Hometown Hero

I was in Prince George this weekend to receive the Pacific Western Brewery's Hometown Hero Award. I was honored to be named PWB's hometown hero and am very thankful to Pacific Western Brewery. I encounter thousands of dollars a year in training and competition expenses so this support will go a long way in helping me reach my athletic goals. PWB is not only supporting an athlete but also health, our youth in sport, and creating positive role models in our community. Pacific western Brewery is a business role model in our city!

My training for the spring/summer will be based out of Canmore. I'll be training with the Rocky Mountain Racers but still representing my home club: Caledonia Nordic Ski Club. Sometimes you have to be flexible to get the best possible training, and right now the best training for me is in Canmore! I appreciate all the local support I have received and look forward to representing Prince George leading up to the 2015 Canada Winter Games. I think they will be huge for PG!

I would also like to thank Stride and Glide sport, The National Firearms Association and the Prince George Ramada Inn who are all supporting my training this year!

  

 

Check me out on Facebook!

Anyone on facebook? You can check out my athlete fan page at

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Matt-Neumann/45489539163 

Show your support and "like" me or leave a comment! Its another media outlet to keep supporters and sponsors updated in my life, my training, my racing, my goals, and my results. Happy blogging:)

Back on my bike!

One of the best attractions Squamish, BC has to offer: Corsa Cylces Friday night group ride! The rides started last Friday and tonight will be my first chance to join the boys for an evening of riding, hammering, sprinting and beer drinking! The rides have being a staple in my training over the last three years and I'm excited to get back on a road bike this spring. As always it will be good to catch up with the guys at the new Corsa bike shop which recently changed locations (170 1200 Hunter Pl.) and is looking spectacular! 

A week in Squamish!

Beau Thompson, Matt Neumann, and Aaron Neumann on the podium at North American Championships!

Beau leading the mass start during the second prone shooting!

After skiing on about 3 meters of snow at the Whistler Olympic Park, here I am running in an almost sunny Squamish!

Bro's before hoes.

Red Bull Nordix 2011 - Best Action

Check it out! Keep in mind this is on Cross Country skis with a Nordic bindings and a ski width of about 5cm (2 inches)!

National Champs Bring Highs and Lows

Its been a roller coaster right to the end! I had one of my best Biathlon races of the season at National Champs followed by one of my worst, Ive traveled across the entire country and back: twice this month, and finally the end is near! I recently finished competing at the North American Biathlon Championships where I won three medals and am six days away from the Whistler Olympic Park Loppet next Saturday! I had Canada Games, Cross Country Nationals, Biathlon Nationals, and North American Champs all back to back and the racing has had its toll on me.

Im looking forward to finishing the season with a bang here in Whistler and taking some much needed rest during April. My body is already excited for spring training but my mind needs a break (especially from shooting) and I need that to refuel my battery! I'm spending the rest of April in Prince George where I will be able to visit with my family, see old friends, and just relax!

Thank you to all my sponsors (on the right column) who made my season possible and I look forward to growing the list for 2011/2012!

Kickin' off National Championships with a silver medal!

I couldn't have asked for a better start to Canadian National Championships! It was my final goal of the season to win a medal at National Champs as a first year senior and I did just that today. It was a small start list but included the entire Senior National Team (to the exception of Olympian JP Leguellec). It was an extremely competitive finish, with the top four with in 32 seconds after 20km and four shootings. Scott Perras won 17.1 seconds ahead of me, with Scott Gow only 3.9 seconds behind. It was a great start to the week and I look forward to three more races! Schedule for the week includes:
Wednesday 20km Individual: results (http://www.zone4.ca/results.asp?ID=3879&cat=890)
Thursday 10km Sprint
Saturday 12.5km Pursuit
Sunday 3X6km Mixed Relay

Stay posted for more! Cheers supporters sponsors and everyone who helped me out this year!

100 followers!

My first blogging bench mark! I'm very appreciative to see the support and am setting my next goal to 200 followers in the next 30 days! Thanks everyone for the interest, comments and support. Its motivating to keep it updated when I know it'll be read. Post a comment and Ill be sure to check your blog out.

Cheers!

Sound track to my day.

I'm procratinating my typical day-before packing before heading off across the country tomorrow morning! This always includes listening to my iPod (complemented by an Apple iPod Hi-Fi System). Lately Ive been in a "we goin' make it" genre. I would best describe it as hiphop where rappers inform the privileged viewers how hard their child hood/up raising was and that their hustle alone brought them to riches! Ive lived my whole life in the dreamer's mind state of "just wait till I make it big" so naturally the lyrics are motivating to me.  Also, a deep bass is essential for enjoyment.

 Here are the YouTube links to today's top 5 picks of  "We goin' make it" music:

1. Eminem Ft Lil Wayne - No Love (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KV2ssT8lzj8)
2. Tinie Tempah Ft Eric Turner- Written In The Stars ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgFyi74DVjc)
3. B.O.B. Ft. Eminem-Airplanes (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BViLuaN-JYM)
4.Briccs Ft. Akon - Stay Down (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3Hgx_EDfcE)
5.Akon Ft. Blewz-So Fly (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ev6b7CFXtgo)

I also have this stuck in my head...

Jessie J Ft B.O.B. - Price Tag (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMxX-QOV9tI)

So go get ya hustle on followers!!

Final prep before Biathlon Canadian Championships!

For training this morning Rocky Mountain Racers had a time trial for final prep before leaving for National Championships. It was a 6 km sprint, basically to make sure everyone was on top of their game before the last major competition of the year. I was quick on my skis and shot 9/10 which was a perfect indication I'm in good form for Nationals! I was 28 seconds behind my team mate Scott Gow (also one miss). Ill be hunting him with the first race (10km Sprint) on March 24th! 

Event info at: http://www.biathloncanada.ca/dbfiles/1371.pdf

Cheers!

15km Classic (National Championships) picture update!

Here are a couple pictures form my last race at 2011 Haywood Ski Nationals in Canmore, AB! I had a decent race and finished 27th out of 121 starters in the open men category. It was a good come back from Sunday and left me hungry for the next few weeks of racing! Pictures by team photographer Sylvain Beaudry (www.teamgrizz.blogspot.com)!

Cheers to all my sponsors, followers and supporters!

Last race at XC National Champs!

I finished my National Championships today with the 15km Classic distance race! After a very disappointing skate race on Sunday I was really depending on a good race today to keep my motivation up heading to biathlon Nationals at the end of the week. I had a controlled race with a decent effort and finished 27th, a minute out of the top 10. It wasn't a perfect race but it was at my ability. I didn't try to do anything special and ended up with a solid result. I will leave the improvements for the summer training! It was a good day for me. Pictures to follow shortly!

Open Men Results: http://www.zone4.ca/live.asp?id=3814&cat=9&lap=F&c=1

Biathlon?!?!

As a biathlete (cross country skiing and marksmanship to clarify), I have had to answer some of the most mindless questions in sport. I worked at the Whistler Olympic Park doing biathlon demos for tourists last summer and thought I had heard it all! I was reminded this weekend about people's pure lack of understanding of the sport. Some examples form my past:
1. A woman standing by her car looking around at the Olympic biathlon stadium, "Sooo. Where do they shoot?"
2. A woman trying shooting for the first time, "I didn't know they were aloud guns in Canada!"
3. A man lies down and looks through a screw hole in the butt plate and says, "I cant see anything!"

I could go for days... Biathlon is an Olympic sport and is the most televised winter sport in Europe! The TV ratings are only seconded overall to Soccer. In Europe its bigger than Hockey is in Canada! Here are two biathlon clips...see if you can figure out which ones real!

Sorry this one is just in German, but still an amazing race!

Hit the wall: Hard!

My first race of National Championships was one of the worst races of the season for me. In the 10km (3X3.3km) skate race I had a great first lap (6th fastest lap time of the day) but hit the wall hard shortly after. I finished 34th in a field of 126 starters. I was too excited and perhaps wasn't fueled properly before the race. I went out too fast and also didn't have enough simple sugars leading up! I learned that I can't be national champion today, its something I have to build up over the summer and wait till that speed is my ability. I tried to go for it today and payed the prize. My body just didn't respond how i wanted it to. At least I'll never make that mistake again, but it's disappointing it happened at one of the most exciting races of the year...Next race Tuesday!

Results 10km skate: http://www.zone4.ca/live.asp?id=3814&cat=9&lap=F&c=1