All my past postings were saying how great this Championship was organized and how superior the big Nordic nations such as Norway, Sweden, Russia or Germany were in all races.

Well, the last relay race kind of proved that it is not always the case. Or should I say there is still a hope for other nations and it works every ones in a while?

Men’s sprint relay consist two skiers going three times each for about 1.5KM or little over three minutes (this is typically how long it takes for skiers to get around that length of the course). 28 Nations were competing for the 2011 World Champion title.

New Zealand team is probably the least experienced and least funded team in this Championship. Still our skiers were in the leading group of the semifinal race for over half of the relay. Granted we lost a little bit of momentum by the end of the race, still finished in very respectful 20th place ahead of well known teams such Ukraine, Lithuania, Great Britain, etc. Many coaches from different countries mentioned to me how good we looked and how respectful we finished. As a matter of fact the comment on Russian National TV was: if these New Zealand guys continue to ski as well as they did today we might have another team capable of being in a hunt for medals!

With that said, the biggest surprise came today from team Canada. Canadians had some good finishes at the last couple of years at the top world races, but nobody thought they would be contenders for the medals. They won Gold and proved to the whole world: anything is possible even in so conservative sport as Nordic Skiing. And this is what makes this Championship great: GO WORLD!

Watching World Championship or Olympic Games for that matter we all wish the athlete from our own country would win.

Here in Norway as you can imagine Nordic skiing is the number one sport, so I am pretty confident the entire country is helping their heroes.
Forget about how many wax technicians (or entire companies such as world wide known Swix or Holmenkollen) working preparing Norwegian team members skis – it is in my estimations about a hundred, but it could be more. Here are some interesting facts about this team: huge sixteen wheeler currently parked in front of the ski testing zone is fully converted into team wax “trailer”. In Oslo airport, Team Norway jet is waiting to transport team to the next training or competition site. Ski racing is 24/7 on designated ski channel on TV! Norwegian team members are on almost every other advertisement on all other channels or newspapers or billboards on the street.

This country lives for Nordic skiing. Interestingly enough, it is very prosperous country. Everything is working here – streets are clean from the snow, cars on the street are very upscale and new, people are friendly and nice. Last night I went to the health club across the street from the hotel and it was packed!

All this makes me no wonder why Norwegians so far won medals in every event in this World Championship. It is only a question of what medal – gold, silver or bronze. This country is helping its National Team developing healthy youth and more importantly this nation won life style of their people. GO NORWAY!

Today was the first race for the team New Zealand at the 2011 World Championship in Oslo, Norway. As I mentioned in my previous posts, racing here in Holmenkollen is for sure is nothing like anything else. Today’s race was no exception to this rule. I guess the race organizers could get an idea of how many ski fans attended today’s 30K race – the race for generations called the race to get the title “King of Nordic Skiing”!

The stands around the stadium with the capacity of fifty thousand people were packed, plus all course of 10 plus K long was packed with fans staying at least 10 rows deep!  And they were making such a difference! Noise, cheering, support, excitement all was present in an enormous level. It is really something else! I guess something similar what soccer players were experienced in South Africa last summer. In Norway it is Nordic Skiing – not soccer what makes people moving!

Well, both New Zealand skiers were caught by the leaders on the last 3K long loop and had to stop racing according to the rules of the mass start competitions here at the World Championship. One can say they were not good enough to be here and compete at this level of racing. Another can look at the results and realize how many other strong skiers were also victims of this grueling rule. One fact: Norway is a dominating country as of today in this event. Every country can only enter four skiers per event. Top Norwegian skier Peter Northug won the race by 0.5 second, fourth Norwegian skier was only seconds ahead of Nils Koons, when Nils was asked to pull out of the race!  It is very competitive racing here and it is an honor to just ski here at the pinnacle event for Nordic skiing on the planet of Earth! 

One thing I have to share with the rest of the world: we are not Norwegians. Not because we do not live in Norway, not because of winters in some places are shorter and milder than in Norway. We are not Norwegians, because of:

-          We do not go to watch Nordic ski races nigh before and feel comfortable camping on the side of the race course in eagerness of the race

-          We do not feel satisfied staying along the race course on eights row, when the fog only letting them barely see second row of spectators (forget the privilege of seeing the racers)

-          We do not carry over 50 pounds cow bells, harmonicas of all shapes and sizes, and all other imaginable and unimaginable self and mass production instruments  to make their our own, very distinct noise
-          We do not set a stage for elementary school girls on the snow deep in the woods to make something look like Swan Lake ballet to entertain over seventy five thousands ski fans on their root to the ski course

I am sure there are many other reasons why we are not Norwegians in our hearts, but this is what happened today at the headquarter of Nordic nation – Norwegian Holmenkollen, which is actually is a nordic ski center in almost downtown Oslo. I can not wait to see what is going to happen here during the main events of this World Championship – ski jumping on a brand new, most technically advanced big ski jump or men’s relay race.

Till then – I am getting ready for the first race for my skiers – 30K pursuit race tomorrow! Sorry no pictures yet – camera does not take pictures in such thick fog!

Going to the World Championship in Norway should generate lots of excitement for anyone – Nordic skiing is not just a sport here – it’s national pride, it is almost religion!

As the coach and a team leader for team New Zealand, I was as excited as anyone. Even at the airport you can see that this event affects everyone and everything here.

Volunteers meet and greet members of foreign delegations even after the official start of the Championships. Right at the airport there are huge posters and banners advertising the event. On my way to the hotel the taxi driver relayed the results from the sprint race yesterday and explained all the tactics used by the winners, what wax was used by the Norwegians, and even the difference in techniques between the Norwegians and Swedes. Obviously this nation breathes and lives by Nordic skiing! At the hotel, I turned on the TV to find 24 hour race-site coverage!

After unpacking my luggage I attempted to familiarize myself with the venue, but it was so foggy that I just got lost on the parking lot. I have never seen such thick fog, but the locals assure me that tomorrow it will be sunny and beautiful here! I guess the summer also will come, but as of today it is still very wintry here!

The New Zealand deligation consists of two skiers: Ben and Nils Koons. The brothers were born in New Zealand, are currently living in Maine, and were both part of the Dartmouth College Ski Team. Ben graduated in 2008, Nils is due for graduation this spring. The goal for the team is to have one top 16 finish, which would provide a chance for the team to get additional funds for training and competitions. As of right now, expenses are paid by the racers and their families. The first race for team New Zealand is on Sunday, featuring the 30K pursuit (15K classical and 15K freestyle).

Stay tuned for pictures and more stories from the World Championship in Oslo, where even the king is scheduled to compete.