I will be in Steamboat for this next week leading up to the Winter Start competition. I am excited for our first comp but Steamboat is going to need a lot more snow to be able to pull it off. Fingers are crossed! Keep you all updated during these upcoming weeks. Happy Thanksgiving!
I have been in Steamboat for a couple days now. I spent Thanksgiving with my family watching football, playing football, running in the annual Turkey Trot, and of course stuffing myself with turkey. I have even found some time to go to the Strawberry Park Hot Springs with some friends and relax. To say the least, I am glad to be back in Steamboat. I have been training with my old team, which is actually quite fun. It is great to see all the young athletes skiing to their full potential. Today Steamboat opened the k90 for winter jumping. I had a lot of fun and it seemed like all of the other athletes were psyched to be jumping on snow too!
I will be in Steamboat for this next week leading up to the Winter Start competition. I am excited for our first comp but Steamboat is going to need a lot more snow to be able to pull it off. Fingers are crossed! Keep you all updated during these upcoming weeks. Happy Thanksgiving! K90 ready for jumping With the snow finally falling, I have been able to pull my skis from storage and go hit the tracks. It has been a really nice to change from roller skiing to actual cross country skiing even though I am still pretty clumsy with the longer skis. Last week, the "B" team had testing at the COE. Testing consisted of the threshold test, hemoglobin test, strength and balance tests, and of course the VO2 test. I think everyone did really well, but during the testing something went wrong with the equipment. Therefore we will have to take the tests over again on Monday! Also last week, the Utah Olympic Park employees spent several days on the jumps getting them ready for winter. With the new snow and the cold temperatures we were fortunate enough to take our first winter jumps on the k90 this week. Even the Canadian ski jumping team showed up to take a few jumps. Now the season is finally underway. The "A" team headed off to Lillehammer, NOR yesterday for the first World Cup of the season and the "B" team is headed to Steamboat Springs for the annual winter start competition. I feel really good about this upcoming season and look forward to our first international COC's here is Park City from December 15-17. One last thing. The NNF's Drive for 25 is now over. To recap, in the beginning every athlete picks a goal for how much money they want to raise. Then they have to find people that want to donate to the sport of nordic combined. My goal was $10,000. At first, I though it was a long shot, but I kept sending out emails to people that wanted to help. I ended up raising $10,275! I can't thank all the donors enough for their generosity. With your help, I will be able to continue to pursue my dreams! GO USA!!! (From left) Michael Ward, Simi Hamilton, and Noah Hoffman during the Q&A! Well the turnout to our fundraiser could not have been any better! We had about 200 people that came to support Simi Hamilton, Noah Hoffman, and myself. The night consisted of first a meet and greet for the three of us. Since I haven't been in Aspen since 2008, it was quite overwhelming. Past nordic families attended, as well as teachers, coaches, and other friends from around the community that wanted to help us on the road to Sochi. After meeting everyone, we had a sit-down Q & A. During this time, we were asked questions about our past experiences, this upcoming season, doping, and our career paths. It went very well, but I have to admit I was very nervous because it was my first real interview and it was in front of 200 people. Afterwards, we had a silent auction. Simi, Noah, and I brought USST hats, jackets, and pants for the auction. People also donated pictures, paintings, wine, even US National Road Bike Champion Taylor Phinney's jersey was an item on the list! I also brought a jump ski that the US Nordic Combined team signed. It was one of the hottest items! The fundraiser went perfectly, but it could not have been done without all of our parents, and the communities help. Thank you all! I am now back in Park City. We have our first COC here in Park City on December 15-16. After that I will be here until late January where we head off to the COC's in Europe. I am looking forward to the season I am now back home for the weekend. It is going to be busy because tonight there is a fundraiser to help out the U.S.S.T. athletes from Aspen. The fundraiser is being held for hometown heroes, Noah Hoffman, Simi Hamilton, and me. I am very excited and look forward to meeting all of our hometown supporters. We are expecting a great turnout! If you can't make it and want to help, please donate to www.grouprev.com/michaelward. Than |
Michael WardHi! My name is Michael Ward. I am a 23 year old from Aspen, CO now living in Park City, UT to continue my career as a Nordic Combined athlete. I am on the 2015-16 US Nordic Combined Team and am honored to live and train with the best in the world. Archives
February 2016
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