Bronze wraps up the week!

BC finished the week strong with a gold medal in the women's relay and a bronze for the men's side! Alberta had a favored team, winning by a comfortable 15 seconds( in the 4X 5km) and I was in a sprint finish for 2nd with Quebec in the anchor leg. I skied the last leg with Etienne Richard and passed the line a second behind him. It was a nice way to finish the week on the podium with team mates Matt Wylie, Joey Burton and Geoffrey Richards. I was upset to lose a position in the final meters but was happy to start my leg with less pressure knowing I was on the podium. It keeps me hungry and every mistake has a lesson! 

Results below!

http://cg2011.gems.pro/Result/Event_TI_R_S.aspx?Event_GUID=4b4390cc-2e34-4f33-ad91-1e04d95ea39f&SetLanguage=en-CA&SetLanguage=en-CA

VM Men's 30 Km Pursuit Holmenkollen 2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywWegiPbd8E&feature=player_embedded#at=76

Petter Northug's Finish!

Sprint Results

http://cg2011.gems.pro/Result/Event_TI_I_S.aspx?Event_GUID=9cfbedb1-59a5-44b1-ba7f-70300280a57f&SetLanguage=en-CA&SetLanguage=en-CA

Canada Winter Games

Results from the 10km Mens Skate race: http://cg2011.gems.pro/Result/Event_TI_I_O.aspx?Event_GUID=81c4885f-68a4-4d82-8594-a11787c2b6cd&SetLanguage=en-CA&SetLanguage=en-CA

Kick it like the Schleck brothers

Watch this before going riding this spring!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mw2ef1DD5C8&feature=related

Lake Placid North American Cup #6/ European Championship Trials

Qualifying for the European Championships (Ridnaun, Italy) has been my goal all year! The team selection was this weekend in Lake Placid, New York and was based on two races (sprint/pursuit). I relied completely on my skiing to carry me through some "rough" shooting and finish 3rd qualified, behind National Team members Marc-andre Bedard and Tyson Smith. The tour includes:
1. European Championships U26, Ridnaun, ITA., Feb.21-27
2. Alpen Cup, ITA, March 4-6
3. IBU Cup #8, Annecy, FRA, March 10-13

It would be my first senior tour with the Canadian Team and would be an amazing opportunity to perform at an international level. It would be the highest level I have competed at and would give me a good indication of the level I am aiming to reach. I'm skiing well and if I had my best races on the tour, I could be eligible for national team carding ($$$)! Everything seems perfect right? Unfortunately, the tour came with a $5500 team fees. This was a deciding factor in my heart breaking decision that I couldn't afford to attend. I hope to never use money as an excuse again, especially if it means turning down an international opportunity to perform! The costs of daily living, eating, training, and equipment are all an athletes responsibility. I receive less than a thousand dollars a year from my National sport organization which is even more than most athletes. I think its unrealistic for a 21-year-old full-time athlete to write a five thousand dollar check and not be worried about finances! This decision has increased my bitter-ness towards how sport is so insignificant in Canada and how expensive it is to reach your goals!

For the rest of the season I have Halifax 2011 Canada Winter Games, Cross Country Nationals (Canmore), Biathlon Nationals (Charlo, NB) and Biathlon North American Championships (Callaghan Valley, BC) in my schedule. I am excited to ski as fast as I can and leave all the money problems behind!

Check out the results from this weekend and leave a comment if you have an opinion!!

Overall Trial Results: http://nybiathlon.org/blog/?p=781
Pursuit Results: http://nybiathlon.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/noram6-pursuit1.pdf