Updates from the land where rollerblading is still considered to be a major form of personal transport

Greetings team members and team member supporters!

As some of you may know, my access to internet is rather limited, but that hasn’t slowed down my personal LAN capabilities, and I’ve been good and busy. And I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag, but this year’s edition of Let’s Go: Rural Austria is going to be spicier than ever.

Now that a dismal, nagging case of low pressure has been blasted out of the Tirol by some high pressure straight from the sands of Africa, we’ve been blessed with outrageously gorgeous weather. It’s been nice, so I’ve been doing a fair amount of traveling. That’s been nice, too. Here’s a brief recount of the adventures thus far:

Two weekends ago, I snagged a spot onto a bus headed South with several of my classmates from last semester, and we enjoyed a glorious weekend in a region known as “Süd Tirol”, which once denoted the Southern border of the once infamous Austrian empire, but which was divvied up by President Woodrow Wilson and given to Italy in 1914. Training was sparce this weekend and we passed the time exploring the famous Neustift Monastery, touring five illustrious Tirolean castles, including Schloß Tirol- the former epicenter of Tirol, imbibing heartily during a decadent wine tasting led by Count Siegfried de Rachewilz and getting a rad demonstration on the art of falconry. Incredible! Got a “buzzing the tower” flyby from a huge horned Owl with a 2.5 meter wingspan, his talons grazed my scalp as he cruised over! The staff did not take kindly to my suggestion on changing his name to Maverick.

After a speedy and busy week spent getting ahead on some research, lounging with my hosts here in Lans, Familie Stöger and logged some of those monotonous sustained threshold hours. I packed up shop on Saturday and headed to a tiny village called Kuchl, just south of Salzburg, for the Salzburger Triathlon. What an incredible site- hands down the most beautiful race venue I’ve been to, the swim took place in a pristine little lagoon complete with what I called “Pleasue Island”, for no real reason, and the 40km bike ride spun us out through windy single-lane downtown streets packed with cheering fans, and up into the mountains South of town. The field was really strong, with nearly 550 athletes present, including Austrian Phenom Frederic Kohl who wound up 3^rd, a renowned pro who finished 4^th at the famous race in Kona a couple years back.

After returning to my cozy home in Lans and enjoying a nice day of recovery, I headed West for my inaugural trip to Voralberg, the western-most region of Austria, to meet with Paul Ammann, the mayor of a small village called Ludesch. Paul was one of the most interesting people I’ve ever met, and explained to me how he’d spent the first 30 years of his life as a baker, waking up at 4 every morning to bake fresh loaves. The citizens of Ludesch elected him mayor in 1984, and since then he’s revolutionized the once-sleepy town into the headquarters of the environmental movement in Austria. The details are unreal- The town now boasts an average of 1.5 meters of solar panel/ citizen, and is kept warm via a brand new underground biomass plant which burns the “Hackenschnitzel”, or wood chips, left over from the town’s extensive forestry projects. Paul, however, was most proud of the new village community center which houses the post office, town offices, a stunning café and book store, all under a roof made of local white fir beams combined with revolutionary solar paneling which provide all the necessary electricity for the facility. Such a beautiful yet functional community space! Should make for some interesting writing!

So things are beginning to wind down, and I’ll be gearing up for my last of the Austrian Cup Triathlon events, the Innsbrucker Classic right here in, well, Innsbruck, on July 6^th. I’m planning a little trip to Croatia with some friends afterwards, and then it’s back to the Olympic Village to combine forces with the Ladies’ Team, and log some hours with whatever recent graduates happen to be bumming around town at that point. Can’t wait to be back, and see what kind of “nails” shape all of you are in upon my return.

I’ll borrow a classic line which some of you might recognize that dutifully announces the inevitable end to every trip:

“Geeeeeeet totheyellowlineandmovetotherightquicklyplease…”

DMac

Cooking Tips- Training Essentials

One of the most captivating themes in the inevitable evolution of our blog’s content has been the shift towards food preparation, cooking, and the importance of filling one’s body with healthy fuel for a hard day’s workout. I would naturally like to extend a hearty “shout-out” to Meister Chef C. Shield Nabel, as he’s the one to commend for this wonderful turn of events. However, I’d like to pass on one of my own some of my own secret culinary tips. Now, I do happen to be in the know with most of the “in” cooking techniques, such as reusing a frying pan over again for cooking eggs without washing it, because it adds several layers of flavour, and the often overlooked yet undeniably time saving tip of simply eating pasta raw without cooking it, as it saves time and scrubs harmful plaque from one’s refined palate. However, this post will focus on an aspect of nutrition that we as athletes consider to be essential: mid workout refueling.

Now, I’ll tell you now. I’ve found the ultimate training secret. If you’re Anna Schulz, you’re probably bombarded daily by countless “PowerBar” or “HammerGel” or “Run the Jamaica Marathon 2k12!” emails professing to contain the research proven secrets to replenishing your electrolyte stores, maintaining your glucose levels, and offsetting the lovely effects of hyponutremia. However, you may still be confused on the details, and still ask the most basic questions regarding mid-workout calorie intake. Examples could imclude:

How many PowerGel packets should I mix into a typical tomato-based sautee?

How many HammerGel electrolyte tabs should I drop into my friend’s sister’s drink at Two-For-Tuesday’s at the local pub?

How many licks does it take to get to the center of a blow-pop?

If you’re still fretting as to properly fuel your workouts, rest easy. I’ve got the secret. And you’ll only need one ingredient, and a special one at that. We’re talking about the MILKA brand Schokolade und Karamel jumbo sized bar. That’s right. You’ll know you have the right one when you see they advertise that it weighs one kilo. There is also a smaller, more manageable size for those of you who might be deemed to be “atkins friendly”, but come on. Are you in it to win it? Power. Passion. Lust.

Here are the steps to using this caramel injected mammoth to fuel your next workout. I tested this method on a hot ride over the Kühtai pass here in Tirol, and the effects didn’t wear off for days, nor did the stains come out of my bike jersey for weeks. But that’s neither here nor there.

Steps to Proper Nutrition:

1. Purchase 1 kilo caramel/chocolate Milka bar. Important, it must have the special resealable “zipper technology” wrapper that allows you to open and re-close your cheap chocolate bar approximately 1.2 times until the crappy and toxic glue wears off and melts into your chocolate.
2. Place bar into back jersey pocket, into your shorts pocket, or down your pants. That’s right, don’t be shy. Conquer the cosmos with a whisper. The goal here is that the bar melts quickly, turning the chocolate/ caramel mix into a low-viscosity mix of pure liquid cane sugar and high fructose corn syrup. These terms may sound complicated, but they really mean one thing. One thing: Power. Passion. Know so you can go.
3. Once the bar has melted, and you’re getting cramps from being so hungry, she’s ready to go. Slowly and carefully open the lip of the wrapper, just the tip, and just for a second, so that you have a hole in the resealable wrapper that resembles the hole of a gel packet… among other things.
4. Grab your lover/ chocolate bar by the hand, and squeeze from below, forcing the chocolate/ caramel medley into your running engine. Repeat as necessary until weak and nauseous.
5. Disclaimer: Not for diabetics. Not for women who are pregnant, or who may become pregnant (Audrey). Not for people who take training nutrition seriously. Not for people who dislike things that taste so good they should be illegal. Side effects include dizziness, shortness of breath, and euphoria.

Enjoy the power, feel the passion. Know so you can go. Looking forward to more suggestions for culinary delights from all members/ friends of Harvard Skiing.

DMac

Barack Obama's Oil Policy aka My last post

Anders and Ollie offered their final thoughts, so I would be remiss if I did not follow suit. They provided comments that were aptly introspective and retrospective. As I sat down to write my own final post, I was not to be outdone. If they've already covered retrospection and introspection, then I should aim for extrospection, which is neither retro- nor intro-, but somewhere else along the spection spectrum. Since extrospection is an examination of matters outside oneself, I am naturally unsuited to write about something has been a significant part of me for the past four years. So, I shared my memories and reflections with a robot, and asked it to write a post for me. What the robot returned was downright profane. I was particularly surprised and offended by the use of slang drug references. Needless to say, I had to scrap that plan and return to square one.

So what to say that hadn't already been said? Ollie had already recapped our last official engagement as members of the team, while Andy, using the eloquence and discretion that McCahill has come to know and love, expressed the gratitude we all feel for the opportunities we had and the people who shared them with us. Andy even had pictures of a ski tunnel. I could offer predictions of what the future may hold! but that would most likely dwell on my innovative and exotic cooking skills (oriental mac and cheese = american cheese + strained ramen). I could offer advice to my fellow graduating seniors! but then I saw myself assuming the voice of Naj, telling Ollie that he needs to lock it down with Anna.

Because I was voted "Most Wise" at our team banquet in April, I think it is only fitting that I leave some words of wisdom. When I sit back and think about where this team has been and where it is going, two thoughts come to mind. First, I think about how physically attractive Andy, Ollie and I are. This will always be a formative memory of our time as skiers. We just look really, really good. Second, I think about the changes that have happened over the past 4 years. We now have skiers who know how to ski and go home to snow in the winter. You have a tremendous opportunities ahead of you, academically and athletically. Savor them both, and the people you share them with. It won't always be easy (it usually won't be easy), but it wouldn't be worth doing if it were. Keep up the good work and remember what it's all about: ski hard and have fun.

I'll catch you later.

Chris

A Final Post (for now)

Well, Oliver's post reminded me that yes, a final post is probably long overdue. A retrospective on my skiing experience is perhaps a bit too ambitious for just a brief blog entry, but something to close out the year and express my thanks to all of you is certainly in order.

We've done a lot during my years on the team. We've trained countless hours in the best of conditions and the worst. Had some great adventures throughout New England and Colorado. Walked along the razor's edge and reached into new depths of the pain cave. As a team we've come a long way in these years and hopefully initiated the next generation into the "new way" that is Harvard Nordic.

All the friends and memories that surround my time on the team make up what is likely the most influential part of my Harvard experience. Thank you all - coaches, teammates, friends, and families.

As I said, skiing's had quite the effect on me. Hopefully, a life-long effect. In fact, I'm already out in pursuit of snow. Right now I'm in Scandinavia for Let's Go this summer and I've made skiing highlights a priority. Below are pictures from Vuolkatti's ski tunnel.

1st ski tunnel in the world. 1.2km.

It's quite the contrast to be inside where your camera lens is frosting over and to look out and see beautiful flowers and 24 hours straight of sunlight up here by the arctic circle (Happy Midsummer!)

A very happy skier after an hour long skate workout on snow 6/17/2008.

A quick addendum to the Ski tunnel trip - there's a big board with signatures of all the people who have visited the tunnel. The President of Finland, national ski teams, etc. Now there's a big HARVARD NORDIC right between a photo of the Russian ski team standing with Putin and a signed picture of Deutschland's National Biathlon Mannschaft.

Anyway, to bring this to a close, I just want want to thank everyone who was a part of my skiing experience. And wish the best of luck to Coach City and the team as they prepare for next year.

As for my fellow seniors. Oliver and Chris, you guys are special. It's been an honor. You are the best teammates, training buddies, and friends anyone could ask for. And as for your contribution to the team...it's almost too much to really recognize. Those awards you were nominated for at the banquet were well deserved, but if there were awards for the individuals who have done the most to improve their team, you guys would win hands down. I can't imagine anyone who has done more to redefine their team's culture, attitude, and aspirations so positively. The work you did on this team will be seen, I hope, for many years to come.

I titled this "A Final Post (for now)" because I do think that perhaps an occasional alumni post might be appropriate if it's pertinent to the team or skiing generally - you know, when Ollie, Chris, and I do the Birkie, I think that's post-worthy. I will, however, as tough as it is, relinquish the right to post on topics such as South Park, run-ins with Austrian Monks, and the like. Well, unless it's really really necessary. I'll just have to resort to being an avid blog reader.

Ski friends, as Peter loves to say, you're the greatest. Good luck team.

Thanks,

Anders

Livin' the High Life

Before I provide all eager blog-readers with an update on life in Camp Shawnee, I feel the need to share a few favorite pictures that I discovered when I emptied my camera last week:

Nabel and Captain David Woods McCahill construct pod-racing helmets and battle to the death in Jordan South 31. And yes, Nabel is wearing underwear of some nature.


Nabel enjoys chocolate pudding out of a paper cup while snuggled in 4 blankets on my bedroom floor. He then places empty pudding cup on said floor and leaves it there, where it stays until I find it approximately two weeks later.


This is the home that I left on June 1st...


... and the one that I moved into.

Camp Shawnee was a little rough around the edges when I arrived. Fortunately I arrived first, so I promptly bought some bleach and went to town on a few choice items. Jennie arrived second, promptly starting to laugh upon seeing her new home. I sent Audrey a message saying "I think your Mom is going to cry when she sees this..." or something of that nature. But Ann Mangan was not intimidated. She actually went shopping and brought us bag after bag of groceries to put in our fridge, which didn't actually shut unless we wedged something in the door. After some deliberation, however, she declined Meri's empty bed and chose to sleep at the Devlins'. So there we were, left with a week before Meri arrived, determined to clean up our crap-hole of a house.

So we cleaned everything in the kitchen and cleaned it again. We spent two hours scrubbing mold off the bathroom ceiling, black mildew out of the bathtub, and scouring the floor. Kinney Drugs provided us with two bathmats for $3, which covered the 3 square feet of missing tile nicely. We got a neighbor ot tack some plywood over the 4-foot holes in the ceilings downstairs and get the fridge to kind of shut. We bought scrapers and sandpaper and paint and fixed up the most offensive walls and ceilings. Then we covered the remaining holes and graffiti with posters and stolen street signs. Most importantly, however, Audrey bought us a hammock.

Audrey hugs a bag of Oreos in her hammock.


So we finally got Camp Shawnee turned into something that resembled a livable residence, and now that we can actually walk in the bathroom barefoot without worrying about getting diseases, we're settling in. Training is picking up,and employment is at least on the horizon for most of us.


Aww.


More posts and pictures to come soon,
-Schlutzer

My last post EVER

Well, it happened, we graduated. Anders, Chris, and I are done with college. And let me tell all you underclassmen right now, it sucks. Take George Plympton's advice: when it comes time to finally leave, go back to your rooms, lock the doors, and make them force you to leave.

Anyway, one of the highlights of graduation week was the Senior Letterwinners' Dinner. The Athletic Department puts on the dinner down in the Murr Center tennis courts and it's a pretty sweet affair. Every senior from a Varsity team is invited, you sit with your teammates and their families, there's a sweet buffet dinner, and the senior awards are handed out.

Me and my dad before the dinner (note the toothpick in my mouth). I was the only one to wear his letter sweater out of everyone at the dinner.

My entire family came, along with the Moores, and the Nabels-minus-Catherine. We had two tables of just Nordic skiers and families and we all had a blast.

Anders, my dad, and Meri

As for the Awards, it's pretty sweet. For each award they ask the nominees to stand up and then they announce the winner.

Nabel was nominated for the Francis Burr '09 Scholarship, an award recognizing character and athletic achievement. Opera-singing -footballer-player Noah Van Neil was the eventual winner (Noah, I might add, is a friend of mine from when we were really little kids - we were even born on the same day just a few rooms apart at the Brigham in Boston).

Nabel and I both were nominated for the John Reardon Award, as was Apline's Matt Basilico. The Reardon Award recognized the best male scholar-athlete in the senior class. The winner was Geoff Rathgeber, the much-decorated captain of the swim team and an Olympic hopeful.

In a surprise turn-of-events I was also nominated for the William Bingham Award, given to the best male athlete. Three other Currierites were also nominated, diver Luke Sanders, track captain Alex Lewis, and crew captain Joe Medioli. Geoff Rathgeber, the swimmer, took this award as well.

All in all it was a great night and I think everyone had a lot of fun. It was cool to have so much recognition for the Nordic team. Out of three awards given to male athletes, we had four nominations. The bigger teams, like track, lacrosse, and baseball had no nominees for any of the awards. According to Coach P, Nabel and I were also both nominated for the Strength & Conditioning Award (which went to Brad Bagdis).

The senior awards dinner is definitely something to look forward to during graduation week. Hopefully the trend of Nordic skiers being nominated will continue for years to come.

Nabel and I are all smiles after the dinner

Keep it real Harvard Nordic, I'll see you all on the trails sometime.

-- O

addendum

also, that painful rain turned out to be hail. fingertip sized hail.

remember that episode of The Today Show when Al Roker blew away?

Yesterday, our workout looked a little like that.
Since Anna and Jennie are at home, Audrey and I are the only ones left in Placid, and with Audrey babysitting 8-5 yesterday, today, and tomorrow, I'm bored out of my skull. Yesterday I spent the morning at Kyle's in the basement of the Olympic Complex for the first of many free weight sessions, had lunch with Ollie and saw him off, and then spent the afternoon all afternoon unpacking and putting up all my decorations in an effort to cover every inch of peeling yellow-flowered wallpaper that I could. Suffice it to say, I was blissfully unaware (due to lack of internet access in the house and me being to lazy to walk down to the internet cafe and spend more money) of the tornado warnings for the afternoon and evening.

Cut to 5:30, when Audrey gets home and we decide to bike down to Bear Cub for a nice long double pole. After stashing our bikes and backpacks at the Olympic Training Center, we head out. Interesting detail: one of my skis doesn't ratchet, and there is a huge chunk missing in the front wheel so it wanders all over the place. I'm getting new ones, ASAP. So, we get to the top of the dead end, just as dark clouds start gathering ominously in the sky. 2 minutes into the descent, and thunder starts rumbling in the distance. A few more minutes pass, and the lightning begins. A few more minutes, and we see a perfect strike shoot through the sky ahead of us. Okay, now we're pretty scared. Audrey takes out her phone and starts dialing our buddy Brad, who lives on the next road over, and as she's searching through her contacts, the sky opens up and it starts to pour. No answer, so she shouts a frantic message into the phone and we rush back to the OTC. The rain is surprisingly painful, and the winds pick up as we reach the bottom so that it is whipping horizontal curtains of precipitation at us. Soaked, only 50 minutes into our ski, we stumble into the parking lot, grab our stuff and are rescued by a sympathetic biathlon team who let us in, looking like wet rats at this point. Quick call to the Devlin's, and in no time Paige comes by in a huge pickup to pick us up, drive us home to change, and take us back to her house for a delicious dinner and a check of the rest of the week's weather forecast. It was a successful end to my first legit Placid adventure.

Pardon the drama, but it makes for a vivid retelling. And Mom, please let me stay here.

-M

The Hot Game

I'm currently sitting on the deck of Coffee'n'beans internet cafe, overlooking Mirror Lake on the first nice sunny day since I got here. Jennie and I are thinking of taking Anna's kayak out later today; neither of us have ever used a flatwater kayak before, and with Anna back in VT, it should be pretty interesting.

Yesterday, like most of the past week, was pretty humid and intermittently rainy. Jennie and I went to VanHo for an easy run and some strength. The trails were drenched and covered with mud, but my new Brooks needed a christening anyways. The workout was complete with a Tim Burke cameo during our strength session by the biathlon range after the run. It was a 2 hr session in total, and the humidity started to get to us by the end, so we decided to jump in the lake when we got back (which is right behind our house). I pointed out that after the 7 mile drive back with the windows down, we'd cool off and not be in the mood to jump in 55 degree water anymore, so Jennie suggested we play the "Hot Game."

"What's the hot game?"
"What?!? You've never played it? Oh it's the best, just wait."
"But what is it?"
"I'll tell you when we get in the car."

So we packed up our medicine ball and bungee and got in the car. The hot game, as it turns out, consists of turning on the heat full blast, keeping the windows closed, and driving back the entire way in your own portable sauna (without the supple athletic frame of Trudy Wilson, unfortunately). Jennie decided it would be fun to keep the fans pointed at me, though the car heated up so fast it didn't really matter. We drove at least 5 mph over the speed limit headed back to town, and didn't slow down once we hit the 30 mph zone. We passed the speedometer by the video store going 45, and sure enough, 3 seconds later a police car pulls up behind us with his lights on.

At this point, we're both drenched in sweat. It's beaded up on our foreheads, the car smells like wet runners, and when Jennie rolls down the window, the officer got a full blast of heat. He stood a little behind the window after that as he asked for her license and registration.

"Ma'am, do you know how fast you were going?"
"No..."
"Do you know what the speed limit is?"
"No...we're new in town, we're just staying for the summer to train. We just got back from working out and we wanted to jump in the lake; we're pretty hot."
He looks at the sweat dripping off our faces. "Yeah, you look hot."
"Uh, yeah."

He goes back to his car to check her driving record and leaves us laughing hysterically. He makes us sit there for like 10 minutes, then comes back.

"Just so you girls know, all the roads in town are 30 mph, and we're always checking for speeding. I'll let you go this time since you're new, but please drive within the limits from now on. Have a nice day."

Narrow escape. Good thing we decided not to wipe the sweat off our faces before he got to the window, or he wouldn't have been weirded out enough to let us go.

We got to the lake, finally, but the hot game effects had worn off with the open window. Jennie jumped right in, but I decided to go for just a leg ice bath. Worked for about a minute until Jennie pushed me in, causing me to yell obscenities in front of lots of small children and their parents on the beach. All in all, a successful day. Lets hope the rest of the summer is just as eventful.

~Audrey

Quick Game of "Find the Bandit":

Howdy fellow Bandits/ fellow Bandit enthusiasts:

Now that summer's ratcheted into high gear, I felt it was certainly time for a long overdue update. I'll keep it short and to the point, much like Chris Nabel's chest hair.

Following exams, I spent a delicious week in lovely Lake Placid. Highlights included: tasty mountain bike rides on the Logger's Loops, River Road/ World Championship Time Trial, delicious Pearl-cooked meals, some solid rollerskiing with the "Putney Powerhouse" Willy Graves, and quality recording sessions with Axel Scholl and Bradley Noel Harden in the "X-Box Rock Band" Recording Studio. Classy stuff.

The juiciest rollerski story involved, as usual, Bobby Shabitt. Anyhow, after some nice sprints on upper Averyville (remember old stock photo? direct results of sprints gone wrong on upper Averyville), I heard the classic horn slam and pulled over to wait for Bobby to catch up in his white Silverado. We parried for a few moments with some choice words and right of way suggestions before I noticed the 6-Shooter revolver, complete with leather hip-holster, lying in passenger seat. I quickly conceded that round, so consider the current LP Rollerskiers vs. Bobby Shabitt standings to be 0 to 1. Do me proud, girls.

Just before skipping town, Woods and I partook in an epic father-son assault on the Whiteface Uphill Footrace, 8 miles at 8% grade. Stormy and cold conditions up top, just around freezing, so naturally I dressed accordingly, in my lightest/ shortest cut split shorts and matching Bandits jersey. See photo. Well played. Race was plenty fun, despite being dropped by a hard charging Duncan Douglas & Friends at mile 1.5.

After that, it was straight to Lake Clear airport for my almost direct flight to Innsbruck, with a brief stopover to enjoy debauchery Bandit style in Cambridge. I'm now enjoying the first few days in Lans, Austria, just outside of Innsbruck. Gorgeous area, copious amounts of great running/ nordic walking trails just outside the door, even a nice little lake across the street to swim in. Pictures/ stories to come soon.

To any Camp Shawnee readers, best of luck with training and save me a hot dog/ spot on the couch. Please don't save the hot dog until at least early July, and please don't store it in the couch cushions.

Lastly, a hearty congratulations are in order to graduating Bandits Anders, Ollie and Chris. Well done, boys. We'll miss you next year. Nothing but great memories. Be well, do good work, and come back often.

Happy summer, everyone.

Dave