World Cup Week 2

It seems all of a sudden that we are nearing the end of the first set of World Cup competitions. Slowly, we are letting this Wednesday afternoon pass as we prepare for our last 3 competitions in Poklujka, Slovenia. Tomorrow is the 15km Individual, Saturday the 7.5km Sprint and Sunday the 10km Pursuit.

Last week I had a fairly successful World Cup #2 in Hochfilzen, Austria. Friday in the Sprint, I finished 18^th with 1 penalty. There is ALWAYS something that an athlete is dissatisfied with or at least acknowledges the requirement for continued improvement. After my race, I was satisfied with many aspects of the race, and yet deeply frustrated that I had missed my very last shot! If only…

In the Pursuit, I did not have as much success. I shot 1,2,0,2 and finished 21^st. However, on the positive side, I did ski very well. Eventually, I believe the shooting and skiing will coincide!

Sunday was the relay competition and thankfully this week we were able to fill a team. The order was Megan Imrie, myself, Sandra Keith and anchor Megan Tandy. It was not terrible, but it was not a superb day either. We used an excruciatingly large number of spares, living way too close on the edge of having to do the loop of shame. Phew… none of us did. And we finish 13^th. Focus focus focus, for our next chance in Ruhpolding.

Besides our biathlon buzz, we socialized during our long multiple courses of dinner, ordered delicious cappuccinos and macchiatos, finished novels (I was reading The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields), did yoga directed by our MT Tracey, and spent long periods of time on skype… or at least I did! My wonderful parents, along with some fellow Kocher fans from Germany came to this World Cup and definitely helped me cruise up the final hill to the finish with their loud cheering!

Back to my next book… Prisoner of Tehran by Marina Nemat. (perspective… a bad race really is not a big deal!)

WC Week 1

(Liam and Tom Zidek)

Week 1 is finito!

Today we are travelling from Oestersund, Sweden to Hochfilzen, Austria. Before jumping on the bus to the airport, Megan and I did a quick shopping spree…I needed a few items to complete an outfit and well why not seize another opportunity to shop when in such a great shopping center as Oestersund! Our travel day did not start without some excitement the night before. Robin, the oldest veteran of the team, realized his passport was not in his possession. He had in fact, packed it with his bag and computer and sent it in the van driven by wax techs Rich and Tom, which had departed after the relays Sunday for the long drive to Austria. It must be noted that this was not a first occurrence for our well-travelled veteran. Ah… the idiosyncrasies of us all. And how much fun it is to viciously tease each other!

Last week we began the World Cup circuit with a 15km Individual competition. It did not end majestically for me but instead provided a stepping stone of encouragement for the future competitions. I had an excellent last lap time; however I started so slowly my coaches wondered if I had stopped for an afternoon tea break! I also set up camp in the shooting range and still could not hit the broad side of a barn. I ended up shooting 1,1,2,1 (Prone,Standing,P,S – 5 misses) with a final result of 56^th position. This was not the image I had envisioned! However, my teammate JP, had an fantastic race the following day, shooting 2 misses and finishing 10^th.

Saturday, my 27^th birthday, was the sprint competition. I set out on the course after having heard a “Happy Birthday song” over the loudspeakers, with a committed aggressive attitude, finishing slightly better than Thursday in 34^th place with 1,1. However, I am deeply unsatisfied and am determined to continue to fight for better finishes. Nevertheless, it being my birthday, I couldn’t help but smile at the end of the day with the satisfaction that I was doing something I love to do, and enjoy the evening with my biathlon family – teammates and support staff and a big Swedish princess cake. The day before my birthday I treated myself to some retail therapy and purchased a very fun pair of boots… although I am not a practiced high heel wearer and I feel incredibly tall and unbalanced! I also received a gorgeous rose for a certain special someone. ;)

Sunday was the relay competition. To our misfortune, 2 of our women fell sick (Megan Tandy and Sandra Keith) the day before and we were unable to fill a relay team. Instead, Megan Imrie and I trained, and then quickly fled to the Christmas market embracing Swedish culture and the lure of shopping for a few small Christmas gifts.

Besides, the blissful moments of cruising the Christmas decorated main street and Christmas market, we were continually entertained by our baby teammate, Liam, Anna Carin and Tom Zidek’s 1.5 year old son. His cheering and cute Swedish toque definitely helped mama to the podium in the Individual! We tried to teach him some bad tricks during the week, but instead, his favorite fixation was cheering his sippy cup with us at every meal.

Week 2 begins… in Hochfilzen, Austria this Friday. Do a snow dance… it’s looking very thin and sparse out the window!