Surprises

Surprises

 I my first surprise this week when I came home to a big box from the USOC.  It was, as fellow biathletes refer to it, Christmas in January.  I thought I would get a uniform and maybe a jacket when I got to Lillehammer, but I was flabbergasted by how much team apparel they sent us. 

 

Christmas in January!

Photo: Jess Kautzer (thanks sis!) 

 The new gear definitely threw a wrench in my plan for packing....

 

My "staging room" before I added the new USA gear.  

Being a biathlete, I don't get to bring a bag for clothes on the plane.  I get my rifle case and ski bag, each needs to be under 50 lbs.  How I'm going to fit a months worth of clothes (and 5 text books) in my bags and keep it under the weight limit, I have no idea.  I'll let you know when I figure it out.  

The next surprise this week was the weather.  You know that snow we've been praying for all season? Well, it's coming.  All of it, at once, in the east, where my flight was scheduled through.  Luckily, by the time I figured out the super storm of the century was going to probably cancel my flight, the coaches had already started re-booking flights and rerouted me through Chicago.  

 

Blizzard Warnings, Snowstorm Jonas, Damaging Ice.... great for flying, right? 

Screenshot from www.weather.com

The best surprise of all was the going away party my teammates planned.  I'll miss my conference, section, and state meet, which is bittersweet for me, but definitely worth it for this incredible experience.  My high school team is super supportive and (almost) as excited as I am.  

 A card my teammate Erin made for me.

 

The biggest surprise so far, my best friend, who I haven't seen 

since summer (dang college!), coming to the party.

Photo: Rachel

 

My pack mule, aka Dad.

 

My turn to take over.  My checked bags were under 50lbs, but

 you can't say the same about my carry on bags.

 

See you in Romania! 

 

The beautiful sunset over Canada.  

Almost there

This week has been a lot of to-do lists, post-its, and mental notes.  With finals starting tomorrow, my planner has been full of "STUDY" messages.

Despite the upcoming end of the semester, my team took a trip up to Maplelag Resort in northern Minnesota.  Usually we go after finals, but this year it worked out that we went before, which actually worked out well.  If it had been after, I would have missed it, as I leave for Europe on Saturday. Wow that's coming up quick! (Maybe I should start packing?)

Maplelag was really cold.  REALLY, REALLY cold.  The high on Sunday was -18 degrees Fahrenheit, with windchill of -30 or more (I mean less?)

If you don't believe me, this is water freezing before it hit the ground.

 

My frozen hair after a 3 minute walk from the lodge.

Photo: Amy Casey-Paal (aka Mom #2)

 

Some of the girls post cookie and cocoa break. 

  Maplelag is great for training and team bonding.  The ski trails were literally 10 steps out the front door, and the 24/7 cookie and cocoa bar makes refueling within 20 minutes after your workout a breeze. The hot tub and sauna also make for great recovery!

 

Some of the MANY old railroad signs at Maplelag.

On the ride home, I cleaned up my phone/camera to make room for the coming weeks, and found a bunch of pictures.  These following few pictures are just a few of the incredible things I am so thankful for, and don't get to acknowledge enough.

For my puppy:

 

The newest addition to the Kautzer Family: Louie! 

 

On our first hunt with the Lou-man. 

 For my family:

 

Sledding with my cousins.  

I'm thankful both them and the fact that no one was injured.  

Photo: Aunt Sara

 

A picture from my mom 5 years ago.  Even when I had horrible technique and 

came in dead last, my parents toughed out the cold to cheer for me.  

 And for my friends:

 

Alex, Halcyon, and I at Bentleyville, the light show in Duluth that is simply mind blowing.

Photo: Alex Larson

 

Norway Here I Come

Winter, just like fall, has definitely sped by.  This will be quick, as I have finals to study for next week, and leave for Europe the week after that.

I had our annual training camp in West Yellowstone, MT, and was able to get in some big hours and shooting time.  I also raced a 7.5K Sprint biathlon race and won.

 

The Minnesota biathlon squad

 After Christmas, we flew up to Anchorage for trials.  My first race was decent and I placed 3rd.  I had a poor 2nd race and got 4th.  For the last race, conditions completely changed and the snow was very icy.  I generally do better in fast conditions, and got 2nd in that race.  Shooting  for the whole week was rough as wind speeds averaged 25 mph, with gusts up to 45 mph.  Skiing anywhere in the open was also difficult.  

These results qualified me for the two competitions I was training for: the Youth Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway; and the Youth and Junior World Championships in Cheile Gradistei, Romania.  In between I will be staying in Anholtz, Italy.  

 I'd like to say I hit more, but standing was difficult in 

the wind so yes, I only hit one target on that stage. 

I am beyond excited for these opportunities and feel so blessed, and thankful for all the people who have supported me in my training and racing: my coaches and teammates, but especially my parents.  

 

My coach Bill Meyer, who stood in a puddle to zero us. 

This past weekend I had my last big high school race.  I will be in Europe for Conference, Sections, and State, which is bittersweet for me.  It was nice to end it on a good note, with a win.  It was the best race I have ever had on that course, which is usually slow and soft, but luckily was slick and Coach Carl nailed the wax. 

This week I will have my last conference races, which I will be racing as a boy.  My coach and I decided that I will help the team more by scoring my time in the boys category.  Last week, my relay,  including Matt Paal, Matt Lynch, and Clyde Sellke, placed 3rd.  On Thursday, I placed 8th in the boys 5K classic race and our team placed 2nd.  

Seniors! Seniors!

Wow time has really flown by.  My intention was to get a post up about the summer during the first week of school.  Teachers won't assign homework during the first few days, right? Wrong.  And I had to work on college applications!  It's definitely been exciting, but a huge time commitment.  In addition to all my work, I've been trying to embrace the energy of senior year, going to football games and the Homecoming dance. 

 

CC takes on HC.

This summer was a summer of travel.  I spent two weeks up North, two out West, and two out East, leaving two at home for some time training with my team (and some special guests) and some family time.


I kicked off the summer with a 2 and a half week camp with LNR for the first few days, then driving over to Mount Itasca for a biathlon camp, and throwing in an ACT test in the middle, in Duluth.

 I did a lot of driving those weeks, but luckily I had my sister's car whose great gas mileage made up for a lack of trunk space!

In July I headed out to Colorado for another biathlon camp, this time at altitude.  The focus was ski training, with a little shooting.  The biggest workout was the bike ride up Mt. Evans, the highest paved road in North America.  We also did another ride through Estes Park, and climbed Gray's and Torrey's, and Devil's Thumb, all 14,000+ feet.

 Siena and I at the top of Devil's Thumb, with snow in July!

Photo: Jakob Ellingson 

 

At the Top of Gray's Peak.

Photo: Jakob Elligson

 In August I flew out to Boston to tour some colleges.  We started at Harvard, drove through UNH and Dartmouth, and finished the week at UVM.  My dad came with, so before he flew home we climbed Camel's Hump in Vermont. 

 

 Mi Padre

I stayed in Jericho for a week for a training camp, followed by two races.  I won the sprint, and got second in the pursuit, taking home the famous Vermont Maple Syrup, which is the characteristic prize in Jericho.  After we spent a week at the Lake Placid OTC for more training before coming back home. 

 

The Minnesota girls plus 2 National Team Biathletes.

Photo: Hanne Guthrie 

  

Coming in for prone.

Photo: Jakob Ellingson 

Another highlight of the summer was skiing with Kikkan Randall.  She came to LNR practice one day and I got the opportunity to do a sprint workout with (behind) her.   

In addition to school, there are some things I associate with fall.  First, Cross Country running.  My coach lets me cross train, so I primarily ski and run in the races.  Minnesota switched from 4Ks to 5Ks this year, so it's been a season full of PR races as I figure out that extra 1000 meters at the end. 

 

Me and my favorite running buddy, Tracy, racing in the Griak. 

Photo: Tracey Nevells 

Another thing that means fall to me is football.  Most people in my family are diehard Packer fans, and we try to watch every Packer game we can.   

 

My sister, Clay Matthews, and I.

Photo: Brad Kautzer 

We also had an MEA camp in Grand Rapids/Mt. Itasca this fall.  It was an intensity camp.  I was having some pretty serious issues breathing when I trained above threshold.  On the Monday before camp I went to a vocal cord dysfunction specialist, and got some breathing exercises to try, and they helped immensely, making my intensity camp much more successful. 

Fall is gorgeous in Northern Minnesota! 

So far senior year has been a blast!  I am one essay short of finishing my college applications, and have already been accepted to Montana State University and Michigan Tech, and am waiting for my decisions from a few more. I'll have some tough decisions in the next few months, but nonetheless I'm excited for what the next few years holds, wherever I go to school. 

Here we go again: Spring training 2015

The LNR Fast Chickz started out with a camp in Afton last weekend with Caitlin Gregg and Jessie Diggins! (Silver and Bronze medalists at the World Championships!)

 

We somehow managed to fit 5 people, bikes, and gear in one van. 

Photo: Sarah Bezdicek

Afton is Jessie's hometown, so she showed us around the running, biking, 

and rollerski routes, including where to find snow. 

Photo: Caitlin Gregg 

 

Our main workout was a 3.5 hour bike ride.

Photo: Caitlin Gregg

 

I had my mountain bike, but it worked just fine on the roads.

Photo: Caitlin Gregg

 

We started in Afton then managed to get to Wisconsin without getting lost.

Photo: Caitlin Gregg

...And we found lunch.  Safety first of course.

Photo: Caitlin Gregg

 

So our 3.5 hour bike went a little long, but no one complained. 

 

Our last workout- a distance ski through Afton with Jessie and Caitlin.

Photo: Caitlin Gregg

Next on my list was a biathlon camp at Mount Itasca.  We did a couple good workouts, but mostly focused on shooting accuracy and getting back into shooting after having some time off.  

 

Our last workout got a little muddy, but the girls made the best of it.

Photo: Petra Cervenka 

 

Ski.... 

 

 and shoot.
Photos: Petra Cervenka

Spring also meant track. Go Red Knights! 

The highlights included a personal record in the 1600m (mile) and 800m.

We also set two new school records in the distance medley relay and the 4x800.  

 

Here's the team: Lauren, Tracy, Mae, and I after we set the 4x800 record.

Photo: Brad Kautzer

The 4x800 record was very special for me because I have been part of multiple different teams trying to break the record for the last 3 years.  Each time someone on the team (including me) had an injury, illness, no competition, or a bad day.  It was amazing to finally get the record which has been my goal for the last few years.  My team was great, and Tracy even had a personal record time after getting sick 3 minutes before the race. Both records were over 20 years old. 

 

Lastly, I love my city.  It's an amazing place to train with amazing people to train with.  The next two pictures were taken on the same trails.  Where else can you see a gorgeous city skyline and a minute later feel completely isolated from civilization? 

 Here's my view for summer training!  Just a quiet lake, some loons, me, and a kayak.