I hope this finds everyone happy and healthy! I am now living in Switzerland, training with the Swiss women biathletes and coach, Vegard Bitnes. Here is a quick update on how it happened and what is happening now :)
I arrived home on April 1st, and started work ski patrolling at Lake
Louise Ski Resort on April 2nd! However, it was great to get right back
into the swing of things and jumping back onto downhill skis was a nice
change from cross-country. Waking up at 5:30am and getting home at 7pm
also made for long, but fulfilling days. During April and May I was also
working on trying to make Switzerland workout somehow. I needed to find
a sponsor to make things work out and was ecstatic when 'Washtronics'
jumped on board to help me out. A big thanks to Bob Rose from Canmore! I
booked my flight five days before moving to a new life in Switzerland-
typical Murphy style- Thanks Uncle Frank for helping me out- You rock!
So I arrived into Munich airport at 7:30am on the 23rd of June and was picked up by a great biathlon fan, Eric Bauer. We then proceeded to drive to a random gas station between Ruhpolding and Munich to meet another friend who had my rifle- Thanks Maria! From there we drove to Chur, Switzerland, where I jumped on the train with my rifle, ski bag, duffel bag, backpack and purse...sound familiar? I was having nightmares the whole time of a similar situation I was in years ago to do with trains and bags and disastrous situations....I was determined to make it this time! As the train pulled into Samedan train station, I was ready for action. I am pretty sure I frightened the heck out of the 5 people on the station platform as I ninja'ed my way out! But I made it out and had all my bags...yahoo...and then the train sat at the station for another 15 minutes- dang, no need to rush. All well, I made it in one piece!
It was great to be greeted at the station by Elisa, my new housemate and training partner. She drove us to S-chanf- my new home town. Our house is around 500 years old, and the village has about 600 people or so. There is a church, a restaurant/hotel, and a small store....and a lot of goats. All the streets are cobble-stone, absolutely beautiful, but a bit tricky on the roller skis ;) I really wonder what Swiss farmers spend on bells- every livestock has a bell! It is incredible...and sounds like Christmas all the time :)
The next day it all started. We went to Italy and had pizza and went for a run, and since then it has been full-on training. Vegard is an amazing coach, and having training partners is a whole new world compared to the last five years of training alone. The plan now is to try and get a visa (woops, maybe should have done that earlier??) and then stay and train here for minimum one year- hopefully up to the next Olympics in 2014. Fingers crossed :)
Thanks to Devonian Properties and Caribou Properties for being here for me through everything, and of course my wonderful parents and family whom I have left once again- I really do love you! And last but not least, all of YOU for your great support during these ridiculous situations I seem to get myself into! THANK YOU!
Take care, have fun and smile! Have a gander at the photos below :)
Sarah :)
So I arrived into Munich airport at 7:30am on the 23rd of June and was picked up by a great biathlon fan, Eric Bauer. We then proceeded to drive to a random gas station between Ruhpolding and Munich to meet another friend who had my rifle- Thanks Maria! From there we drove to Chur, Switzerland, where I jumped on the train with my rifle, ski bag, duffel bag, backpack and purse...sound familiar? I was having nightmares the whole time of a similar situation I was in years ago to do with trains and bags and disastrous situations....I was determined to make it this time! As the train pulled into Samedan train station, I was ready for action. I am pretty sure I frightened the heck out of the 5 people on the station platform as I ninja'ed my way out! But I made it out and had all my bags...yahoo...and then the train sat at the station for another 15 minutes- dang, no need to rush. All well, I made it in one piece!
It was great to be greeted at the station by Elisa, my new housemate and training partner. She drove us to S-chanf- my new home town. Our house is around 500 years old, and the village has about 600 people or so. There is a church, a restaurant/hotel, and a small store....and a lot of goats. All the streets are cobble-stone, absolutely beautiful, but a bit tricky on the roller skis ;) I really wonder what Swiss farmers spend on bells- every livestock has a bell! It is incredible...and sounds like Christmas all the time :)
The next day it all started. We went to Italy and had pizza and went for a run, and since then it has been full-on training. Vegard is an amazing coach, and having training partners is a whole new world compared to the last five years of training alone. The plan now is to try and get a visa (woops, maybe should have done that earlier??) and then stay and train here for minimum one year- hopefully up to the next Olympics in 2014. Fingers crossed :)
Thanks to Devonian Properties and Caribou Properties for being here for me through everything, and of course my wonderful parents and family whom I have left once again- I really do love you! And last but not least, all of YOU for your great support during these ridiculous situations I seem to get myself into! THANK YOU!
Take care, have fun and smile! Have a gander at the photos below :)
Sarah :)
Hey guud to hear all that it sounds wicked!!And if you ever feel like a few days training in France,in the mountains just across the border,let me know you'd be welcome to stay here for a while!!!And I'd be stoked to have a training session with the Kiwi biathlon team!!Take care!!!Matt from Chamonix.
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