Wow what a roller coaster weekend.  I could not ask for a better place to win my first world cup.  This victory will be probably one of the most special of my career.  However I am not stopping here. I think its easy to lose focus after events like this one and I want to make sure I keep my goals in focus for the years to come.  I am still enjoying my time here in Europe very much. After the victory, I was very overwhelmed with everything that was going on but after a couple days of catch up I am right back in the game and ready to go Ski Flying for the first time this weekend.  Since Saturday I have travelled from Oslo to Munich, via the Ferry to Kiel.  After a 9 hour drive I arrived in munich and got a great nights sleep.  Today we drove down to the Adriatic Sea and will be spending a night just enjoying some warm weather and relaxing before heading up to Planica tomorrow.  Then I will get my first jumps on Thursday and follow up with a few more on Saturday.  I am very excited for the whole experience in general.  

There are many people I need to thank for making the last two weeks possible.  First off I have to thank my coaching staff, and the Ski Team for everything they have done.  Next I need to thank the companies and people who have made my training possible over the last couple years. First is Latco, and DIck Latta. Without his contributions to both Taylor and I, I would not be able to focus nearly as much time and effort on training. Next is Honeystinger for providing the proper nutrition to me especially when training is at its most brutal in the summer.  Their products are a staple in my pre race regimen in the winter as well.  I have to Thank Jon Schafer and Fast Big Dog Racing! <<<FBDR4LIFE>>> Fast Big Dog has only scratched the surface of what it can be and I cannot thank Jon enough for what he has done. Along with Space Station in Steamboat another  great contributor to the cause! Thanks Bart.  I also need to thank Steamboat Resort. They have believed in me from the beginning and throughout everything.  Of course I have to thank the community of Steamboat and the SSWSC for shaping who  I am and supporting all their kids throughout their journey!  

Perhaps most importantly I have to thank my family.  They have made so many sacrifices along the way. I definitely owe them everything. Nikki Thorsen who has to put up with my life and travels, and the sacrifices she has had to endure. I cannot thank her or her family enough!

I am sure I left out a lot of people. But just know I very grateful for everything.  Moving forward I hope there is many more chances in the future!

Today was the first race of the weekend. Second day of competition in Lahti, Finland. Strong winds made it impossible to jump and we were forced to use the provisional jump. With  a strong jump in the provisional I ended up in 4th place. I was able to ski a strong race and hung tough working my way into podium position. In the last Kilometer I was overtaken by two skiers and had to fight for 4-8th place.  I was able to beat a few guys and end up 7th overall.  I am happy to obtain my 4th top ten this season and extremely motivated for next weekend in Oslo.  I hope to improve upon what I have already done this season and finish on an even higher note!

Thanks for all the support. There is no way I could do it without everyone involved in my life! Check back next week for hopefully some more good news!

Last week wrapped up with another season highlight for me.  I was able to throw together a great jump and end up in 6th place.  After getting my butt kicked in the ski on the first day I was extremely motivated to make up for it especially with such a great starting position.  I was able to ski well posting the 13th fastest time and earning my self 4th place overall. To have 3 personal best results in one season is definitely a highlight for me.  

After the race we packed up the vans as quick as we could and got on the road.  After a 6 hour drive we boarded a boat bound for Helsinki.  The 27 hour ride up to Helsinki was a new experience for me.... However the rest was nice... Lots of down time after a hard weekend was perfect.  

Once we arrived in Helsinki, it was only a short drive to Lahti were we had some gorgeous days of training both on the jump hill and on the XC course. However in typical NC fashion once the competition weekend arrived, so did the wind.  Today's competition was canceled due to high winds.  Tomorrow we will continue with the weekends plans and have our regular 10k event.  After the race tomorrow we will get a whole night to chill out and go out to dinner before heading off the next day for the final two comps of the season in Oslo, Norway!

Check back soon!