The month of January is always chock-full of racing for any
Nordic athlete. I did my best to move on from the disappointing and generally
poor racing I did in December and enjoy my skills and fitness level for the remainder
of the winter.
The first step in this process was to re-visit some basic
fitness development. The process of achieving peak fitness, which I attempted
to do in December for the IBU Cup Trials, sacrifices factors such as strength
development and aerobic development in favor of high intensity training and
rest. This allows for a short period of high performance, but is not
sustainable for an entire season. My mid season training block went well and I
carried hopes for European Racing later in the month through my time on the ski
trails and in the weight room.
Following this intense week in Fort Kent, I took the
opportunity to race without my rifle for a weekend and contest an Eastern Cup
weekend with my MWSC teammates. Even though I am a biathlete, I still enjoy the
simplicity and speed of cross country racing.
The weekend featured a 15km mass start freestyle on Saturday and a
10km individual start classic on Sunday. The Men’s field in Saturday’s mass
start was extremely competitive. It featured Kris Freeman, my MWSC teammate and
the #2 distance skier in the country. Kris was recently declared a member of
Team USA heading to the Sochi Games. (Go Kris!)
My other MWSC teammate Welly Ramsey, fresh off a top 10
finish at US XC Nationals toed the line as well. In addition Matt Liebsch and Sylvan Ellefson
who both hold top 5 US cross country rankings started the race. (Unfortunately neither where selected for
Sochi) Finally members of Vermont’s Craftsbury Green racing team where in attendance
making the field only a few racers short of a national championship. 
The Sunday classic race was fun and challenging. Even though
I am a biathlete, I enjoy classic skiing. (Biathlon is only freestyle) Classic
skiing uses a different set of stabilizing muscles then freestyle, so I was
quite sore during and after the race. I was happy with the technical aspects of
my skiing and came away with a 7th place finish. Not bad for my only
fast classic skiing since last April…
The Maine Winter Sports Center team had an excellent
weekend, posting top finishes in nearly every category and surely earning the
respect of the other top clubs in attendance.
The next set of races I travel too wrapped up yesterday in
Jericho, Vermont. The North American Championships brought together the few (4)
Senior age- athletes from the USA and Canada who were not selected to race in
Europe by their respective governing bodies to contest a Sprint, Pursuit and
Mass Start competitions over 3 days.
I skied well on Friday and fought hard on both Saturday and
Sunday. My shooting continued to be well
below acceptable. I placed 1st in the Sprint, 2nd in the
Pursuit and a close 3rd in the Mass Start. I am still searching for
a solution to my poor shooting. At this point I feel it can only improve…
The most important development
in my season came early last week, when the Maine Winter Sports Center and the
Craftsbury Green Racing Project biathlon teams were granted by US Biathlon, the
opportunity to race in an Alpen Cup race in Slovenia and the Austrian National
Championships. With poor selection results and limited numbers of start rights
on the World Cup and IBU Cup these races represent a golden opportunity to test
my skills against some of the best athletes in Europe.
Unfortunately, the late announcement and lack of financial
support will make this trip a huge monetary challenge. I am currently looking
for tax-deductable donations to go toward my travel and ground costs for this important
racing opportunity abroad. If you or your organization is interested in being a
part of this crucial development opportunity please contact me at Raleigh.goessling@gmail.com.
This season is far from over and I am taking every step
possible toward producing the results I know I am capable of.
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