World Championships and XC World Cup

One of the great perks of being an athlete it being able to travel to new countries and meet new people. I had never been to the Czech Republic before and I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. The stadium in Nove Mesto was absolutely magnificent- it was HUGE! Here's a aerial of it:

It was such an amazing atmosphere in the stadium, but I could also feel how much more tense all the athletes and coaches were. Me? I think I was less tense! I was very lucky to have Richard Boruta with me for these races, so I had less work and less worries than usual. It was such a treat.

The first race was the 10km sprint and I was a little stressed. I think this came through in my skiing as I had a very slow last lap. I hit all 5 targets in prone, but missed 2 in standing, leaving me with 8/10 and not a very happy athlete at the end. The course here was very tough. Up, up, up and then a lot of down. If you didn't ski smart, you would totally blow you

r legs up (not literally- that would be messy and I think humanly impossible).

In between races was great as I was living at the same hotel as my old Canadian teammates (not in the age sense, although I did have a birthday and am now on the dark side of my twenties). We would eat together and when some of us did not qualify for the pursuit, we were able to enjoy some glasses of apple juice and play charades- just like back in the day when there was no internet. It was lovely.

Thanks Glen Crawford for the amazing photo!

The next race for the women was the 15km individual. I really was not looking forward to this race as I have not been feeling strong on my skis. But I went out, starter number 18, and really tried to ski smart and controlled. First prone I missed one, as well as in my first standing. Half way through the race and I was feeling...actually quite alright. I was enjoying my time on the trails and just focused on the task at hand. And then came 2nd prone- the wind was so strong that I clicked a total of 6 to the left....3 misses! Ah crap. (After the race my coach would inform me I should have clicked 8 or 9 to the left!). For my last standing I went into lane 24 (as this was my last race as a 24 year old) and missed 2- 24 sucked anyways (not really- written sarcasm doesn't always come through properly). So...7 misses, 7 minutes added on...not a good shooting race. But the skiing...well, for me...felt great. I thoroughly enjoyed this race.

Right before the race...This is what a focused Murphy looks like. Thanks Glen Crawford for the amazing photos!

The next day I was off at 7 am...back to the Russian embassy in Prague. But no worries, all I had to do was pick up my passport and be on my way with my new Russian visa. Successful and organized- who am I? After a short flight from Prague to Milano and a long train ride, I made it back to little S-chanf, Switzerland! Two sleeps later I found myself in Davos, Switzerland preparing for my first ever cross-country world cup race- 10 km skate.

I found the cross-country atmosphere very different to biathlon. It was not as organized as biathlon, but I will say the staff and coaches cheered a lot more for every athlete, not just their own. It was a really nice experience. Thank you very much to the Canadians for waxing my skis- they were super! And the race? Well, it was hard. I found it a lot harder than any biathlon race I have done this season. I think it is very beneficial for me to now do some xc races, not just for my speed, but also mentally to have to keep pushing through the whole race. I was last. Yep....at the very end. And far behind. But someone just told me it can only get better from there...so that is a positive :)


Thank you again to everyone for the amazing support! Even though I was last, I am still feeling the love from everyone :) xxxxx Here's to things getting better and better and 25 more years of fun and excitement:) 

Writing from Nove Mesto, Czech republic where tomorrow is the men’s and women’s sprint competitions!

But first: After making it back to Switzerland after such an extreme two weeks before, I was able to train and enjoy some relaxing time in the Swiss Alps. The weather was gorgeous, if at times a wee bit chilly, and I was even able to check out some polo being played on the frozen St. Moritz lake.

On the last day of January I packed up and drove to Martello, Italy for the next IBU cup. Only 1 hour away! It was such a treat to get to a race after just 1-hour travel. Luca Bormollini, an ex-biathlete from Italy, was so kind to come to the races as coach and support. It was a lot of fun to have someone there, and he was such a help testing my skis and going to the always-exciting coaches meetings for me.

 

It was exciting to back in Martell after 6 years away. The last time I was racing there I was 17 years old, it was my first ever-international race, and I was staring for Canada! I think it will always hold a special part in my heart J

The first race was a sprint race and I was starter number 7. It is so nice to be able to start in the first start group, but because of the forecasted fresh snow I was nervous I would have the slowest conditions. After a very tough first loop (man I don’t remember it being that hard!) I came in for prone and hit 4/5. One loop around and back out to the loop. After telling myself to relax about 47 times during the next loop, I came in for standing shooting. 5 hits! Oh thanks goodness- no penalty loops. Off around for the last 2.5km, and then the wind started. It was crazy and I was so happy to almost be finished the race.

I was very happy with the race and in the end I finished in 23^rd, 2 minutes behind.

The next day was the pursuit, and I was, of course, starter number 23, starting 2 minutes behind! 5 x 2km. After the first prone and hitting all 5 targets I had moved up to 12^th position, but then I missed 1 and then 2 and then 3! Ah no! 6 misses out of 20 shots and I had dropped to 30^th position. But, you know what, I am still very happy with the result and excited to have had a good weekend.

Opening Ceremonies- Team New Zealand! (Me and coach, Richard Boruta)

Now, the big question, how to get to the Czech Republic for World Championships!! I knew many were headed this way, but most were going to Orsblie (where, by the way, the roof of the range collapsed forcing the delay of the women’s race). In the end, the lovely, amazing, generous Polish team once again came to my rescue and I was able to get a ride to World Championships with the wax truck. 11 hours later, we arrived in Nove Mesto!

The Commonwealth solving the worlds problems ;)

The course is…tricky. Long uphills and difficult downhills. Today is official training and then tomorrow- race day!!! You can watch it live at www.biathlonworld.com!!

Have fun and smile!!! Yippee!

Rest of season schedule

Just a wee post to say that yes, I have been given a wildcard spot to start in the last three World Cups of the season! What a relief! Now I can focus on some good quality training and racing for the rest of the season.

In addition to this wonderful news, I have also found out I have a spot racing in the Davos Cross-country World cup. This will be my first ever cross-country world cup and I am scared s*#^less! It will definitely be an adventure, so I am really looking forward to racing!

Here is the definite schedule for the rest of the season:

Feb 1st- 3rd = IBU cup- Martel, Italy

Feb 4th - 14th = Biathlon World Championships- Nove Mesto, Czech Republic

Feb 17th = Cross-country World Cup- Davos- 10km Skate

Feb 19th - 27th = Cross-country World Championships- Val di Fiemme, Italy

Feb 27th - March 3rd- Biathlon World Cup 7- Oslo, Norway

March 4th - 10th- Biathlon World Cup 8- Sochi, Russia

March 11th - 17th = Biathlon World Cup 9- Khanty-Masysk, Russia 

I would also like to take a chance to thanks my sponsors for making this season happen!  

 Bob Rose, O-Pur, Norma, Atex, Caribou Properties and many family and friend.

 

O-pur                             

Norma

                

 

 

ATEX 

Plan Successful!

-->

I cannot believe I am writing these words:

The plan was successful!

Now how it all went down…..

Step 1: Get my friend in Munich to send my passport by overnight courier to me in Estonia.

The passport was sent successfully and DHL had it on its way to Estonia.

Step 2: Receive passport on Tuesday.

On Tuesday morning I was training in Otepaa and I ran (skied actually) into the Australian athlete, Lucy. She was heading to Tallin to get her visa as well, and also told me that the Tartu embassy was closed until Thursday. My passport still had not arrived, and the Aussies were heading at 5pm. At 4:45 there was a knock on the door and a lovely angel-like man in a postman uniform delivered my passport. So, I packed up and went to Tallin with Lucy, her mother and her coach.  Fingers crossed!

Step 3: Embassy opens. Go to the embassy in Tartu, Estonia and apply for an express visa.

The Tallin embassy was open, and at 9:04am we were there, already lined up behind 10 other people. We got to the front, and the lady told us we were in the wrong place. After speaking to a few others, we were actually in the right place but I had the wrong papers. So off I went to search for a passport support office, (which I found down a dark alleyway near an exotic lady dancer bar), and the woman there filled out and printed the form for 20 cents- What a deal! Off back to the Russian embassy where they processed my visa in 20 minutes and everything was set!

Step 4: Get driven to Russian border with rifle and skis.

Drove with Aussies- No problem J

Step 5: Go through Estonian customs, hoping not to get arrested for being in Europe for longer than 3 months.

We drove to the Russian border, and after waiting an hour or so and taking out rifles through, they took my passport. After some painstaking moments where they looked up all the info, I was stamped through to Russia!

Step 6: Walk 300m across Russian border with rifle.

Well, I didn’t have to walk this time- Luckily I was with the Aussies!

Step 7: Go through Russian customs. Hoping not to be kidnapped or put in prison for who know what. (Although being turned into a Russian spy could be neat).

Stamped with no problem! YES!

Step 8: Police take rifle. I get a transport to Ostrov.

At the Russian border we waited forever to get our rifles through. 2 hours later we were given the go ahead, and we drove to Ostrov arriving at 3am. Phew!

Step 9: Race and make necessary qualification.

The next morning at 11:30am I jumped on a police escorted bus with all the other female athletes and we headed to the venue. Our hotels were 1 hour away so the bus ride gave us all time to admire the very desolate fields-  very different to other places I have been. I love Russia because of this. The people are so interesting, and how they live is so different to many of us. It was an eye opener.

The rifles were kept in locked cabinets, so after picking my rifle up, I headed out to ski the trails. Amazing! Ostrov has very beautiful ski trails and an amazing biathlon range. It was such a treat to be in a random spot in Russia, at such a great venue.

The first race day was the 7.5km sprint and I was starter number 30. I was really tired after the long travel and all the stress, but I was looking forward to the race. I came in for prone and hit 4/5. After a penalty loop, I headed out on the trail, feeling good but very scared about standing. Into standing I went thinking about how, if I missed them all, I would buy a van and travel through Spain. Well, I ended up hitting all 5- Ah wow-  was not expecting although, after getting the new barrel weight, my shooting has completely turned around. In the end I ended up 21^st, 9.3% behind- meaning I made my 12% qualification for the next set of World Cups! PLAN SUCCESSFUL!

The next day I started 21^st in the Pursuit race, a race I have not started very often. After shooting 1-1-1-0 (17/20) I moved up 2 places, finishing in 19^th- Pumped! It was a great race to finish the crazy 2 weeks on the IBU cup.

Step 10: Celebrate the success of this cunning plan!

Instead of Celebrating a successful plan, I got on a bus at 7pm with the French team and drove to Riga, Latvia (Making it through the border faster this time, although with no less stress) and arrived at 2 am. After lying on a metal bench for 4 hours, the plane took off for Frankfurt and then Munich, where I ran like a madwoman to catch the train to Switzerland. 7 hours later, and after some stressful moments with the German police on the train, I made it back to S-chanf!

Now what? Well, I am waiting to hear if I will get a wildcard. If I do then here is the schedule:

Feb 1-3 = Martell IBU cup

Feb 5^th- 13^th- Biathlon World Championships, Nove Mesto, Czech Republic

Feb 19^th- 26^th= Cross- country World Championships- Val Di Fiemme, Italy

Feb 27^th – March 3^rd- Oslo World Cup

March 4^th- 10^th- Sochi World Cup

March 11^th- 17^th- Khanty-Mansysk World Cup.

Season finished!

Xoxo Sarah J

Alone on the track

Alone on the track

Nothing is ever dull in the life of an athlete traveling alone in the world, especially a woman with a rifle. This season in particular has been a fun filled jumble of misunderstandings and complicated adventures. This season has also showed me that everything that happens determines the next set of events, thus in my circumstance, creating a snowball effect of disaster. Just to be clear, the reason why it is so important for me to race in World Cups is because I can only make my Olympic qualification in world cups. I cannot do it in European cup races (IBU races). This is the reason for my complete obsession with racing in these races.

The races at the start of the season did not go well due to a warped barrel which could no longer shoot straight in cold weather. Because of this I bought a new barrel- a shiny, new sprint barrel- nice and light making me think it will be faster in skiing, and still a good shot. Wrong. Nice for skiing, disastrous for shooting. The weight difference was too big.  The bad performance in Hochfilzen World Cup 2 lead me back to Switzerland for a needed mental break and some good training days, and then hoping on a night train from St. Moritz, Switzerland, to Bled, Slovenia. A lovely trip alone with skis, rifle, and personal bag and 5 platform changes.

Once again my performance was dismal to say the least and the necessary qualification was not completed meaning I could not continue on World Cup. Thus meaning I must go to Otepaa, Estonia and Ostrov, Russia to try and make top 40 and 12% behind the leaders. I sent all my paperwork and everything for my Russian visa on December 17^th- plenty of time to get it before going to Estonia. Or so I thought.

On December 20^th, while I was in Ridnaun racing an Italian cup, I received the confirmation from the Organizing committee of the event that I could go to Russia. Perfect! I received all the necessary paperwork and confirmation numbers on December 23^rd, and immediately prepared passport photos and all my documents together for the embassy in Munich. Now what? How do I get to Munich? I have no car and it is a 7 hour train ride, and it is Christmas! I know, I will send it to my friend in Munich and he can take it to the embassy for me! Cunning plan!

Five days later, the day the embassy closed for Russian Christmas, even though sent with a signature mail, my passport arrived in Munich- too late for my friend to take it to the embassy. When will the offices open again? January 8^th, 2013- The day after I was supposed to travel to Russia for the races. Problem? No way! I will just have to make my qualification in the Estonian races and not go to Russia.

After taking a train for 8 hours from Switzerland to Munich airport, and then a plane to Riga, Latvia, staying the night in Riga and then taking a bus to Otepaa, Estonia- I arrived 33 hours later- Sans passport. My friend was in Austria when I went through Munich and there was no possibility of me getting my passport. At the moment, this was not a problem as I have 2 possibilities to make the qualification.

Fist set of races-15km individual- awful weather and a mad wind blowing bullets left right and centre. I missed 5 out of 20 and placed 25^th! Not an amazing result but I achieved one of the qualifications. My percentage? 14.2%. Shoot, one more hit and I would have had it. No worries, there is tomorrow to do it.

The sprint- I hit 4 our of 5 in the prone and coming in for standing I was a scared little girl. First three targets went down, and then a miss. Oh no, Come on Sarah focus. A hit, yes! Put my rifle on and double check- only 3 hits. The last one didn’t go down. It had felt so good though! 7/10 targets hit, and a great ski put me in 41^st place, 2 minutes and 54 seconds behind. Percentage? 12.9%. 12 seconds off of making the qualification. .9 of a percent. That one target that I thought went down was my ticket to the next set of World Cup races. Now what?!?

At 5pm on Sunday night, the time my shuttle was leaving for Riga, Latvia, I made the decision to stay in Otepaa. I had yet another cunning plan!

Step 1: Get my friend in Munich to send my passport by overnight courier to me in Estonia. Pay 100 Euros.

Step 2: Receive passport on Tuesday.

Step 3: Embassy opens. Go to the embassy in Tartu, Estonia and apply for an express visa. Pay 120 Euros.

Step 4: Get driven to Russian border with rifle and skis.

Step 5: Go through Estonian customs, hoping not to get arrested for being in Europe for longer than 3 months.

Step 6: Walk 300m across Russian border with rifle.

Step 7: Go through Russian customs. Hoping not to be kidnapped or put in prison for who know what. (Although being turned into a Russian spy could be neat).

Step 8: Police take rifle. I get a transport to Ostrov.

Step 9: Race and make necessary qualification.

Step 10: Celebrate the success of this cunning plan!

Just think, What if…

I had bought a different barrel.

I had been able to get a barrel weight on my rifle.

my skis had better wax in my Otepaa races.

I had a car to get to the embassy.

Or if I had a coach.

Or if I had just hit 1 more target.

Just think. What if…

A nice article

http://biathlonum.blogspot.sk/2013/01/behind-track-sarah-murphy-biathlon-is.html

Sweden and back, with a few stops in between

Well! A lot has happened since my last blog and it hasn't even been a month.

First start number of the season

Being back in Ostersund after many years away was a great treat, and I was really looking forward to the races. Unfortunately right before the races I had some bad back problems, so was going to the chiropractor that week to try and sort things out. It seems as though I am not so stable even after a summer of core strength and all I can do about it is a lot of exercises...so now I travel around like an old woman with a physio ball and acupuncture mat. It's nice and not inconvenient at all ;)

Team extreme- Bossman Bitnes and me

The first race was the 15 km Individual. The race started off well- 1 mistake in Prone...and then went downhill from there, and not in the skiing sense- 2 mistakes in standing, then 3 mistakes in the next prone and then...disaster. Have you all heard of cross-firing? Well, this is when you are, say on shooting lane 27, and you shoot on lane 26. This is exactly what I did, which means that although I hit 3 targets, I had 5 misses. What a catastrophe! 11 mistakes out of 20. Okay Sarah, how could it get any worse than that right???  Well I was wrong.

The next race was the 7.5 km sprint and this is usually my kind of race. I was really excited to get out there and have a good on- aaaaand then I came in for the shooting. Prone for me is usually easy and I can just hit the targets with my eyes closed. But no, not this time, because I missed 4 targets out of 5. WHAT! 4 penalty loops- what a bummer. After 600 meters extra and a massive right leg from going around in the same direction, I headed out for my second 2.5 km loop. It was lovely, until I started shooting standing. 5 misses....out of 5! How is this even possible. If someone, with no eyes and no hands decided after 73 years that they wanted to start biathlon, they would hit more targets than me. Something had to be wrong with my rifle because this is not normal.

and something was wrong with my rifle. It was old...27 years old to be exact, and in barrel years this is approximately 359 years old. It had probably over 100, 000 bullets through it and was not a happy camper. Anschutz told me it was warped and not shooting straight anymore. The reason why we did not see this before the season was because it still shot fine in the warm weather- but as soon as it got cold, it was kaputskid.

I was really disappointed that my shooting was so poor because of a malfunction, but I bought a new sprint barrel from Anschutz the day before my next competition in Hochfilzen, Austria and trained that day looking forward for better shooting the next day. It was really strange with the new sprint barrel as it is a lot lighter than my old one, so I really had to get used to it. In the sprint race the next day I started and felt amazing. Slovenia had waxed probably the best skis I have ever skied on, it felt more like they were skiing and I was just along for the ride. Such an amazing feeling. I came in for my first prone and hit all five- That is more like it! Heading straight out onto the track and poking my tongue out at the silly penalty loop was maybe not the best idea because what was to follow was another total catastrophe- 5 misses standing. Out of 5... How is this even possible? The feeling was maybe that the barrel was so light and I was missing high but I cannot blame it on anything more than myself. What a shame after feeling so good on skis.

So then I came back to Switzerland for a quick break from the World Cup atmosphere and got some great skiing in in the mountains. Absolutely beautiful here in Engadin valley. On Tuesday I jumped on the night train and 12 hours later I was in Bled, Slovenia. Man, the night train is so cool! You can just get on, go to sleep in a real bed, then they bring you tea in the morning and you're at your destination. Much better than driving your own car...in my opinion.

So then I was in beautiful Bled, Slovenia and it was wonderful. I love Slovenia so much- the people, the scenery, and the ski tracks are just amazing. Training the next day was perfect blue skies and hard tracks and everyone was feeling great. The next day was another 7.5 km sprint and once again, I was feeling good on my skis. Slovenia really did an amazing job making them for me- thanks guys! I came in for prone and missed 2...ahh dang...2 times around the P-loop. After another 2.5 km loop with a German athlete, Sachenbacher, I came in for standing and missed 2 as well. Well, you know what? better than 5 misses standing, so I'll take that. Although I still missed 4, which is 4 too many, I felt good on my skis and would have qualified for the pursuit had I shot better. This is a positive thought and so I go into the next year positive that things will turn around for the better.

I am now in Switzerland enjoying some great skiing in the beautiful mountains, with a little trip to Ridnaun, Italy tomorrow to do an Italian cup. It will be nice to get the body moving for 2 more races before Christmas.

Speaking of Christmas, I hope everyone has a Very, Merry one and a Happy Happy Happy New Year!

xxx Sarah :)

Back on track- Ostersund, Sweden

 WHAT A GRRRRREAT SUMMER! BRING ON WINTER!!!!!!!!!

Racing summer Deutschmeisterschaft in Oberhof

With my sis in Venice

Summer in Switzerland was amazing. I went on a lovely trip to London to ensure I was not illegal in Europe, had a great 11 day recovery week in Egypt (+45!), I visited my sister in Venice, and I of course, trained...a lot. The summer training was great-  a lot of passes climbed by foot, bike and rollerski, and a lot of smiles and laughs and wonderful times I don't think I will ever forget. I really feel lucky to have had such an amazing summer and if the season goes poorly, I know I enjoyed every minute of my preparation for it, and no matter what happens it was worthwhile.

Training is always hilarious. With a Norwegian coach, 3 Swissies, 1 Norwegian athlete and a kiwi athlete, we never really know what language we are speaking. It is a mixture of norwegian, swiss german, high german, english, romantsch, and probably chinese but we don't even realize it. Fortunately, we had no fatalities this summer, so I would say all in all it was a booming success. 

First ski in Engiadine

Mamma and Pappa Murphy came and visited me in St. Moritz for 4 days which was just great for me mentally as I had not seen them for over 6 months. It is amazing how a hug from a parent makes everything in life so much better. We explored Engiadine valley for 4 days together and then had a hilarious 'Murphy group mission' to Zurich in a little dinky-toy car with all of their baggage, plus my ski bag, rifle, and 4000 other bags. It was a comedy show.

Training on Stelvio glacier

Now, I will admit coming to the airport the next day I was a little frightened. I may or may not have had a rifle in Switzerland without the proper papers, and when the SAS staff told me to go to the zoll to get my rifle checked, my whole body may have been trembling slightly...but the man was lovely and when I showed him my Canadian rifle permit he seemed pleased enough. Then I ran away as fast as possible and boarded my plane to Ostersund, Sweden. I will also mention I am still able to buy Youth tickets on SAS flights so that was a nice ego booster.

I arrived in Sweden and was picked up by a great friend who I had not seen in 4 years. It is amazing how nothing changes with some people- You can be apart for so long, and then as soon as you come back together it is like you just saw them the day before.

Mum and Dad visiting Switzerland :)

After a great week training in Ostersund with my coach Vegard Bitnes...Yes, you heard me right, I have a coach! He is here with me until November 27th and I will say it is such a treat having someone consistent to zero me and be at trainings. Anyways, on Wednesday November 21st we drove from Ostersund to Idre, Sweden and prepared for the first IBU cup. It was exciting to be so close to racing again and to get that blood pumping again. I was remembering 4 years ago when I was last in Idre, my very first biathlon race for New Zealand, and I flew off the track and was carried back on my some burly men. This time, I did not fly off the track but the sketchy corner is still there and there were some amazing tumbles.

As the races were preparation races, I am not too concerned about my results, but let's just say the skiing was great but the shooting was a small disaster.  Just getting all those misses off my chest so that I have no misses for the World Cup races :) What a plan!

I am now back in Ostersund, which is in full World Cup swing! Very exciting to be back here. The first race for me is the Womens individual on Thursday, December 29th. You can watch it live on www.biathlonworld.com!

Lot's of love,

Sarah

More Switzerland, and season schedule :)

I am alive and well! Switzerland has been treating me just dandy with all this high-altitude fresh mountain air, jolly yodelers and cow-bell gloriousness. Training is split between the three biathlon ranges we have here: one in Pontresina in the horse field (where a typical day starts with shooing the horses into another field and then having to run through them for combo training), one range in St. Moritz (Where we dodge well-dress Italians, Lamborghini's, and dog's richer than us), and the one in S-chanf on the military base (where we rollerski around cannons and tanks being set-up). It really is combination training.

What with the 2012 Summer Olympic games in London just finishing, I've been at a loss as to what to do with my recovery time. For the last two weeks I was getting into a nice rhythm of wake up, watch Olympics while eating breakfast, train, eat lunch while watching Olympics, pretend to nap whilst on the couch watching the Olympics, train, burn dinner as distractedly running out of the kitchen to catch more of the Olympics, and then continue to watch the Olympics until bed time. It has really pumped me up for the coming 2014 Olympics in Sochi, which is really, not so far away.

Especially this little clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PArTdhNda7k

oh wait, wrong one ;)

I meant this one: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=london+olympics+closing+ceremony+2012&oq=london+olympics+closing+ceremony+2012&gs_l=youtube-reduced.12...0.0.0.359870.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0...0.0...1ac.

Time has flown by though, and I can feel the winter getting closer and closer. In just 4 months, myself, and many other athletes will be making our way to Sweden for the first set of competitions. Right now my tentative schedule if all goes well, and all qualification are made is as such:

December
WC 1: Ostersund, Sweden
WC 2: Hochfilzen, Austria
WC 3: Pokljuka, Slovenia

Christmas Break

January WC 4: Oberhof, Germany
WC 5: Ruhpolding, Germany
WC 6: Antholz, Italy

February/March
World Championships: Nove Mesto, Czech Republic
WC 7: Oslo, Norway
WC 8: Sochi, Russia
WC 9: Khanty Mansysk, Russia
For more details and exact dates, go to: www.biathlonworld.com and then into events :)



Other than that, I hope this finds everyone happy and healthy and loving life!!!

Take care, have fun and smile :) Sarah

New home: SWITZERLAND

 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 :)