tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56892077722125454692024-03-13T11:12:49.312-05:00Nordic Commentary ProjectColin Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06289923497258059725noreply@blogger.comBlogger255125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-71385691922784405852013-11-22T16:34:00.004-06:002013-11-22T16:34:51.096-06:00Kris Freeman: A Call for Civility
The ski season is
coming on fast. In just over a week the World Cup show will be in full swing in
Kuusamo, Finland, for the Nordic Opening, and you can bet the hype that goes
with the 2013-2014 season will be rocking.
In an Olympic year,
the speculation starts early and often. Olympic team previews are being
written, water coolers are being assaulted with predictions, and in cross
country Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-85639354370519241482013-03-15T17:51:00.000-05:002013-03-15T17:51:00.151-05:00HolmenkollenThe Holmenkollen races are pretty wonderful. This year should be a Norwegian sweep, but I would love to see some North Americans - Harvey, Stephens, Diggins, maybe even Randall and Kershaw - in the top 10. And though the Oslo races always portend the end of the ski racing season, I'm very excited about next season. Good NorAm results, an exciting World Championships, and no doping (so Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-18094990044314716372013-03-01T19:54:00.001-06:002013-03-01T19:54:56.995-06:00The Big DistancesThe relays were amazingly fun to watch, more so than in many years thanks to the strong performances by the American women (so close: how many days till the Sochi relay?) and the insane hijinks on the anchor leg of the men's race. And while the relays are great spectacles, I love the long-distance finales. Back in 2005, I started paying attention to ski racing again after seeing the great 30k andChristopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-34880215303073152902013-02-27T20:07:00.003-06:002013-02-27T20:13:06.176-06:00Relay Day 1: The WomenI am really, really looking forward to seeing what happens in the women's relay at Val di Fiemme. While Norway is obviously the top team, anything can happen in the relay, and the cluster of teams one tier lower than NOR includes the American squad, which will start two Val di Fiemme gold medalists, along with Liz Stephen. Finland, Sweden, and maybe Germany and Russia are right there in the hunt.Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-77786398855886537372013-02-25T18:29:00.001-06:002013-02-25T18:29:47.691-06:00An Interval of Individual Start RacingThe last of the (semi) old-school races, the individual start distance races will be dominated by the usual suspects - almost. Petter and Justyna will have to wait for a chance at medals.
picks from whowins.worldofxc.com
Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-32732578548760524892013-02-24T20:58:00.000-06:002013-02-24T20:58:40.825-06:00Team (USA) Sprint: The Randall & Diggins Show
I just rewatched today's women's team sprint at the Val di Fiemme World Championships. I don't think skiing has raised the hair on the back of my neck more since the American nordic combined boys medaled in Vancouver. Jessie Diggins and Kikkan Randall were not just the gold medalists today; they were far and away the smartest, most aggressive, most tenacious, and fastest skiers on the snow.
Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-35148314843418758342013-02-23T22:29:00.001-06:002013-02-23T22:29:51.434-06:00Team Sprint! USA! USA!The team sprint is always an odd event, since it is relatively rarely contested on the regular World Cup and since it has an especially manic character, what with the super-high sprinting speeds and the constant exchanges. I'm looking forward to this one.
women
1. USA (Diggins, Randall)
2. Sweden (Kalla, Ingemarsdotter)
3. Finland (Sarasoja-Lilja, Lahteenmaki)
men
1. Sweden (Hellner, JoenssonChristopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-74751966818304169952013-02-22T17:50:00.000-06:002013-02-22T17:50:00.203-06:00Worlds SkiathlonI hope the Val di Fiemme skiathlons live up to the great spectacle of the races in Oslo. That was great stuff. I am bummed that Kikkan Randall isn't racing on Saturday; I'd have expected her to finish very well, but she's clearly saving her legs to win the gold on Sunday in the team sprint. This is acceptable.
My picks for the skiathlon's top-five places, which I hope are actually wrong in Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-26400137818988674142013-02-20T19:09:00.003-06:002013-02-20T19:09:41.440-06:00World Champs SprintsThe Val di Fiemme World Championships are finally here, opening with classic sprints. My XC Predictions picks, including some North American "outsiders" that I think are gonna show up on the Italian snow:
Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-68193534807376758542013-02-15T20:34:00.001-06:002013-02-15T20:34:40.012-06:00Davos Tune-UpI clearly have not been paying enough attention to the World Cup this year: I was surprised to see today that the World Championships start in just five days! This weekend's events in Davos are thus the final tune-ups for Worlds. My picks for Saturday's classic sprints:
Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-44676732852181683322013-02-09T17:29:00.001-06:002013-02-09T17:29:09.631-06:00The Sochi Re-Shuffle
The World Cup had the
weekend off for some obscure reason*, which resulted in some serious depression
for ski racing fans. Especially after the last few weeks, where we have been
bombarded with World Juniors, U23's, World Cup medals galore (although not in La Clusaz - I've seen more exciting paint dry), and are getting pumped for World Championships!
Here are some
mid-season story lines Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-61985771672419330932013-01-18T18:30:00.000-06:002013-01-18T18:30:03.310-06:00La ClusazThe mass-start events in La Clusaz always look to me like laps around a windy, hilly field. But they also almost always turn into good races. With the Tour now in the background, we should see all of the heavy hitters back in action. I would love to tab a couple of the Finnish women to do well, but who? Instead, I'm going with likely suspects:
Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-90816246959650162222013-01-18T15:26:00.000-06:002013-01-18T15:29:49.816-06:00La Clusaz - Crunch Time For Canada
Okay, things have
taken a hit in my analysis of the World Cup since the Tour de Ski. It has
something to do with my dismal predication performance in WhoWins (going from a
solid top-20 at the midway point of the Tour to dropping all the way to 76th
spot).
The real zinger isn’t
that I dropped to 76th, but that my unnamed arch-rival “Kieran Sucks”
finished in 25th, and Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-27392224072042098782013-01-05T18:59:00.000-06:002013-01-05T18:59:29.049-06:00Cermis SurmiseThe Final Climb matters this year, once again! I like this. The women's race is actually looking to be less interesting than the men's for once, though if Johaug goes bonkers she might be able to close the gap to Kowalczyk and outclimb the Pole. I'm not putting my money on the overall win for Johaug, but I do see her taking the stage win.
On the men's side, things are much tighter: the top four Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-71603729846977150952013-01-04T20:43:00.003-06:002013-01-04T20:43:56.731-06:00The Classic Setup (Val di Fiemme)Except for the Final Climb - about which my Canadian co-blogger and I will have to disagree - I like the mass-start classic race the most. Do I say that about the stages of the Tour de Ski? Maybe I do. But the classic mass start in Val di Fiemme is a brutal, brutal race, with a ton of climbing, more tactical maneuvering than a war game, and all those bonus points - fewer this year than last, but Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-57545466845252872392013-01-02T19:18:00.000-06:002013-01-02T19:18:00.655-06:00The Queen StageI know the TdS stage to Cortina isn't perfect, what with the pursuits taking two different formats - the women's 3x5k lap race, the men's 35k point-to-point race - but don't bother me with details: I love this stage.
The men's long up-then-down race from Toblach is a great spectacle, at least as good - for my Euro - as the final climb. And while the women's race is less fun to watch, the pursuitChristopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-6219554020290440582012-12-31T21:29:00.002-06:002013-01-02T15:14:32.605-06:00Swiss SprintsThe one-and-only sprint in the Tour de Ski is in a unique venue, Val Müstair, Switzerland - the hometown of Dario Cologna. As near as the FIS database can say, no major race has ever been staged there, so it's really not home snow for anyone.
Though Kikkan Randall had a - relatively and uncharacteristically - "poor" race in Sunday's classic pursuit, I will join everyone else at Who Wins by Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-19573232889312733302012-12-29T19:42:00.003-06:002012-12-29T19:42:46.502-06:00Chasing KikkanI keep thinking about how strange it is to be a fan of North American cross-country skiing right now. I started following the World Cup seriously in 2005, just before the Oberstdorf world championships, at a time when Kris Freeman was the only serious North American contender for a top-20 result.
The situation now is an epic contrast. On the men's side, we have Harvey and Kershaw, two men who Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-41979829024696904292012-12-28T22:24:00.001-06:002012-12-28T22:24:23.812-06:00Tour de Ski-kkanimal, and Assorted Nonsense
While my co-blogger
loves the Tour de Ski, I’ll be honest, and utterly contradictory, and say that
I hate it (but just a little bit).
I know, there is much
to get pumped about! It’s such a big production, it’s such a show, it’s racing
day after day, a test of athlete’s ability to travel, to grind out race after
race, and to push the boundaries of what it means to really hammer your body. I
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-42621863479919318102012-12-28T16:42:00.001-06:002012-12-28T16:42:21.296-06:00Tour de Ski Time!God, I love the Tour de Ski. It's my favorite period of the regular FIS season, sometimes even better than Worlds. This year's edition is going to be great even if Bjoergen isn't skiing. She's never won the Tour, remember, and the relatively tight competition behind her is going to be even better than usual. Though I'd have to say that Kowalczyk is the (slightly boring) favorite, I think that Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-58258557855592351252012-12-15T18:59:00.001-06:002012-12-15T18:59:30.971-06:00Canmore FinaleI would have bet several Loonies that Kikkan had the sprint win in hand when she attacked on the climb this afternoon, dropping everyone but that pesky Norwegian Falla. Alas, Falla played the endgame right and took the win. But then again, Randall was all smiles in the finishing pen, so she must have been satisfied. Second is a good result when you are tied for first with Bjorgen in the Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-8872479250097979102012-12-14T21:26:00.002-06:002012-12-14T21:26:25.282-06:00Can-the Canadians Qualify-More? Please!?I'll be blunt - last weekend in Quebec sucked. As a Canadian, it hurt to see the big show on home soil, and have come away with a 5th place in the Team Sprint. And have just one athlete qualify for the individual sprint the next day. That stings. And not the little sting that comes with a mosquito bite, but the big, raging sting similar to one that I imagine comes from one of those Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-44817820306363446972012-12-14T20:22:00.000-06:002012-12-15T19:02:12.552-06:00Kikkanmore SprintsA freestyle sprint on North American snow? There's no way - except a fall - that Randall doesn't deliver the goods. And since I'm already tanking at the XC Predictions game, why not go all in for North Americans? USA! USA! Canada! Canada! (Kieran? What say you?)
Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-65057259158633940502012-12-14T18:28:00.000-06:002012-12-14T18:28:04.903-06:00Can-What? Canmore!
Now THAT’s what I’m
talking about! Thursday’s mass start 10/15 km racing had to be some of the most
exciting skiing I’ve seen this season at minimum, and in the last year or so.
When fans tell FIS
that they want more mass-start racing, for my money we’re talking about action
specifically like the men’s 15 km and women’s 10 km classic.
Why am I so stoked?
There’s a pile of reasons!
<!--[Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-60961660958299581522012-12-07T19:57:00.001-06:002012-12-07T19:57:31.088-06:00Quebec-WHA?In a word: WOW. I thought Kikkan would do well in the team sprint, but I wasn't sure that her teammate - Diggins, as it turned out - would be hot enough to bring the U.S. team in first.
I was wrong. Kikkan is that good, and Diggins is not just good enough, but awfully good.
Unfortunately, the Canadian men couldn't quite put together a complete race, and finished off the home-snow podium. Which Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0