Skiing in LAX

A few weeks ago I got an invitation from race organizers in La Crosse, WI to be a member of the pace team this weekend for the Dan Nagy Memorial. Since I got back from Europe I took two weeks off to get better from a bone bruise in my knee, and this seemed like a perfect way to start up the engines a bit and get ready for the second half of the ski season. Plus, it didn’t hurt that they were putting a little coin in my pocket. The organizing committee did a great job of putting together a quality race and treated myself and the rest of the pace team far better than we deserved. I had a lot of fun over the weekend and as the race announcer was quick to remind the crowd multiple times, was my first win since 2008. I also scored a sweet Mantac scraper sharpener for winning, in addition to getting my name on the annual trophy.

From here I am heading back to Burke where I am looking forward to a training block with a few races and working with the Burke Ski and Ride Program. The mid-season break was much needed but I am excited to get some training in before the final push of the season in March/April.

A special shout out to Warner Nickerson and Dave Chodounsky who are racing this week in Garmisch at World Champs. They are both fellow college grads and have been hammering away for quite a while without the support of the USST. It’s great to see where they are, let’s hope there’s more to come!