February in C-eh?-N-eh?-D-eh?

After the World Cup races in Canmore, I made my way over to Silver Star to get in a mid-winter training camp, and cheered on my teammates and friends at the Olympic venue before heading over to Europe. I will see how many photos I can upload right now since my time on the internet is limited. Women's sprint heat in Canmore.
Silver Star always seems to impress me-- I can always depend on plenty of snow and perfect tracks set each day from the doorstep. I got in a high quality training camp where the focus was on volume and L4 intervals. A huge thanks to Carol King for letting me stay in her tasteful "Arnica Antique House" for the week. Andi Fancy, one of New Zealand's top nordic skiers, doing some tele turns down the mountain after we climbed to the summit. I couldn't have asked for a better training buddy, and tour guide, and friend to spend time with during the week. Justin Libby outside our hostel in Vancouver. Marit Bjorgen, Justina Kowalczyk, and Petra Majdic (R-L) racing to gold, silver, and bronze medals in the womens A-final of the classic sprint. I got to join the "Kikkan Crazy" fan club while at the US Olympics. It was pretty awesome to watch my teammate race to 8th place in the classic sprint. Way to go Kikkan!
Here I am in front of the the Canadian rockies on the Canmore trails. In Canmore I couldn't stop looking at the mountains and think, "I wonder if Swizerland is going to be this incredible". Well, I have made the travel overseas and I must say that from what I have seen, Swizerland is all that it is cracked up to be. More to come!

CAN(we ask for)MORE?

I've spent the past week in the nordic skiing paradise of Canmore, Alberta preparing for the pre-Olympic World Cup races. This is just my second World Cup experience, both as an athlete and a spectator, and I'm fired up to be here. The sunshine, warmth, and perfect tracks make it easy to enjoy the preparation process. In times like these I forget about all the days I spent rollerskiing on busy roads in the rain and sacrifices I've made for training and think, "there's nothing else I would rather be doing with my time right now". Here are a few Italian skiers making a climb up "the wall" which is steeper than it looks. We are staying in the same hotel as the Italians and are having fun picking out all the famous superstars skiers, many whom I've only seen in Olympic or World Cup videos. Canmore is the home of the 1988 Olympic games. They have completely reconstructed their trails since that Olympics and have created some of the largest, most sustained climbs I have ever seen. Katie Ronsse taking a breather. Its easy to train too hard during recovery workouts when surrounded by the World Cup buzz. Luckily I have discovered a few tricks-- either stop for photo ops when on the challenging trails or get lost on one of the more mellow trails in the woods.Holly Brooks ascending one of our favorite finds called the "Rundle" trail, which is just below Mt. Rundle. Im not sure if I like the trail more because of the serpentine turns through the towering trees or because of the Rumpelstiltskin type name.

Im sure it wont be all fairy-tale style fun and games once the racing begins tomorrow. There will be lots of suffering to fight for places throughout the spectrum of the result list. Also, the top World Cup nordic skiers redefine being fit and tough. It should be fun to watch and also a great opportunity to test my skills against the best in the world. More to come!

Upcoming Schedule-- Thank You Sponsors!

I have set up my upcoming travel schedule which is aimed at soaking up opportunities and getting in as much high level racing as possible. I hope gain experience traveling and racing abroad and improve my points in a season before World Championships. Here is my proposed schedule:

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Anchorage, AK (USA): training block (Jan 20-29)
Canmore, AB, (CAN): World Cup sprint race (Jan 30th-Feb 8th)
Silver Star, BC, (CAN): training block (Feb 9th-14th)
Vancouver, BC and Whistler, BC (CAN): cheer at the Olympics (Feb 15-20)
Zieglebrucke (Swizerland): Swiss Cups (Feb 21-March 3)
La Fleclaz (France): OPA Cups (March 3-8)
Rogla (Slovenia): OPA Cup Finals (March 9-14)
Garmish (Germany): FIS races (March 15-18)
Fort Kent, Maine (USA): Supertour Finals (March 19-31)
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These two months traveling around the world and finding hotels and condos in fancy resort areas will not be cheap. I usually try to be as frugal and thrifty as possible-- sometimes to the bewilderment of others. My savings will go quickly, but this is what I have been saving for and I think my money will be well spent. This nordic racing dream would not become my reality without the generous support of my sponsors. In particular, I want to thank Joy Backstrom and Katie Pirano of the Physical Therapy Place, LLC and Doug Pauly and staff of the Northern Fruit Co for their financial support. Additionally, I want to thank the people have opened up their homes, fed me, offered their Airline miles, and have helped me cover costs of living on the road. Thank you-- you know who you are! I will look forward to representing my sponsors, my hometown, and my country to the best of my ability as I embark on the adventure ahead.

Methow Valley Supertour

The Supertour circuit continued last weekend in the beautiful Methow Valley of Washington. The weekend featured a 1.3k sprint and distance classic race. The final sprint result couldn't have been better as far as Wenatchee's Northern Fruit Co. is concerned. Laura Valaas (right) and Katie Ronsse (left) are the Northern Fruit Co.'s sponsored athletes who finished 1-2 respectively in the sprint A-final (Ed Stockard photo).

In addition to financial support, the Northern Fruit Co. has generously been fueling the APUNSC elite team by shipping us boxes of highest quality of apples as we have been traveling to different race venues across the US and Canada. Valaas and Ronsse in West Yellowstone, MT with a few fresh, crisp high octane "Pink Lady" apples.

Caitlin Compton (CXC), Rhonda Jewett (Alberta World Cup Academy), Laura Valaas (APUNSC), and Katie Ronsse (APUNSC) round the first turn in the women's A-final of the Winthrop Supertour race (Magic bus photo).

Drew Goldsack (Canadian National Team) and Torin Koos (US Ski team) cruising under a banner of flags in the mens sprint final (Ed Stockard photo).

In the classic distance race we raced through the woods up and down an Alpine hill since there wasn't quite enough snow in Winthrop to make a classic track, even with all the shoveling work of the volunteers. It was a great test of making the best with what you have and making things work in conditions that are very tricky. I was humbled by the skiers who made this look easy.

Overall, it was a great weekend of racing and I'm looking forward to exploring more of the trail system in my next trip to Winthrop!

Home for US National Championships

I made it home in time for the holidays and US National Championships after concluding our 5 week early season race circuit in Canmore, AB. After my first sprint heat of the championships Peter Valaas asked me, "Katie, were you smiling during your race?" I told him I certainly wasn't trying to smile, but I probably did have a huge grin plastered to my face because I was having so much fun.

Here are a few of the reasons why I thoroughly enjoyed racing on my home turf:

1. The home town crowds were AWESOME. There were hundreds of helpful volunteers and hundreds of people who came out to cheer. It was exciting to have family, new friends, old friends, former coaches, and other nordic skiing enthusiasts scream "GO Katie!" as I raced past. It sent chills up my spine and pumped energy through my veins. Lindsay Williams (US Ski Team), Katie Ronsse (APU Nordic Ski Center) and Holly Brooks (APU Nordic Ski Center) finish one of the classic sprint heats (Magic Bus Photo).

2. Getting to relax at home with close family and friends, eat home cooked meals, and sleep in my own bed was sure wonderful. I also had as much wild Alaskan salmon as my heart desired, thanks to a Libby Brothers Co. fish sponsorship. Here's Jus out for a cruise from the cabin. The highlight of my break before nationals was getting to hang out at the Libby cabin.

3. Home courses at sea level. Katie Ronsse, Laura Valaas, and Caitlin Compton-- sea level born skiers in the skate semifinal (a Laura Gardner photo).

4. Massages from Michael Henrich, my very helpful massage therapist. Michael usually works out of the West AK Club but came out to Kincaid to offer Kikkan and I massages in between our prologue and heats. Ronsse in the classic prologue race (an Anchorage Daily News photo).

5. Getting to do my easy workouts with family and friends. Skiing with famly/friends doesn't feel like "training" and it's something I would choose to do with my free time anyway.The Ronsse family on the Lekisch loop, January 2010.

I also got to ski with the up and coming fast female girls of Alaska. Ronsse and Valaas as mentors at the Fast and Female event organized by local superhero, Kikkan Randall(A Magic Bus photo). Several of the top elite racers volunteered their day to inspire and empower the young skiers of Alaska. It was supposed to be the young skiers inspiring the elite racers...but I felt pretty inspired myself to see 300 Alaskan girls stoked to ski around on a blustery day.

Another great thing about this years National Championship was that even though there were cold days, it was never too cold to race!
The skate sprint day was cold and clear but beautiful and race-able. (Rebecca Dussault #5 and Katie Ronsse #15, Anchorage Daily News photo).

Overall the championships went off smoothly and I had two top-10 performances (with a 6th place in the classic sprint and a 7th place in the skate sprint). That definitely wont put me on the Olympic team, but I did earn the opportunity to represent the US as part of the Nations group in the World Cup in Canmore, AB! More to come on my upcoming schedule...

Podium in Silver Star, BC

Last weekend we were in SilverStar, BC for the Canadian Olympic Trials/NorAm Cup and I raced to my first podium finish of the season!

It was a very exciting day of racing where Holly Brooks and I had a photo finish for 2nd place in the final heat before we collapsed in exhaustion. Placing is determined by who's toe crosses the line, regardless of who's head or body crosses first. I am the skier on the top part of the screen and it looks like I have room for improvement on my finishing lunge!

Something you may not know is that Taz, my teammate, in addition to being a ski racing machine might actually possess some fortune telling powers too! Several nights before our SilverStar sprint she relayed a dream she had where I raced to 2nd place behind Dasha Gaiazova of the Canadian National Team. She joked in the days leading up to the race that I needed to hold up my end of the deal and race to the silver medal position in the SilverStar sprint. So we made a pact-- I would get 2nd.

Even though this sounds like a silly dream I mention it because the feeling I had when Taz shared this with me is that she believed in my ability to race to the podium in field stacked with the North American Olympic hopefuls. Racing with confidence and believing in myself and my ability is a piece of the racing puzzle that I have waivered in so far this season. My coach Erik also gave me encouragement prior to the race, convincing me that my fitness is there, I just need to race more aggressively and confidently in order to perform closer to my potential.

So, in the heats I made sure I was focused and racing with a mission in mind-- of getting 2nd place-- and I made sure to get out of the start quickly and hop in behind Dasha to hold on for dear life. I stayed in 2nd position until Holly came up along side me to give me a run for my money in the finishing stretch.

After the race it was announced that I took second although once the videos were reviewed it was determined by the awards ceremony that I was actually third. Either way it was a performance I can be proud of and the best part was feeling like my family, friends, teammates/coaches, and even other competitors were proud and happy for me too. Additionally, this race was a mental break through for me and I learned a lot about how I can better approach heats in a sprint with a stacked field.
It was a phenomenal day for the Americans-- especially the APU ladies! I think all of the sprint training we do together throughout the year helps us feel comfortable and relaxed when we get to race head-to-head in the heats.

We are currently in Canmore, AB getting ready to race in two classic sprints that will serve as the final Olympic qualifiers for the Canadians. I've decided that rather than being focused on finishing second, I should focus on the win. Heck, why not? There's nothing to lose!

The First Weekend of Racing

Our season kicked off this past weekend with a classic prologue, a 10k/15k skate, and a 5k/10k classic. Almost all of the top Canadians and Americans were present and the competition was fierce since there are a lot of athletes vying for a coveted Olympic berth. Mike Hinkley (APU Nordic Ski Center, #166) and Sylvan Ellefson (Vail Ski Team, #165) flying up a hill towards the finish of the classic race. It was inspiring getting to watch the guys put the hammer down after our race-- especially after knowing how much dedication at focused training it takes to ski that fast.

As a whole our team had a very impressive start to the season. We had numerous top 10 Supertour finishes, and Holly Brooks even turned in a jaw dropping WIN in the skate race!! Kikkan Randall, who has her Olympic berth clenched kicked her season off by posting her best world cup distance race ever. It's encouraging to see my teammates perform so well, especially after we have been doing so many of the same things and challenging each other on a daily basis.

Personally, I did not have the start to the season that I was hoping for, especially after making so many improvements in training this past training year. But sometimes I can learn the most from disappointing races and I know I have put in the training so my time to shine will come. Ronski in the 5k classic race on Saturday. Even though there is a list of things I plan to improve upon in the upcoming races, there were also moments where I skied very well and felt awesome. Thanks to Doug Edgerton for taking the outstanding photos and for creating the fantastically groomed ski trails! We met Doug outside the local grocery store. Holly Brooks, Becca Rorabaugh, Laura Valaas, Katie Ronsse (photo credit: Kevin Sweeny of Swix). I am lucky to get to spend my time with such an incredible ladies team.

Let the Racing Begin

The North American ski racing circuit season gets underway tomorrow in West Yellowstone, MT. My teammates and I have each put in hundreds of hours of training so far this past summer and fall and we're looking forward to putting our skills to the test. We're making the final preparations for competition, which includes getting the race boards ready to go.

This year I am traveling with a fleet of 14 pairs of Atomics, each flexed and designed for a specific type of snow condition. Casey (our wax tech) and Erik (our head coach) help us test our skis and apparently skied about 50k each on a 2.5k loop today to help each of us pick two pairs to prep. The coaches haven't stopped yet and are currently in wax room, soaking in a Swix medley and hopefully not inhaling too many fluoros.
My early season race schedule is posted at the bottom of the page. This first trip on the road will comprise of 5 weeks of skiing and in beautiful places, battling it out with the other top North Americans when we dawn our bibs, and soaking up time spent in the company of other dedicated, energetic people. Holly Brooks and I enjoying skiing in the groomed tracks and sunshine. Ski on!