First ever Team USA race today! I’ve been dreaming of this day since I first stepped in a pair of skis a little over three years ago.

It’s amazing how much of a difference a single year can make. A year ago today, I was racing in Fort McMurry, Canada for the Arctic Winter Games. It was an amazing and unforgettable experience. Those races were my first international races and the small stepping stones that helped to get me where I am today. It is special for me to have these two different experiences on the same day and just a year apart to reflect upon.

The boys had started several hours before us. They put in some great efforts through the wind, rain and sleet this morning. It was a challenging shooting day with changing weather conditions that included strange and deceiving wind strength. The range wind flags often make it look like it is blowing a lot harder than it actually is.

We were able to watch the boys race play out in real time back at our hotel on the IBU data center website. It was amazing to see the breakdown of everyone’s shooting times, skiing times, etc.

The girls started their zero several hours later in the sleet. I’m so glad that it was our only time on the course that we were in wet conditions. Gratefully, the sun came out and opened up a patch of blue sky over the course for the rest of the time. The wind seemed to stay pretty consistent for our entire race!

It was a tough ski course that was full of slush and the finish segment was the worst part because less ski traffic left the snow less compacted on the trail. I loved the excitement of skiing by coaches as they cheered for their athletes in all different languages! I also thought it was amazing to look up as I was warming up in the stadium and see people dining in a third floor restaurant as they watched athletes come in to shoot.

My race went as good as I could ask for in my first exciting big event! I experienced my first on-course feeds (gatorade drink) today, practiced relaxing through the shooting, and worked to reach each of my ski goals for the day.

We finished our day with a snack run to the store and a small walk around the quaint tourist ski town! It is nice tonight, no rain and around 40°. Everyone here is outside walking and enjoying the shops.

I learned another word: Dziękuję – thank you. I’ve had, and will have the opportunity to use that a lot.

Tomorrow will be another small practice before racing the two back to back 7.5k sprints this weekend. Fingers crossed that we keep getting lucky like today and the sun will peak out during races!