Even though it’s from our friends at NENSA in New England, this is a nice overall recap on the week.

http://www.nensa.net/news/index.php?id=4700

Note the last line: Next year in 2012, this competition will be officially named “Junior Nationals.”

What a difference a week makes, campers! This is a shot of the webcam at the bottom of the u-turn hill near the wax trailers, taken today!

The last racing gallery of the week is uploading now…Check ‘em out!
JUNIOR OLYMPICS 2011 RELAY COMPETITIONS

What a long day after a very difficult, long, but rewarding week in Minnesota! Up at 4:15 am (which was actually 3:15 after the time change), to the airport and home to Truckee. I almost didn’t bother going skiing, seeing 40 degree temperatures and rain/snow/clouds.

But then….
Even though the snow was as smushy as Smuckers strawberry jam, and the skies were spitting pellets of who-knows-what, a trip up to I’m OK, Euer OK, screaming down to the valley singing along with Bob Marley (One Love, if you must know), came close to bringing tears to my eyes. Tahoe Donner, the Sierra Nevada….

Relay pics will be up soon, but there’s real life setting in quickly and a pile of mail to sort out. Until then…

http://macbethgraphics.smugmug.com/NORDIC-RACING/Junior-Olympics-and-JOQ/JO-2011-freestyle/

Well, I had INTENDED to post regularly to the blog. Thank goodness for Mr. Z and his prolific posting! And props to Filly for finally chiming in on the upper-classmen level.

The amount of free time coaches have is pretty minimal, and then when I add in photo organizing and other computer tasks, it seems like 11 pm is the only time to get in a word edge-wise. And when you’re getting up at 5 am, that’s a dangerous mode of transportation. So it’s wax on, wax off for us, and it’s hard to believe we’re on the downward side of the week. In case you missed them, I posted a couple of galleries at macbethgraphics.smugmug.com. Check ‘em out.

A smooth-sailing, but hectic couple of days of travel and transition for the Far West Nordic JO Team. 27 athletes made the trip out (one is still in California due to illness, but we’re hoping to see Patrick sometime this week if he can kick the krud), 8 coaches, and there are a few parents out and about the beautiful metropolis of Minneapolis.

This JO’s is different from any other in that EVERY team is staying in one location, smack-dab downtown at the Marriott Hotel. Our team is way up on the 26th and 27th floors, so it’s often a LOOOONNNNNG elevator ride to the top during “Rush Hours,” when every athlete is heading to or from meals.

The courses at the venue are very cool, rolling, no flat, little steep poppers that will keep our kids on their toes. Coaches were at the venue wax rooms last night well past 10 pm waxing up the boards, and many of them are already over there putting on topcoats this morning. In a few minutes, the J2 Boys willl be leaving for the Sprint Qualifiers, beginning at 12:30, with the rest of the crew hitting the shuttle busses soon after.

Wish us luck! I’ll try to post some more pics later (especially for Lauryl and Kathi, who are having significant Far West withdrawals in their respective coastal locations

Captain Nordic

WE’RE HERE!!!!!!!

http://macbethgraphics.smugmug.com/NORDIC-RACING/Junior-Olympics-and-JOQ/JO-2011-OPENING/