On Missed Goals and More Racing....

It’s been a while since my last blog post, mostly because I needed time to process and think, decide where to go from here and figure out how to put words to the mess of thoughts running around in my head. Obviously I didn’t do as well as I’d have liked in Minnesota, didn’t qualify to race on the IBU Cup in Europe, and didn’t make the Olympic Team. Three big “didn’ts” that left me wanting a lot more but also confused and a bit lost with regard to my immediate future in this sport.  

I don't want to be done with biathlon so I'm weighing my options and waiting to see what the new year brings for program support and training opportunities. If I can, I want to keep competing but like all things in life, it depends on support and financial feasibility. We'll see. 

Things are starting to look up though. Yesterday I got confirmation of a new opportunity to race in Europe and we’re leaving in just three weeks! We’ll be racing in Slovenia and Austria, five races in two weeks. I’ve never been to either venue so I’m really excited to see some new places. Slovenia (Pokljuka) is supposed to be really amazing. 

We leave February 4th. Between now and then the plan is to race my first nordic races of the year in Rumford this coming weekend (including a classic race...YIKES), head to Jericho for Biathlon North American Championships the following weekend, and then have a weekend to train, help at the Nordic Heritage Center Women’s Ski Day and rest before jumping across the pond. Busy three weeks but I’m sure they’ll go by quickly. 

Pictures from the last few weeks: 

We had Youth/Junior team trials in Presque Isle right after Christmas and MWSC had a strong showing, qualifying four for the team. On the last day our youth men went 1 - 4, showing the depth and growth the program has seen in the last few years. 

Youth Podiums

Seth and I got two new kitties at New Years: Eva (L) and Luna. They were feral kittens but they're coming around pretty quickly. 

Eva climbed into a bag of dress-up clothes I've been gathering for classroom visits and was all over the crazy-colored wigs in there...

After New Years Seth and I went home to NH and Farmington to celebrate the holidays (a little after the fact) with our parents. 

 

My house was all about a (horribly difficult) puzzle and games. 

I got a Schlemmer Topf for Christmas from Heidi, a childhood friend of my mom's. It's a German-made ceramic pot for slow-cooking in the oven and I LOVE IT! The photo on the right is the really good crystals that formed on my parents windows after the extremely wet weather turned cold quickly. 

I've been helping to organize school groups who are planning to come watch the Youth and Junior World Championships in Presque Isle in March. These photos are from the first classroom visits at St. Francis Elementary School. The kindergartners did really well and were very attentive…I'm pretty sure they'll be great fans for the racers! 

Check back soon for an update on the races in Rumford, ME and Jericho these next two weekends.