Procrastinating after Colder-aine
So I had intended to write a detailed blog covering deep philosophical conversations, reflections on the true meaning of Christmas, and in depth race analysis from IBU cup trials in Grand Rapids, MN. Then I went home for the holidays and somehow here I am, nearly a month later, still procrastinating while the list of recent happenings grows and grows.
Maybe you're like me. Maybe you procrastinate and dread working on tasks that, in all actuality, are relatively easy and even somewhat enjoyable. Even now, as I begin this blog, I really don't have a burning desire to kick the procrastination monkey out of the driver seat (if you don't get the reference, you might enjoy this TED talk) and write about relatively enjoyable topics.
Maybe you're like me, and the only way you can get yourself to snap out of the procrastination station is by promising yourself that you'll just get a short, 15-minute start on that procrastinated task. No more. Absolutely not. Or else the procrastination monkey may become upset and we certainly don't want that. I mean there'd be bananas everywhere. It would be bad. Like Toad might slip on one with his Mario-cart as he races dangerously around the frontal lobe (neurons, watch out!). So there's that. Anyway, it appears that I've started writing something totally unrelated to my pursuits, something that you likely don't give two yucks about, and something that indicates, if you're still reading, that you are probably either my mom, related to my mom, or strangely intrigued more about my procrastination habits and less about biathlon.
I rationalize: there's more fun to be had outside than inside, writing on a computer.
Part of my promise to myself is that I'm going to keep this short. Without further ado:
If I thought that Canmore was cold, Coleraine (the home of the Mt. Itasca Biathlon race courses located just north of Grand Rapids, MN) was colder[aine]. The four scheduled races were thus reduced to three and the schedule was adjusted so we raced 10km sprints on Thursday and Monday and a 15km mass start on Friday. On Saturday morning I planned to take a morning jog but was welcomed outside with a -28 degree temperature. So of course we went ice fishing instead with St. Scholastica alum and Washburn, Wisconsin's finest, Scott "Scotty J." Johanik, on Duluth harbor. We didn't have much luck because all the fish fear Scotty J. and any fishing rod nearby.
Racing at Mount Itasca demonstrated a developing theme for me: slow range times, consistent standing shooting, relatively strong skiing, and shooting good groups in prone that lie far from the center of the target. I dirtied (missed all 5 shots) in my first shooting stage of the trials and continued to miss 2-3 shots in my remaining prone stages for the weekend. Luckily, the standing dryfire practice is beginning to take effect; I shot 4/5 in all four standing stages which helped keep me competitive. My results improved over the course of the three races, starting with a 9th place on Thursday and ending with a 4th on Monday. To no surprise I ended up outside of IBU-qualifying position, but I think that North-American racing may be a more appropriate fit for my development as a biathlete at this time. It was exciting to see my USBA teammates Maddie Phaneuf and Paul Schommer qualify in first position after both executing stellar performances at trials, including 20/20 shooting in the mass start for Maddie. Not to be forgotten is my teammate Max Durtschi, who, although he may not have had the trials races he had dreamed of, did what he needed to do to qualify; I think he'll take it to the next level in Europe where his international racing experience will prove invaluable.
A gallery of race photos from Karen Brown, who not only is the world's best mom but also is becoming quite an impressive photographer. Contact her for any of your action photography needs (although she does enjoy taking pictures of flowers, too). #shamelesspromotion:
What biathlon mass starts and the FIS president have in common: A fear of double poling.
Alex Howe, Craftsbury leads the pack on lap 1
Maddie Phaneuf, USBA on her way to clean shooting (20/20)
Brother Luke showed up with Sampson flow, or maybe baby Jesus flow? #tistheseason
Bill Bowler of Wild Bill
I was more than stoked to race in the pink Finn Sisu suit for the first time. Finn Sisu, the Minnesota-based ski shop with Finnish roots, has been incredibly helpful to me over the years and as of late has become a integral supporter of my post-collegiate biathlon pursuits.
USBA teammate Max Durtschi, practicing his Birkie Beard
USBA A-team member Sean Doherty
After the races I returned home to Saint Paul to spend Christmas and New Year's with my family and grandparents. While some may dread the crowded Twin Cities man-made loops, I love the week of constant on-trail reunion with old ski friends. Training at home provided the opportunity to coordinate training with my brother Luke, jump in a few workouts with CXC skiers Kyle Bratrud and Oscar Friedman, join Piotr Bednarski's LNR junior program for a team sprint workout, and spend an afternoon at Wirth Park introducing some up-and-coming Minneapolis youth stars to biathlon as a guest coach with the Loppet's winter ski camp. What the Loppet and LNR are doing physically at Wirth and metaphysically (maybe?- you get the idea) in their training groups for all ages, abilities, and demographics is inspiring. Seeing so many kids excited about skiing in Minneapolis-St. Paul gives me goosebumps and makes me hopeful for the environmental and outdoor future of the city.
I knew it was Christmas when Luke found Santa in the grocery store.
My Dad out on the biathlon range at Elk River on New Year's. After some minor rifle adjustments he was hitting targets! Future master's champ?
As much as I love skiing, Christmas-time in Minnesota is meant for family, friends, faith and hockey. The local neighborhood ice rink in St. Paul stays lit until 9pm each night, and with two wood-boarded hockey rinks plus an outer skating oval, there's a pick-up game going on almost nonstop between Christmas and New Year's. I didn't make it out as much as I'd like this year, but when I did it sure didn't disappoint. Unlike most Minnesotans, I never played organized hockey growing up; its an uphill battle for me to contribute in a competitive game with the up-and-coming high school studs and the hot-shots of yesteryear who've still got "it." But somehow this year a couple of my shots found the back of the chain-linked net. That satisfying *clink* is enough to make me feel like a tried-and-true backyard-bred Minnesotan.
For the first time my Floridian grandparents braved the travel and frigid temps to share in our Christmas shenanigans (we have a lot of shenanigans)!
So what's next? After some deliberation, I decided not to race US Cross-Country Nationals in Soldier Hollow. I'll be following results closely and cheering all my teammates, friends, and family on from back east as I get back to biathlon training in Lake Placid and racing the Biathlon Nor-Am Cups in Quebec: Jan 7-8 in Valcartier and Jan 14-15 in La Patrie. I'm looking forward to it all.
After having procrastinated and handed in the usual B- paper... Jake out.
