HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

We hope that everyone had a splendid and joyful Christmas and holiday time! And yes I am still alive, New Year.s resolution is to actually keep my website updated and full of information for all of you out there ;) The World Cup season is half over, but the World Championships are still a couple of weeks away. I am back in action and competed in the World Cup in Antholz, Italy last week. I was sick with mononucleosis during October, and November. Finally in the beginning of December, I was able to start some activity and slowly begin to train. It felt like an eternity but in the big scheme of things it wasn.t that long. There is no denying that it was a difficult time for me; however, there were endless opportunities for me to take advantage of as well. At a time of the year when skiers are incredibly busy gearing up for the racing season, I took a breather, and chilled out! My back had a chance to heal, and I had plenty of spare time for my favorite biathlon activity . dryfiring (not)! But I did take advantage of this extra time and consciously worked on shooting drills. When I wasn.t at the range, I became a .Sex in the City. expert, a social butterfly on the phone or on facebook, and I even learnt a few new skills such as knitting! It was also an opportunity for honing visual and mental skills, and yoga practice. And also, a chance to give back some time to the biathlon community. Before I left for Europe, I was the guest speaker at a Alberta Biathlon Club dinner in Canmore for the presentation of the Gernot Kostera Foundation. Although I took a public speaking workshop years ago, this was my first public speaking event. Surprisingly, it went rather well! I discovered that similarly to a competition, public speaking can be a piece of cake if entered with the right preparation, planning and, of course, confidence. Yes, time almost flew by! I flew into Germany on Thursday, January 10th joining the team in Ruhpolding, where they were competing in the 5th World Cup. It was very exciting to watch the competitions, however, I MUCH prefer racing them! So I was very anxious to be part of the show during Antholz WC last week. For me, that WC race was purely for racing experience and my preparation for World Championships in Ostersund, Sweden. I needed to go through the motion of racing again if I am to feel ready to challenge the field for WCHS and the last World Cups of the season. With the right preparation, the training and speed work that I lost while I was sick, will return.eventually! Now, we have one more week of preparation for WCHS in Hochfilzen, before flying to Sweden on the 4th. So until Sweden! And my favorite quote of the past few months. .NEVER GIVE UP . A setback is a setup for a comeback.. Cheers, Zina The schedule for the WCHS: 2008 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS Östersund (SWE) Date Start Time Competition Saturday 09.02.200 8 11.00h Sprint Women 14.15h Sprint Men Sunday 10.02.2008 12.00h Pursuit Women 14.15h Pursuit Men Tuesday 12.02.2008 14.15h Mixed Relay Wednesday 13.02.2008 17.15h Individual Women Thursday 14.02.2008 17.15h Individual Men Saturday 16.02.2008 12.00h Relay Men 15.00h Mass Start Women Sunday 17.02.2008 12.00h Mass Start Men 14.30h Relay Women