Well I am so excited to say that the competitions have finally started! This past weekend was Winter Start. Teams from Park City, the Midwest, and even an athlete from Canada traveled to Steamboat to compete in the first event of the winter. Saturday marked the first day of our winter competitions. We had the ski jumping portion in the morning and the cross country portion under the lights that night. The jumping didn't go as well as I had hoped and ended up tied for 6th place. However, the top three spots were swept by my friends and NTG athletes, Ben Berend, Aleck Gantick, and Tyler Smith. I was really happy seeing the juniors stepping up their jumping. I started the cross country race 1:44 out of 1st place. I skied a very good race ending up 4th overall with the 3rd fastest time. Teammates Nick Hendrickson was 1st, Adam Loomis was 2nd, and Brett Denney edged me out by four seconds for the final podium spot. I was happy to have such a good first race and feel even more confident going into the COC's in December.
I am now back in Park City. I will be training here for the next two weeks, preparing for our first COC's here in Park City, December 15-17. I look forward to our next competition and will keep you updated with my success throughout the season!