Merry Christmas! It is already that time of year again! In just a few days I will be on the race course with other biathletes from across the country hoping to qualify for some big events in the new year. I’ve had plenty of unique opportunities to get my ski technique down in Anchorage this winter! The first Super Tour races were hosted on my home trails last week!

We trained on roller skis for longer than normal, but once the snow came, it was here to stay. Anchorage currently has 75 inches of snow and many new records were set! Because the snow came a little later, it pushed the nordic skiers further into race season. On my first week of skiing, I did three time trials. However, my transition from roller skis to snow was the easiest so far. I had the opportunity to quickly learn what I needed to work on as I raced, and I was able to start on working these areas right away.

Alaska Mountaineering and Hiking kicked off the season with their inaugural relay race. This was the up there with my top favorite races of 2023. I got to race for fun with my friend and against some tough women that I’ve looked up to since I started skiing! Being able to race with these awesome people are the special moments that give me more motivation to get out there everyday and enjoy training and racing.

Last week, I had my first big races this season. The 2023-24 Super Tour Series came to Anchorage for the first time in several years! These races are an NCAA series that qualify athletes for international races. The top nordic skiers from colleges in the U.S. and Canada came to race last week. I skied alongside aspiring junior national team members and past olympians. I practiced different race strategies and saw how the elite skiers got it done. Watching how fast the leading women skied was inspirational. I felt lucky to use this as a great learning opportunity and prep for my bigger races this season.

The first two of six Besh Cups happened last week as well! This race series is the Team Alaska Junior National Qualifier. I had my first opportunity this year to officially race with people my age. It was a whole new learning experience and helped build my racing confidence before the Biathlon Youth and Junior World Championship Trials in Grand Rapids, Minnesota next week. Through these races I am lucky to be selected to race for Alaska Winter Stars at the Senior National Championships in Salt Lake City during the first week of 2024.

Not only was last week the busiest week of racing this year, but it was also the one of the busiest weeks of school. It was finals week at University Of Alaska. It is never easy balancing a life of training and school. Over the week of races and race prep I put in 30 hours of math alone! I’m glad to say that I finished all of my classes with excellent marks! This is the life of a student athlete, and I am glad to spend the week of biathlon trials just focusing on what I love most!

Before and after every local race, I watch so many dedicated coaches and volunteers come out to Kincaid at all times of the day. They are already there hours before I wake up, putting in the work through all weather conditions to make sure that the athletes can have all the tools for their best race. We are so lucky to live in a beautiful place on fantastic trails with people who are dedicated to nordic skiing.

Thanks Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage, Cross Country Alaska, and all of the amazing coaches for making last weeks races amazing.

Thanks most of all to my family, friends, and partners who have been huge contributors to making my dreams and goals possible. They would absolutely not be possible without you. I look forward to whatever this next year has in store!