Oh ya! Now I recognize you! I've been dreaming of you my whole life!
When I left for Kazakhstan, racing at the Senior World Championships in Falun was not a prospect I had even considered.
When World U23s had wrapped up and I was finally leaving Kazakhstan, Falun was my destination and racing at World Champs was a reality I could not stop thinking about!
My 12th place finish in the Skiathlon at World U23s was enough to earn me a spot on the Senior World Champs team. Since nothing is confirmed until CCC's High Performance Director says so, I stayed awake after my last race in KAZ until I received that fateful email from him. At this point I really didn't know if I would be selected or not. Everyone had long since gone to bed and I was sitting in the hallway, tired and anxious, repeatedly refreshing my inbox until the message came in. Ping! I had to re-read the email several times before I could relax and know for sure that I WAS in fact going to World Champs! It was foolish of me to think that I could finally get some shut-eye that night because there was nothing I could do to stop my heart from racing or to get my brain to shut up. Needless to say it was a sleepless night (the best kind of sleepless night)!
When World U23s had wrapped up and I was finally leaving Kazakhstan, Falun was my destination and racing at World Champs was a reality I could not stop thinking about!
My 12th place finish in the Skiathlon at World U23s was enough to earn me a spot on the Senior World Champs team. Since nothing is confirmed until CCC's High Performance Director says so, I stayed awake after my last race in KAZ until I received that fateful email from him. At this point I really didn't know if I would be selected or not. Everyone had long since gone to bed and I was sitting in the hallway, tired and anxious, repeatedly refreshing my inbox until the message came in. Ping! I had to re-read the email several times before I could relax and know for sure that I WAS in fact going to World Champs! It was foolish of me to think that I could finally get some shut-eye that night because there was nothing I could do to stop my heart from racing or to get my brain to shut up. Needless to say it was a sleepless night (the best kind of sleepless night)!
Although my showing at the World Champs wasn't the performance I had dreamed of (cut short due to illness, and no amazing results to speak of), I want profess that it was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. World Champs are the pinnacle of cross-country ski racing (along with the Olympics), and competing there was a dream come true and a massive honour.
To top it all off, there are few better places to host the biggest event in cross-country skiing than Falun, Sweden. World Champs to Swedes is like the Super Bowl to Americans. There were just under 300,000 spectators, most waving their national flags and all making a deafening amount of noise. That was unforgettable. My favourite moment might have been when I was skiing up Mördarbacken (the “killer hill”) warming up before my race and there was a stretch of fence occupied by some Swedish kids, all holding their hands out for a high five. I looked around, and none of the other athletes were paying any attention to the spectators; too professional or too focused to notice. I couldn’t resist those high-fives, so I skied over and high-fived every one of those kids. As I skied away, I heard them shouting “You are the best woman!” in their broken English. It was awesome!
To top it all off, there are few better places to host the biggest event in cross-country skiing than Falun, Sweden. World Champs to Swedes is like the Super Bowl to Americans. There were just under 300,000 spectators, most waving their national flags and all making a deafening amount of noise. That was unforgettable. My favourite moment might have been when I was skiing up Mördarbacken (the “killer hill”) warming up before my race and there was a stretch of fence occupied by some Swedish kids, all holding their hands out for a high five. I looked around, and none of the other athletes were paying any attention to the spectators; too professional or too focused to notice. I couldn’t resist those high-fives, so I skied over and high-fived every one of those kids. As I skied away, I heard them shouting “You are the best woman!” in their broken English. It was awesome!
Above all, I'm thankful to have had this opportunity. What makes it special is being able to share it with the people who made it possible. I wish I could've taken every one of my supporters, my sponsors and my parents to Falun with me, because it was as much their success as it was mine! La Cordée, Buff, Madshus, Shades on Caribou - thanks for having my back and supporting me all the way to Sweden! A very special thanks to Neil and Alison, Dawson and Pat, Malcolm and Sandra, and Frank and Cathy! You have all been a huge part in helping me realize a dream!