Smith: More than just the #1 Last Name

Congratulations to Casey Smith and Besty Devin-Smith. Both are taking the biathlon world by storm. Casey currently is competing in Sweden at the World Junior Biathlon Championships where day after day he tops the US athlete ranking. Each race day, Casey has either posted the best shooting for a US athlete or the best finish for a US athlete! Outstanding!
Meanwhile back at home, Casey's Coach (and Mom), Betsy was just awarded the US Olympic Committee's "Volunteer Biathlon Coach of the Year!"
Congratulations to the Smiths!

Pears support the Pros

Hey, wanna help one of our Olympic favorites Torin Koos?
Pick up some pears at the grocery store!

Brian Gregg Wins Minneapolis SuperTour

Hometown hero Brian Gregg won the men's 15km classic ski race today at the Continental Cup SuperTour in Minneapolis, Minnesota today. Photos and results can be found here. Congratulations Brian!

"Our" International Olympians

Here is a great NPR radio story on two of our favorite International skiers...Philip Boit of Kenya and Roberto Carcelen of Peru. Roberto has qualified for the Olympics, Philip hopes to qualify this weekend. The story was recorded at last weekend's Methow Valley SuperTour.

GREAT photos keep coming....

More SuperTour memories from Teri Pieper can be found here.

And more great SuperTour images....

can be found at Methow Images!

More incredible SuperTour images

Here is a link to the photography of Ed Stockard who took some incredible photos at the Methow Valley SuperTour on Saturday. Thanks for sharing Ed!

SuperTour Day #2

Another great day for racing at Loup Loup Ski Bowl. Here are some photos from the day. Congratulations to Caitlin Compton, Laura Valaas and Nicole DeYoung for winning the Women's classic race and Torin Koos, Brian Gregg and Drew Goldsack for winning the Men's 15K. Full results can be found here. Thank you to all the racers, sponsors, volunteers and the community for helping us celebrate great skiing in the Methow Valley.

Methow Valley SuperTour Sprints Day #1

OUTSTANDING DAY in the Methow Valley. Not a single forecast anywhere predicted we would have sun today but sun we had and in a big way! Here are some photos from the races. Congratulations to Laura Valaas and Torin Koos for owning the podium. All our hometown heroes were incredible, from J7 to the elite racers.

The day before the big race

Well, it's been quite a day. We welcomed some of the best skiers in the world to the valley today as they tested out the race course. Here's some photos from dawn til dusk. Due to the questionable weather conditions on Sunday we are moving to the Loup Loup Ski Bowl on Sunday. Check out the MVSTA website for all the details on racing for both Saturday and Sunday.

Pre-SuperTour sit down with Torin Koos and Laura McCabe

Danica Kaufman spends an evening with Olympians Torin Koos and Laura McCabe.

Olympians "in the house"

The fun starts. Here are the first round of confirmed athletes for the Methow Valley SuperTour

USA Olympic Team member Torin Koos. The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver Canada will be will be Torin’s third Olympics. Torin is from Leavenworth, Washington.Torin’s speciality is sprint skiing, making Saturday’s 1.3k sprint heats very exciting to watch .

USA Ski Team member Laura Valaas Laura is from Leavenworth, Washington and also will have many fans cheering her on at this race just 100 miles from her hometown. Laura is a spint specialist and has just returned from the US Nationals in Anchorage Alaska where she stood atop the podium in several races.

Canadian National Team member Shayla Swanson Shayla’s racing credentials include: Overall Canadian National Junior Champion 2000, 2001, 2002, World Junior Ski Championships 2001, 2002, World Championships 2009, and several podium finishes on the North American race circuit.

Canadian National Team member Drew Goldsack Drew finished 31st in the 2006 Turin Winter Olympic Games in the sprint event.

Africa Olympic Team member Philip Boit In the 2006 Winter Olympics Philip became the first athlete from Kenya to ever compete in the Winter Games. Despite being a long way away from his home in Africa, Philip has a lot of friends in the Methow Valley as he trained here two winters ago. Philip’s story of switching disciplines from running to skiing and becoming an Olympic athlete is an inspiration for us all.

US Olympic Team hopeful Brian Gregg Brian Gregg is a member of CXC Ski Team and is working hard to secure an additional spot on the US Olympic Team. Brian is from Winthrop, Washington and maybe the hometown favorite for this race. Brian has won a SuperTour ski race before and his performance at US Nationals last week proves he could take the races next weekend in front of his hometown fans.

The Waiting is the hardest part

With the US National Cross Country Ski Championships now completed, we wait this weekend for an update in US SuperTour point standings, an update on US Olympic Team selections and an update on what athletes will be attending our Methow Valley SuperTour on January 16th and 17th. This is almost as nerve wracking as waiting for it to snow. Reminds me of a song......

Snow Angels

Did you forget the dog this Christmas? Well it's not to late to get your dog a MVSTA trail pass for the winter. $35 shows your support for the MVSTA dog trails and aids us in the special maintenance these trails require. Bring your dog by the office for a photo and lots of dog treats.