding physically but also strategically. It consists of an individual start time trial on the usually 1-1.5km course. From this the fastest 30 skiers are selected to move into the heats which follow, typically 2 hours later. The heats are done in elimination fashion with 6 racing in each quarter final, semi finals and finals. The fastest two skiers in each heat of the quarter finals advance to the semis. After a short break of about 45 minutes during which time the other heats are racing; 6 skiers line up for the semi finals and do it all over again. The successful skiers race 4 times during the day at an all out pace. This involves warming up multiple times, staying hydrated and fueled with the correct foods as well as getting mentally prepared to give 100% for 3minutes. So while the races are short the day is long and exhausting as the efforts involved are maximal. The strategy and technical prowess required are at the highest levels involved in XC skiing.

When the Sprint event was introduced a dozen years ago; like many traditional Nordic racers I was dismissive of it: Thinking, quite wrongly, that this did not really represent what XC skiing was all about. In fact I have come to think now of it as representing all the best qualities of XC skiing and then some.

Sadie and Erik came into today's race with quite different frames of reference. Sadie is a World Junior Championship veteran. This being her fourth and last trip so she knows the drill quite well and has done well in the Sprint before placing 15th a couple of years ago in Italy. Despite her veteran status she came into this race with a lot of doubts. Her training has not gone well since late October and she has been feeling quite unprepared to achieve her high goals of a top 5 finish. She is fully capable of skiing at that level but I was pretty sure that it would not be possible this time around. This is my first experience at my not expecting Sadie to perform to her expectations and I too was unsure of how she would go today. But then Sadie did what she has done so well in the past in demonstrating an almost unique ability to push beyond her limits while under extreme pressure. I'll let Sadie tell her story;

Sadie's Sprint:

Race Day #1

Today was the first day of the World Junior Championships in Praz de Le. The morning started with my alarm failing to go off, and me jumping out of bed, throwing on some shoes, still dreaming as I sat down at the breakfast table. I started the morning with a rush, but that may have been a good thing for me. We are fortunate enough to be staying right on the race venue, less than a five minute walk down to the wax cabins. Cruising through the morning I prepared for my first race here at Worlds, not really knowing what to expect. I set goals earlier this season, but with the realities of how my training has gone this first year of college, I didn't know where I would be today. Getting everything together, and heading down to the venue, I started to get into race mode. The kind where I fail to see what's going on around me much, but focus on getting what I need to do. I did my usual warm-up, feeling strong and quick. The prelim went well, I qualified 15th, which means that I qualify for the rounds. Another girl on the team qualified as well in 7thposition. Resting for the next two hours, I started focusing on tactics for the heats. In the heat rounds, five heats of six people start. With six people going at one time, it's important to focus on tactics, staying on your feet, and being one of the first two to the line. The quarterfinals went well, I was able to finish strong and get second qualifying me for the semifinals. The semifinals were fast, and I was not able to hold onto the top pack. Advancing to the B-Finals, I was determined to make top ten. This would include beating at least two girls in this heat. I started off hard, getting a little bit tripped up at the top of the big hill, but staying positive. I came into the finish stretch tired, but determine to catch the girl in front of me that would put me in tenth. I came across the line inches behind, putting me in eleventh place. It was a good day for me, I posted my best result ever at World Juniors and the top US result. My next race is Thursday, the five kilometer skate race. I am excited for what is to come! I will keep updating.

SCOTT AGAIN: (Don't worry I'll be brief this time)
Erik was one of two rookies on the trip. At 17 he is among the youngest to compete here. In qualifying 23rd in the morning he immediately achieved his first goal for the trip which have centered around gaining experience at an international level. I will only briefly say here that Erik later demonstrated that champion mindset when, during his quarter final he passed 3 skiers including Thomas Northug the Norwegian race favorite to take the lead on the biggest hill of the course. The importance of Erik recognizing that he can ski with the best junior skiers in the world is the affirmation that we have sought in coming to this World Championship and will give Erik the confidence he needs to make the next step in his racing career. Now for Erik's story of today.

Erik's Sprint:

Coming into the race I had no expectation. I wasn't sure if I was going to be last or first. I knew one thing, and that was I had prepared myself the best I could and I felt great. My warm up went as planned and my skis were ready. So I had nothing to loose. Racing in Europe is a different type of racing. It's the same vibe as a football game in America. There where lots of spectators, booths, and loud music. The sprint had 3 up hills in it, 2 of them being very long and steep. I felt awesome throughout the race and put everything on the line and had an awesome qualifier placing 23rd. It was cool to hear the announcer say my name after I finished and I knew that I qualified. I was first of the American juniors and the only one to move on to the heats. The heats started two hours later so I had enough time to go back to the hotel and get some food into my system. I lined up in the heats with 5 other big guys. One of them being Peter Northug's younger brother, Peter Northug is probably considered to be the best skier in the world right now. The gun went of the first time with a second firing right after, indicating someone had false started. We all returned to the line and it was fired again, I had a bad start this time and I ended up fifth out of the start. But when we hit the second hill I made my move and went from fifth to first. It went then into a fast long downhill to the last climb. I got to that last hill in the lead and a skier on my right and left slingshoted by me, they had caught my draft on the down hill. I went over the top of that hill in fourth with a Russian right beside me. About half way down that final hill into the finish the Russian cut directly into me pushing me out of the middle lane into the far lane that was much slower. I was then in fifth and stayed in that position to the finish. I was happy with my race but thought to myself I could have done better. This has been a great introduction to racing with the world's best and I look forward to the 20km Pursuit on Tuesday.

Results of Jan. 31 Time Trial

The trails skied great, and we had sunshine! Thanks to Casey Smith for grooming; Mike Harvey and Nancy Cushing for timing, and everyone else who helped get it done. MVNT, you look fast and ready for your upcoming races! For a more readable table of results, please refer to email from me or Flash.



Methow Valley Nordic Time Trial/Training Race 1/31/2009 LBHS Trails
Lap dist 3.46 km and 2.5 km (*) Skating
Lap 1 Lap 2 Lap 3 Lap 4 Race
Bib Name Time Time Time Time Time

6 Casey Smith 09:34 09:46 10:02 09:36 38:58
68 Evan Turner 09:35 10:02 10:20 09:54 39:51
1 Matty C. 10:23 11:10 11:21 10:39 43:33
40 Marc LeDuc 11:01 11:30 11:34 10:57 45:02
69 Rem Rohr 11:04 11:28 11:37 11:20 45:29

17 Nina Eckblad * 07:48 08:07 15:55
11 Madison Jennings * 09:07 09:11 18:18
33 Nathalie Cushing * 09:05 09:28 18:33

46 Claire Waichler * 10:38 10:38

202 Laura McCabe 09:47 09:52 10:05 10:04 39:48
4047 Scott Waichler 10:07 10:30 10:51 10:50 42:18
57 Dave Ford 10:31 10:55 11:04 11:01 43:31
24 Louie Sukovaty 10:45 11:33 11:35 11:32 45:25
8 Steve Berg 11:17 12:07 12:02 11:45 47:11
7100 Rolf Borgersen 12:04 12:23 12:16 12:38 49:21
0 Dan Weinstein 13:16 13:24 13:17 13:30 53:27
70 Joe Brown 10:46 DNF

Sadie and Erik Bjornsen arrive at World Junior Races in France

ERIK'S DSPATCH:

It's been three days since our arrival here in Praz De Lys: A small resort town in the French alps about an hour from the famous Chamonix. The hotel we are staying at is right next to the race venue. There are four other national teams staying with us; Canadian, Finnish, Russian and Chinese so the atmosphere is very international. Seeing all the other athletes as focused and into ski racing as much I am is really exciting and a great motivator. There are so many of us that the dining room in the hotel is crammed and has many different voice and languages. I'm rooming with George Cartwright, a J1 from Lander Wyoming. The ski trails are amazing with gorgeous mountain views in every direction. I've been trying to just ski the trails that we race on, but there are so many amazing trails it's hard not to ski all of them. The first few days have consisted mainly of skiing, sightseeing, homework and trying to get adjusted to the time change. I have had some problems sleeping, but it is finally starting to get better. It is a little hard to get used to sleeping during the middle of the day at home. The first day here, Scott Johnston took us to Chamonix to check out all the amazing mountains there. We took a tram up to 13,000 feet to view all the pointy mountains around that Scott has climbed. It was pretty amazing! Yesterday there was a random selection of drug testing on our team. Ten athletes were picked to get their blood drawn to check for doping from every team. Ironically, both Sadie and I got selected for testing. We still have four days until my first race which will be the 1.3km classic sprint. The coaches decided that I should also race the 20km pursuit, which is a 10km classic followed by a 10kmmm skate. A difficult part of the 20k pursuit is switching from your classic equipment to your skate equipment in the middle of the race. The U23's start racing tomorrow, so the racing atmosphere is starting to get exciting. This is a lot larger and more serious than any race that I have been to. It's a little scary, but I am really excited.

100 Mile House

The MVNT traveled north this past weekend for some races in beautiful 100 mile house. Unfortunatly the temps hovered around -25 celius for both days, and because of the cold temps, the distance race was completly cancelled and the Sprint race was shortened to one qualification round. It was still a fun-filled weekend with the highlight being a stop at the tallest skis in North America.

Race of the Methow Video

Race of the Methow is coming up February 7th and 8th.

This video is made from footage taken at a previous Race of the Methow. After clicking the link below, click "watch in high quality" to get the best video quality. Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PMdvsikNHI

Ski Fun at the Junior Pursuit

Junior 'racers' from 3 to 13 years old showed up for ski fun at the Methow Pursuit Saturday and Sunday, January 10 & 11.

Crust Cruising in Wilbur

The Methow Valley Nordic Team took advantage of perfect crust cruising conditions on the way to a race in Spokane to do their pre-race training. A record amount of snow in eastern Wa. followed by rain and then more cold temps set the stage for once in a lifetime conditions. The kids burst from the van once they saw how great the skiing was going to be across the frozen wheat fieldshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSknVlRiTS8

Koch skiers in Mazama