Wet Not Cantabrigian Summer

We did our spring 3km time trial before the end of the school year. Some footage below (this track is perfect for TOB):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_mVzJ5M6Vg&feature=player_embedded

We're all in the midst of ramping up our training, decompressing after finals and transitioning into our respective summer activities.
I got some looks like this out rollerskiing yesterday:



And this:



All and all, life is good.

Usual Ninth Place Finish at JOs

By Kristina McKlintock

In an exciting continuation of what has become the Harvard ski team's favorite spot on the results list, Harvard freshmen Chris Stock and Jennifer Rolfes finished the usual ninth place in the skate sprint at 2011 Junior Olympics at Wirth Park in Minneapolis.

Stock and Rolfes took strikingly similar paths to ninth place. Stock qualified 11th while Rolfes qualified 7th, but both finished a disappointing third in their quarterfinals. On tenterhooks after finishing, both eventually moved on as the second lucky loser. After this striking coincidence, Stock and Rolfes lost contact in their semifinals and conserved energy, both finishing a distant sixth. Undaunted, they both skied to third place in their B-finals, winning all-American honors and an overall 9th place finish.




Chris and Jen both rocked the ultimate Harvard top, New England bottom combo.

Trials at Fat Camp

We kicked off the season with a series of races in Rumford, Maine. The conditions weren't perfect.

So the workout began (shoveling snow) even before the races.

After posting some great results, the team headed to Campton, NH for a week of good training.

This week was endearingly referred to"Fat Camp" as daily schedule went something like this:

Wake-up

Eat

Ski

Eat

Nap

Eat

Wii-Tournament/Movie Time

Strength Workout

Eat

Make Dinner

Eat

Go to Bed

Note: that somedays the Wii-Tournament/Movie Time were coupled with the strength workout

Unlike most of our classmates, we were happy about the snow storms that kept hitting the Boston area.

Unfortunately, the snow made the trip to the ski room longer.
And now: A diversion

Cheese Whiz...

...it's like he's holding onto the rock with his hands!

-ANT

Champ Camp in Campton, NH

A weekend of training in picturesque fall New England

Weekend activities included: Rollerskiing, running, watching ski movies, Jacuzzi tubbing, homework.

View from the porch

Hike up the lift at Waterville Valley

Fall in New England

Some of the team

On top of the world

The Nordic Platypus

The Nordic Platypus
Genus: Ornithorhynchus vikingus
The Nordic Platypus is a bizarre example of genetic divergence, recently discovered as an extreme variant of the Australian platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus). While the platypus is generally regarded to exist solely in Eastern Australia, the Nordic Platypus can be found in latitudes as high as Scandinavia. The most distinguishing feature of the Nordic Platypus, aside from its venomous spurs, is its prowess in the unexpected area of front squats. The Nordic Platypus needs to eat about 20% of its own weight each day. This requires the Nordic Platypus to spend an average of 12 hours each day looking for food. When not in the water or the weight room, the Nordic Platypus retires to various couches and other comfortable furniture. Preferred resting locations are usually strategically chosen due to their proximity to a mini-fridge and a large-screen television.

¡Hola, mi querida pterodáctilos!

Hi from Chile!
I've officially been here for 3 weeks now (hard to believe), and I think I'm settling in. My Spanish has improved to where I can actually understand most people, which is a relief, and I've begun to make friends with the people working in my office (all under the age of 30). I think I can call myself a true Chilean after living and dying with every play during the World Cup games (Chile hadn't been in the World Cup for 12 years, and hadn't won a game there in over 40. Everything stopped for the games. No exceptions. We're talking changing hospital surgery schedules, here.). Unfortunately, my cooking skills need some work, but hey - you win some, you lose some.

All in all, I'm having a fabulous time in Patagonia, "where the world ends." It hosts some of the most beautiful views I've ever seen, and I would recommend to everyone that they try to visit at least once.

Things I've learned in Coyhaique, Chile:
1. The neighborhood behind my house is ghetto. Not recommended for running.
2. I will NEVER attempt to cook fried chicken again. I didn't think it was possible for such a small stove to create so much smoke.
3. Avocados and mayo go with everything.

Yep. That would be a grocery store aisle of mayo...in bags.

4. The "macho" culture is alive and well in Chile, complete with middle-aged men leering from their pickup trucks.
5. The county prison is less than a mile away. But no worries, "it's just a little one."
6. Someone in this country needs to discover central heating. Immediately.
7. This may be one of the most beautiful parts of the world...evidence:




CM