I have uploaded a file containing my report on the recent Austrian
Youth Cross Country Ski Championships at Nordic Scotland Files Austrian
Champs report 2008. An excellent performance by all
the British youth skiers was topped by a win by Andrew Young. For
results see Saalfelden ski club results page under Oesterreicher
Meisterschaften at http://schiklubsaalfelden.com/schi/results/extern
Below is a link to an article about a recent visit by Canadian coach
Les Parsons to Huntly to coach the GB Juniors.
http://www.fasterskier.com/news4610.html
Peter Thorn (Huntly Nordic SC)
www.nordicski.org.uk
The final results tables for the the GB Rollerski Series 2007 have
been posted in the files section. If anyone spots any mistakes please
let me know. Series winners were:
Senior Men - Mike Dixon (Cairngorm).
Senior Ladies - Fiona Crossley (Cairngorm) for the third year in a
row.
U18 Men - Cameron Dudgeon (Cairngorm)
U18 Ladies - Marsha Dixon (Cairngorm)
U14 Boys - Scott Dixon (Cairngorm)
U14 Girls - Katy Homyer (Cairngorm)
So congratulations to Cairngorm for a clean sweep of titles for 2007.
The British Rollerski Championships were held at Huntly this year
(GB6) & winners were:
Senior Men - Andrew Musgrave (Huntly)
Senior Ladies - Fiona Hughes (Yorkshire Dales)
U18 Men - Cameron Dudgeon (Cairngorm)
U18 Ladies - Deborah May (Huntly)
U14 Boys - Ruaridh Newman (Huntly)
U14 Girls - Katy Homyer (Cairngorm)
140 skiers took part in a least one series race compared to 117 in
2006. And the largest event attracted 70 skiers. So it seems the
series remains reasonably popular although only a small proportion of
skiers attend more than three races.
It is planned for the Series to go ahead in 2008 and Adam Pinney &
myself (co-Series Directors) welcome any suggestions on how to
improve the Series & hopefully encourage skiers to to attend more
races. We will review what races are included in the Series. We will
keep the same points scoring system although we may adjust the number
of scoring races in particular for the junior categories.
So thanks to all who competed or helped with this years competition &
I hope to see you at the races next year.
A reminder that the London Region 4hr Endurance race is at Hayes on
Sat 20th Oct & that Wessex are hosting a new race at Castle Coombe
Race Track, Wiltshire on Sun 28th Oct (further details in Files
Section).
Regards, Peter Thorn (Huntly Nordic SC)
www.nordicski.org.uk
The Guardian article is an ideal example of the general public perception of the sport, or rather, the activity of cross country skiing. Those of us who are interested, and in particularly on the sporting/competitive side, have a very different view based on the effort that we have to put in to achieve anything in the field of competition.
Ordinary Joe who wants to give it a go doesn't need to be fit at all - if you can walk, with a little bit of guidance, you can cross country ski. Initial perception on the flat cross country loipe is somewhat different to the initial perception on clumpy downhill equipment on a tiny section of flat terrain surrounded by what the novice sees as towering mountains, and cliff like slopes with no control whatsoever over the contraptions on their feet.
On the ratings for roller skis, again it is a perception thing. To move roller skis requires considerably less effort than snow
skis - even more so with fast bearings, and it is relatively easy to cruise without a great deal of effort if taking part in an activity environment rather than a sport environment - you don't need to be fit to roller ski while you might need to be to race. The danger rating is also reflected in the article - the perceived danger has been removed by performing the activity on traffic free roads/tracks. Even on a downhill road that is traffic free the perceived danger is less than on a narrow track surrounded by trees - especially on a sharp bend. Furthermore, on being introduced to the sport/activity one is hardly introduced to, or, even recommended to consider something like the Cairngorm hill road - sensible advice for the activity roller skier is to remove the skis. The thrill rating is hard to deduce, but I must admit to a certain thrill of achievement in negotiating a tight bend on a downhill track something the novice very rarely does.
In summary the article would appear to reflect the experience of the author, and that may be fair comment. From a sport development point of view we need to be able to introduce people to a more dynamic, exhilirating, and uplifting experience - snow and environment are always going to be the key - thinking caps on?
Jimd
iainxc <iainxc@...> wrote:
For fitness, if rollerskiing only gets a 6, and XC skiing gets a 7, what on earth gets a 10???
I'd thought only a couple of sports even came close
to XC skiing in all-round fitness and strength demands!
For the record, I had nothing to do with the ratings, but may have put a positive spin on the danger aspect of rollerskiing.
--- In nordicscotland@yahoogroups.co.uk, "Horsley, Dr David" <d.horsley@...> wrote: > > Nope not at all. Compare it to the ratings for nordic skiing in the same > article: > > Roller skiing > Thrill rating 4/10 > > Danger rating 2/10 > > Fitness rating 6/10 > > Nordic skiing > > Thrill rating 4/10 > > Danger rating 4/10 > > Fitness rating 7/10 > > > > I'd rate the danger of roller skiing over cross country at a much higher > level - falling on tarmac does a lot more damage than falling on snow. > I'd also probably rate the fitness as higher
for roller than > crosscountry as I reckon its a lot easier to take it easy and plod > along on snow than on rollers. The thrill rating is very dependant on > where you are skiing - eg roller skiing down the hill road at cairngorm > whould definitely be a 'thrill' > > > > Dave > > > ________________________________ > > From: nordicscotland@yahoogroups.co.uk > [mailto:nordicscotland@yahoogroups.co.uk] On Behalf Of Peter Thorn > Sent: 02 October 2007 17:04 > To: nordicscotland@yahoogroups.co.uk > Subject: [nordicscotland] Guardian article on rollerskiing > > > > The link below takes you to an article that appeared in the Guardian
> newspaper recently. Do you agree with its ratings for thrill, danger & > fitness? > > http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/guides/adventure/story/0,,2176012,0 > <http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/guides/adventure/story/0,,2176012,0 > > > 0.html > > Regards, Peter > www.nordicski.org >
For fitness, if rollerskiing only gets a 6, and XC skiing gets a 7,
what on earth gets a 10???
I'd thought only a couple of sports even came close to XC skiing in
all-round fitness and strength demands!
For the record, I had nothing to do with the ratings, but may have put
a positive spin on the danger aspect of rollerskiing.
--- In nordicscotland@..., "Horsley, Dr David"
<d.horsley@...> wrote:
>
> Nope not at all. Compare it to the ratings for nordic skiing in the same
> article:
>
> Roller skiing
> Thrill rating 4/10
>
> Danger rating 2/10
>
> Fitness rating 6/10
>
> Nordic skiing
>
> Thrill rating 4/10
>
> Danger rating 4/10
>
> Fitness rating 7/10
>
>
>
> I'd rate the danger of roller skiing over cross country at a much higher
> level - falling on tarmac does a lot more damage than falling on snow.
> I'd also probably rate the fitness as higher for roller than
> crosscountry as I reckon its a lot easier to take it easy and plod
> along on snow than on rollers. The thrill rating is very dependant on
> where you are skiing - eg roller skiing down the hill road at cairngorm
> whould definitely be a 'thrill'
>
>
>
> Dave
>
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: nordicscotland@...
> [mailto:nordicscotland@...] On Behalf Of Peter Thorn
> Sent: 02 October 2007 17:04
> To: nordicscotland@...
> Subject: [nordicscotland] Guardian article on rollerskiing
>
>
>
> The link below takes you to an article that appeared in the Guardian
> newspaper recently. Do you agree with its ratings for thrill, danger &
> fitness?
>
> http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/guides/adventure/story/0,,2176012,0
> <http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/guides/adventure/story/0,,2176012,0
> >
> 0.html
>
> Regards, Peter
> www.nordicski.org
>
Nope not at all. Compare it to the ratings for nordic skiing in the same article:
Roller skiing
Thrill rating 4/10
Danger rating 2/10
Fitness rating 6/10
Nordic skiing
Thrill rating 4/10
Danger rating 4/10
Fitness rating 7/10
I'd rate the danger of roller skiing over cross country at a much higher level - falling on tarmac does a lot more damage than falling on snow. I'd also probably rate the fitness as higher for roller than crosscountry as I reckon its a lot easier to take it easy and plod along on snow than on rollers. The thrill rating is very dependant on where you are skiing - eg roller skiing down the hill road at cairngorm whould definitely be a 'thrill'
Dave
From: nordicscotland@... [mailto:nordicscotland@...] On Behalf Of Peter Thorn Sent: 02 October 2007 17:04 To: nordicscotland@... Subject: [nordicscotland] Guardian article on rollerskiing
The link below takes you to an article that appeared in the Guardian newspaper recently. Do you agree with its ratings for thrill, danger & fitness?
Below is revised report replacing deleted report posted earlier today.
British Rollerski Championships 2007
Huntly Nordic & Outdoor Centre
Saturday 15th Sept 2007
The weekend of the 15/16th Sept saw the two largest British rollerski
races of the 2007 British Rollerski Series. On Saturday the Huntly
Nordic Ski Club hosted the British Rollerski Championships 2007 at
the Huntly Nordic & Outdoor Centre. Despite the heavy rain 69 skiers
from all parts of the UK and of all standards and ages competed over
1.8 to 7.1km courses. The senior men's and ladies 7.1km races were
both won by 17 year old skiers racing up an age category: Andrew
Musgrave (Huntly Nordic SC) and Fiona Hughes (Yorkshire Dales CCSC).
Both skiers set new course records of 18min 55sec and 23mins 05secs,
these times were even more remarkable considering the wet conditions
which saw the majority of skiers skiing far slower than usual. The
Bob Lacy Memorial Trophy for first male veteran (and second overall)
was awarded to Peter Kuznetzov, a Russian skiing for London Region
Nordic SC. The U18 5.1km mens race was won by Cammy Dudgeon
(Cairngorm Biathlon & Nordic SC) who just beat Calum Smith of Huntly
NSC by 1 second. While in the U18 ladies race Deborah May of Huntly
won by just 2 seconds from Marsha Dixon of Cairngorm. The U14 2.1km
boys race was won by Ruaridh Newman (Huntly) and the girls U14 by
Katy Homyer of Cairngorm. A competitive Novice race over a 1.8km flat
course had a field ten skiers from the age of eight up to adult. The
first boy was eight year old Oliver Newman who came 4th overall and
first girl was nine year old Lynne Gray, who came 8th overall; both
Huntly NSC.
At prize giving Evgeny Gorbenko, on behalf of the Russian contingent
of skiers praised the standard of competition and warm welcome they
had received in Huntly. He presented a certificate and calendar of
Russian cross country skiers as a momento to the Huntly club.
Scottish Rollerski Championships
Cairngorm Hill Climb
Sunday 16th Sept 2007
On the Sunday skiers moved over to an equally wet Cairngorm for the
Scottish Championships hosted by Cairngorm Biathlon & Nordic Ski
Club. These races took the form of a hill climb up the Ski Road with
seniors skiing 5.4km and gaining 287m of height, the U18 3.1km and
224m of height and the U14 2.25km and 147m of height. Once again
Andrew Musgrave and Fiona Hughes won the senior races in new course
records of 18min 39secs and 23min 47secs. In the U18 men's race Calum
Smith reversed the previous days race order coming in ahead of Cammy
Dudgeon. Alison Duncan of Cairngorm won the U18 ladies hill climb.
The U14 boys & girls races were won once again by Ruaridh Newman and
Katy Homyer.
These two races formed races 6 and 7 of the British Rollerski Series.
The final race of the series is at Lancaster on the 29th September.
Report by Peter Thorn (Huntly Nordic Ski Club)
www.nordicski.org.uk
While on the subject of Austria there may be some interest in the
subject of snow, and the forthcoming season. The Salzburgland area
has had some spectacular snow for the time of year - causing chaos
on the Tauern Pass near Obertauern, and all the high level Alms for
cattle. Snow tyres, and chains required in September! Hopefully this
means a good season, however, a word of caution we had early season
snow in November last year, and it didn't mean much. Nevertheless,
we live in hope. Currently looking at the snow on the hills
(mountains) opposite the house, and already dusting skis of for an
early season start.
Jimd
--- In nordicscotland@..., "Peter Thorn" <peter@...>
wrote:
>
> Mike,
>
> That was my understanding of the situation. I didn't mean to imply
> that Sachenbacher, or any other of the athletes who received a
short
> ban at Turin were guilty of blood doping. The fasterskier article
> gives that impression & this is incorrect.
>
> Jim, thanks for reminding me about the Austrian team outcome. I
> remember now, I had just forgotten about it.
>
> The sad fact is that drugs in sport is very prevalent & we are
> getting to a situation where you think that any winner is a cheat.
>
> Peter.
>
> --- In nordicscotland@..., "michael_drmn" <mike@>
> wrote:
> >
> > I think its just jumping to the conclusion that the high
haemoglobin
> > was due to blood doping, which is a fairly reasonable assumption
to
> make.
> >
> > Its only a short ban because they can't prove that blood doping
was
> > undertaken, but its incredibly unlikely that anyone would have
that
> > high a concentration legitimately.
> >
> > Anyone with better knowledge of these things, feel free to
> contradict me.
> >
> > Mike
> >
> > --- In nordicscotland@..., "Peter Thorn" <peter@>
> wrote:
> > >
> > > I was a bit confused by the article as it says that Evi
> Sachenbacher
> > > was caught for doping at the Turin Olympics. I just thought
she
> was one
> > > of several athletes given s short 5 day ban because their
> hemoglobin
> > > levels were too high. I haven't heard that she was caught
doping
> since
> > > then. However if what the article says is true then it casts a
> big
> > > cloud over the whole German team. Like you I hope it isn't
true.
> > >
> > > I never heard the outcome of what happened to the Austria team
> after
> > > they got raided by the italian police at Turin. My sources say
> their
> > > team quarters resembled a clinical laboratory.
> > >
> > > All very sad, it is the sort of thing that will drive people
away
> from
> > > sport if they believe that most athletes are cheating.
> > >
> > > Peter.
> > >
> >
>
The whole situation with physiology, and biology in sport leaves a
lot to be desired, and I guess the current rules try their best to
contain the scientific development. Is their any difference between
drugs, and what is termed as blood doping. What is blood doping?
Lasse Viren used to change his blood from one altitude to another.
What is the difference between training at altitude to alter blood
make up, and carrying a spare pint or two that has been taken at
altitude in previous training - all dodgy stuff, and someone has to
draw the line, the trouble is when the line becomes a sqiggle who is
right, and who is wrong. Its a shame they couldn't all live on fish
and chips, and compete like Alf Tupper the tough of the track!
Jim D--- In nordicscotland@..., "Peter Thorn"
<peter@...> wrote:
>
> Mike,
>
> That was my understanding of the situation. I didn't mean to imply
> that Sachenbacher, or any other of the athletes who received a
short
> ban at Turin were guilty of blood doping. The fasterskier article
> gives that impression & this is incorrect.
>
> Jim, thanks for reminding me about the Austrian team outcome. I
> remember now, I had just forgotten about it.
>
> The sad fact is that drugs in sport is very prevalent & we are
> getting to a situation where you think that any winner is a cheat.
>
> Peter.
>
> --- In nordicscotland@..., "michael_drmn" <mike@>
> wrote:
> >
> > I think its just jumping to the conclusion that the high
haemoglobin
> > was due to blood doping, which is a fairly reasonable assumption
to
> make.
> >
> > Its only a short ban because they can't prove that blood doping
was
> > undertaken, but its incredibly unlikely that anyone would have
that
> > high a concentration legitimately.
> >
> > Anyone with better knowledge of these things, feel free to
> contradict me.
> >
> > Mike
> >
> > --- In nordicscotland@..., "Peter Thorn" <peter@>
> wrote:
> > >
> > > I was a bit confused by the article as it says that Evi
> Sachenbacher
> > > was caught for doping at the Turin Olympics. I just thought
she
> was one
> > > of several athletes given s short 5 day ban because their
> hemoglobin
> > > levels were too high. I haven't heard that she was caught
doping
> since
> > > then. However if what the article says is true then it casts a
> big
> > > cloud over the whole German team. Like you I hope it isn't
true.
> > >
> > > I never heard the outcome of what happened to the Austria team
> after
> > > they got raided by the italian police at Turin. My sources say
> their
> > > team quarters resembled a clinical laboratory.
> > >
> > > All very sad, it is the sort of thing that will drive people
away
> from
> > > sport if they believe that most athletes are cheating.
> > >
> > > Peter.
> > >
> >
>
Mike,
That was my understanding of the situation. I didn't mean to imply
that Sachenbacher, or any other of the athletes who received a short
ban at Turin were guilty of blood doping. The fasterskier article
gives that impression & this is incorrect.
Jim, thanks for reminding me about the Austrian team outcome. I
remember now, I had just forgotten about it.
The sad fact is that drugs in sport is very prevalent & we are
getting to a situation where you think that any winner is a cheat.
Peter.
--- In nordicscotland@..., "michael_drmn" <mike@...>
wrote:
>
> I think its just jumping to the conclusion that the high haemoglobin
> was due to blood doping, which is a fairly reasonable assumption to
make.
>
> Its only a short ban because they can't prove that blood doping was
> undertaken, but its incredibly unlikely that anyone would have that
> high a concentration legitimately.
>
> Anyone with better knowledge of these things, feel free to
contradict me.
>
> Mike
>
> --- In nordicscotland@..., "Peter Thorn" <peter@>
wrote:
> >
> > I was a bit confused by the article as it says that Evi
Sachenbacher
> > was caught for doping at the Turin Olympics. I just thought she
was one
> > of several athletes given s short 5 day ban because their
hemoglobin
> > levels were too high. I haven't heard that she was caught doping
since
> > then. However if what the article says is true then it casts a
big
> > cloud over the whole German team. Like you I hope it isn't true.
> >
> > I never heard the outcome of what happened to the Austria team
after
> > they got raided by the italian police at Turin. My sources say
their
> > team quarters resembled a clinical laboratory.
> >
> > All very sad, it is the sort of thing that will drive people away
from
> > sport if they believe that most athletes are cheating.
> >
> > Peter.
> >
>
The IOC banned two Austrian bi athletes, and two coaches for life -
this was upheld by the Austrian commission into the scandal. The IOC
also banned for life 4 Austrian cross country athletes, however, the
Austrian commission found them not guilty, and they are awaiting an
appeal hearing to the IOC.
JimD
--- In nordicscotland@..., "michael_drmn" <mike@...>
wrote:
>
> I think its just jumping to the conclusion that the high
haemoglobin
> was due to blood doping, which is a fairly reasonable assumption
to make.
>
> Its only a short ban because they can't prove that blood doping was
> undertaken, but its incredibly unlikely that anyone would have that
> high a concentration legitimately.
>
> Anyone with better knowledge of these things, feel free to
contradict me.
>
> Mike
>
> --- In nordicscotland@..., "Peter Thorn" <peter@>
wrote:
> >
> > I was a bit confused by the article as it says that Evi
Sachenbacher
> > was caught for doping at the Turin Olympics. I just thought she
was one
> > of several athletes given s short 5 day ban because their
hemoglobin
> > levels were too high. I haven't heard that she was caught doping
since
> > then. However if what the article says is true then it casts a
big
> > cloud over the whole German team. Like you I hope it isn't true.
> >
> > I never heard the outcome of what happened to the Austria team
after
> > they got raided by the italian police at Turin. My sources say
their
> > team quarters resembled a clinical laboratory.
> >
> > All very sad, it is the sort of thing that will drive people
away from
> > sport if they believe that most athletes are cheating.
> >
> > Peter.
> >
>
I think its just jumping to the conclusion that the high haemoglobin
was due to blood doping, which is a fairly reasonable assumption to make.
Its only a short ban because they can't prove that blood doping was
undertaken, but its incredibly unlikely that anyone would have that
high a concentration legitimately.
Anyone with better knowledge of these things, feel free to contradict me.
Mike
--- In nordicscotland@..., "Peter Thorn" <peter@...> wrote:
>
> I was a bit confused by the article as it says that Evi Sachenbacher
> was caught for doping at the Turin Olympics. I just thought she was one
> of several athletes given s short 5 day ban because their hemoglobin
> levels were too high. I haven't heard that she was caught doping since
> then. However if what the article says is true then it casts a big
> cloud over the whole German team. Like you I hope it isn't true.
>
> I never heard the outcome of what happened to the Austria team after
> they got raided by the italian police at Turin. My sources say their
> team quarters resembled a clinical laboratory.
>
> All very sad, it is the sort of thing that will drive people away from
> sport if they believe that most athletes are cheating.
>
> Peter.
>
I was a bit confused by the article as it says that Evi Sachenbacher
was caught for doping at the Turin Olympics. I just thought she was one
of several athletes given s short 5 day ban because their hemoglobin
levels were too high. I haven't heard that she was caught doping since
then. However if what the article says is true then it casts a big
cloud over the whole German team. Like you I hope it isn't true.
I never heard the outcome of what happened to the Austria team after
they got raided by the italian police at Turin. My sources say their
team quarters resembled a clinical laboratory.
All very sad, it is the sort of thing that will drive people away from
sport if they believe that most athletes are cheating.
Peter.
The Reporters Report & findings from the Public Inquiry held last year
can be viewed at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/917/0052765.pdf
It is a long document (196 pages) but the main skiing section starts at
page 93. There is other skiing relevant information in other parts of
report.
The Reporter gives her reasons for recommending that the windfarm be
turned down. Basically AMEC proposal, although a weighty document, was
badly flawed in many places. For a big organistation they didn't do a
very good study on the impact of the windfarm & how to mitigate any
harm.
AMEC have asked for a review of their case so it isn't finished yet but
whatever the final outcome it seems the skiing interests will be
protected.
Peter Thorn (Huntly Nordic SC)
www.nordicski.org.uk
The proposal by AMEC to build a windfarm in the Clashashindarroch
forest has been turned down by the Scottish Government. I don't know
if AMEC have a right to appeal against the decision. Report on BBC
website reads:
"Plans for a wind farm in Aberdeenshire which sparked controversy
have been turned down by the Scottish Government.
The energy company Amec had applied to build 40 turbines at
Clashindarroch near Huntly.
Ministers have now sided with the argument of local campaigners who
said it would be potentially damaging to the environment of the
Deveron Valley.
Another wind farm near Aberfeldy in Perthshire was rejected, however
one in Dumfries and Galloway was approved.
Amec applied for consent to construct the wind farm at Clashindarroch
in 2003. The proposal was for 47 turbines, which was later reduced to
40.
A public local inquiry was held in May last year."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/north_east/6987126.stm
Peter Thorn (Huntly Nordic SC)
www.nordicski.org.uk
The first race of the GB Rollerski Series 2007 took place at Huntly
Nordic & Outdoor Centre on Saturday 2nd June. Fifty-six competitors
mainly from the Huntly and Cairngorm clubs as well as a contingent
from the Army Biathlon Development Squad entered the two
competitions to be decided on the day. The GB Series Race combined
the times of two time trial courses. Skiers of all ages and
abilities took part. The flat 655m course was suitable for novices
while the 1135m course included a tricky hill descent for more
experienced skiers. This was followed in the afternoon by the Huntly
Knock-out Sprints.
Despite being only 15 Andrew Young won the men's GB Series Race just
ahead of his 17 year old team mate Andrew Musgrave. Former Olympic
skier Mike Dixon came third. The ladies competition was won by 15
year old Marsha Dixon of Cairngorm Biathlon & Nordic Ski Club ahead
of Katy Homyer (13) also of Cairngorm. Both these younger skiers had
very fast 1135m times that jumped them ahead of Olwen Thorn (Huntly)
who was leading after the 655m race. The excellent results by these
and other young skiers on the day show that there is great potential
in cross-country skiers in the UK. Trophies and medals were awarded
to the various age group categories.
Winners
Veteran Men: Mike Dixon (CBNSC)
Veteran Ladies: Fiona Crossley (CBNSC)
Senior Men: Andrew Musgrave (HNSC)
Senior Ladies: Olwen Thorn (HNSC)
U18 Men: Andrew Young (HNSC)
U18 Ladies: Marsha Dixon (CBNSC)
U14 Boys: Ruaridh Newman (HNSC)
U14 Girls: Katy Homyer (CBNSC)
U10 Boys: Oliver Newman (HNSC)
U10 Girls: Lynne Gray (HNSC)
The Huntly Knock-out head-to-head sprints in the afternoon produced
two very exciting finals. The men's final and Clashindarroch Cup was
won by Andrew Musgrave with Andrew Young having to settle for 2nd,
Mike Dixon once again coming third. Olwen Thorn won the ladies final
and Clashindarroch Quaich just keeping ahead of Katy Homyer with
Marsha Dixon coming third. The Novice final was won by Iain Barron
(15) from Alan Telford (senior) and 8 year old Fergus Newman, all
from Huntly.
Full results in Rollerski 2007 folder in files section of this group.
The next rollerski race at Huntly will be the GB Rollerski
Championships (GB Series Race 7) on 16th Sept 2007.
Peter Thorn (HNSC)
www.huntly.net/nordicski
Jon Duncan was having some problems posting messages & ask me to put
this message up on the nordicscotland group.
"Peter,
Thanks very much for the results summary and analysis. I think that
you are spot on with what you say. Results, as numbers, are very
difficult to comprehend for the un-initiated, and it is easy to
dismiss anything that is not 'medals' since that is what the British
public have been educated for. The results as a % show a much better
picture of what is happening. I am impressed by the standard.
I am an orienteer - so come from a sport that has traditionally had
limited support and people have had to do a lot for themselves. Over
the years, athletes have persevered and coaches/supporters have made
it possible for them to do so. The result is that now we have several
world champs medal winners and a strong, robust team structure. I
hope that the emergence of such a strong group of juniors can be the
catalyst for XC skiing that we saw about 30 years ago in
orienteering.
Hats off to all those who support the athletes and to the athletes
themselves for taking the challenge. I hope they are motivated from
their experiences to continue the fight!
Kjetil Andre Aamot - recently retired Alpine ski star in Norway - has
a great quote in some recent 'Oslo 2018' publicity material: "We must
convince the young people that outdoor sports are more interesting
than Playstation".
Keep fighting!
Regards,
Jon Duncan"
There now not a specific British cross-country skiing magazine now
that Ski Nordic is no longer published I thought it might be
appropriate to record the results of the British cross-country skiers
at the European Youth Olympics at Jaca, Spain. Full results & reports
can be found at:
http://www.jaca2007.es/programa.htmhttp://www.olympics.org.uk/JACA07/news.aspx?NE=1739
Men 7.5km classic (93 starters)
1. Sebastian Eisenlauer (GER) 21:14.6
48. Andrew Musgrave (GBR) 24:14.8 (14.2%)
72. Alex Standen (GBR) 25:53.1 (21.9%)
81. Simon Spencer (GBR) 27:05.5 (27.6%)
85. Simon Platt (GBR) 27:55.2 (31.5%)
Men 10km free (96 starters)
1. Tim Tscharnke (RUS) 24:21.6
47. Andrew Musgrave (GBR) 26:39.2 (9.4%)
71. Alex Standen (GBR) 27:54.8 (14.6%)
81. Simon Platt (GBR) 29:46.6 (22.2%)
82. Simon Spencer (GBR) 29:51.6 (22.6%)
Ladies 5km classic (79 starters)
1. Alevtina Tanygina (RUS) 17:50.0
55. Fiona Hughes (GBR) 20:48.1 (16.5%)
66. Sarah Young (GBR) 21:56.7 (22.9%)
Ladies 7.5km free (82 starters)
1. Mathe Kristoffersen (NOR) 21:41.2
51. Sarah Young (GBR) 24:22.1 (12.3%)
52. Fiona Hughes (GBR) 24:35.5 (13.3%)
Mixed Relay free (24 teams)
1. Russia 46:22.0
18. Great Britain 52:45.9 (13.8%)
(Sarah Young, Alex Standen, Fiona Hughes, Andrew Musgrave)
In brackets is the percentage each skier was behind the winner. There
was a time not long ago when we would have pleased to have one of our
skiers within 25% of the winners time in this standard of skiing
(these are the best junior skiers in Europe). All six achieved this
in at least one race & several did considerably better showing that
all deserved their places on the team. Interestingly they all did
better in the skate race. Was this because technically classic is
more difficult to perfect especially when you live in a country where
there isn't a lot of snow. Skating on rollerskis probably mimics on-
snow skating better than classic rollerskiing does. So well done to
all six athletes, the squad manager Angharad Evans,
coaches/technicians Marek Pasterny & Roy Young. The other squad
coaches who have helped in the build-up to these championships should
also be thanked: Jim Davidson, Peter Gurney & Al Dargie.
Before I finish I would also like to mention that Britain has one
representative, Alan Eason, at the World Nordic Championships
currently underway at Sapporo, Japan. Alan was a talented young skier
who has continued his skiing in the senior ranks for a number of
years. He has received very little support or even encouragement from
his governing body but he has persevered & deserves a lot of credit.
Over the years I have seen a great number of our promising young
skiers reach the seniors only to find there was no structure or
organisation to help them progress into the senior level. We have
bunch of very good juniors getting close to senior level, & there are
more good juniors coming up behind them. The challenge for our sport
now is to make sure we don't lose this talent before they have had
the chance to fully mature.
Peter Thorn (HNSC)
www.huntly.net/nordicski
Carol,
It's warm this weekend & thaw continues. There is is still skiing in
the Clash but there are bare patches & you need to walk 500m or so into
the forest. Worth having a ski if you are local but maybe not worth a
journey from Edinburgh.
The ski trails at Glen Isla, near Glenshee, were ruined when there was
extensive tree felling a few years back.
I imagine there will high level touring at Glenshee & Cairngorm but
conditions will probably be soft. Try www.winterhighland.org for
mountain ski conditions.
Peter.
www.huntly.net/nordicski
As a co owner/moderator of this nordicscotland group I thought it
might be helpful to make some comments on using it for those of you
new to this kind of discussion group.
1. Once you have signed up you can change your personnel settings at
anytime by clicking on the "Edit Membership" at the top of the page.
2. Here you can add a new email address & select what email address
you want messages sent to. There is an edit membership help button.
3. You can select to have a) individual emails b) a daily digest c)
to receive special notices only from the moderator (you need to visit
the website to look at the messages) d) web only (i.e. you don't get
any emails but again need to visit the site to view messages).
4. You may not think it appropriate to receive emails to a work email
address or your home internet provider address. In this case set up a
a web based email address at for example at Hotmail or Yahoo. If you
decide not to receive emails then you will need to visit the
nordicscotland group website site to see if there is any news of snow
conditions or events.
5. There is no way I can select what kind of email topics you
receive, you either have to receive them all or a digest or receive
none at all. Experience from the former nordicscotland Smartgroups
site would indicate that the number of emails will be fairly low. 10-
15 per week at peak & probably average 1 or 2 week for the whole year.
6. When you post messages please try & use a clear description in the
subject line to help people decide if the message is of interest.
7. I choose to have all emails coming to my home address so that I
can keep tabs & do my moderator stuff if required.
I have this this message via the moderator's "Special Notice"
privilege for those who have already selected only to receive special
messages. Please contact me on this site or send a personnal email
via the "send email" button that you see with this email if you need
any more assistance.
Regards, Peter Thorn (HNSC)
www.huntly.net/nordicski
I'd agree with Jimd, having tried a Nordic Trak a few years ago, it's
nothing like the real thing and I can't say it gave me much of a
workout or did a great deal for my stamina.
Could that be why ebay is so well populated with them?!
My biggest worry is the distance. As has been said before these events
are a long way. How do you train for that? In my job. I'm not on my
feet for 4 hours let alone exercise for that long.
Jim
--- In nordicscotland@..., "aapinney" <aapinney@...>
wrote:
>
> Hi Jim,
>
> There is an organisation, the British Masters Cross Country Ski
Association, which might be able to help you!
Adam
Many thanks for your advice. I'll look out for your web site.
Meanwhile as I live in Lincolnshire, I'll give Manchester XC club a try
although they're probably 2 hours away.
looking through your links I saw Midlands XC is 'the right side' of
Birmingham for me and as they have snow to play on it might be useful.
Thanks again
Jim
--- In nordicscotland@..., "bty229147" <jimd.skiing@...>
wrote:
>
> To win a world loppet takes a great deal of training
Bless you Jimd, I'm not looking to win! The first hurdle would be to
get around before the control gates close!
But many thanks for the advice
Jim
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