tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26915252678729630852023-11-25T14:37:37.647-08:00IN THE ARENA WITH TORINTorin Kooshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282992144129716434noreply@blogger.comBlogger196125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691525267872963085.post-88062423386732157702015-08-15T22:35:00.000-07:002015-08-15T22:35:47.369-07:00Utah's altitude draws the running elite (+video)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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SALT LAKE CITY — With the sun beating down on the University of Utah’s bright red tartan track, a pack of runners rounds the final bend for the 16th — and final — time. The cadence and stride length of Amy Hastings picks up as she pulls away on the home straight. Following closely behind, but looking a little more labored, are three men.</div>
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In 2012 at the London Olympics, Hastings placed 11th. With the Rio Games just under one year away, Hastings and her husband, Alistair Cragg, a three-time Irish Olympian, visit Utah's thinly oxygenated, high-altitude training grounds.</div>
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Looking to Brazil, Hastings and Cragg believe being in Utah for month-long high-altitude training blocks gives them an advantage by naturally boosting their red blood cell counts — and thereby performance.</div>
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Hastings and Cragg aren’t the only ones seeking out Utah's thin air these days.</div>
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Two days earlier, Bowerman TC, a team of professional runners sponsored by Nike, hammered out a series of high-intensity intervals on Utah's track. The workout was their last hard session before boarding a plane to East Asia.</div>
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<a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865634575/Utahs-altitude-draws-the-running-elite-video.html">Want to ready more? Continue here</a></div>
Torin Kooshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282992144129716434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691525267872963085.post-27432285676289577612015-04-17T19:28:00.001-07:002015-04-17T22:05:13.464-07:00Why U.S. Olympic Swimming Dominates<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #151515; font-family: 'Miller Display Roman', georgia, serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 30px;">At the Olympic Games, USA Swimming has won 520 medals -- 220 of them gold. Second place country Australia has 171, total. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #151515; font-family: 'Miller Display Roman', georgia, serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 30px;">Outside of a 17 day cycle once every four years we will only hear the names of swimmers like </span><span style="color: #151515; font-family: 'Miller Display Roman', georgia, serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 30px;">Lochte and Phelps for their more dubious distinctions. How is it that America can so thoroughly dominate a sport you won't find on Sportscenter or in your daily newspaper? </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #151515; font-family: 'Miller Display Roman', georgia, serif; line-height: 30px;"><i>"Olympic champions don't just do much more of the same things that summer-league country-club swimmers do. They don't just swim more hours, or move their arms faster or attend more workouts. What makes them faster cannot be quantitatively compare with lower level swimmers... Instead they do things differently. Their strokes are different, their attitudes are different, their group of friends are different, their parents treat the sport differently." </i></span><span style="color: #151515; font-family: 'Miller Display Roman', georgia, serif; line-height: 30px;">Via </span><a href="http://lillyfellows.org/Portals/0/Chambliss-Mundanity%20of%20Excellence.pdf" style="font-family: 'Miller Display Roman', georgia, serif; line-height: 30px;">The Mundanity of Excellence report</a></span><br />
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<span style="color: #151515; font-family: 'Miller Display Roman', georgia, serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 30px;">Today, Fortune magazine weighed in on with the article <a href="http://fortune.com/2015/04/17/usa-olympic-swimming-gold/">Why U.S. swimming is so dominant</a>. Perhaps the biggest key: A r</span><span style="color: #151515; font-family: 'Miller Display Roman', georgia, serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 30px;">igid management roadmap for their Olympic team. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #151515; font-family: 'Miller Display Roman', georgia, serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 30px;">One takeaway from Chuck Wielgus, director </span><span style="color: #151515; font-family: 'Miller Display Roman', georgia, serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 30px;">USA Swimming:</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #151515; font-family: 'Miller Display Roman', georgia, serif; line-height: 30px;">“We’re a not-for-profit with a bottom-line orientation. Performance by committee is a major mistake. So coaches run their show, directors do their part, and it’s a separation of state.”</span><span style="color: #151515; font-family: 'Miller Display Roman', georgia, serif; line-height: 30px;"> </span></span></i><br />
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<span style="color: #151515; font-family: 'Miller Display Roman', georgia, serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 30px;">Is there something in there for other sports to learn?</span><br />
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<span style="color: #151515; font-family: 'Miller Display Roman', georgia, serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 30px;"><br /></span>Torin Kooshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282992144129716434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691525267872963085.post-58980560840130983852015-03-14T16:33:00.000-07:002015-03-14T16:33:40.131-07:00Utah slips to third by end of NCAA Ski Championships<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Utah's lone All-America on Saturday, Andy Trow in action</td></tr>
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<span class="s1"><b> Utah slips</b></span><b> to third by end of NCAA Ski Championships</b></h2>
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<span class="s1">On a cloudy, windy morning on the slalom ski slopes of Whiteface Mountain, the Skiing Utes tumbled to third for the NCAA team title. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">The Utes headed into the final day in Lake Placid, NY behind the eventual champion Colorado Buffalos. Denver University put up the day’s dominate performance in the men’s slalom by going two-three-four. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">“I have to hand it to Denver today,” Utah’s ski director Kevin Sweeney said. “They skied solid. No, it was more than solid. They put down some results today where I had to go, ‘Wow, that’s impressive. To do that they did I was actually in awe of that.’”</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The NCAAs were the first time all season the defending national champion Pioneers defeated the Utes in a team title competition. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">“I think that’s where we got into a little bit of trouble — we were skiing solid but conservative to defend our position,” Sweeney said. “We took more rounded lines and skied a bit cautious as opposed to taking tighter lines and letting the skis really run.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1">At these championships Utah tallied 13 All-America performances during the four days of races though only junior Andy Trow’s seventh earned the honors Saturday.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">In addition to Trow’s run, Joergen Brath finished 15th while Endre Bjertness was 26th. Ana Kobal led the Utah women in 12th while Kristiina Rove finished 17th and Chloe Fausa was 20th.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">“I’m sitting here trying to digest it,” Sweeney said. “This group is of championship quality. I need to remind myself we were on the podium as a team and that’s certainly an accomplishment. Yet at the same time, we had the opportunity to take gold and we didn’t capitalize.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Colorado won by scoring 505 points during the five days of competition, followed by Denver (478) and Utah (471). Vermont (443) and New Mexico (402) rounded out the top five teams. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">In the last five years, Utah has three second-place finishes and one third-place. Utah hasn’t won the team title since 2003. This twelve-year title drought is the longest in school history.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">“He was really in the zone,” Sweeney said about Trow’s two All-America performances at the championships. “He was really focused and came in here with a lot of confidence. I give him a lot of credit for being able to dial it in while under such pressure.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Trow started his first run with a mid-pack starting position, yet skied into ninth. On his second run, Trow was able to move up two positions. The Canmore, Alberta native said blocking out the team title standings was key for his consistent performances.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">“I can’t start counting the points to see where we are at,” Trow said. “I just try to ignore all that. I know how to ski race. Team standings are important but I can’t let that change my game plan. I just have to go out there and race like I do every day. I just try and block all the rest of that out and perform. When I do that, that’s what’s best for the team.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Utah’s individual national champion undecided </b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">While Utah might have left upstate New York without the crown jewel of NCAA skiing, the Utes return to Salt Lake City with some hardware. Veronikia Mayerhofer won the individual title in the women’s 5-km freestyle. The freshman from Bad Gastein, Austria nearly added another in Friday’s 15-km classic but lost out in a photo finish. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">The 22-year old says she will soon decide whether she’ll return of Utah next year. Mayerhofer was an up-and-coming talent with the Austrian national team. Despite making last year’s Sochi Olympics, she said she was burnt out and looking for a new challenge. Psychology studies and competing with the more team-oriented focus of NCAA skiing for Utah provided the new environment. It’s her teammates that might keep Mayerhofer wearing Ute Red (Pantone 187) for years to come.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">“We spend so much time together, not just training,” Mayerhofer said. “I don’t know how to live without them. Yeah, I’ll come back… but the final decision will be made in the next week.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Utah hopes Mayerhofer returns, not just for her performance but what she brings to the team’s dynamic. “It’s been a tremendous experience having Veronika on the team,” Sweeney said. “She’s found a team, she’s found friends and she’s found success in all that. I’m just hoping she wants more.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The Utes are also already aiming for more than just a place on the podium at next year’s NCAA championship. “We’re happy with what we did but we wanted more,” Trow said. “We definitely wanted more. We’re just going to train harder, train faster and beat them all next year.”</span></div>
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Torin Kooshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282992144129716434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691525267872963085.post-64517900016799762762015-03-13T18:26:00.000-07:002015-03-13T18:26:53.845-07:00Utah skiing locked in final-day battle for NCAA team title<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Utah's All-Americans from Friday's classic races<br /><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Article Link</b>: <a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865624207/Utah-skiing-locked-in-final-day-battle-for-NCAA-team-title.html"><b>Utah skiing locked in final-day battle for NCAA team title</b></a></span></td></tr>
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The NCAA team title in skiing is coming down to the wire. Utah ski director Kevin Sweeney called the battle “a real slug fest.” The University of Colorado leads Utah 388-381 heading into Saturday's slalom competition, the final day of the four-day championships.</div>
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“It’s definitely a battle between us and CU,” Utah’s nordic coach Abi Holt said after Colorado jumped ahead of the <a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/sports/utah-utes" style="color: #648eac; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Utes</a> with a razor-thin advantage.</div>
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Just how close is the competition? After 12 giant slalom runs and 150 kilometers of nordic skiing, the difference separating Utah and Colorado on the race course is two seconds in cross-country. Or less than half a second in the alpine.</div>
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On Friday, the women raced 15-km and the men 20-km on trails made for the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y. “I can’t remember going into the final day this close,” Holt said. “We know alpine will have a lot of pressure on them.”</div>
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<span class="bold-text" style="font-weight: bold;">Mayerhofer goes from golden girl to NCAA runner-up</span></div>
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Utah's Veronika Mayerhofer, who became the national champion in freestyle on Wednesday, also knows something about close finishes. The freshman from Austria held a slight advantage heading into the final straightaway on Friday. Mayerhofer lost out by a photo finish to the University of New Mexico’s Emilie Cedervaern.</div>
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“I didn’t have much tactics or a big plan,” Mayerhofer said about the day’s head-to-head racing format. “I just tried to stay at the front of the race and stick with Emilie.”</div>
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Mayerhofer added: “It’s actually good she won. She was the strongest.”</div>
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<span class="bold-text" style="font-weight: bold;">Course challenges coaches and athletes alike</span></div>
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The terrain tested athletes with features like “Russian Hill,” an unrelenting climb that became infamous during the 1980 Games.</div>
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The conditions, with temperatures moving from the high teens to the high 20s during the race, challenged coaches in the wax cabin. With the classic tracks starting to glaze up with a thin sheen of ice on the top layer, Utah skiiers went with klister, a sticky wax that excels on the steep climbs, but comes at the cost of glide.</div>
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“You could see it. If you didn’t have kick on the hilly back side of the course, you were just out of the race,” Utah’s Niklas Persson said. “We chose right today.”</div>
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<span class="bold-text" style="font-weight: bold;">First-team All-America for Utah’s Persson</span></div>
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Persson paced the Utah men’s team to a fifth-place finish, the junior’s second All-America performance of the week. While Persson’s coaches say he was aiming for a podium race, Persson said he was far from disappointed with fifth.</div>
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“You had to be nice and smooth and light on your skis today,” Persson said. “I did that.”</div>
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With Kevin Bolger and Noe Bellet finishing 16th and 22nd, the Ute men rallied a bit from Wednesday’s performances. “We talked after Wednesday,” Persson said. “We weren’t super happy, we wanted to ski better. We were just more on it today. We wanted it more.”</div>
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<span class="bold-text" style="font-weight: bold;">Crowd favorite Sloan Storey earns second first-team All-America at these championships</span></div>
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Joining Mayerhofer and Persson with first-team All-America accolades on the day was Sloan Storey. In a sport dominated by Central Europeans and Scandinavians, Storey was the day’s top American, finishing fifth.</div>
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Storey was the crowd favorite as well. “I didn’t have to look for Sloan,” Mayerhofer said, laughing. “Everyone was cheering for her. She’s American, she had a cheering advantage.”</div>
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Utah’s team captain drew praise from Holt: “(Sloan) always shows up on race days. She’s a big championship performer. She always delivers.”</div>
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Utah's Anna-Lena Heynen added her second top-10 result of the week, moving up from 23rd to 10th in the race’s final kilometers.</div>
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<span class="bold-text" style="font-weight: bold;">Saturday’s slalom to decide skiing’s top prize</span></div>
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A warm swell is expected to bring a mixture of rain-snow-sleet into upstate New York Saturday. With impending inclement conditions, several teams petitioned to move Saturday’s slalom at Whiteface Mountain to Friday to ensure fairer conditions. The race jury denied the request.</div>
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Of all the alpine disciplines, slalom racing is the most fickle, with a crash or a missed gate a near certainty from at least one racer from any team. “It’s pretty wild to go into the final day like this with slalom,” Holt said. “These races are probably the most unpredictable out there for who will finish and how it will go. It’s a pretty crazy place we’re in right now.”</div>
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The Utes will turn to Andy Trow, Endre Bjertness and Joergen Brath on the men’s alpine side. Kristiina Rove, Chloe Fausa and Ana Kobal will compete for the women.</div>
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“With a slalom day, it’s really not over until that last skier really crosses that finish line,” Persson said. “All we can do is go on the hill, cheer on our guys and hope they do well.”</div>
Torin Kooshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282992144129716434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691525267872963085.post-4759359061714047002015-03-13T09:46:00.004-07:002015-03-13T09:46:59.083-07:00 Utah in driver’s seat midway through NCAA Ski Championships<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Utah's four All-Americans in Thursday's giant slalom in action. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Article Link:</b> <a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865624135/Utah-in-driver7s-seat-midway-through-NCAA-Ski-Championships.html?pg=all">Utah in driver's seat midway through NCAA Ski Championships</a></span></div>
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Midway through the NCAA Ski Championships, the University of Utah finds itself in the team title driver’s seat.</div>
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With conditions on the Whiteface giant slalom course in upstate New York alternating almost turn-by-turn from soft and grippy to rough rolling pebbles of ice, though, the situation looked dicey for at times for the <a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/sports/utah-utes" style="color: #648eac; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Utes</a>.</div>
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Utah's Endre Bjertness stood in the starting house when one of those moments of misfortune hit in alpine ski racing. Teammate Joergen Brath pushed hard into the first few corners of his race before clipping a tip on a gate. Brath lost a ski, and his day finished hardly before it even started.</div>
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“Just before I went, I saw Joergen lose his ski at the top of the course,” Bjertness said. “I saw this and I was pretty nervous about that — I knew I couldn’t do the same, you know?”</div>
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Bjertness, a freshman from the outskirts of Oslo, made it just past the gate that ended his teammate’s day. A moment later, Bjertness hip-checked the snow, nearly crashing out of the race himself.</div>
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“It wasn’t an option to ski out,” Bjertness told his coach, then the media afterwards. “Sure, it happens… but it just wasn’t an option for me today.”</div>
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Bjertness stood up and got his feet under him. “Then he just charged the rest of the hill,” said Utah assistant alpine coach Luke Patterson.</div>
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By the second run, the mishaps were over for the Utes. The freshman also felt more at ease. Bjertness posted the second fastest run of the day to move from 11th to sixth. He went from nearly skiing out to first-team All-America.</div>
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“I was a little nervous in the first run,” Bjertness said. “I then managed to ski with more confidence. That second run—that’s probably my best GS skiing in a long while.”</div>
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Teammate Andy Trow helped Utah’s title chances with an eighth, the third All-American finish for the junior from Canmore, Canada.</div>
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<span class="bold-text" style="font-weight: bold;">For the Utah women, the captain shows the way</span></div>
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Only the top step of the podium eluded Kristiina Rove from winning the NCAA giant slalom title last year in Park City. But the senior captain had more than individual honors on her mind Thursday.</div>
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“Kristiina’s a very special athlete,” Patterson said. “I think in her heart-of-hearts she wanted to win. I think she evaluated the conditions and evaluated the competition and knew she had to stay on her feet for us to win the team title. I think she’s very happy with fourth even though she’s very capable of skiing much faster.”</div>
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Rove, who competed for her native Finland at this year’s world championships in Vail, Colorado, echoed her coach’s comments.</div>
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“Many racers made mistakes because of the windy conditions and inconsistent snow. My approach was to ski two solid runs and not risk too much. This paid off.”</div>
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Sophomore Chloe Fause finished immediately behind Rove in fifth, 17 hundredths of a second seperating the two.</div>
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Senior Ana Kobal skied out on coming off a pitch when the snow transitioned immediately from windblown, chalky snow to “hardpacked ball bearings,” according to Patterson.</div>
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“It’s easy to get lulled into a too aggressive line for the conditions that might wait at the next gate,” Patterson said about Kobal’s and Brath’s early-ending performances . Coaches and teammates say the two will come out charging for Saturday’s slalom races.</div>
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“Those two (Kobal and Brath) are really going to sink their teeth into the next one," Patterson said. "They made hard mistakes on the day but they weren’t catastrophic. At the end of the day many teams, especially the real contenders, lost one or two athletes.”</div>
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The team title leaderboard could hardly be tighter. Utah leads Colorado 241-237; the difference between the two teams being one Ute bettering one Buffalo. Defending national champion Denver University sits in third with 232 points.</div>
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“We’ve lost it before halfway through,” Rove said. “We’re going to have to fight all the way through to the last race. We’re such a good team. We can definitely win this.”</div>
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Rove added: “We feel good, but not too good.”</div>
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<span class="bold-text" style="font-weight: bold;">UP NEXT</span></div>
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Utah looks to extend their razor-thin lead in the team title chase with Friday’s classic style competition. The long distance (20-km for men, 15-km for women) and the head-to-head racing of mass starts should play to the Utah’s nordic strengths.</div>
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“It’ll be even better on Friday,” Wednesday’s national champion Veronika Mayerhofer said. “Not just me, it’ll be much better for all the boys and the girls on our team as well.”</div>
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Utah might have a secret weapon with cloudy, temperate conditions forecasted. It’s the work nordic coach Abi Holt and program director Kevin Sweeney do in the wax cabin.</div>
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“Our coaches are so good at waxing and preparing our skis,” Mayerhofer said. “That can be our advantage. Yeah, we’ll be great.”</div>
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NCAA’s wrap Saturday with the men's and women's slalom.</div>
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“I could not be more impressed with the efforts and scoring of our four All-Americans today,” Utah’s ski director <a href="http://www.utahutes.com/sports/c-ski/recaps/031215aab.html" style="color: #648eac; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Kevin Sweeney said</a>. “The championship is turning into a real slug fest.”</div>
Torin Kooshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282992144129716434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691525267872963085.post-46391686748039139242015-03-12T14:13:00.003-07:002015-03-12T14:14:18.361-07:00Utah's Mayerhofer atop the podium at NCAA Ski Championships<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Deseret News Article Link: <a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865624025/Utahs-Mayerhofer-wins-title-on-first-day-of-NCAA-Championships.html">Utah's Mayerhofer wins title on first day of NCAA Ski Championships</a></div>
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With temperatures rising into the low 40s and the women’s 5km freestyle at the NCAA Ski Championships heating up to a three-way battle for the title, University of Utah’s Veronika Mayerhofer dropped the hammer.</div>
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In Wednesday’s race in Lake Placid, NY, skiers raced against the clock, each starting solo, 30 seconds apart. Midway through, Mayerhofer passed Utah's nordic coach, Abi Holt. As Mayerhofer went by Holt gave some welcoming news: the freshman from Bad Gastein, Austria was tied for first through 2.5 kilometers.</div>
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“I didn’t feel super special until I heard that first split,” Mayerhofer said. “Then I decided to really go for it. You had to push so hard to the top of the final climb. Maybe it was a risk…”</div>
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The course’s second half climbed to the top of Russian Hill, a hill so steep and challenging Olympic skiers from Russia lobbied — successfully — to have the hill’s peak bulldozed before the start of the 1980 Games.</div>
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Mayerhofer said she was flooded with lactate and nearly seeing stars on the final downhill into the finish from the uphill effort. If it was a gamble to pick up the pace on the hardest part of the course for Mayerhofer, the risk paid off.</div>
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“I knew Veronika would be a contender, but I’m shocked to see these final results,” Holt said. “To win by 13 seconds… I wish I could have seen the second-half of her race. It must have been something else.”</div>
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<span class="bold-text" style="font-weight: bold;">Mayerhofer adding her name to the record books</span></div>
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The last Utah woman to win an NCAA title came in 2012 from Maria Graefnings of Sweden. All told, the <a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/sports/utah-utes" style="color: #648eac; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Utes</a> have had five women win a total of eight national titles in the cross-country skiing in school history.</div>
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Mayerhofer’s competitors probably can’t count on the victory changing her approach. The night after her win, the Academic All-America could be found brushing up on her studies in psychology.</div>
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<span class="bold-text" style="font-weight: bold;">The skiing and school combination gives skier new motivation</span></div>
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The 22-year old Austrian credits Utah for helping her find new motivation after making the 2014 Sochi Olympics.</div>
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“After the Olympics I said, ‘Now I need a change,” Mayerhofer said. “I just thought it was a good opportunity to come to Utah. I didn’t talk to other teams — I don’t know why. I just had a feeling it’d be good here. It’s been even better than I thought.”</div>
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<span class="bold-text" style="font-weight: bold;">Utah’s first day: four All-Americans</span></div>
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Utah junior Sloan Storey from Hailey, Idaho was fifth while sophomore Anna-Lena Heynen, from Regensburg in Germany’s Bavarian region, finished ninth.</div>
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While Utah’s women surged, the men’s team struggled a bit. Niklas Persson, a junior originally from Sweden, was tenth to earn his third All-American citation. Sophomores Noe Bellet, from Serre-Chevalier, France, and Kevin Bulger of Minocqua, Wisconsin were 17th and 26th.</div>
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“I’m not counting them out at all,” Holt said about the men’s nordic performances. “I think they will all take that starting line again on Friday and know we all have their backs. They were a little off today. That happens.”</div>
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<span class="bold-text" style="font-weight: bold;">Sitting in second heading into day two</span></div>
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While Utah’s last team title came in 2003, the Utes are in a decent position to end the longest NCAA team title drought in school history. Utah is in second in team scoring with 131 points, just behind Colorado’s 155 points. Vermont and New Mexico are tied for third with 106 points while Denver University, last year’s defending national champion, are in fifth.</div>
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“Sitting in second, I think that’s a healthy place to be after day one,” Holt said. “This certainly gives everyone the sense that we’re in striking distance of an NCAA championship title. But no one has the impression that we have a lot of room for error, either.”</div>
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<span class="bold-text" style="font-weight: bold;">Thursday’s races</span></div>
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Day two of the NCAA Championships turns to the alpine side. Competitors will take to the slopes at Whiteface Mountain for the giant slalom competiton. The venue has plenty of history as the place where ski legends Ingemar Stenmark of Sweden and USA’s Phil Mahre battled for Olympic gold in 1980.</div>
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On the women’s side, the Utes turn to Kristiina Rove, Chloe Fausa and Ana Kobal. All three are returning All-Americans. The Utah men’s team will rely on Andy Trow, Joergen Brath and Endre Bjertness. Trow and Brath are returning All-Americans while the freshman Bjertness gets his first NCAA start.</div>
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Torin Kooshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282992144129716434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691525267872963085.post-87875692993376823812015-02-13T21:35:00.001-08:002015-02-13T21:35:14.654-08:00In remembrance: Jack Owen<div class="p1">
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<span class="s1">Last night I talked to my dad as he was on his way to pay his last respects to Jack Owen. Jack was one of the greatest generation. He was instrumental to putting U.S. skiing on the map. Here is the letter I received from my dad today, the day Jack passed away. You will be missed -- and missed dearly.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">February 13, 2015</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Jack Owen, one of the Pacific Northwest’s preeminent and pioneering ski coaches passed peacefully last night at the age of 95. A lifelong and accomplished outdoorsman, Jack discovered Nordic skiing in the mid-1960’s when his five children joined Herb Thomas’ fledgling Wenatchee Ski Club. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Prior to that discovery, Jack had been a standout high school basketball player. His father’s Granite Falls, Washington sawmill provided cedar stock to George Pocock’s, and Jack struck up a friendship with Pocock in the course of making deliveries to Pocock’s Boatworks. Some Owen lumber may have accompanied the <i>Boys in the Boat </i>to Berlin. If so, it would not be Jack’s sole brush with the Olympic Games.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Following high school, Jack and his family homesteaded on Kodiak Island, and Jack’s first career was as a tug boat captain working in the Gulf of Alaska. Jack enlisted during the second World War, was trained as a weatherman, and scrambled up a Normandy Beach on D-day. Following the war he used the GI bill to attend Montana State University where he earned a degree in electrical engineering.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Following graduation, Jack began working as a engineer for Alcoa. He was eventually transferred to the Alcoa plant in Wenatchee, Washington; a community that meshed perfectly with Jack’s interests in family, the outdoors, and career.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Jack took over head coaching for the Wenatchee ski team in 1967. Both he and Herb Thomas had been years ahead of Title 9; and believed that females could equally train, compete, and enjoy endurance sports. This was a time when the US did not have a women’s ski team; when women were barred from the Boston Marathon, and when the longest track event for women at the 1968 Mexico Games was the 800 meters. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Jack was all in as a coach, and like Arthur Lydiard, made sure to trial his training ideas and concepts on himself first. He possessed an analytic, engineering orientation; and became a student of great classic ski technique. It was ultimately evidenced in his skiers. There is a ski technique bible in Norway that devotes a chapter to the classic technique of Jack’s daughter Alison.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Jack was the sort of coach who reached out to other disciplines. He developed a friendship with legendary University of Oregon track coach Bill Bowerman. The two shared a passion for fly fishing, and shared coaching ideas and perspectives while bringing trout to fly on the McKenzie River below Bowerman’s home.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Female Swedish and West German ski champions made a point of stopping in East Wenatchee while touring North America. Those were wonderful opportunities for stars and up-and-comers alike. The porch light was always on for nordic skiers at Jack and his wife Bess’ home.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">In 1966, Jack’s 13 year old daughter Alison broke the gender barrier at the Junior Nationals in Winter Park, Colorado. She had qualified for the PNSA boy’s team, and raced in the boy’s class. The organizers made precautionary provisions, with an ambulance standing by. Alison showed them something, and the next year females were welcomed and had their own races.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">There was a time in the mid-1970’s when half the U.S. women’s team came from a one block radius in East Wenatchee. The five neighborhood girls were Alison and Sally Owen, Tammy and Tracy Valentine, and Joanne Musolf. The latter four finished 2 – 5 at the 1974 Junior Nationals in Steamboat Springs. Not surprisingly, they also won the relay by a wide margin.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">A number of Jack’s skiers went on to NCAA and international success. Alison was the most notable, winning World Cups and finishing second at Holmenkollen. Perhaps more telling is the profound respect and connection they have maintained with their old coach, and with one another.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Jack retired from ski coaching in 1982. A number of his former charges followed him into coaching, and remain active role models today. Having caught the endurance bug as a coach, Jack indulged it after his retirement from Alcoa, also in 1982. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">He became an accomplished road cyclist. Coming down a generation in age group, he and Muffy Ritz were a formidable tandem team at the Master’s nationals. Devoted to his custom made Davidson road bike, Jack would allow himself a replacement every 70,000 miles.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Jack lived independently into his 95</span><span class="s2"><sup>th</sup></span><span class="s1"> year. He followed his beloved Seahawks from his apartment to SuperBowl 49. He had the good sense to fall asleep for their 4</span><span class="s2"><sup>th</sup></span><span class="s1"> quarter demise.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Jack is survived by his five children, and host of admirers.</span></div>
Torin Kooshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282992144129716434noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691525267872963085.post-34510238704796989182014-09-03T07:07:00.001-07:002014-09-03T07:07:23.257-07:00String Theory<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Because its the climax of the hard court tennis season. Because Roger Federer looks like he's turned back the clock this summer. Because no one wrote better on the sport than David Foster Wallace.</span></h4>
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"It’s better for us not to know the kinds of sacrifices the professional-grade athlete has made to get so very good at one particular thing. Oh, we’ll invoke lush clichés about the lonely heroism of Olympic athletes, the pain and analgesia of football, the early rising and hours of practice and restricted diets, the preflight celibacy, et cetera. But the actual facts of the sacrifices repel us when we see them: basketball geniuses who cannot read, sprinters who dope themselves, defensive tackles who shoot up with bovine hormones until they collapse or explode. We prefer not to consider closely the shockingly vapid and primitive comments uttered by athletes in post-contest interviews or to consider what impoverishments in one’s mental life would allow people actually to think the way great athletes seem to think. Note the way ‘up close and personal’ profiles of professional athletes strain so hard to find evidence of a rounded human life – outside interests and activities, values beyond the sport. We ignore what’s obvious, that most of this straining is farce. It’s farce because the realities of top-level athletics today require an early and total commitment to one area of excellence. An ascetic focus. A subsumption of almost all other features of human life to one chosen talent and pursuit. A consent to live in a world that, like a child’s world, is very small."</h4>
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From David Foster Wallace’s <i><a href="http://www.esquire.com/features/sports/the-string-theory-0796?src=longreads">The String Theor<u>y</u></a>, </i>published in Esquire in July 1996.</div>
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Want more Infinite Jest meets sport? David Foster Wallace with <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/20/sports/playmagazine/20federer.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0"><i>Roger Federer as Religious Experience.</i></a></div>
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Torin Kooshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282992144129716434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691525267872963085.post-6876216112339559072014-08-23T00:16:00.002-07:002014-08-23T00:17:25.892-07:00Visiting the City That Never Sleeps<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This past weekend I headed down to NYC to check out the scene in the city that never sleeps. </div>
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After three days spent scouring Manhattan my feet hurt so much. I don't know if I've ever walked so much. But the sounds and scenes were definitely worth it. Like this three-man a capella doing their thing in SoHo. </div>
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I took in the Broadway musical <i>Bullets Over Broadway</i> written by Woody Allen and starring Zack Braff in the lead role, scoring a ticket for $30. Having lived in Utah for many years I wanted to take in <i>The Book of Mormon</i> but getting tickets to the show were crazy expensive. Maybe I still should have gone. Maybe there will be a next time.<br />
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One of the reasons I came to New York was to check out the nerve center of the Associated Press. The AP is quite arguably the most important news gathering agency in the world, with incredible reach. 1,700 newspapers and something like 5,000 broadcast outlets subscribe to their wire service, pulling whatever articles and photos they need. The non-profit has something like 240 news bureaus around the world.<br />
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It's a really no-nonsense place, except for this incredible view from the 14th floor of their building hugging the Hudson River's shore.<br />
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Visiting with the New York Times was pretty incredible and made for the trip's highlight. They had one writer in sports really hustling, 'just happening' to meet run into the two men who were looking to replace Bud Selig as MLB Commish. The kid make his first impression working as a clerk at the NYT, but breaking stories on the Balco scandal. His boss said he was "just a terrible clerk." But I think he had other plans by coming out of college and taking a very entry level position. The day after Rob Manfred was named commissioner, the writer was in Ferguson putting out breaking news reports. To find stories like this one on the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/31/sports/tennis/31courts.html?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Ar%2C%7B%221%22%3A%22RI%3A10%22%7D&smid%3D=tw-nytsports&_r=0">U.S. Open</a> you can't be a normal sportswriter. That takes looking looking beyond Flushing Meadows or the traditional storyline.<br />
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<br />Torin Kooshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282992144129716434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691525267872963085.post-72541481380445263622014-07-30T20:14:00.000-07:002014-08-04T04:45:13.105-07:00Photos and Stories<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8QsdhuB9iQAJJQCC-UFQlcYhIQjxgEwp-dVyMFKy7Kc5brYncnQE3-nW00uIModErWb4HoH0EohHCw-1AJCZvoDQSX2bGpoY2cdbcWW7W9GAgwF7rqutGPnIkw5zJNRCYw1XJrxwYQuU/s1600/10414879_250536668477965_6703703954940272265_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8QsdhuB9iQAJJQCC-UFQlcYhIQjxgEwp-dVyMFKy7Kc5brYncnQE3-nW00uIModErWb4HoH0EohHCw-1AJCZvoDQSX2bGpoY2cdbcWW7W9GAgwF7rqutGPnIkw5zJNRCYw1XJrxwYQuU/s1600/10414879_250536668477965_6703703954940272265_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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One of the definite perks of living in the District is having the National Mall to run beside or stroll through the Lincoln Memorial or the Washington Monument. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNosYSKLQbrIhsnb849QOMUfuTC2qZx8Tm21lWubVCcHdGZzkwzARfiNQi5pwfgzDNadDiwFqAzMznZ9xpeoiLdQLDXtJ1I79sHVCHewx5BTs-BaTqxGv7seyWOGxAAlUeqM_74DPutTA/s1600/afp-531989447.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNosYSKLQbrIhsnb849QOMUfuTC2qZx8Tm21lWubVCcHdGZzkwzARfiNQi5pwfgzDNadDiwFqAzMznZ9xpeoiLdQLDXtJ1I79sHVCHewx5BTs-BaTqxGv7seyWOGxAAlUeqM_74DPutTA/s1600/afp-531989447.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/cycling/tourdefrance/2014/07/24/la-course-cycling-women-paris/13072691/">Women get a day at the Tour de France?</a> This is kind of a big deal. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtwiNOGKCaX3WDdFTqV8akGYnmwBM2qW5m6o-ImhpavFSFBL6zJlcWHMyGT6ZWAE-NNq1rmwmO9njx-NVvkf5Rn3QqxOPFbAFaJ3p4chk_ZcSLaHQ6C8mSzT-iKIGApJSjzI1VRD4wOHM/s1600/epa-france-cycling-tour-de-france-20141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtwiNOGKCaX3WDdFTqV8akGYnmwBM2qW5m6o-ImhpavFSFBL6zJlcWHMyGT6ZWAE-NNq1rmwmO9njx-NVvkf5Rn3QqxOPFbAFaJ3p4chk_ZcSLaHQ6C8mSzT-iKIGApJSjzI1VRD4wOHM/s1600/epa-france-cycling-tour-de-france-20141.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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No Americans wore yellow from the 2014 route from Leeds, England to Paris, France. But <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/cycling/tourdefrance/2014/07/27/american-sees-hope-in-tour-de-france-finish/13247829/">Tejay van Garderen and Company</a> give US cycling fans something more than just hope.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBkafofBXIDReqRS4-CftQ8lR0-zeGTwl7oXaj4xCuE7asovdtCSl8WnF59UTZopfhfYLNqI4iiPQ8Y8HxRLFEzCSxStOQ68v8DWH0DofNS8N3jWp6c65_HxYzc0Jl5SY9IHAkm509w7E/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-07-30+at+10.41.04+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBkafofBXIDReqRS4-CftQ8lR0-zeGTwl7oXaj4xCuE7asovdtCSl8WnF59UTZopfhfYLNqI4iiPQ8Y8HxRLFEzCSxStOQ68v8DWH0DofNS8N3jWp6c65_HxYzc0Jl5SY9IHAkm509w7E/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-07-30+at+10.41.04+PM.png" height="221" width="320" /></a></div>
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It's pretty sweet covering the "minor sports." I'm pretty sure <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/golf/2014/07/24/lpga-players-wrong-format-picked-for-golfs-olympic-debut/13113887/">golfers</a>, especially the ladies on <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/golf/2014/07/24/for-young-thai-sisters-being-teammates-is-easy/13122383/">the LPGA Tour</a>, are some of the more intelligent and interesting personalities in sport. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLXa2cBUMGyZOLin16CmiiRZ8oP04DWM_I-hXaD8x6WGph-i7ma0Kw18yoviaAjA0I8GcZJZu9Ypq2PW34tcFtBLZmQ7Hu_eGOWKJgPWRsGDJ-xUaRHlA0pdq7i_McqsnBDvWCd1-GYoo/s1600/1406647923000-C04-KEEPER-08-65551342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLXa2cBUMGyZOLin16CmiiRZ8oP04DWM_I-hXaD8x6WGph-i7ma0Kw18yoviaAjA0I8GcZJZu9Ypq2PW34tcFtBLZmQ7Hu_eGOWKJgPWRsGDJ-xUaRHlA0pdq7i_McqsnBDvWCd1-GYoo/s1600/1406647923000-C04-KEEPER-08-65551342.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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I'd never heard the Secretary of <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/soccer/2014/07/29/tim-howard-us-goalkeeper-nbc-sports-analyst/13314469/">U.S. Soccer's defense Tim Howard</a> speak before asking him a few questions on the phone. It was quick, but a great conversation. Afterwards I wrote my fastest article ever for USA Today. 25 minutes after I hung up the phone I had the story of how the US National Team goalkeeper would be working the microphone on the English Premier League... in between playing for Everton in the English Premier League. </div>
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Catch up with <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2014/07/30/new-york-city-triathlon-paralympics/13382263/">potential Team USA Paralympic members of Rio</a> here. I really hope I did their story justice. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAWJcv6kmxk6m46_cHcGnLaRPN4et-rwGXkx5elqV0SIOh82Cp4oNlG79NWFDu2DdXhE2FOj8M-Fod0wB-jIVkY7GC2GmbeRPyTX-jxr9ADGQ_Bx3otPkqBcKkSk9wBuswXLSGZo_BgP0/s1600/DSC_7624.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAWJcv6kmxk6m46_cHcGnLaRPN4et-rwGXkx5elqV0SIOh82Cp4oNlG79NWFDu2DdXhE2FOj8M-Fod0wB-jIVkY7GC2GmbeRPyTX-jxr9ADGQ_Bx3otPkqBcKkSk9wBuswXLSGZo_BgP0/s1600/DSC_7624.JPG" height="214" width="320" /></a></div>
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Next stop, more tennis. Got a couple articles in the can for lead-in to the U.S. Open. The ATP<a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/tennis/2014/08/01/american-donald-young-citi-open-semifinal/13496945/">http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/tennis/2014/08/01/american-donald-young-citi-open-semifinal/13496945/</a> and <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/tennis/2014/08/01/us-open-tuneup-players-struggle-sloane-stephens/13486303/">WTA</a> circuit is also back in the nation's capitol for the Citi Open. I wonder where I will be?</div>
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Torin Kooshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282992144129716434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691525267872963085.post-82108587898759917712014-07-12T19:33:00.002-07:002014-07-12T19:35:53.391-07:00From Le Tour to World Team Tennis<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi3rdk7i8ANhBHDdArJtEle1zSl9MFlICeNiC2kI0WYfWN1SaFwyByJ96PXl3iOij_4WYDag0ZlPTy1KgPxP1TY4y-97or-Te8sZpqOAED5lAvrisvf7_2XDwNKIKMvcSy13-V7GJYy_0/s1600/10457192_870581460875_7501064244881319420_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi3rdk7i8ANhBHDdArJtEle1zSl9MFlICeNiC2kI0WYfWN1SaFwyByJ96PXl3iOij_4WYDag0ZlPTy1KgPxP1TY4y-97or-Te8sZpqOAED5lAvrisvf7_2XDwNKIKMvcSy13-V7GJYy_0/s1600/10457192_870581460875_7501064244881319420_n.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red solo cups and cake in July, that must mean...<br />
Federal City on a hot summer Fourth of July day.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzOOhJvIwM7MSjlko_sMjtCJUhnY4cggwR5buIatUJvVA63FrFh44eu8sEXBSdVFiebZG19gPmZ6qhmNMst3w0-L7IOFjIxd7PZ4_H5u_7ZN-alkL3Ui6PGddOR_z0Z-EwCMTrC2qNrIE/s1600/10462692_870581146505_6233561791411181215_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzOOhJvIwM7MSjlko_sMjtCJUhnY4cggwR5buIatUJvVA63FrFh44eu8sEXBSdVFiebZG19gPmZ6qhmNMst3w0-L7IOFjIxd7PZ4_H5u_7ZN-alkL3Ui6PGddOR_z0Z-EwCMTrC2qNrIE/s1600/10462692_870581146505_6233561791411181215_n.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Nations Capitol really gets into Independence Day.<br />
A long afternoon grilling and games gave way to watching<br />
the fireworks show atop the roof of a row house with about<br />
6o others.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Dn24YFQgJSZTQKzOeJLaLkZp3zQqj1rxKW0R6F0Yms3FT_E-vsjbdokjP4gSjd2MYpv1G1b03ej3prNhW9TQzvr5jQS6lAsJUcpDJJfUHOs-XFA-mG_rBEmgRLoM27pIyWlzZxWYBGs/s1600/BrVNw5_CIAEtWX6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Dn24YFQgJSZTQKzOeJLaLkZp3zQqj1rxKW0R6F0Yms3FT_E-vsjbdokjP4gSjd2MYpv1G1b03ej3prNhW9TQzvr5jQS6lAsJUcpDJJfUHOs-XFA-mG_rBEmgRLoM27pIyWlzZxWYBGs/s1600/BrVNw5_CIAEtWX6.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from the Gannett Media - USA Today campus in<br />
Virginia where I work when not tracking down stories on foot.<br />
It's an incredible building to work from, but getting out here<br />
is a challenge. I ride my bike the 40 miles roundtrip, and it<br />
doesn't take much longer than it would on the Metro.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC5-vjMxRzmzcuaNh2gwLDD0XA7ey7layyictKrd5ysaljO0xEcdCgGSTHhCPYZkQpxiwwOJBr7PC7yaGZT9q19oWywy7gSQNbCcGAFFKHlevnaUBILUpjWtWc2iuWg3QPr__eo8xGcR4/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC5-vjMxRzmzcuaNh2gwLDD0XA7ey7layyictKrd5ysaljO0xEcdCgGSTHhCPYZkQpxiwwOJBr7PC7yaGZT9q19oWywy7gSQNbCcGAFFKHlevnaUBILUpjWtWc2iuWg3QPr__eo8xGcR4/s1600/photo+2.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favorite stories this week centered around tennis. I even<br />
had a phone interview with Billie Jean King, then met her<br />
again two days later at a tennis match on the George<br />
Washington U campus. Martina Hingis put on a clinic in<br />
how to play while I was there.</td></tr>
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A couple stories from last week if you're interested:<br />
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<span style="color: #999999;"><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/tennis/players/2014/07/12/vicky-duval-taylor-townsend-tennis-hodgkins-world-team-tennis/12582195/">Taylor Townsend plays for ailing friend Vicky Duval in WTT</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/cycling/tourdefrance/2014/07/09/tour-rider-racing-on-roads-after-once-building-them/12435319/">Tour de France rider Lieuwe Westra racing on roads he once built</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/cycling/2014/07/03/2014-tour-de-france-four-must-see-stages/12139563/">Four can't-miss stages at the 2014 Tour de France</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/tennis/2014/07/09/world-team-tennis-returns-to-the-nations-capital-washington-kastles/12441937/">World TeamTennis has successful return to Nation's Capital</a></span></div>
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Torin Kooshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282992144129716434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691525267872963085.post-18629647876948015692014-07-03T19:22:00.002-07:002015-04-20T21:59:33.385-07:00Five Pictures, Five Stories<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnlTKa68byOB-0TuVD-Ed6bbO6Dva_3wjGQk5YTOzAZhG_ToWDohD7yzRDLyREWF8cXuBNmH0axgKe1GJ_1-6p7c-skhmNUgtHvOClmIqZuIdaHCIYg1gcOXai606EZLFyzpidJ0mVb0I/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-07-03+at+9.44.29+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnlTKa68byOB-0TuVD-Ed6bbO6Dva_3wjGQk5YTOzAZhG_ToWDohD7yzRDLyREWF8cXuBNmH0axgKe1GJ_1-6p7c-skhmNUgtHvOClmIqZuIdaHCIYg1gcOXai606EZLFyzpidJ0mVb0I/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-07-03+at+9.44.29+PM.png" height="273" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">El Salvador fans heading to the Redskins Stadium here in<br />
the District of Columbia for a pre-WC friendly with Spain</td></tr>
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With the beginning of this summer I began a new adventure - working as a journalist for USA Today. For pretty much every day for over a decade I read the sports section at USA Today. Now I'm behind the scenes, finding story angles and tracking down sources. My first published article both in print and online was tracking down the best soccer cities in the USA. The title: <a href="http://worldcup.usatoday.com/2014/06/15/where-is-soccer-city-usa/">Where is Soccer City, USA?</a><br />
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After some soccer articles and a couple tennis articles, I headed out to the Congressional Country Club to help cover the National PGA Tour Tournament in Bethesda, Maryland. I guess this neighborhood is where the old-money horse aficionados of the DC Metro homesteaded. Rolling out here the first time my colleague Reid Cherner pointed out a house. It once was the home of Mike Tyson. Go figure. Anyways, the press corps was abuzz because Tiger Woods announced his return to the PGA Tour after three months away to rehab from back surgery.<br />
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My first article took a bend on the normal Tiger is back narrative. I told it more through the eyes of one of golf's best players, the Englishman Justin Rose. I thought Rose was the man to beat. Man, he made me look good. Vegas, I hear you calling. You can read my article here: <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/golf/pga/2014/06/24/justin-rose-tiger-woods-quicken-loans-national/11331395/">Justin Rose ready for Tiger Woods</a><br />
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I made it back out to the Tournament for the final round on Sunday. I wanted to follow Erik Compton, a double heart transplant survivor who two weeks ago finished second in the U.S. Open on Pinehurst No.2. In my article I say<a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/golf/2014/06/29/pga-tour-survivor-erik-compton-has-eye-on-british-open/11721141/"> Erik Compton is the best story in golf.</a> And I got to watch Justin Rose come behind, take the lead, put a ball in the water on 18, then win in a playoff. Good stuff in the rolling hills of Bethesda.<br />
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Sandwiched amongst the two country club days, I got an assignment to cover the NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson heading to the White House to visit with President Obama. I didn't know I'd ever walk through the doors of 1600 Pennsylvania again after my last Olympic team Presidential visit! Working behind the scenes, its pretty easy to pick up on who the stand-up guys in sports are. I bet you'll pick up on what I think about Jimmie Johnson if you read <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nascar/2014/06/25/jimmie-johnson-president-obama-white-house-six-time-champion-athlete/11373355/">Obama calls Jimmie Johnson the 'Michael Jordan of NASCAR.'</a><br />
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Between all this excitement I also got to attend the Associated Press Sports Editors convention in Crystal City, Virginia. Here we could take courses from the best in the business of sportswriting, all trying to learn from each other. The highlights were John McCain dropping by for a few words, and the course on what sport sections are innovating and trying to do to better cover the NFL. With the League dominating coverage a few bright minds are out there trying to innovate and better bring stories that people want to hear. <br />
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This week I've been working on a little insider's guide to the Tour de France, and writing a little copy on sabermetrics in soccer. When interviewing cyclists, so many said I had to talk to the Dutch rider Marianne Vos. She's an Olympic road champion and a three-discipline world champion in road, cyclocross, and velodrome cycling. Her competitors also hold her in the upmost regard. You can hear from Marianne and more in <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/cycling/2014/07/03/2014-tour-de-france-four-must-see-stages/12139563/">Four Can't Miss Stages at the Tour de France</a>.<br />
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I hope you get to enjoy Independence Day. To the best Fourth yet.<br />
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<br />Torin Kooshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282992144129716434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691525267872963085.post-13316302023502076992014-06-15T16:42:00.004-07:002014-06-15T16:42:48.312-07:00Happy Father's Day, Pops!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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From watching fireworks in the park</div>
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To taking me to the ball game, both to practice and play or to dream</div>
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For helping me find my own wave to ride, even when the ocean was a thousand miles away</div>
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You always encouraged me chase the white buffalo, wherever that may lead</div>
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I might be across the country now, in the other Washington</div>
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But sometimes its the simplest of saying that carry the biggest meaning: Happy Father's Day Pops!</div>
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Torin Kooshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282992144129716434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691525267872963085.post-14084630504775856322014-05-30T15:00:00.003-07:002014-05-30T15:04:58.256-07:00#howibean: Pacific Northwest Edition<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The classic L.L. Bean tote (with custom ITA logo, no less)<br />
filledwith shirts for Mr. Haberberger's 6th graders at Orchard.</td></tr>
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Outside of the competition arena, perhaps the coolest part of being an Olympian comes in the opportunity and influence you have on the up-and-coming generation. It's for this reason, I have been plenty proud to be a part of In The Arena for the past seven years. Following an Olympiad like Sochi, I feel the power of positive influence is doubly enhanced.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking in the final spectacle before turning the Games over to the Paralympians.</td></tr>
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During this time, In The Arena has grown in strength, influence, and numbers. During this time, plenty of companies have wanted to join in. But only L.L. Bean and the vision of ITA have met in perfect harmony. I couldn't be happier. I know L.L. Bean from my early days, packing up the groceries in the classic red-handled tote bags. Almost 30 years later, my mom still puts those tote bags to good use.<br />
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I've picked up a couple of my own, and have been sporting them as I have visit schools, ski clubs, Boys & Girls Clubs, and YMCA's, from Astoria, Oregon to the Wenatchee Valley, to Winthrop, Washington all throughout May this year. Now that the calendar turns to June, I've done a little accounting: nine schools in four school districts; two states, two ski teams, two community events. Looking back, I probably could have snuck in a couple more, but I'm proud to say it's been my most productive month ever as a community mentor. It's been a very nice bonus to have L.L. Bean along for the ride.</div>
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I was particularly stoked that I was able to join forces with fellow ITA'er <a href="http://in-the-arena-brian.blogspot.com/">Brian Gregg</a> and visit the skiers from the north country in the Methow Valley. Flash, Laura, and Leslie were very positive influences on my early days skiing, and it was great to see the excitement such a small community has for nordic skiing. It's not hard to understand how a valley with 1916 residents produced three-point-five Olympians in Sochi. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxLh4spj5oUPXkUF1_DV9UYs58hPpU5u0eV_KsymvMJUMHq7wpjDpKjkgIsKtJ8veiQe2oHtGuhGoy-GlniFvtVGWqdKg5YlP4gBGPniSMS_qIUdxa0xRG7prTYzJt2bvhBt0fgeY6pVQ/s1600/beanboots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxLh4spj5oUPXkUF1_DV9UYs58hPpU5u0eV_KsymvMJUMHq7wpjDpKjkgIsKtJ8veiQe2oHtGuhGoy-GlniFvtVGWqdKg5YlP4gBGPniSMS_qIUdxa0xRG7prTYzJt2bvhBt0fgeY6pVQ/s1600/beanboots.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A small collection of the US ladies' infamous storm-trooper<br />
white L.L. Bean boots. Made in Maine, lifetime warranty.<br />
I rock a pair of these as well, only in a more-muted brown.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjg7xzwsn0cbppqYWWJgXldlngu-BUxaGWN1iDKALlTtIjllDebutrar6KulJpkj3hC4BUeJx-QuMyX2ErUjtknvlczvz4IdVAo-bPofY3Jm_PHmsL21iBh-JXntIXauQkgG4eUh_hApQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-05-16+at+6.25.02+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjg7xzwsn0cbppqYWWJgXldlngu-BUxaGWN1iDKALlTtIjllDebutrar6KulJpkj3hC4BUeJx-QuMyX2ErUjtknvlczvz4IdVAo-bPofY3Jm_PHmsL21iBh-JXntIXauQkgG4eUh_hApQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-05-16+at+6.25.02+PM.png" height="298" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Go William Go. A kindergartener from Astor Elementary<br />
attacks the post-Opening Ceremony skills session with<br />
some serious skill. No wonder Landon Donovan got<br />
left off the 2014 World Cup Team.</td></tr>
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To the best of times.<br />
And those that will be.<br />
-Torin<br />
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Torin Kooshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282992144129716434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691525267872963085.post-49394795616205878812014-04-29T22:41:00.001-07:002014-04-29T22:42:49.873-07:00Rolling<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfWZBUljzkuG6rAEBTXYbRX2K09OGNV5CbHGScVicU5m8D_drbk5_cQaejA8UnHQW1wsxx-WcIpSU_8tQl7kt5Je82sdNnQUrByVPXCc2fWqEuixhqWQOuTJJBKNVh9DP0b_bp5QP8Pmw/s1600/email_port_venerere.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfWZBUljzkuG6rAEBTXYbRX2K09OGNV5CbHGScVicU5m8D_drbk5_cQaejA8UnHQW1wsxx-WcIpSU_8tQl7kt5Je82sdNnQUrByVPXCc2fWqEuixhqWQOuTJJBKNVh9DP0b_bp5QP8Pmw/s1600/email_port_venerere.jpg" height="100" width="400" /></a></div>
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One of the best ancillary benefits of chasing the ski racing dream comes in travelling. Living a little like a gypsy might not always be peaches-and-cream, but it is the perfect way to meet new friends and old, and to broadens one's perspective. Come springtime, I try to take these memories from the races and the road, and pass what I can onto the schools and classes I visit. With this in mind, here is a little intro video I put together to help share in the stories. Put to Johnny Cash's rendition of <i>I've Been Everywhere, </i>of course.<br />
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<br />Torin Kooshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282992144129716434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691525267872963085.post-12190478452629070292014-04-13T13:02:00.000-07:002014-04-13T13:02:05.403-07:00Snowbirds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWCaGFMO7WnOtjxxrsGsBeTX_hCzea4gtbVzE9H5g0kUPljDRlcwWgqoWAy7NTDV6UIF4K6E6jrYNkS60aTkmRiMh64C_mW_0aWM7F85QVQphrcDN9xJ6HvZXWkJtg8-6jjNNJBx_4fTw/s1600/10245325_10152367593345420_6394161172066996212_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWCaGFMO7WnOtjxxrsGsBeTX_hCzea4gtbVzE9H5g0kUPljDRlcwWgqoWAy7NTDV6UIF4K6E6jrYNkS60aTkmRiMh64C_mW_0aWM7F85QVQphrcDN9xJ6HvZXWkJtg8-6jjNNJBx_4fTw/s1600/10245325_10152367593345420_6394161172066996212_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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My last day in the Nation's Capitol was jammed packed. I got up early and got in a run into the Georgetown neighborhood, along the Potomac River, then through the National Mall in Washington DC. Once I got back, it was soon time to head to the USA Today / Gannet Media offices across the river in Virginia. As I was coming from DC, the managing editor of the sports page picked me up right outside my hotel. I couldn't almost believe it, and made for a great way to learn a little bit more about the communication industry. From the managing editor and her team; from the most read section of the most read paper in America, no less.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZkBDLMhIJ6muCWMM5QZxOoRdpoETbTl6pDar_WgKBBgR8jIZlhtxtZ9w9DL0z_VuFHFZ8AfIqRaxeNPm0jcsVGYRMY3jEEplj1cIP0eXDjNVrxhPyzTgaFeRIepUtcKIdWOyyuJn08Mc/s1600/10154156_10152365692500420_7779244252246625704_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZkBDLMhIJ6muCWMM5QZxOoRdpoETbTl6pDar_WgKBBgR8jIZlhtxtZ9w9DL0z_VuFHFZ8AfIqRaxeNPm0jcsVGYRMY3jEEplj1cIP0eXDjNVrxhPyzTgaFeRIepUtcKIdWOyyuJn08Mc/s1600/10154156_10152365692500420_7779244252246625704_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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While at USA Today, I got to shadow reporters as they had their daily meetings about when they expected to write and add articles to their online offerings. Most of the time, though, the conversations centered over what articles, graphics, and images would make the print edition. Between meetings, different journalists would take me aside, and show me what they were working on. Filing open records requests, investigative journalism, determining online layout, editorial decisions, designing for digital readership today and tomorrow were all areas I got to go and peak behind the curtain. Many thanks for Roxanne Scott, Mary Byrne, and many others at USA Today. </div>
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After DC, I headed for Arizona. My grandparents are snowbirds, calling the Twin Cities of Minnesota their home during the summer months, and Arizona their refuge when the cold weather, snow and ice hit their home state. My favorite time of the day in Arizona are the evenings. During the day, the heat just hits you so hard, but the nights are just about perfect. When the sun starts setting, I always head out and do something, be it running a few miles, hitting a bucket of balls, or catch up with friends I haven't seen for far too long on the telephone.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFPZh2kumhb9fpJXL8taYQydHbTb9yex0lhhTUMW-k9XdE67m_wMkH-UXqBaofq__afU-WggYfkMnC1nr3FG0J2Qy0NNVUbSVbxhNkFaqsIHw8aeH4Wdoqk-z2ckxjRcJVv0dRyMZ11Us/s1600/10003278_231946633674643_6810875950638570091_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFPZh2kumhb9fpJXL8taYQydHbTb9yex0lhhTUMW-k9XdE67m_wMkH-UXqBaofq__afU-WggYfkMnC1nr3FG0J2Qy0NNVUbSVbxhNkFaqsIHw8aeH4Wdoqk-z2ckxjRcJVv0dRyMZ11Us/s1600/10003278_231946633674643_6810875950638570091_n.jpg" height="220" width="320" /></a></div>
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The last day in Arizona, I was helping my Grandma out with some of the ins-and-outs of the digital world. We came along some old photos. Here's one of my favorites, from the late 1950s at Clear Lake, Minnesota. </div>
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To Hab's 6th Grade Class at Orchard Elementary, I'm getting closer to my return! To the best of times, and those that will be.</div>
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<br />Torin Kooshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282992144129716434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691525267872963085.post-8984896453846745772014-04-05T20:58:00.000-07:002014-06-15T16:29:40.126-07:00Life on the Nation's Capitol<br />
So much about sports is the hard stuff, the hours spent running and roller skiing, the tiredness that seeps into the body from all the training, or the feelings of disappointment that can linger when one does not fully reach their potential in a competition. Fortunately, the Team USA visit to the White House is not like this. At all. The US Olympic Committee really takes care of the returning Olympians. I got flown in to the nation's capitol from Zurich, picked up at the airport, and ushered to a Hilton on the Virginia side of Washington D.C.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOvMVTAZyX28Eq69T5hWzcQznTwZ410PcKFN767Mrwhl0hftBfEtPApOeI3hVLo2X2n0bl8zJpTwlXwSCzHzTJIJeE1C9vAv_ctrNdCfWnOBzxoaqmeLEL-QCZYmuL-nv7RaPsX-eh708/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOvMVTAZyX28Eq69T5hWzcQznTwZ410PcKFN767Mrwhl0hftBfEtPApOeI3hVLo2X2n0bl8zJpTwlXwSCzHzTJIJeE1C9vAv_ctrNdCfWnOBzxoaqmeLEL-QCZYmuL-nv7RaPsX-eh708/s1600/photo+3.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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The first day in the Nation's Capitol, I was whisked away to Capitol Hill. It was fascinating to see the U.S. Congress in action. While so many times it might not seem like the political system doesn't feel like it's working, I can tell you Senators Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Amy Kobluchar (D-Minn.) were operating at some of the highest levels I've seen in business or politics.</div>
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The Hill just hummed with the energy of efficiency and purpose. And what looked like the just about all the young, hungry, over-worked, under-paid interns in America. A peak into a different world, for sure.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdspCi7N8lGafOdlxnlStHSZPYnfb12pFpzUf1Nz460WFNoTBlq1OW_ouI3wA7pg1zB3JJX0LKHKlyjdaxpXEkGOkIyeiyISoMl-D3QDYsO8_UzBYB0iSss6IfrXPXLxVOXL3RluRwHgI/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdspCi7N8lGafOdlxnlStHSZPYnfb12pFpzUf1Nz460WFNoTBlq1OW_ouI3wA7pg1zB3JJX0LKHKlyjdaxpXEkGOkIyeiyISoMl-D3QDYsO8_UzBYB0iSss6IfrXPXLxVOXL3RluRwHgI/s1600/photo+2.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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Who knew walking the Senate halls I'd run into the moose. Also interesting, every Capitol Hill member I met not-so-subtlety mentioned that on the close of the business week in DC they were on a plane back to their home constituents. Every week.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ4D08WrMhbUPx1r369gZgRx-gEjE_0vo1cIzIvHeqkSBLZcOqa_K85nkx0kzm79TbZbJjsK-FKQattbO4fx__x3O_VYtcQUGNdKhrkB1i7uYRJcx1Khchk-DUnkd60S4rQC99kbtIp-o/s1600/DSC_5490.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ4D08WrMhbUPx1r369gZgRx-gEjE_0vo1cIzIvHeqkSBLZcOqa_K85nkx0kzm79TbZbJjsK-FKQattbO4fx__x3O_VYtcQUGNdKhrkB1i7uYRJcx1Khchk-DUnkd60S4rQC99kbtIp-o/s1600/DSC_5490.JPG" height="214" width="320" /></a></div>
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Another cool point of mention is how both Team USA and the Olympic movement is the respect of opportunities given to Paralympians. The Olympic movement prescribes to the Greek (and not English) meaning to the prefix para: "at or to one side, beside, side by side." When you think about it, this is a refrain of the most beautiful quality. </div>
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On April 7th, NBC will play the "Best of US" television special we filmed while on the White House visit. If you tune in, you'll get to hear Paralympian downhiller Mark Bathum (pictured above) give an acceptance speech that should send shivers up your spine. I know it did mine.</div>
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For an American writer, I think the most revered recognition of your work would be to have your book in the Presidential library. Every book in there was written by an American, with the exception of the Qiran and the Bible. Maybe it was mostly the setting, but the book I most wanted to pick up off the shelves was one titled "The Making of an American." How can you not but wonder how you'd measure up? </div>
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I can think of no better ending to this large helping of patriotic words and images than to play for you a little video I put together for Mr. Haberberger's class following the conclusion of the Sochi Games:</div>
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<i> "Never curb your enthusiasm. Put the whole of yourself into it."</i> -Percy Cerutty</div>
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To the best of times. And those that will be. -Torin</div>
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Torin Kooshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282992144129716434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691525267872963085.post-53581654163194384532014-03-24T07:14:00.000-07:002014-03-24T11:06:00.073-07:00Heading to the Bernese Alps: Swiss Nationals in BexWith the weekend came the opportunity to see a little sliver of the globe I've never been to before, the French-speaking corner of Switzerland. This year the Swiss National Championships were in the very much mountain town of Leysin. I'm pretty sure one day I saw most the kids from primary school walk by for a ski day. Later that night, a group of locals were outside my hotel, putting climbing skins and heading out for a moonlight-and-headlamp alpine tour. The local ski club Bex also is home to two national cross country team members, Erwan Kaeser and Jovier Hediger. In Davos, Jovier lives in the flat right underneath the one I share with Bettina and Mauro.<br />
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The first day in Erwan and Jovier's hometown, the view of the multi-summited Dents du Midi was pretty spectacular.<br />
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This season, Jovier put up the fastest qualification time on the World Cup, and made a couple WC Finals. Racing on his home course, Erwan won his first national title - at the expense of me trying to take it from the gun before getting spun out from behind on one of the many corners of the mini X-Games like course. It was still a pretty great night of racing though, and I felt a decent satisfaction to stand on the podium with Erwan and Mauro Gruber. As a country, only Norway has more depth in men's sprinting than Switzerland (FIS points). It was also pretty cool, because though I was ineligible to take the medals or cash as a foreigner, later that night 4th place finisher Martin Jager gave me a Swiss Franc handshake, splitting half his prize money with me.<br />
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I'd trained a fair amount with Martin, his father waxes my skis when I race in Switzerland, and I have only have the upmost respect for the guy, but I thought this was really a classy move. Thank you Martin!<br />
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One day in Leysin, it was +17 Celsius, the other day bombing down snow. The weather in the mountains can be so unpredictable, it's like they are breathing in and exhaling their own high-altitude air. Somewhat surprisingly, both days I raced on the same pair of skis, a new pair of Rossignol X-iums with the white bases and a warm factory grind. When its high humidity, I am now definitely a believer in giving the harder base material a go. Now in addition to classic and skate, flex patterns, stone grinding, wax testing, testing the difference between base material will be a growing factor for racers going forward. The quiver of race skis just grew bigger. My shoulder hurts just a little now, thinking of having to lug all those skis through train stations and airports in the future!</div>
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After the sprint, I raced the three-person relay for the Swiss Academic Ski Club International team with Finland's Antti Peltonen (guess which ski company he uses...) and Russia's Evgeny Bogdanov. I was the anchor and had my best distance race of the year, bringing us from 11th to 4th, and put up 3rd fastest time of the day (or about 25 seconds back of Toni Livers) . It was a good feeling to have the motor running well again after a long and tiring illness caught at the Olympics. </div>
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Torin Kooshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282992144129716434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691525267872963085.post-8161864211662413852014-03-09T14:22:00.001-07:002014-03-09T14:22:51.289-07:00The Engadin: In One Photo<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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I must say, a big congratulations to Tindli on the weekend at the largest skate race in the world, the Engadin Ski Marathon. Win the sprint on Friday night, then one step away from winning the Steinbock and putting your name in the record books.Torin Kooshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282992144129716434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691525267872963085.post-12249313073027090682014-02-24T14:38:00.000-08:002014-02-24T14:40:47.214-08:00Sochi 2014: In Pictures and Words<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A photo with a little perspective: the flame is bigger than one man by himself.</td></tr>
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It's a new day. But not like any new day. Now the Olympic Park in Sochi is probably much quieter, empty almost before the Para Olympians arrive in two weeks' time. The courses in the mountains no longer find themselves lined by cheering spectators. Stadiums are no longer packed with fans. Days circled on the calendars from many of the best athletes on earth - certain days people have thought about and dreamt upon for probably the 1461 days since Vancouver - have came into the moment, and have now receded into our past. I am sure I feel certain emotions that are hard to put into words. But I am very proud and humbled to have my fourth and final opportunity to represent Team USA in the Olympic arena as an athlete.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lara Ski Complex in the Caucasus Mountains of Russia: my latest Mississippi River ride</td></tr>
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In the end, I think we are all a bit like Huckleberry Finn. It just so happens that cross country skiing has been my raft and my friend Jim: the instigator of opportunity and adventure. Over these years, I have put what I believe is the whole of myself into this endeavor, full of emotion, sweat, and optimism. I've danced - literally - jigs of joy. I've also had a couple rough rides, as a cyclist friend of mine might say.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A man in the arena: T.J. Oshie on the 8th and deciding overtime penalty shootout try against Team Russia. </td></tr>
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It's kind of funny to look back from time-to-time with the perspective of time. One of very first Olympians I met was a biathlete who competed for the USA in Innsbruck in 1976. He gave me a book he penned. I don't remember much about the book, but I absolutely remember the Teddy Roosevelt quote that ran on the book's back cover. I loved that quote. I loved it so much I wrote it on the backside of my Trapper Keeper that next fall in school. The working title of the words by Mr. Roosevelt are In The Arena, same as the name of the orginazation that I write this blog for. I'm pretty sure this is more than mere coincidence.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Noelle, now that's what I call a jig of joy</td></tr>
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In Sochi, I got to see my old track and field teammate at the University of Utah Noelle Pikus-Pace celebrate her silver medal for skeleton in Sochi's medals plaza.</div>
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In Sochi, Bettina's best friend Selina Gasparin (right) also won silver that same night. Bettina got to be Selina's guest that night, all the way until Selina walked out on the stage to receive her medal. Bettina said its a memory she'll never forget. Two days later, Bettina would finish seventh. It didn't hurt her, I believe, to take in this night before stepping into the arena herself.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Every second counts: the first 15-hundredths of the women's 500M short track final.</td></tr>
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Come and see, and I saw: Meeting people like Siim Sellis and Peeter Kummel of Estonia, spending some hours on the ski trails and rollerskis, chasing efficiency and efficacy are parts of the process of chasing the Olympic dream through four Olympiads is what I will remember most. The trial of miles, the miles of trials, and the friends that are with you along the way.</div>
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I guess today, the first day back from Sochi, might be a day of sadness. My third grade teacher wrote me on Martin Luther King Junior's birthday. She said I told the class that same day 25 years earlier that I had a dream, one that involved skiing and the Olympics and following in the footsteps of a man named Bill Koch. But instead of leaning back and looking through the rearview mirror, I'm going to take the words of my two favorite musicians, John Lee Hooker and Van Morrison to heart. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkP7-BS-lfg#t=3">Today is not a day to look back to the days of yesteryear</a>. The day has come and gone. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Final photo from my time in Sochi, following the Closing Ceremonies to the 2014 Games. </span></td></tr>
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To the best of times. And those that will be. -Torin<br />
<br />Torin Kooshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282992144129716434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691525267872963085.post-67058035068850895142014-01-27T05:06:00.001-08:002014-01-27T05:07:25.401-08:00sometimes dreams unfold like thisIf there was a soundtrack I'm trying to keep on repeat day after day, it's Ice Cube's <i>It Was A Good Day</i>. To re-hear those lyrics laid over or those silky smooth Isley Brothers inspired beats from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rNx9_yBDVQ">Footsteps in the Dark</a> press play.<br />
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After US Nationals in Soldier Hollow, Utah - the 2002 venue for cross-country, biathlon, and nordic combined non-jumping efforts - I headed back to Washington after a little send-off from my friends from the University of Utah back in Salt Lake City.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salt Lake at sunset. Not enough snow in the mountains yet!</td></tr>
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Getting back to Washington, even if it was for less than a week for the first time since August, felt good. Sometimes I really think back to the Wizard of Oz, when Dorothy clicks her heals three times and says, "There's no place like home." Because there really is no place like home.<br />
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One of the reasons to head to Washington was to visit my In The Arena class. I grew up with the teacher Carl Haberberger so it was especially cool to see how much of a command he had over the students. You could tell the kids respected him, and gave him as much attention as 6th graders could be expected to.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A much more digital classroom than I remember back in middle school!</td></tr>
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The kids were pretty savvy with computers and technology. After I left, several of the kids sent me posters they made for a class assignment. Check them out. I particularly like the one that reads, "Torin Koos Olympics Beast." Hitting Beastmode on the trails of Sochi would be the culmination of a dream, for sure.<br />
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After a week filled with long but easy morning and evening training sessions, visits to Orchard Middle School, and mom's home cooking, I headed back to Switzerland. I cashed in the frequent flyer miles in a bit of blind faith that I would get the call to represent Team USA at the Sochi Olympics. And if I did get that call, I owed it to myself, to my supporters, and to those not chosen to the team to represent as best I can in Russia. For me, that meant getting back to a closer time zone as Russia, at a similar altitude, and with the opportunity to train with many of the athletes that I have all fall and winter, and that I will see in Sochi, now as part of the Swiss Olympic Team. </div>
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Until the next time. </div>
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<br />Torin Kooshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282992144129716434noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691525267872963085.post-1488289429846765522014-01-12T14:33:00.002-08:002014-01-12T14:36:18.146-08:00Scenes and Stories from the Road: SoHo 2014 Edition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
For the second year in a row, the USA cross country racing community descended upon the city of Midway, Utah and the SoHo 2002 Olympic trails for the US Championships. These four races were the last races to count for the selection of Team USA for the 2014 Sochi, the keenness and performance of the competitors was plenty high. Fortunately, it was a very big banner week for the athletes of In The Arena. Brian Gregg picked up (I believe) his first US Nationals podium. Sylvan Ellefson broke apart the 30km field and held on for his first US National title, Caitlin Gregg absolutely crushed the women's field (winning by 3:36) in the skate distance (in addition to two other podium finishes), and I picked up my eighth national title in the sprint discipline in winning the skate sprint. </div>
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I'm sure there are plenty of stories from each of these performances, and I can't wait to read about what they all have to say about experiences.</div>
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Fortunately, in the skate sprint I was able to stay out of trouble, even with the tightly contested races on a very fast course. Here, I lead going into the final corner as Dakota Blackhorse-von Jess tries a risky slingshot from third position and trips himself up on the tails of my skis. My day started out with its own bit of misfortune, breaking a pole strap in the qualification round. I held on tight, and made sure I qualified. I knew after this that the rest of the day would go better.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVeMoLUz_A3q4gZapXTcC5z8rlPcauwxD4Gjau2OzyTwMHw0gWn2ejutrnd6yG38MF3YaiGrlTotzg6bxvYyV4WJ7MJQqlOoJ_Peo3CcDk1zjonCsX1TAMrKWI2JTST5KXV2XM37frRgo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-01-06+at+6.36.20+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVeMoLUz_A3q4gZapXTcC5z8rlPcauwxD4Gjau2OzyTwMHw0gWn2ejutrnd6yG38MF3YaiGrlTotzg6bxvYyV4WJ7MJQqlOoJ_Peo3CcDk1zjonCsX1TAMrKWI2JTST5KXV2XM37frRgo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-01-06+at+6.36.20+PM.png" height="193" width="320" /></a></div>
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The classic sprint day brought the convergence of two tropical storms to the west side of the Wasatch mountains. With fresh snow glazing throughout the day, I had a hard time making my skis work in the conditions and missed the A-final in a national classic sprint for the first time ever. It's a little dissapointing to end my racing days on the trails of Soldier Hollow this way -- though I know I put everything I had out on the race course, and the crew at Bridger Ski Foundation were working hard and pulling for Jennie Bender and myself to earn a trip to Sochi. I honestly think I have more kilometers racing on these trails than anyone, starting way back in 1999 with the University of Utah Utes, to the 2001 Pre-Olympics, the 2002 Olympics, a NCAA National Championship, and my four US National Championships here this week. As a skier, SoHo feels like the closest thing to my own Hayward Field of Fenway Park.</div>
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Now, I guess the Olympic waiting game begins. The USA cross-country contingent won't be named until January 22, 2014. If you want to read about how the team will be selected, you can find the official selection procedure <a href="http://ussa.org/sites/default/files/documents/athletics/athleticsexecutive/2012-13/documents/14%20OWG%20SKI-XC%20ATH.pdf">here</a>. It seems pretty complicated, so I won't even take a try at trying to explain it!</div>
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I am really looking forward to tomorrow, when I finally get to get back into the classroom with Mr. Haberberger's 5th graders on Monday. I'm interested to see what they have been up. I think I should have a few stories to tell them as well. I've been away from Washington for so long (almost four months) that getting back to the Evergreen state feels like, well, home.</div>
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Home. Almost.</div>
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Torin Kooshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282992144129716434noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691525267872963085.post-47873564490657197302013-12-15T08:42:00.002-08:002013-12-15T08:42:44.670-08:00Not Quite There. Yet.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After some days and some illness in the north country of Scandinavia, it was fortunately time to head back to Davos, Switzerland. The trip to Norway wasn't totally without redemption, as a top-10 in the Norwegian Cup got me some World Cup starts in Davos and Asiago, Italy. Sometimes the north can be nice, but this time I was not sad to leave at all.</div>
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With the approaching days, I would recover and get in a handful of good training sessions.</div>
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Here's one of those days, in bluebird conditions with the Estonian sprinters and the Swiss Power Sprint team. Here, we are getting ready for an impromptu prologue as part of a Wednesday form-sharpening workout. I felt great, and thought I was ready for the big race over the weekend. I'm missing the shape, and maybe more the right feeling at the moment, though. On Sunday, I missed racing in the rounds by just under 2 seconds. It's not an incredible amount, but in this game every second -- or every hundredth of a second -- counts. My flatmate Mauro Gruber missed scoring his first-ever World Cup points by the smallest of margins, one one-hundredth of a second.</div>
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Fortunately, I get one more weekend of chances in Asiago to demonstrate what I've been working on and perfecting all these days, months, and years. This picture of an eagle's impression captured in the snow shows what I look to do next time, be an opportunist with the opportunities I get. </div>
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<br />Torin Kooshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282992144129716434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691525267872963085.post-37603024113493839112013-11-17T12:04:00.001-08:002013-11-18T00:23:01.941-08:00After Davos, Before Beitostolen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The old steam train rolling up from Realp (SUI) into the Furka Pass.</td></tr>
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If the days haven't been totally packed since the last time catching up on the training preparations from the glacier environment of Ramsau am Dachstein, the days have been satisfying. After Austria, I headed back to Davos, Switzerland with the leading edge sprinters of Switzerland. I was soon joined again by the Estonian sprint team in Davos, in addition to both the sprinters and all-arounders of Switzerland. It's been nothing less than incredible to spend the fall with Bettina here, to get to know some longtime competitors on a more personal level, then knock heads in the heavy training days.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">File photo, from Seizer Alm, Italy.</td></tr>
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The snow came, if ever so lightly. Fortunately, SwissSki harvest the spring snow in the Fluela Valley, then cover the white stuff with tarps and sawdust over the summer months. When the calendar turned to November, a 1.5 kilometer track opened on the top of the Davos World Cup track. Maybe its the new impulse of getting to glide on snow, or the early years running track and field, but I didn't mind putting in lap after lap on the harvest snow loop. The terrain was perfect for remembering how to push and corner and carry speed between transitions, though a little too heavy for double-ski training days. </div>
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Unfortunately, on the day I left for Norway, the defending Olympic and World Champion from Switzerland Dario Cologna tore three ligaments in his foot just after leaving his house for a night run. Dario was in great condition, and is a true professional athlete. It's never good to see someone like Dario meet such misfortune. I really hope the healing goes well, and we can see Dario at his best in Sochi. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo stolen from the FB.</td></tr>
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The last days I've been kicking it in the small neighborhood of Asmarka, near the ski town (and 1994 Olympic city) of Lillehammer, Norway. Its been great to meet up with my old friends of Team Sjusjoen. Petter Hagen has been making delicious meals, but I'm pretty psyched to leave mid-week next week to the opening races. I'll do my best to provide the story behind the story soon after, so check back next week for sure.</div>
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Team Sjusjoen reunion dinner at Hotel Hagen. The opener? A mango and rocket salad, topped with Norwegian salmon and a citrus zest vinagrette. Good food. And good times.</div>
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All Best, </div>
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-T.</div>
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Torin Kooshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282992144129716434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691525267872963085.post-8893657212234195022013-10-31T13:46:00.000-07:002013-10-31T13:46:06.209-07:00Bridger S.F. Luminaries: Heather McPhie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
One thing that makes Bridger Ski Foundation such a great organization is that they put serious support behind all kinds of skiing - alpine, nordic, freestyle, biathlon back in the day. I'm pretty sure if women's nordic combined ever made it to the five rings competition Bozeman would build a jump, start a team, and help support some serious talent for the red, white, and blue. Which brings us to Heather McPhie.</div>
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Heather McPhie is a talent just entering her prime. Just read that bio - a handful of World Cup wins, 3rd in last season's World Cup overall, requisite RedBull Sponsorship. Don't be surprised to see Heather sharing the cover of the Wheaties box later this spring. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc0wf6fuq-tPWOMMul6gpDAAQgwRYcOt9eZewPUzzLwoJkB8YW316jBrRayQ5ZtJ6K2XHDj8piQ2DtY814ivfXCq1VXSuVZEJDgbrRSHkAdKOrGgQ7g-RXZA1xrkm9xBU0gfBCk4uwvCo/s1600/Bio_Cards_front_heather.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc0wf6fuq-tPWOMMul6gpDAAQgwRYcOt9eZewPUzzLwoJkB8YW316jBrRayQ5ZtJ6K2XHDj8piQ2DtY814ivfXCq1VXSuVZEJDgbrRSHkAdKOrGgQ7g-RXZA1xrkm9xBU0gfBCk4uwvCo/s640/Bio_Cards_front_heather.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: #333333; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Action card layout by </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px;"><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><em style="line-height: 18px; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;"> <a href="mailto:dleuschen@aol.com" style="color: #cc6600; text-decoration: none;">D</a></span><a href="mailto:dleuschen@aol.com" style="color: #cc6600; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: xx-small; line-height: normal;">M</span><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;">L</span>EUSCHEN <span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;">D</span></a></em><em style="line-height: 18px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="mailto:dleuschen@aol.com" style="color: #cc6600; text-decoration: none;">ESIGN</a></em><u> </u> from BSF's Countdown to Sochi Event</span></span></span>Torin Kooshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282992144129716434noreply@blogger.com0