There have been a lot of moving parts with the BSF Pro Team lately. A lot of the team has been bouncing in and out of college races in the West and now the whole team is in the Midwest for the Birkie! So stoked for them, and some are even doing double days!!
After a lot of chaos with opa cups and world cup cancellations Andy is back in the US too.
As for me, I left for Norway in the middle of January. After getting named 1st alt for U23 I decided I needed to still try and make the most of the season while also growing as a skier. I love the college circuit and the west, and high altitude and sun everyday, but I know if I want to get better I have a lot I can learn. I think sea level racing and pushing through lactate is still difficult for me. With so many of my former teammates from Utah living in Norway it looked like the best option. Racing in Norway is the highest level and I can grow so much from just putting myself in that atmosphere. Alongside that, Norway is taking Covid much more seriously, so I think my decision to come here and race and travel for races here is safer than doing so in the US. I really don’t want to be putting myself in a situation where I am contributing to the spread.
Now I have been here for about a month and half. It has been truly fantastic and a Norwegian dream. I did my quarantine in Valdras at a cabin where I could ski in ski out onto endless km. January in Norway and all of Scandinavia was freezing. I ended up skiing every ski in a full puffy coat. But the sun was up and shining (not quite like Utah) but still so nice. After that I have skied a bit in Oslo, Lillehammer, Hafjell, Hemsedal, Forde and some others.
I still think it was the right decision to come, even if I haven’t raced as much as I would have liked. I was able to join Team Elon for a classic 10km TT and then raced Norwegian Cup in Forde. Sadly, I couldn’t race in Forde because I got stomach ulcers but am planning on racing the next Norwegian Cup!
I am so thankful for this opportunity to be here, training with the best, racing with the best and learning so much about the ski culture here. It’s pretty cool to do intervals at Lillehammer on a Saturday on the difficult courses, and have probably five or more other teams all doing a workout too. Groups of 15 boys would pass me and each of them having such good technique. It is just a constant reminder how large the depth of talent is in Norway. Something we are working toward in the US.
I am so thankful to everyone who has made this possible, especially all the families for feeding and skiing with me! I hope to come back after the next Norwegian Cup races and I’m looking forward to seeing the rest of my team in Sun Valley. Miss them all:)
Leah
