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Others have already weighed in with picks for tomorrow's mostly-flat Tour de Ski prologue (course profile available here), but by god I have to offer my one-fiftieth of a dollar, too.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Tour de Ski Prologue Picks
Posted by Christopher Tassava at 3:50 PM 0 comments
Labels: Article
Hoffmann: Busted (?)
From that well-known ski-news site, the Malaysian Mirror:
Austria's 2002 Olympic 30 kilometres cross country skiing champion Christian Hoffmann was suspended with immediate effect on Thursday by the Austrian Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) over suspicions he is involved in a blood-doping ring.Let the record show that we were on this story a long time ago.
Posted by Christopher Tassava at 3:03 PM 0 comments
Labels: Article
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Original Plans for the Tour de Ski
I guess today it's a little bit difficult to find out who is the best - really the best - cross-country skiers. Is it the one who goes fast in the sprint, or is it the 50k man, or whoever it is? And as we can see in cycling, they have this Tour de France which extends over all the rest of the season as the biggest highlight. And there you can see all the big names, if it's Mr. Zabel [who] takes part or Mr. Armstrong… [The ski tour] will mostly be some several stages... Now the plans [are] that we would have a prologue, a kind of a prologue in Munich with a a 3 to 5 kilometer prologue. And we would have a team event in Reit im Winkl. We would have a kind of pursuit here, in Oberstdorf. We would go to Zurich for a skate sprint. We would have a king-of-the-mountain in Davos, that means an Alpe d'Huez… where the finish is higher up than the start line. We would go to Italy and have some mass starts and another sprint. And then we end up on the last stage as we can start in all pursuits [sic] with the first coming to the finish, he will win the overall tour.
The real race happened behind Hofstad. Teichmann started his anchor leg 95s down to Berger, 93s down to Bolchakov in second, and 39s down to Zorzi in third. But Teichmann pushed and pushed, and on the last lap around the 3.3km track, he caught Zorzi on the biggest climb, and then closed on Bolchakov as they entered the stadium. There, in front of thousands of cheering German fans, Teichmann outsprinted the Russian to take the silver - Germany's first medal at the home-snow Worlds. So overcome with emotion was Axel that he subtly pumped his fist as he crossed the line. (The next day Teichmann paired with Angerer for silver in the team sprint.)
Posted by Christopher Tassava at 11:00 AM 2 comments
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Rogla Wreck
As I should have expected given the venue's mascot,
getting any picks right was devilishly hard this weekend. Rogla saw some wacky stuff, from reportedly poor track prep in the sprints to Saarinen getting DQ'ed for knocking Majdic down in the 15k and massive attrition in the 30k (3 DNSs and 19 DNFs). Below, my picks with the racer's actual finishing spots in parentheses.
women's classic sprint
1. Majdic (3)
2. Prochazkova (30)
3. Saarinen (5)
Randall: semifinals (38); Renner: heats (37)
men's classic sprint
1. Hattestad (21)
2. Kriukov (4)
3. Dahl (31!)
Newell: finals (6); Koos & Harvey: heats (46 & 35, respectively)
women's classic 15k mass start
1. Bjørgen (2)
2. Kowalczyk (1)
3. Majdic (7)
Renner and Randall: top 30 (24 and 30, respectively)
men's classic 30k mass start
1. Northug (1)
2. Angerer (11)
3. Jauhojärvi (DNF! WTF!)
Freeman: top 10 (DNF); Harvey: top 15 (22)
Based on Legkov's racing form so far, I'm predicting he wins the Olympic 50 after the Russian squad runs Northug into the ground with breakaways and such. First, though, it's Tour de Ski time - just 11 days until the prologues at Oberhof on New Year's Day.
Posted by Christopher Tassava at 2:05 PM 19 comments
Saturday, December 19, 2009
More Rogla
Tobi Angerer on a sprint podium, huh? Okay. It's happened before on the World Cup: two freestyle individual-sprint bronzes in 2003 at Reit im Winkl and 2007 Rybinsk (both in freestyle) and freestyle team-sprint medals in 2006 at Sapporo, 2004 at both Duesseldorf and Oberstdorf, and in 2003 again at Duesseldorf. On top of that, he has a silver in the team sprint at Liberec this year. Not shabby, and more importantly a good sign he'll be in fightin' shape 29,800 meters into Sunday's classic race of many laps (12, to be exact about it) - though it seems very, very likely that he'll trail at least one particular dude over the finish line. My picks:
men's classic 30k mass start
1. Northug
2. Angerer
3. Jauhojärvi
1. Bjørgen
2. Kowalczyk
3. Majdic
1. It's going to be pretty cold at Rogla for the race (5°F/-15°C), though apparently sunnier than on Saturday.
2. These distance races - like the last long races, those at Trondheim last spring - will include opportunities to gain additional World Cup points: at the 5k and 10k marks in the women's race, and at the 7.5 k, 15k, and 22.5 k marks in the men's. The first three racers over those lines get 15, 10, and 5 points, respectively, which means that someone who sweeps all the points and wins the race could garner 130 points in the women's race and 145 in the men's. Not a bad incentive, though arguably last spring Petter Northug raced himself off the Trondheim podium and out of the World Cup overall title by challenging for all the sprint points in the race at Trondheim.
Posted by Christopher Tassava at 8:29 PM 7 comments
Labels: Article
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Rčng In the Lnd of Fw Vwels
Cheery little Zlodej here is the mascot of the upcoming World Cup races in Rogla, Slovenia. The World Cup has
Posted by Christopher Tassava at 9:09 AM 2 comments
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Midweek Videos
Last week, the FIS linked to a video of one of Matti Heikkinen's training days at Ramsau. The video's sponsored by Polar, the Finnish heart-rate monitor company, so it is a bit Euro-cheesy and pretty heavy on the HR data, but it's still an interesting look into an elite athlete's training regimen. I guess his "long hard hill workout" (1:40 and 24km long, with an average HR of 160 bpm and 40 minutes over anaerobic threshold) had the desired effects, given that Heikkinen won the Davos skate race a few weeks after the video came out.
Posted by Christopher Tassava at 6:49 PM 5 comments
Labels: Article
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Shows what I know: "Surprises don't often happen" at Davos.
Posted by Christopher Tassava at 6:47 PM 3 comments
Friday, December 11, 2009
Da Climb at Davos
The distance course at Davos this weekend is about as simple as it can be. On the x axis, you go out, then you come back. On the y axis, you go up up up, then you come down down down - a 41m max climb at worst, but 180m total climbing each lap, including a couple sharp ramps on the "downhill" half of the course. Repeat twice if equipment makers might manufacture pink boots for you, thrice if not.
Posted by Christopher Tassava at 10:28 AM 10 comments
Labels: Article
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Hafsås's Chånces
Fresh off his surprising win in the 15km freestyle race at Beitostølen, the Norwegian biathlete Ronny Andre Hafsås has stated a desire to ski - and win - the same race at the Olympics. The kid's got some serious zip, of course. Though he won the 15km by just a tenth of second over Vincent Vittoz, he had more substantial gaps to other great skaters: 11 seconds to Petter Northug, 20-odd seconds to the likes of Alexander Legkov, Johann Olsson, and Marcus Hellner. The next day, predictably, Hafsås was less speedy, turning in just the seventh fastest third leg in the relay, and letting Russia's third skier - Mr. Legkov - put 10.5s into him while moving Russia up from sixth to first at the handoff to the anchormen. (Cue Northug.)
In short, only three women have won the first race of those respective seasons and won anything at Worlds or the Olympics, three or so months later: Bente Skari-Martinsen in 2002-2003, Marit Bjørgen in 2004-2005, and Katerina Neumannova in 2006-2007.
Posted by Christopher Tassava at 8:59 PM 9 comments
Labels: Article
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Freeman! (and Randall)
Posted by Christopher Tassava at 8:04 AM 3 comments
Monday, November 23, 2009
More Fantasy Nordic Updates
Due to some ridiculous overcommitments, certain Fantasy Nordic administrators are playing catch-up on their duties. The schedule for the first 5 weeks just went up tonight; We'll get results from week 1 taken care of tomorrow morning.
Auctions for public league #3 will start next Monday, because I remembered that last time we tried to do auctions over Thanksgiving week it ended up being messy, with 50% of bidders too preoccupied with turkey or getting on actual snow to place bids. There's 3 spots still left in it, in case you want to head over and sign up.
Stay tuned, and leave a comment if you're confused about anything.
Posted by Colin R at 6:51 PM 0 comments
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Fantasy Nordic Update #2
I promised I wouldn't spam any more emails, so I have to post this here! There was a bug keeping people from getting into public league #3, so if you tried to sign up in the last three days and couldn't get into a league, try again!
PS - Marthe Kristoffersen is criminally underrated this year. You heard it here first.
Posted by Colin R at 10:23 AM 1 comments
Monday, November 16, 2009
Fantasy Nordic Update
Fantasy season is upon us. The World Cup starts in four days. I have no idea what's going on!
You think I'm joking? Kershaw won a damned FIS race this past weekend, ahead of some non-scrub competition, like some "Soedergren" and "Hellner" guys. I had no idea.
Neither did Fasterskier. If you're looking for a year to interrupt my Fantasy Nordic domination, this might be it, because I'm about to bid waaaay to much for Devon.
It gets worse. The women's race was taken by Kalla (shocking), but then Anna Haag, Anna Olsson and Ivana Janeckova (who?) managed to beat Kowalczyk, who finished a paltry 5th. Kowalczyk's done! Olsson is no longer a sprinter! There are women in the Czech republic!
I don't know what to think anymore, but I'm ready to overreact to early November performances. $1000 on Kalla!
In all seriousness, though, we just opened a 3rd public league over at Fantasy Nordic, and we'll start auctions next Monday. If you're looking for instant commenting credibility, you should join it and kick our asses.
Which, as should be abundantly clear, may not be that hard.
Posted by Colin R at 7:35 PM 5 comments
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Fantasy: It's Real
Posted by Christopher Tassava at 7:28 PM 4 comments
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
EPO Now or Later
Gotta love Russia! Seven months after the fact, the Russian sports federation announced today that Julija Tchepalova and Yevgeny Dementiev tested positive for EPO after the final Tour de Ski races last January. Nice going, guys.
Posted by Christopher Tassava at 2:34 PM 2 comments
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Waiting for Hoffman
VIENNA — Prosecutors in Austria are investigating possible blood doping by 2002 Olympic cross-country ski champion Christian Hoffmann.Well, duh.
Austrian Criminal Intelligence Service spokesman Gerald Tatzgern told the Austria Press Agency on Sunday that prosecutors have "reasonable suspicion" that the 34-year-old Hoffmann was involved in illegal blood enrichment.
According to the Kurier newspaper's Sunday edition, Hoffmann allegedly colluded with cyclists Bernhard Kohl and Michael Rasmussen and Kohl's former manager Stefan Matschiner. He was arrested in March and has admitted he helped Kohl with blood doping. Hoffmann has denied any wrongdoing.
Hoffmann won gold in the 30-kilometer race at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.
Posted by Christopher Tassava at 2:48 PM 0 comments
Friday, April 24, 2009
Hetland Exits
ESPN.com, that noted outlet for all news related to Nordic skiing, reports that Norwegian sprinter Tor Arne Hetland has retired from competitive skiing. Plagued last year by asthma and a nagging knee injury, Hetland still managed to finish third in the sprint World Cup standings. This finish caps a pretty damn good career: Hetland finished third in the sprint standings in 2001 and 2006, second in 1999 and 2003, and first in 2005. In 2005 and 2006, he finished third in the overall World Cup standings, as well. He amassed 30 World Cup podiums, including 11 wins as well as a good number of top-event medals: a bronze in the the freestyle sprint at the Val di Fiemme World Championships, silvers in the classic team sprint at the Torino Winter Games and the classic sprint at the Oberstdorf Worlds, and golds in the freestyle team sprint at Oberstdorf, the freestyle sprint at the Lahti Worlds, and the freestyle sprint at Salt Lake City, the first time that a sprint event was held at the Olympics.
Posted by Christopher Tassava at 8:58 PM 2 comments
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Even More Dope
I wasn't exactly making a brave, unconventional statement when I said - to some controversy - that Veepalu's gold at Liberec was suspicious. Now the Estonian's name has come up in connection with the growing Humanplasma scandal that's so far involved the circle of cyclists and triathletes around the coaches Stefan Matschiner and Walter Mayer.
While Veerpalu's penchant for altitude training is well known, he may have been enjoyed perks beyond the thin air: "Veerpalu has stayed in Walter Mayer's house in Ramsau am Dachstein, who has been one of the focal points where the blood and drugs have come from Humanplasma in Vienna." What's more, the disgraced King of the Mountains Bernhard Kohl has said that he knows Christian Hoffmann was being treated at Humanplasma - a charge Hoffmann has denied.
The implications here are interesting for U.S. fans, of course. If these charges are borne out and the FIS went all out (or would it be all in?) with sanctions, the fourth-place skier in the men's 15km would move up one notch.
Posted by Christopher Tassava at 7:04 AM 6 comments
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Hoffmann: No Dope
The Austrian doping scandal is widening, with cyclists, triathletes, and now cross-country skiers implicated - if only by hearsay. Today, three more as-yet unnamed people were arrested under Austrian anti-doping law, and Christian Hoffmann was asked if he had any kind of affiliation with Stefan Matschiner, the coach at the center of the affair:
... Hoffmann, who is still active, declared: "I was in touch with Matschiner just once. Years ago, I was looking for a sponsor – that's when I contacted him. That's it. I have never been supplied with doping substances. I disassociate myself from that." Hoffmann added he regarded the allegations as "absolutely insane."In this context, "absolutely insane" must be code for "mostly circumstantial, but not exactly exonerating," given the apparent extent of this scandal (1,000 bags of plasma were reportedly seized at the Humanplasma lab in Vienna), his narrow escape from the 2006 Torino scandal which tripped up several of his teammates, and his remarkable out-of-the-blue racing performances.
Posted by Christopher Tassava at 6:20 PM 4 comments
Monday, March 23, 2009
Dopity Dopity Dope
Cologna and Kowalczyk had barely set their new crystal globes down before the doping news started emerging yesterday.
In Austria, "an unnamed cyclist and former Austrian Nordic ski coach Walter Mayer, who was involved in the 2006 Turin Olympics doping scandal, have been arrested in connection with new doping allegations." Though the cyclist is being called "K" rather than being named, that letter happens to be the first letter in the surname of the disgraced climbing phenom Bernhard Kohl, who won (and the was stripped of) the King of the Mountains jersey at the '08 Tour de France. Mayer's hijinks at Torino led to lifetime Olympic bans for Austrian skiers Jürgen Pinter, Johannes Eder, Martin Tauber, and Roland Diethart and the biathletes Wolfgang Rottmann and Wolfgang Perner. The FIS also punished Eder, Tauber, and Diethard with two-year bans which will end in November 2009.
... Neither of which contributed to the positive test for EPO by the young - and successful - Russian sprinter, Natalia Matveeva at the Callaghan Valley World Cups. Her "B" sample will be tested on Tuesday, March 24.
Matveeva's countryman, Sergei Shiraev, fresh off a doping suspension handed down after the Sapporo World Championships, posted the fastest time in Sunday's 15km pursuit at Falun - nine seconds faster than Vincent Vittoz. Presumably, Shiraev is well rested. (Maddeningly, the Eurosport UK announcers couldn't explain why Shiraev hadn't raced in 2007 and 2008, and guessed that he'd just been on bad form, and fallen off the Russian team.)
I can affirm I doped with nothing but skiing science in the World Cup Prediction Challenge.
Posted by Christopher Tassava at 3:54 PM 2 comments
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Falun and Done: Finale Predictions
The double pursuits put a gel wrapper in my klister, I'll tell you what. Who expected either Majdic or Northug to fall so far off the front? Nobody who made predictions for the double pursuits, that's who. Petra finished 24th, more than a minute down, which ruins her chances to win the overall World Cup title, since she'll be starting 1:06 behind Kowalczyk in Sunday's 10k freestyle pursuit. Northug finished 20th, about a half-minute down, which means he'll start 1:20 behind Cologna on Sunday - an insurmountable gap. Something horrifying and interesting would have to happen for either Kowalczyk or Cologna to fail to win the World Cup Final and the World Cup overall titles.
Behind them, we should see some interesting racing, with the Mördarbacken wreaking its usual havoc on groups that might form soon after the starts. In the men's race shows Hellner, Northug, Jauhojarvi, Bauer, Koukal, di Centa, and Harvey starting within 11 seconds of one another. Similarly,
in the women's race, Sachenbacher-Stehle, Nystad, Muranen, Kalla, and Roponen are covered by only six seconds.
women's 10k hunter-style pursuit
1 Kowalcyzk
2 Kalla
3 Sachenbacher-Stehle
4 Nystad
5 Johaug
6 Muranen
7 Olsson
men's 15k hunter-style pursuit
1 Cologna
2 Angerer
3 Northug
4 Legkov
5 Hellner
6 Harvey
7 Koukal
1 Kowalczk
2 Roponen
3 Nystad
4 Johaug
5 Kalla
6 Majdic
7 Follis
1 Cologna
2 Angerer
3 Vittoz
4 Hellner
5 Piller Cottrer
6 Legkov
7 Northug
Posted by Christopher Tassava at 3:01 PM 5 comments
Friday, March 20, 2009
Falun Double Pursuit Predictions
While one of the four predictors had a pretty good showing with the women's prologue, no one would say that the co-bloggers and commenters had their finest hour with the men's prologue. Ain't none of us the King of Mördarbacken.
Petter, pooped, puttered and disappointed everyone except ADS, who put him in fifth, two spots higher than His Sneerness's final spot. Even beyond putting Northug in first, Christopher's revised men's picks proved to be his worst of the Challenge, amassing 36 points thanks to three bad misses (Legkov: picked for 2, actually 16; di Centa: 3/14; Bauer: 5/24). At 29 points, Colin was 20% better better, missing on Legkov and Vylegzhaninininin (5/25) but making up for it with great picks of Angerer (2/4) and Cologna (3/2). Keeron, who can apparently be talked into anything, made some picks that turned out quite well, including a dead-on 4/4 pick of Angerer and a 3/2 pick of Cologna, to hit 26 points. And with 25 points, ADS showed that he can predict his way into good late-season shape, scoring well on Angerer, Cologna, and Northug. (We won't mention the miss on Pietro Piller Cottrer).
My takeaways. 1) In-form Russian distance racers aren't going to do well in short prologues, even if they're basically just hillclimbs. 2) Conversely, Germans, even Germans who haven't had any good races all year (Rene!), are good bets in hill prologues. 3) The racers vying for the overall titles are going to try real real hard to win. 4) Alex Harvey is fast.
The prologue results have altered my thinking about Saturday's double pursuits - 2x5 for the women and 2x10 for the men. Since this is Falun, the courses ascend the Mördarbacken: twice for the women, four times for the men, putting the climbers at the fore again. And the prologue gave a nice little bump to the Swedes, including the Olsson family, Marcus Hellner, and especially Charlotte Kalla. (The preceding sentence is only partly an attempt to trick Colin into putting Hellner on the podium.)
women's 2x5k double pursuit
1 Kalla
2 Kowalcyzk
3 Majdic
4 Steira
5 Sachenbacher-Stehle
6 Follis
7 Olsson
men's 2x10k double pursuit
1 Cologna
2 Northug
3 Angerer
4 Clara
5 Teichmann
6 Harvey
7 Olsson (not a typo)
1 Kalla
2 Kowalczyk
3 Majdic
4 Follis
5 Nystad
6 Kristoffersen
7 Saarinen
1 Northug
2 Angerer
3 Teichmann
4 Cologna
5 Jauhojaervi
6 Vyleghzhanin
7 Piller Cottrer
Not much to say here. The top 3 women are pretty obvious. I think Follis is a great skate sprinter and can hang for 5k of classic, and Nystad obviously found some form yesterday, so let's go with that.
For the men -- how can you bet against Northug? I see him taking advantage of the two Germans yet again in a big group finish. The last time up the Mordarbacken should be a wicked throwdown, but Northug's shown he can hang with the big guns' attacks in the past. Cologna should be up there too, and Jauhojaervi's show good form recently and is a better sprinter you think.
Posted by Christopher Tassava at 12:57 PM 10 comments
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Falun Prologue Predictions
The freestyle prologues at Falun - 2.5km for women, 3.3km for men - are going to be interesting. They're akin to the Tour de Ski prologues in Oberhof on December 27 (which were run over 3.7km for men and 2.8km for women) with the lung-busting difference that the Falun races are essentially just out-and-back climbs up the Mordarbacken. (men's course map - women's course map) You remember last year's pursuit at Falun, right? The Mordarbacken figured prominently in the results, which were analyzed right here on this blog.
Beyond the intrinsic interest created by the climb, the prologue kicks off three straight days of racing at Falun, during which a waxing bus's worth of points are on offer to the racers still vying for overall titles: Dario Cologna and Petter Northug on the men's side, Petra Majdic, Justyna Kowalczyk, and - maybe - Aino-Kaisa Saarinen on the women's. Just to maximize the number of PDFs you have to try and keep open in one browser if you're going to really follow the racing, the FIS is publishing men's and women's standings sheets for the World Cup Final. The start lists of the men's and women's prologues are just the current standings, inverted so that Petra has a whole bunch of people to pass when she plummets down the back side of the Mordarbacken on Friday afternoon. I don't doubt that the Swedes, especially Kalla and Anna Olsson, are going to show up in a big way at Falun, but sadly enough, Anders Soedergren is not skiing this weekend, which means that the Swedish women will have to keep the crowds happy.
Let's not kid ourselves about what happened here. I talked some trash about knowing my World Cup, and Mr. Tassava has put me in my place. Well played, sir. Your crappy early-season predictions tricked me.
Anyway -- with the final weekend in Falun, I'll need a small miracle to win, and if I make a bunch of high risk, high reward picks I'll probably get overtaken by fellow blogger ADS. Tough choice.
The only blueprint we have for a ~3k prologue comes from the Tour de Ski this year, which featured a win by Teichmann and a podium with Cologna and Northug. But then it gets weird, with the legendary Aivar Rehemaa in 4th, and Devon Kershaw 5th. Still though, looks like picking the best-sprinting distance guys is the way to go. And after 3 straight good weekends from Maxim V, I'm ready to call him the real deal*, at least for the rest of this season.
As for the women -- I'm a sucker for Kalla in Sweden in a skate race. Plus two other skate-sprint-specialists (Muranen and Follis) and that leaves us with Saarinen, Majdic, and Kowalczyk from the big 3 unpicked. They can't all make the podium, and Saarinen was the slowest of them in the last prologue and DNS'ed Lahti. I'm not sold on Petra's distance skating but I would be terrified of her in a 3k race with the overall World Cup on the line. Sold.
1 Northug
2 Angerer
3 Cologna
4 Legkov
5 Vylegzhanin
6 Piller Cottrer
7 Hellner
1 Kalla
2 Follis
3 Majdic
4 Muranen
5 Kowalczyk
6 Saarinen
7 Kristoffersen
*"Real deal" means consistent performer, and is not a statement in either way on the cleanliness of his performances.
men's 3.3km F prologue
1 Northug
2 Legkov
3 di Centa
4 Angerer
5 Bauer
6 Piller Cottrer
7 Cologna
women's 2.5km F prologue
1 Majdic
2 Kalla
3 Sachenbacher-Stehle
4 Kowalczyk
5 Follis
6 Saarinen
7 Muranen
Posted by Colin R at 10:22 AM 12 comments
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Stockholm Sprints Live Recap
Apparently all the cool kids do live coverage now, but I swear I didn't know FS was doing it when I started watching my illicit NRK steam. This internet business is getting intense.. I'll see your live blog and raise you a... um... live recap? With more typos? Who knows. Anyway....
Women's quarters were totally predictable until --
Petra's quaterfinal -- she put her tips straight into Natsumi's tails and went down when Natsumi slipped a bit. Totally her fault, but she got back to the front and advanced like the animal she is. Impressive.
Next quarter, my #5 pick Lina A took the holeshot only to get overrun into the corner with too much traffic around -- got spun by her own teammate Anna Olsson... since she's not Petra, that was the end of her chances.
Onto Men's heat 1 -- Joensson took the risk trying to get follow Hattestad to the line while Pettersen had his own track, but Joensson held him off by half a boot. If Hattestad had slowed at the end he could've let his teammate through by blocking Joensson just a bit...
Heat 2 has both Americans, Cologna and Dahl. Cologona leads over Dahl, Neweel at the corner of doom. Down the stretch those 3 drop everyone else and hit the hill 3-wide... andy looks good! Koos over Cologna for 3rd! A rare case of Andy having a better heat than qualifier, and Koos is now a lucky loser.
Heat 3 has Alex Harvey, Modin, Kjoelstad, Pasini... aw crap my media player crashed. We're back in time to see Kjoelstad ski away ahead of Modin. Fast heat though, knocks Koos out of LL I believe. Alex Harvey was sixth.
Heat 4 has Lassila, Onda, Jahojaervi, another Pasini (guess the last one was Fabio), Mats Larsson. Big gap from Lassila over the top with Onda 2nd at the corner. Lassila looks wicked relaxed at the front, almost like he's waiting for them. Onda in pursuit with Jauho and Scola Lassila and Onda kill the last hill to advance easily. Lassila managed to take his skis off as he crossed the line, now that's style! ...or something.
Heat 5 -- Big opening for Northug here with Cologna eliminated. He'll face Kruikov, Kummel, local Swede Teodor Peterson, Petukhov, Kershaw. Let the record show that Petter's haircut sucks. Northug and local Swede go for the same track, lots of contact but no fall. Kummel and Petukhov lead the first hill, Kershaw at the back with Northug, it's gonna take some work for them to get to the front. Tightening up now, only Kershaw is dropped. Final hill.... Northug in trouble.... Kummel looking good with Kruikov... slow heat and NORTHUG IS OUT in 4th! Same place as Cologna! LL's will come from Heat 2 and 3, Scola and Roenning
Women's Semi 1: Muranen, Saarinen, Kowalczyk, Brun-Lie, Kristoffersen, Kalla (LL). Saarinen has the Northug glasses on, which is annoying me more than it should. Saarinen and Muranen lead the first hill, Brun-Lie 3rd. Kowalczyk is waaaay back, what the hell happened?? The two Finns are flying away now on the backstretch. The Norwegians are 3rd and 4th. Kowalczyk to the B final opens the door for Majdic, not that she needs a door, she could just smash through the wall if necessary.
Women's Semi 2: Olsson, Kuitenen, Prochazkova, Visnar, Stehle, Majdic. Two Slovenians! Crazy. Kuitenen, Majdic and Olsson lead the hill. Prochazkova is way back with Visnar on the corner, they're toast against a heat this fast. Sachenbacher is hanging though. Petra leads the double pole ahead of Olsson, Kuitenen. Kuitenen getting dropped now! On the final climb Olsson and Majdic are in control easily, Sachenbacher passes a flagging Virpi though... and then they are both LL's anyway.
Men's Semi 1: Hattestad, Dahl, Modin, Newell, Joensson, Roenning. Tough draw for Andy, but there really aren't any easy draws in the semis.. 3 Norwegians and 2 Swedes though, yikes. Wait... Scola just got swapped for Roenning just before the gun. Surprise! Slow start from Hattestad, Dahl and Modin lead with Newell close. Hattestad slipped a bunch on the hill, hmm. He's only up to 4th on the double pole... Newell 5th... Dahl and Joensson looking good. Here comes Hattestad! But not in time, Dahl/Joensson/Hattestad/Modin. Newell 6th, him and Scola really dialed it back at the end.
Men's Semi 2: Lassila, Kummel, Kruikov, Kjoelstad, Onda, Roenning (for real this time!). Once again Lassila with the hole shot, looking comfortable. Maybe it's just hit upright style, but he looks like he's not even trying. Kjoelstand and Kummel follow, Kruikov at the back. All 6 together halfway through the double pole. Kjoelstad and Lassila will hit the final hill first... Onda and Kummel are toast... Roenning and Kruikov throw for 3rd and both are LL's. Lassila has looked amazing so far, he's totally in control. this race is his to lose. Hattestad is out now, btw, this will be his worst finish of the season.
Women's B final. Kalla, Kowalczyk, Brun-Lie, Prochazkova, Visnar, Kristoferssen (rolling up her sleves on the start line, guess this is serious now). Kalla and the Norwegians go 3-wide through the corner o' doom. Kalla's on the front now, she wants this one. Kowalczyk and Prochazkova are close enough too. Visnar is done. Brun-Lie and Kalla pull away at the base of the hill... Brun Lie pulls away! Kowalczyk charges up the outside but can only get 4th behind Kalla and Prochazkova, finishing 10th overall. That's what, 29 WC points? Big trouble for her with Petra poised for 100 in just a minute.
Women's final: Kuitenen, Saarinen, Olsson, Majdic, Muranen, Sachenbacher-Stehle. Saarinen gets the holeshot over Majdic with Olsson and Muranen close. Majdic gets squeezed out on the corner, probably a bit gunshy from her quarter. But then she lays down the big double pole to get back on terms at the front. Another near-incident with Muranen though! No stabbings, but they both want to I think. Final hill is led by Saarinen with Majdic alongside. Petra is just too much for anyone else in classic... wow... wins big even when she looks bad. Saarinen, Olsson, Muranen follow. No finish-line yelling this time from Muranen. Kowalczyk drops another 71 points on the overall and will need some huge performances in Falun to close the gap now.
Mens' B final, Kummel, Modin, Newell, Onda, Scola, Hattestad. Gotta like Hattestad here, although maybe he's ready to bow to the crowd at the back given that he's wrapped the title up. Let's see if Andy has any fight left in him... Hattestad leads it out, he's not messing around. Four abreast over the top of the hill! Newell is there. The corner is tight with Scola barely staying up. Hattestad followed by Newell followed by Modin. Newell pulls alongside Hattestad, that's brazen! Kummel now 3rd. If Newell can challenge Hattestand I take back everthing I said earlier. Wow! Scola comes around everyone and kills the hill! Only Hattestad can respond! Once they switch to double pole, though, Hattestad locks it down for the win as expected. 3rd from Newell, good effort. Crazy speed from Scola at the end of the double pole/start of the hill.
Men's Final! Joensson, Kjoelstad, Kruikov, Lassila, Dahl, Roenning. Roenning hasn't made a top two in any heat, yet here he is. With Hattestad missing, Dahl and Lassila are the big favorites. Once again Lassila drills the start and leads the hill with Kjoelstand next to him. Holy crap, Lassila is only double-poling! He's shaking his thigh! He has a cramp?? Dahl and Kjoelstad are all over him now! Roenning goes past! Kjoelstad Dahl Roenning Joensson across the line, Kjoelstad by a mile! Kuikov 5th, Lassila 6th. WOW. Lassila can barely stand on his leg, he's crumpled at the finish line. Kjoelstad was so shocked to win a classic sprint, he ski threw despite having a 1.6 second lead. Love it.
Posted by Colin R at 11:17 AM 4 comments
Monday, March 16, 2009
Predictions: Recap and Stockholm
This weekend's climactic 50k race in Trondheim saw an unheralded skier of Finnish extraction rise to the top of a competitive field. Yeah, Jauhojarvi won the race itself, but this son of Finland managed to eke out another win in the ultra-competitive test of knowledge about World Cup ski racing, a.k.a. the Nordic Commentary Project "World Cup Prediction Challenge." In the interest of transparency, the results of the Challenge are online as a public Google Spreadsheet.
Did I say "transparency"? I meant, "Tassava supremacy." You see, in the first round of the Challenge, predicting the winners in Lahti, I defeated my co-blogger by a comfy margin: 91 to 117. I had a narrower advantage over visitor Laura Gardner's 97, but a healthy edge over visitor (and racing blogger) ADS's 106. If you're scoring at home, this means Colin was fourth out of four.
In the second round of the Challenge, predicting the winners in Trondheim, I defeated my co-blogger by a thinner margin of 71 to 82, largely on the strength of correctly choosing all of the women in the sprint top five. (I did put three of them in the wrong finishing spot, though.) This helped me earn a scant 6 points, while Colin earned 12 by missing badly on Astrid Jacobsen. We scored almost identically in the men's sprint and the 50k, but I found another six points in the 30k, taking advantage of Colin's
brave crazy pick of Kalla. With Laura Gardner pulling a DNS on this round, it was left to ADS to take the third spot on the podium, scoring 99.
And so it all comes down to the Grand Final: classic sprints in Stockholm on Wednesday, and then, in Falun, a freestyle prologue on Friday, a pursuit on Saturday, and a freestyle handicap/hunter-start race on Sunday for all the marbles.
On to Stockholm! (Sometime soon, the FIS will publish start lists here.)
Classic racing in Stockholm? If only there were some decent Swedish sprinters this year. Sadly, they've all been chewed up and spat out by the Big Red Machine from the west. Except for the women, who have been stomped flat by the Big Shriek Machine from Slovenia. I don't see many Swedish sprinters capable of stealing much glory on Wednesday. Maybe the king should threaten a few with some sort of horrible punishment, like living in Finland for the summer or admitting that Switzerland is the best neutral nation in Europe.
men's classic sprint
1 Hattestad (snore)
2 Dahl
3 Northug (the man couldn't even lift his arms after Saturday's 50)
4 Lassila
5 Joensson
alternates: 6 Onda, 7 R. Pasini
women's classic sprint
1 Majdic (snore)
2 Kowalczyk (who has to do well to vie for the overall)
3 Olsson
4 Prochazkova
5 Saarinen
alternates: 6 Follis, 7 Kuitunen
A classic sprint? Didn't we just do this? We did, and I picked 3 out of 5 exactly. If it wasn't for Astrid "busted tendons" Jacobsen letting me down I'd be able to talk some trash about this. Sadly, I have to go with what worked and repick Majdic/Prochazkova 1-2. Olsson's at home, and Kowalczyk never misses the top five anymore, so there goes two more. Picking the exact top five from the last classic sprint would be totally lame (take note, Chris) so let's go with Lina home-field Andersson in fifth this time around.
1 Majdic
2 Prochazkova
3 Olsson
4 Kowalczyk
5 Andersson
6 Saarinen
7 Matveeva
8 Kuitenen
1 Hattestad
2 Dahl
3 Northug
4 Kruikov
5 Joensson
6 Pettersen
7 Modin
8 Svartedal
Is Emil Joensson back on form yet, or is Sweden going to get shut out at home? Chris seems to think so, but I'm not sold yet. Did you notice 2 Swedes and 4 Norwegians made the semis in Trondheim? That counts as a loss for Norway in a classic sprint. I can't pick the Norwegian sweep again, but man, it still seems like a likely outcome. I do, however, believe that Northug can recover from a 50k in 3 days enough to classic sprint his way to an overall World Cup win, he's 23 and the basically the antichrist, so bet against him at your peril. I sure won't. Hard to go against the #1 qualifier/#3 finisher from Trondheim, Dahl and the sprint king Hattestad, so let's pencil them in for the podium. The last two -- well, it's a classic sprint, so anything can happen, but Kruikov has been somewhat consistent as of late, and I'm a sucker for the fastest Swede getting it done at home. Done and done.
Posted by Christopher Tassava at 8:30 PM 3 comments
Trondheim 30k Classic Mass Start Recap
If we were an actual news outlet we would have had this post up Saturday afternoon, however, writing an actual recap of an event that is virtually impossible to view in the USA takes a bit of time. Admittedly it can be gotten live if you're deft with your peer-to-peer-tv internetting, but I was busy getting crushed at Bretton Woods during that time, so live viewing was out. Thanks to the miracle of Universal Sports, I caught up with the 30k Sunday night. Happy now, Zach?
Everything was going pretty normally until about the 7k mark, with 14-18 women in a lead group and and growing trail of stragglers behind them. Everything was cool, until Saarinen attacked on the downhill back to the stadium, leading into the lengthy climb to the first World Cup bonus points. Her decision to "do it from a long way out" seems questionable to me but it sure detonated the field, with only Kowalczyk and Majdic being able to respond. Just before the line, Kowalczyk got back on terms and took the first-place points. Big Petra lost contact, though, and started fading back towards a 6-10 skier chase group.
Somewhere after that (before I started taking good notes :)) Johaug jumped across to the leaders, probably due to her ridiculous tempo, and those 3 stayed at the front for the duration of the first 15k. Saarinen and Johaug were the main instigators here, with both opening some small gaps from time to time, but it kept coming back together on the descents.
15k was the logical place for a ski change and all competitors did so -- however this appeared to be a disastrous change for Saarinen, who looked confident and in control right up until she got new skis. She immediately struggled (looked like bad glide to me?) and began a steady trip backwards for the second half of the race.
The main chase group came through 30 seconds behind the leaders and everyone changed skis except Petra, who accidentally went all the way to the end of the lane (assuming the WC leader and bib #1 would have skis there) only to realize the Slovenia team's area was nowhere near there. She skied through without changing, getting a nice 8-10 second jump on the group, but they caught her within a k anyway, possibly showing the benefit of new skis?
Even with 10k to go, eventual podiumers Ishida and Majdic were still well back in the chase group, with Kowalczyk and Johaug leading. Kristin Steira was able to bridge across during this time and the 30s gap to the chasers was coming down.
With 8k to go, Steira made contact and it was two Norwegians against one Pole at the front, with the home crowd going wild. They were chased by Saarinen, Longa and Sachenbacher, now just eight seconds back at the 7.5k to go mark. Ishida was now at 15s, and Petra at 20s. This time through, Majdic successfully found her skis -- but only she and Ishida changed skis (forebode!), both dropping further back from the leaders. There were 11 athletes within 33 seconds of the lead at this point.
Out on the final loop, Longa dropped her companions to move into fourth, and Ishida was also moving up, soon catching Sachenbacher and Saarinen.
As the hill continued the combination of fatigue and warmth led to more and more missed kicks -- perhaps Petra's later ski change helped here, as she was looking good for the first time in half an hour, still in 9th at 23.6k, but moving past a flagging Roponen. At the front Kowalczyk took to opportunity to up the tempo at the 24.3k mark to pick up more bonus WC points, and both Norwegians started paying for their earlier work. Johaug especially was rocking a massive pain face here while Steira looked a bit better, and even retook the lead later on.
Majdic went through the 24.3k check 32 seconds down in 8th, having still dropped 12 seconds over 1.8k (albeit having changed skis). Ishida was now leading the first chase group with Sachenbacher and Longa in her draft.
On the next descent Petra started moving clear of the 2nd chase group (probably due to the gravitational advantages) and set off solo in 7th place.
What happened next was fairly ridiculous, as the camera was focusing on the leaders descending back to the stadium, when out of nowhere Petra in the yellow bib comes gliding into the picture, having passed Longa, Sachenbacher, and Ishida on the descent, latching onto the leaders at 26.2k time check, having just closed thirty seconds in only 2k of mostly descent. The only explanation I have for this is newer (cleaner) skis and her "gravity-athlete" build, but let's just say her odds for victory suddenly looked really good at this point.
As soon as the course went back uphill, though, the gravity advantage was gone and Kowalczyk hit it hard, quickly breaking away to an 8 second lead over the two Norwegians and Petra. Further down the hill, Saarinen looked completely horrible, either due to the fatigue from instigating the first 15k or from terrible skis.
Steira and Johaug were both trying to cling to Petra on the climb (not a good sign for the skinny girls), and Ishida skied right up to the back of them here, making a chase group of four.
At the top of the climb (27.3k) Kowalczk had 11 seconds over the four chasers and looked good, but as soon as they were going back downhill Petra was immediately gliding away from the chasers in 2nd. Kowalczyk frantically double-poled across various flats while Petra was just tucking, resting, gaining all the while -- and they came together with two climbs left to the finish. A few second back Ishida and Steira were also going head-to-head on the climb, while Johaug looked cooked.
Justyna wasn't even on the same planet as a rejuvenated Petra, though, and as the race turned into a 2k classic sprint Petra blew her away, taking 6 seconds on the penultimate climb and skiing totally away on the second. Ishida and Steira even caught Kowalczyk on the second-to-last downhill, setting up a 3-way sprint for 2nd.
Ishida led out the sprint with Kowalczyk pulling alongside, and the experienced Pole pulled away down the stretch with a mean double pole. Ishida barely held off a frantically striding Steira for the first podium by a Japanese woman in... forever? Sachenbacher and Longa both overtook and exploding Johaug, who finished 7th.
The story of the race was Petra rising from the ashes in the last 7.5k to dominate the field. She was exceptionally fast on the descents, but also able to climb with Johaug and Steira and drop Kowalczyk on the final climbs -- so the explanation isn't just "Petra's dense." I'd credit the adrenaline rush of knowing you have better skis, and realizing the race you'd thought you'd lost was suddenly back within reach. Along with Ishida's end-race rise up the standings, I'd bet you see almost all the front runners change skis with 7.5k to go next time they do one of these things.
On the flip side, Saarinen's ski change looked to be quite harmful, and Katrin Zeller changed skis at 22.5k in 11th and finished 17th, so it might not be the magic bullet Majdic and Ishida would have you thinking it is.
North America is rightfully stoked about Alex Harvey's 3rd place in the men's race (more on that later around here), but Masako Ishida's 3rd place in the women's race is an even bigger deal historically. There's a precedent for Candian distance success, and it's Alex Harvey's dad! You tell me when the last time a Japanese woman podiumed in a World Cup. Freaking amazing.
I hate to say it, but two things I initially hated about this race (ski changes and bonus sprints) seemed to have contributed to making an incredibly exciting race. It's almost like the FIS knows better than I do. I think putting the bonus sprint at the top of the hill (instead of the stadium) makes a huge difference in having the gaps stick, instead of having people sprint out of the field, get the points, and go back into it. We'll have to watch the men's race to see if that theory holds.
Posted by Colin R at 9:55 AM 3 comments
Friday, March 13, 2009
Trondheim 30km and 50km
Quiz: how many times since 2000 has the regular World Cup season included a mass start race over 30km and 50km?
The answer: zero.
Actually - and leaving aside the traditional March races at Holmenkollen, which have always been run as individual starts, just as Thor intended - there have been three longer mass-start classic races this decade - all Marathon Cup/Worldloppet races being run for World Cup points.
- In 2002, the 58km Birkebeinerrennet was a World Cup race. Predictably, Norway dominated, taking the top five places in the men's race, with Thomas Alsgaard, Anders Aukland, and Frode Estil on the podium. Anita Moen and Vibeke Skofterud took the top two spots in the women's race.
- In 2004, the 70km Marcialonga was a World Cup, with Anders Aukland narrowly winning the men's race over Giorgio di Centa and Gabriella Paruzzi easily taking the women's race.
- In 2006, at the Vasaloppet World Cup, Marit Bjorgen won the 45km women's race ahead of Hilde Pedersen and Petra Majdic, while Worldloppet stars Daniel Tynell and Jerry Ahrlin showed up the World Cuppers by going 1-2 in the men's full-length 90km.
But aside from those Marathon Cup/World Cup double dips, all the hot classic mass-start action over 30,000 and 50,000 meters has been at Worlds. The relevant data points:
Sapporo 2007
50k: 1) Hjelmeset (2:20:12.6), 2) Estil (2:20:13.0), 3) Filbrich (2:20:17.1)
30k: 1) Kuitunen (1:29:47.1), 2) Steira (1:29:54.0), 3) Johaug (1:31:09.9)
Obersdorf 2005
50k: 1) Estil (2:30:10.1), 2)Aukland (2:30:10.8), 3) Hjelmeset (2:30:11.5)
30k: 1) Bjorgen (1:27:05.8), 2) Kuitunen (1:27:14.7), 3) Baranova-Shiskina (1:27:16.1)
Looking at all that, I'm going to go out on a cracked ski pole and say we're going to see some Norwegians on the podiums after Saturday's distance races at Trondheim - and not just becase the men's and women's start lists are larded with home-country racers who are insanely fast and completely unknown.
The courses - 4 x 7.5km for the women, 6 x 8.33km for the men - have two significant climbs on each lap, big but not, it appears, crazily steep enough to break open the field. As a novelty, the races also feature several points at which racers can garner sprint points: three such spots for the women, five for the men, with seconds doled out 15-10-5 for the first three over the preem lines. Judging by the course maps, these sprint lines are about two-thirds of the way up the longer of the two climbs. A nice touch. Still, the long up/long down profile means the races will be like polka: lots of accordion. Even worse, both feature long downhills to the stadium. Read: Bunch sprint. Read: Northug.
men's 50km (no Giorgio di Centa or Martin Johnsrud Sundby)
1 Angerer
2 Northug
3 Soedergren
4 Teichmann
5 Veerpalu
alternates: Jauhojaervi, Bauer
women's 30km (no Virpi Kuitunen)
1 Saarinen
2 Kowalczyk
3 Steira
4 Longa
5 Johaug
alternates: Kalla, Tatjana Jambaeva
Bonus pick: Betty-Ann Bjerkreim Nilsen will beat her sister, Inger Liv Bjerkreim Nilsen, by at least one minute.
1 Teichmann
2 Olsson
3 Angerer
4 Jauhojaervi
5 Northug
(alternates, haven't seen a start list)
6 Soedegren
7 Filbrich
8 Svartedal
9 Veerpalu
1 Saarinen
2 Kowalczyk
3 Longa
4 Kalla
5 Steira
6 Johaug
7 Medvedeva
8 Majdic
Commentary: Wow, there are a ridiculous number of plausible choices in the men's race. I changed my top picks 3 or 4 times, and I like all four alternates as well. I think the reduced drafting from classic, plus the fact that Northug is a better skater, will finally cause him to not win a mass start, but I still think he'll pull out a good result, fighting for the World Cup on home snow and all. Despite my disgust with Teichmann, he's the best classic skier, on average, in the last five years or so and can actually sprint pretty well. I'm really hoping to see Northug in the lead group at the end to see if Teichmann can avenge the relay in a double-pole sprint, but then again, he'll probably just lead him out for 10k instead.
Anyway, we haven't seen a mass start classic, especially not a 50k, in so long, I have no idea what will happen.
For the women -- same old, same old, although I'm hoping I'm the only one who noticed that Kristin Steira has gotten a lot better at classic skiing recently.
Posted by Christopher Tassava at 8:32 PM 3 comments
Thursday, March 12, 2009
How to Lose a Relay in 20 Minutes Or Less
This particular piece of analysis isn't especially timely, but after observing the most painful 24 minutes of elite skiing I've ever watched, I feel compelled to rant anyway.
Germany -- and in particular, Axel Teichmann -- seems not to have gotten the memo that things have changed. There was a time when Norway was the whiny traditionalist country that hated the mass start, there was a time when Norway used to put Bjorn Daehlie on the final leg of a relay team, and there was a mildly famous Olympic moment where Norway's reluctance to adapt to the fact that skating changed mass starts was exposed to the entire planet.
Ever since Lillehammer, Norway's put their best sprinter on the anchor leg, because skating means drafting and drafting means sprinting and Thomas Alsgaard means gold medals. All the other nations have put their best finishers on the final leg as well. That's just the new way to do these things.
Then Petter Northug came along, and everything changed again.
Northug is a supremely gifted athlete and the best sprinting distance skier of all time. Come to the finish with Petter Northug, and you will lose, unless he poles between his legs. Northug knows this. He will ski behind you for 10k. He will accelerate when you accelerate, rest while you rest, and do less work the entire time -- and even if he doesn't, if he's anywhere near you in the last k, you lose.
Ruthlessly drafting on the final leg used to be a distinctly Italian strategy, loved especially by Christian Zorzi, who wasn't a good enough distance skier to have any other choice. As a result, you could ski hard for 10k and wear Zorro down to the point where you could beat him, as Alsgaard did repeatedly. This does not work with Petter Northug -- but the Germans haven't figured this out.
In Liberec, Teichmann got tagged with a slim 14.7 second margin over Northug. At this point in time, the German's chances were not good, but the "strategy" Axel and/or the German coaches used from this point forward managed to reduce their chances from slim to none.
We've already established that coming to the finish with Northug means a loss, yet Axel was oddly content to sprint it out. Content might not even be the right word -- he simply looked resigned to his fate as he crossed the 9k mark with Northug in his draft. He'd already lost, at that point. But how did he get there?
By skiing in front of Northug for 7k. Without suggesting, even for a second, that Northug lead. Guaranteeing that the best sprinter in the business was more rested than Teichmann. Great plan.
All's fair in love, war, and sport, right? Leading for the whole race isn't honorable, it's stupid. Leading without attacking is even stupider. Northug's a pretty theatrical skier, and I never saw him flailing while Teichmann led -- I'd venture to say Axel never even attacked, but simply time-trialed away, until the end.
Allow me to suggest an alternate strategy. You have to get away from Northug, so it really doesn't matter if you blow up attempting to do so. Pacing yourself to a good 10k time is of no use.
Teichmann could have done two things:
1) Skied the fastest 5k possible to start the race. It's obvious from the fact that Northug closed a 15 second gap in just over 2k that he didn't do this. Northug worked really hard to get across the gap because he knew he could rest when he got there, and the sooner he got there, the longer he could rest. If it was a bike race, you'd call this "bridging to a break." If you can hold Northug off -- even at massive expense to yourself -- your chances improve for every second he is isn't drafting. If he gets across the gap with only 1k left, you may even have a fighting chance.
2) Attacked Northug as soon and as hard as possible after being caught. For a skier being pursued by Northug, there's no question that you have to attack and ski away to get rid of him. The problem is, when he's drafting you, he's resting, and can cover attacks with relative ease. There's only one time when Northug is behind you and not rested -- when he's just caught you! Teichmann's best chance to get away -- "best chance" doesn't mean "sure thing," of course -- was to attack with everything he had the second Northug closed the gap. This is the last chance he'll ever get to take advantage of a tired Northug (who had just skied 2k 15 seconds faster than him!). Northug made contact on a long hill -- it was the perfect chance for Teichmann to try to lay down a super-hard two minutes and reopen the gap. But he did nothing.
Beating Petter Northug is a tall order, to be sure. But the absolute reluctance of the German anchor leg try anything made the finish all too anticlimactic. For the sake of the next 12 years of ski racing, let's hope some nation is willing to rethink how they race the anchor leg.
Posted by Colin R at 6:45 PM 5 comments
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Trondheim Sprint Predictions
The legendarily ski-mad city of Trondheim - which hosted Worlds in 1997, attended by crowds that are still mentioned with awe - is doing double duty by replacing both the traditional city sprints in Drammen and the traditional distance races at Holmenkollen. Drammen has been dominated by Norwegian men for the past three years (2008: 12 of the top 15 places), so the only question is which six-foot-twenty Norwegian double-pole machine will win. On the women's side, there's no question that the six-foot-twenty, double-poling, Finn-stabbing, camera-mugging Slovenia Petra Majdic is the favorite, but beyond that it's pretty wide open. The sprint courses - 1.4km for women, 1.6km for men - each have one big climb, several hairpin curves (just to make Colin happy), and an uphill finishing straight.
women's start listNo Kuitunen.
men's start listNo Hetland (who's injured and may even miss the Olympics) and no Joensson.
Let's see the picks!
Colin's Picks
1 Hattestad (NOR)
2 Pettersen (NOR)
3 Dahl (NOR)
4 Naess (NOR)
5 Brandsdal (NOR)
Alt: Svartedal
1 Majdic (SLO)
2 Prochazkova (SVK)
3 Saarinen (FIN)
4 Olsson (SWE)
5 Jacobsen (NOR)
Alt: Kowalczyk
Picking the top 5 to be exclusively Norwegian isn't even going out on a limb, as Norway has dominated classic sprints on home snow for quite a few years running now. The only question is what Norwegians will it be? Hattestad and "the Sausage" went 1-2 in Otepaa so I'm taking them to repeat, and beyond that I like the deceptively consistent Dahl, consistently high-qualifying Brandsdal, and former Drammen winner Naess. If anyone gets into the top 5 not from Norway, I think it will be one of the young Russians.
For the women Majdic is the obvious choice, being undefeated in classic sprints thus far. Prochazkova has also been surprisingly good this year, and of course Saarinen should be back with a vengeance while fighting for the World Cup overall. Olsson has been consistently near the top 10, so she's more of a safety pick than a real prediction. And finally, Astrid Jacobsen appears to be finding some form, and was 1st and 2nd in two classic FIS races over the Lahti weekend. I'm a sucker for the 5th-place-long-shot pick, so I'm hoping she'll be back to 2007-08 form.
Christopher's Picks
1 Hattestad
2 Kjoelstad
3 Gloersen
4 Pettersen
5 Kriukov
alternate: Kershaw
1 Majdic
2 Kowalczyk
3 Saarinen
4 Olsson
5 Prochazkova
alternate: Smutna
Posted by Christopher Tassava at 4:21 PM 1 comments
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Do yourself a favor and watch the second half of the nordic combined large hill Gunderson event from Liberec. Great race, not only because Bill "Demons" Demong won but because of the fight behind him for the other places.
Posted by Christopher Tassava at 5:00 PM 0 comments
Friday, March 6, 2009
Lahti 15k Predictions
Well, the good news is that by throwing down the gauntlet on Chris, he made some of his best predictions of the year. The bad news is that I scored a 63 (the worst you could possibly do is only 100!)
I'm still wondering what thought process led me to discount Petra after I watched a video about how she can actually skate sprint this year, or why I thought a Finnish skate-sprint-specialist racing IN FINLAND (Muranen) would do poorly. The only explanation I have is that my brief infatuation with Kikkan Randall (which has now passed after her 49th place today!) was clouding my judgement.
Undeterred, we have a new set of picks for tomorrow's 15k. It's the first individual start skate race on the World Cup in over two months (Rybinsk, Otepaa, and Liberec were all classic 15ks) so there's no recent precedent for this event. I ended up going with a mix of guys who've looked good in the mass start skates at World Champs (Legkov,Angerer) and known good skaters (Soedegren, Piller Cottrer) -- and then the obligatory Finnish guy in 5th (Jauhojaervi).
Same algorithm for the women, right down to another Finn in 5th (Roponen).
Men's 15k F
1 Soedegren
2 Angerer
3 Piller Cottrer
4 Legkov
5 Jauhojaervi
Alt: Cologna, Vittoz
Women's 10k F
1 Kalla
2 Steira
3 Kowalczyk
4 Longa
5 Roponen
Alt: Johaug, Follis
Men's 15k F
1. Piller Cottrer
2. Gaillard
3. Gjerdalen
4. Northug
5. Soedergren
alternates: Babikov, Heikkinen
Women's 10k F
1. Steira
2. Longa
3. Kalla
4. Shevchenko
5. Nystad
alternates: Kuitunen, Roponen
Posted by Colin R at 9:39 AM 3 comments
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Liberec Bibs
Didja notice how many different bibs were worn - and sponsors advertised - during the Liberec races? Lots. Short version: the Germans and Austrians love their ski racing. Long version:
men's 50km
InterSport: "IIC-INTERSPORT International Corporation is the purchasing and management company of the INTERSPORT-Group. With its retail turnover of EUR 8.54 billion and more than 5'000 associated retailers in 35 countries, INTERSPORT has the worldwide leading position in the sporting goods retail market."
women's 30km
Viessmann: "The Viessmann group of companies is one of the leading international manufacturers of heating systems."
women's relay
Deichmann: A German shoemaker and mass marketer - something like Payless Shoes für die Deutschen?
men's relay
Deichmann again. Alas, I couldn't find a good picture of Teichmann in his Deichmann bib. That would have been too nice, man.
women's team sprint
San Carlo: Italy-based international snack food and bread manufacturer.
men's team sprint
Österreich Neue Tageszeitung: a new Austrian newspaper
women's sprint
DKB: a German internet bank
men's sprint
DKB again, money.
men's pursuit
Bauhaus: A sort of German Home Depot.
women's pursuit
Rauch: a fruit juice and tea maker, based in Austria, best known for its "Happy Day" orange juice, "an incomparable fruity pleasure."
men's 15km
Bauhaus again. Still not the band.
women's 10km
Rauch again, making for a happy day for "Aikku."
(All photos culled from Universal Sports' excellent collection of shots from Liberec.)
Posted by Christopher Tassava at 7:55 PM 2 comments


text:
Can start-ups be a good example for large organisations?
Start-ups are trendy, they are attractive for young professionals and they are able to create innovative products and services. This is all what large organisations desire to represent, but typically fail to achieve. Due to its size, number of people, processes, structures and traditional values, large organisations are increasingly perceived to be rigid, unable to adapt to change and to create offerings that are innovative and attractive.
Being under pressure of market developments, large organisations tend to move small teams into a garage kind of setting and ask those teams to work like a start-up and deliver what start-ups are able to do. This may work during the early phase of developing products and services, but at a certain point in time, the "start-up" needs to be re-integrated, products and services need to be integrated into the large organisation´s product and service portfolio and be managed by the existing organisational structures and processes. This is the moment, when the nice idea of using a "start-up" setting typically fails. The line organisation might proof that the new product or service does not work in "normal life", that cost for production or operation is too high (accounting for all over-head of the line organisation) etc.
Another approach might be to acquire a start-up and integrated it into the existing (large) organisation. This will also be very difficult, as the people used to work in a start-up might be frustrated to work under the regime of a large organisation, including but not limited to the leadership style, the space to manoeuvre, the incentives offered to work etc.
However, why not use start-ups as blueprint for redesigning large organisations, at least in those parts of the organisation that are tasked to be creative and develop new products and services? Nestholma, a venture accelerator powering the collaboration between start-ups and large organisations, for example financial institutions, summarizes the benefits of such a cooperation in a Whitepaper: "The benefits that a corporation can get, when collaboration is done right, fall in three categories. From least to most transformative, the first category
is branding: the corporation creates a good reputation in the market and among its employees. The second category is innovation: together the corporation and the start-up can bring new technologies to the market faster and better. The third category is learning: corporations can create an innovation culture, make their processes more agile, and improve the skills of their employees to prepare them for renewal."
Another option is to learn from start-ups and adopt some of the principles, approaches and methods they use. One approach is "Lean start-up", first published by Eric Ries, a methodology for developing products and services, which aim to shorten product development cycles and rapidly discover if a proposed business model is viable. Products are developed through several iterations of "Build-Measure-Learn (BML) Cycles", achieving a "Minimum Viable Product (MVP)" and avoiding products that are outdated when delivered to markets after a time-consuming sequential development process. Agile methods for product development, such as Design Thinking or Scrum may be fit for purpose, but require a change of the organisation to become agile and give space for a "start-up" kind of endeavour. It means to allow the team to self-organize, to be failure-tolerant, to avoid micro management by top management and to think beyond products and see the value proposition for customers. This radical turn towards "real" customer orientation will be a trigger for the overall organisation to rethink the way it organises and works, it may end up in a change proposition for all functions and units to align to the start-up alike parts and open up for the future set-up.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Please see ourZENith Mk3 1TB Black
Pushing our popular ZENith even further, the new MK3 includes a Triple-Linear PSU with Mundorf CAPS and custom-treated SSD. Ideal for audiophiles who want a smoother, more relaxed sound with a wider soundstage.
Powered by innuOS
|innuOS allows complete Music Library management
using a tablet or smartphone
|Read More
The ZEN is a true HiFi component with a number of improvements on top of the ones offered by the ZENmini.
Linear Power Supply
The ZEN uses our linear power supply design with ultra-low noise regulators (40 uV), specialised audio capacitors (Nichicon MUSE) and medical-grade mains filter to ensure audio transparency and realism.
Ultra-low Noise Streamer Output
Dual-ethernet ports with isolation transformers on Ethernet ports significantly improve sound quality on streamers when compared to a direct router connection.
Reduced Vibration
Vibration kills good sound quality so we have added significant anti-vibration treatment to chassis and electronic components.
In-Memory Playback
With 2GB dedicated memory, the ZEN loads music directly to memory for playback so that it doesn't need to engage the hard drive during playback, improving sound quality.
Offering a wonderful sounding music server with great user friendliness and an absolutely fair price, HiFi Einsnull award the ZENith MkII a Best of 2018 award regarding it as true high-end audiophile system.
Philipp Schneckenburger
HiFi Einsnull 4/2017
Apr 2018
What I adore about the Zenith MK2's usability from Innuos is that it's not a celebration of what can be achieved in the future, it's a celebration of what can be achieved right now.
The Zenith isn't just another streamer, it has its own personality and that's Important. Innuos have designed a complete fuss free digital front end, that combines carefully chosen hardware and sophisticated software into an easy to use product which has honesty and transparency at its heart.
The sound of a Zenith 2 is transparent, honest and truthful and any system that reflects a balance that the user is happy with will benefit from its implementation. Setup and usage is easy and playback and library management is straightforward and intuitive.
Jul 2017
tonally neutral, ultra resolved, rhythmically in the pocket and spatially dimensional
With their flagship ZENith MkII, our newer firm Innuos has a music server/player that's very solidly made, attractively styled, super fast due to its SSD and a poster child for user friendliness and intuitive use. Particularly the browser interface makes chores like tags, rips, imports and backup scheduling easy as pie. This should be the gold standard.
May 2017
All in all, it's a very hard act to beat for anyone looking to push streaming quality to the max.
ZENith delivers a highly coherent, vibrant, and engaging sound that hangs together very well indeed.
It delivers instrument timbre, reverb, and more importantly does so in such a fashion that it sounds like musicians playing together. This is not something that streaming systems do as a matter of course, or arguably digital audio as a whole for that matter.
Read Full Review (EN) > Server of the Year (EN) >
Dec 2016
Einsnull, the reference German Magazine for Digital Audio concluded the ZENith has a wonderful performance in terms of sound quality and combines both technical ability and an enormous user-frienliness - all for a fair price.
Read Einsnull Full Review (DE) > Read Hifitest.de Full Review (DE) >
Sep 2017
The reference German magazine reviewed the ZENith and concluded its brilliant software, its supple operation combined with its high quality components were enough to relativise its price.
Nov 2017
The well respected German website Fairaudio did a thorough test of our ZENith and concluded it had an outstanding usability, far better than its competitors. It took its "hat off" to its overall performance: ease of use, tempo and sound quality.
Mar 2017
The well-regarded German Hi-Fi magazin Stereo review focuses on the ZENith's usability while praising its value-for-money. This detailed look on how the operating system and playback apps are structured gives a good introduction on how easy it is to use one of our music servers.
Mar 2017
After reviewing the ZENith, HiFi Live - a reference Spanish Hi-Fi blog, concluded that the ZENith is destined to become a true success given its high quality construction standards, its very complete and easy to use interface and its irreprehensible operation. HiFi Live considered the ZENith to be the most complete example of how much digital reproduction has advanced.
Mar 2017
Well done, Innuos!
The reference Portuguese blog HiFi Clube reviewed the ZENith and considered it to be versatile, stable and user-friendly. From a sound quality perspective JVH found it produced a "juicy" sound with texture, dynamics and harmonic richness.
Feb 2017
It's solid, pretty job of real aficionados
My laptop has been adapted to play files, since it features SSD, and one of the latest versions of the JPlay software player installed personally by Martin Ostapowicz, and I had a chance to use it with dozens of different DACs, so I know it well.
The server under review offers better performance, hands down. In terms of reliability, convenience and sound quality.
Read Full Review (EN) > Read Full Review (PL) >
Feb 2017
Hxoseikona, a well respected Greek magazine rated the ZENith's music management capabilities as excellent as well its flexibility to connect to other network systems and DACs.
Nov 2016
|Digital Output
|Ultra Low Noise USB 2.0 supporting USB Audio Class 1, USB Audio Class 2 and DoP
|2x isolated RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet - LAN and Streamer connection
|1x VGA (service connection only)
|1x USB 2.0 (DAC), 1x USB 3.0 (Backup)
|CD Formats
|Red Book
|Disc Compatibility
|Audio format for stored CDs
|FLAC (zero compression), WAV
|Audio Formats Supported for streaming and playing
|Sample Rates
|44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4KHz. 192kHz, 352.8KHz, 384KHz , DSD64, DSD128
|Bit Depths
|16bit, 24bit, 32bit
|Web Interface
|Web Browsers from iOS, Android (4.0 and up) or up-to-date Windows and OS X browsers
|App for iPhone/iPad, Android and Windows 10
|CD/DVD drive
|TEAC Slot-loading drive
|Hard Drive
|1Tb Samsung EVO SSD
|Intel Quad Core 2GHz
|8Gb DDR3 - 4Gb dedicated for Memory Playback
STREAMING and CD Storage
|UPnP Server DLNA device compatible
|Connect and play to USB DACs (USB Audio Class 1 and Class 2, DoP)
|Average CD Storage Time
|5 minutes
|CD Metadata
|OneMusicAPI aggregating multiple CD metadata sources
|Compatible Music Systems
|Sonos Multi-room Wireless Music System
|Naim Mu-so Multi-room Wireless Music System
|Denon HEOS Multi-room Wireless Music System
|Squeezebox Multi-room Wireless Music System
|Naim Uniti music streamers
|Linn DS music streamers
|Pioneer N50A
|Cambridge Audio CXN
|Denon 720AE
|DLNA/UPnP compatible devices
|USB DACs complying to USB Audio Class 1 or 2
|USB DACs supporting DSD over DoP protocol
|Internet connection to access album metadata when storing CDs, Internet Radio, Streaming Services and software updates
|Network router with at least one available ethernet port
|Premium subscription required for some streaming services such as Spotify, Qobuz and Tidal
|Music Controller
|Remote control app compatible with the Logitech Media Server (Free and Paid versions available) or Web Browser - Most modern web browsers and platforms are supported
|DAC / Converter
|DAC with USB input supporting USB Audio Class 1, USB Audio Class 2 or DoP protocols
|Mains Supply
|220V AC - Internal Triple-Linear Power Supply with ultra-low noise regulators
|Power Consumption
|12W when idle, 25W peak
|70 x 420 x 320 mm (H x W x D)
|9 Kg
|In the box
|Innuos Zenith Music Server
|UK or EU Mains Cable
|2m Ethernet Cable (to connect to router)
|Getting Started leaflet


text: Advertising Week I Tried a KFC Doughnut Sandwich, and Here's What You Need to Know Putting the viral sandwich of the moment to the test. Nike Loves Working With the Founder of This Undeniably Edgy Shop Jen Brill concocted the brand's 45 Grand St. studio and Converse x JW Anderson collaboration. Financial Firm Behind 'Fearless Girl' Will Pay $5 Million for Allegedly Underpaying Women and Minorities State Street's large payout comes after months of praise for a subsidiary's iconic campaign for gender balance on Wall Street. From Marketing to Fashion, 'The Glitch' Has Become One of Today's Defining Design Trends How digital errors became an aesthetic. 4 Topics That Once Again Occupied Agency Leaders at Advertising Week Those included trust, diversity, politics and agencies in the future. 4A's New Head of Talent Thinks It's Time Agencies Realize How Gender and Sexuality Intersect With Race Keesha Jean-Baptiste calls on the ad industry to take action. Business Insider and LittleThings Share 3 Tips on Becoming Video-First Publishers The two major video publishers discussed best practices during Advertising Week. Jackson Hole Revived Hollywood's Most Powerful Speech for a Stirring New Tourism Campaign 'Stay Wild' channels Charlie Chaplin's call for freedom: "Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want." These Were the 4 Biggest Brand Marketing Trends to Come Out of Advertising Week Marketers are focused on authenticity, diversity, truth and digital disruption. What Programmatic Advertising Must Do to Restore Trust With Brands Google and Facebook need to adopt greater transparency. 1 2 3 … 7 Next »


text:
Summertime in Hollywood
July is my favorite month of the year, and it seems like the perfect time to share a new collection of Hollywood stars enjoying the summer.
Sandra Dee and friend:
Ann Sothern:
One of my favorite photos of Esther Williams:
Jane Powell:
Constance Bennett loved dogs too!
Diana Barrymore and Robert Stack:
Rita Hayworth:
Louis Jourdan:
Ava Gardner in a classic shot:
Past Summertime in Hollywood posts may be found here, here, and here. Lots of beautiful, cheery summertime photos!
Happy Summer!


text: Luke_Wilbur 5 Report post Posted March 5, 2008 I received a strange email that was sent to my email today. from : firstname.lastname@example.com, to : email@example.com email@example.com is not me. I am a Nats fan. Hi,Glad to inform you that , there would be a Wedding Ceremony of my beloved sister (Nancy), coming up on the 23th Of FEB which would be held in within the state, but the location is yet to announce by the party planner, so we would need a musician/band player e.t.c on that day , we will want to know if you will be available to render us your valuable service for that date, if so , we would need you for the service, People in Attendance would be between 150/200. so we would want you to get back to us with the total cost for the services and your availability .I would be glad to read from you regarding your service to us that day.Thanks, Mailer Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


text:
It's time for another Alexander Technique myth (I have a collection*). A hotly debated myth, it goes like this:-
"I can't stop it if I don't know what I'm doing."
It also appears as "I have to know what I'm tensing in order to let it go"; while the wording varies, the intent is the same.
To pull apart this particular myth, I would like to recount one of my group classes:-
Student 1 is working on bringing her arms behind her back. We chat about it, I do some hands on.
STUDENT 1: "I'm holding on with this shoulder, aren't I?"
At this point she stops holding on, without any help from me. Her arm moves much further and more easily.
Then comes the next student.
STUDENT 2: "I want to look at stooping, I find myself stooping all the time. I know I'm doing it
and I can't stop."
Hmmm. If it were true that once you knew what you are doing you could stop it, then Student 2 would not have come with his story.
Student 3, does walking. We work a while, I do some hands-on and she walks some more.
KAREN: "Same or different, class?"
SOMEONE IN THE CLASS: "Her arms are moving less" (murmurs of general agreement from the
STUDENT 3: "I didn't know I was moving my arms!"
She didn't know she was doing it. She didn't know she had stopped doing it. But to everyone else in the group that was a clear outcome of the process of Alexander thinking. What does that do to the assumption that you can't stop it if you don't know what it is?
I'm not saying there is no correlation between knowing and stopping. As student 1 proved, knowing can be a powerful tool in the process, but as student 3 proved, it certainly is not essential. Don't let yourself be limited in this way. 'Knowing' is a variable creature, so approach with caution.
(*) Myths #1 http://goo.gl/h51VAx
Myths #2 http://goo.gl/xcbr3s
Myths #3 http://goo.gl/NqbDo9
Image courtesy of Becker1999 via http://www.flickr.com


text:
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text:
Rumored Couple Alert: Rihanna and Tristan Wilds!by Hilton Hater at .
When it comes to dating, Chris Brown may be "just chilling," but the abuser's ex is moving on!
New reports are linking Rihanna with 90210 stud Tristan Wilds, following a party the singer held over the weekend at her Los Angeles home. He attended it, much to the surprise of other guests.
"No one knew why Tristan was there initially because it was not an industry party," a witness told The New York Daily News. "But everyone quickly realized they weren't meeting for the first time because they were openly affectionate for everyone to see."
Wilds got his big break on The Wire and has appeared in multiple music videos, including Jay-Z's "Roc Boys." He's working on his own CD and was introduced to Rihanna by a music producer.
"He's a real gentleman," said a source. "She likes him a lot, and it shows. From the moment he walked into her party, Rihanna lit up."
In September, Rihanna was romantically linked to Justin Timberlake. We wonder if he's now crying a river over the news that she's in sync with Wilds.


text:
I am a ball of HAPPY right about now.
I wish I could articulate these emotions effectively, but no lists could really do it justice. So I'm just going to freestyle, and see where it takes us. Please be patient with me. 🙂
First? A few AMAZING things have happened to me in the last 48 hours.
1. I got a new job! It was sudden, and miraculous! I have been pretty much miserable where I was, hanging on merely because a] a job is necessary to pay bills. and b] you don't just jump ship when things get bad. Especially not for nothing. I was patiently waiting for a sign, for a move, for an opportunity. I submitted a few resumes, including one at Alex's new office in Oceanside. I kept getting updates from Alex that they were going to call me in for an interview when things slowed down. I was trying to be patient! Someone quit Friday, Alex called me and told me to get ready for a 2pm interview, and BAM! Took a long lunch only to end up being hired on the spot for a new job. And let me tell you…I kept saying I wasn't leaving for something adequate? Well….MORE pay, Tuesdays are HALF days! 2 hour lunches, Happy environment, and there are babies at the on-site patient daycare center to play with when you're bored! Bonus? I work with my BESTIE, and we can go to the gym at lunch! Or shopping….or to get pedicures….whatever!
2. I woke up yesterday, and decided to weigh myself after my shower. Idk why, because I usually weigh on Wednesday. But, low and behold, that scale went RIGHT to 255 lbs. AKA….THE FIFTY POUND MINI GOAL HAS BEEN REACHED! I am very proud, and very excited. I've decided to go ahead and get the reward tattoo with my first official San Diego Spine and Rehab paycheck. Two big blessings in two consecutive days. I am ecstatic! Also, I threw caution to the wind and started the SeeSondraSlim page on Facebook. So now, you can go "like" it, and we can be the very best of friends! 😉
3. Ahh. I'm not even sure how to start this one….but a very good friend came to visit me yesterday, and brought one of my Mommies along. I was a bit dismayed to see that the subject of the "….All You're Ever Gonna Be is MEAN!" blog was also with them. Now, as I said before. Bitter? Not me. Resentful? No longer. Disappointed that I was completely blindsided by this, and somewhat irritated? Definitely. But you know what? I had a moment of "WTF?" (with my head turned in the opposite direction of course, and kept right on going. Gave him a hug, and used my common sense. If these people are going to flaunt what they have in front of me, then I guess that it's clear: There is no salvaging this friendship. There is no REAL friendship there. I'd like to think a true friend would be honest with me, and tell me she was making this move, when she said she was coming to visit. It's common decency. Consider the other person's comfort and feelings. Whether I should have feelings towards it or not is irrelevant. The fact is, it bothers me….yet, she didn't really care. No harm, no foul. I'm a grown woman….but more importantly? I'm a lady. My mom and aunt would have been very proud of the way I handled myself. Part of me wanted to act a fool…but I just didn't really have it in me. There is far too much joy in my corner right now. Don't get me wrong. I still love her, and am forever grateful to her for being there when I needed someone. But I think I just have to accept that unfortunately, time and distance make things different. Didn't work out in my favor, but if she's happy there doing what she does, and I am happy here without him? So be it.
4. As far as his mother coming, that was awesome! I had missed her so much, and it was so nice to spend time at the mall with her, doing what we do best: SHOPPING! She is so motivating. And she truly seems happy for me, and proud of all I have done. And when I speak of things I plan to do? She simply said "You always do everything you set your mind to." That was just the little extra encouragement I needed. Regardless of any disgruntled feelings I have for the other two, and their quite frankly, DISRESPECT….I am just really glad she was there, and that we got to catch up.
5. Alex is seriously the best friend a girl could ask for! You should have seen her face when I realized what was going on! Her mouth hung open, and I had to say "Fix your face!" as they entered! PURE COMEDY! And then later…."Sondra. You're WAY too good for him. Look at what you thought you wanted to end up with!" Heeyyy…what can I say? I was young! Lol. Not to mention the fact that she was a total trooper hanging out with people she didn't know. If she hadn't been there, I don't know that I could have been so composed! And she made sure her boss gave me a shot as soon as the opportunity arose? There really are just not a lot of sincerely amazing people like that anymore. And I am beyond grateful that one of them is my best friend.
Life is good….even when little things mess you up. Anyone who has known me for awhile will tell you that I have always been a fighter. But sometimes, it's really nice to have people who fight with you. I still have a long way to go in terms of all the things I have set out to do. But I just can't ignore the fact that it all seems so much closer within reach now that the new job and the first mini-goal are out of the way.
Never let them tell you that you can't make it. Never let your mistakes dictate your potential, or the way people treat you. And you know what else? Unless you're at the gym, never let them see you sweat. A struggle is a very personal thing. People who know and understand you will know the difference….but everyone else can mind their own business and watch you rise to the occasion!
'Til Next Time!


text:
Sometimes getting your brand noticed means keeping things simple. Signage isn't only about your main shop sign, it's the little touches that matter as well.
Have you ever thought the little details, such as your open/closed sign? A unique look will keep potential customers intrigued and interested.
Here are some simple and unique shopfront decals that could give your storefront that added touch:
Be Different
Be Straightforward
Be Creative
Be Simple
Here at NR Signs, we are ready to take on any project no matter how big or small. Simple, straightforward, creative, different – you name it and we'll do it.
If you have ideas to get your brand noticed, give us a buzz today! We are always here to help.


text:
Cyber security experts from across Australia and around the world will come together at the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) conference in Canberra this week to focus on the latest national cyber threats and security challenges.
The conference provides the opportunity for hundreds of leading experts from government and industry to discuss the latest threats, mitigations and advances in cyber security, as well as forge new partnerships.
The Minister for Defence Marise Payne said all governments, industry and individuals must be proactive about protecting themselves online.
"We must work together to share threat information and learn from each other to ensure Australians are kept safe and secure online," Senator Payne said.
"The conference is run by the ACSC, which will operate as part of the Australian Signals Directorate from 1 July this year. This sponsorship from Australia's lead centre for cyber security ensures the knowledge gained will go straight to the operational experts in business, government and academia."
The Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton said a 'safe' cyber space is essential for a prosperous and secure nation.
"The public's access to and dependence on a 'safe' internet is as important as its access to other essential services, such as the supply of water," Mr Dutton said.
"The conference will advance our knowledge and capabilities and provide a platform for ongoing partnerships to counter cyber threats.
"We are pleased to have international partners sharing their experiences with us. As we know the threat isn't constrained by borders."
The Minister for Law Enforcement and Cyber Security Angus Taylor said the conference is a unique opportunity to collaborate with private sector across the globe and focus on advancing Australia's national cyber defence capabilities.
"Developing a coordinated national cyber defence program to enhance our national security is a key priority for the Turnbull Government and strong partnerships with industry are integral to achieving this," Mr Taylor said.
"Cyber defence capabilities are strengthened with coordinated cyber activities between government and industry, increased data sharing, and coordinated threat exercises and tracking.
"Working together with industry, including throughout this conference, will ensure we continue to deliver on our world-leading Cyber Security Strategy."
For further information and to view the full program visit: https://acsc2018.com.au/program/


text:
Check out KNTO
I have not been checking KNTO site for a while now and was delighted to find a brilliant app from them for iphone and android smart phone users! It is basically the entire KNTO website in a mobile format. ^^
If you are an iphone user, download 'Visit Korea' from your AppStore or 'KTO' for google android user . This is how the icon looks like after the installation.
Picture courtesy of KNTO
Note: You must be connected to internet to access this app.
If you are travelling mainly around Seoul, to grab a free wi-fi signal is rather easy. There are many public places which offer FREE wi-fi.
The download was a breeze and I could find several vital and helpful points from the app, namely:
weather forecast – which is quite important as it's pretty unpredictable but not necessarily accurate either
exchange rates
latest events in Korea
helpful contacts
promotions and etc.
By the way, I also found Travel Tip: Great Korean Apps by qiranger which you might want to install as well.


text:
This Paper was presented by Aquatic Systems Officer Christina Day at a National Conference
Christina Day 1, Ian A. Wright2, Amy St Lawrence1, Robert Setter1, Geoffrey Smith1
- Environment Branch, Blue Mountains City Council, Locked Bag 1005, Katoomba, NSW, 2780. firstname.lastname@example.com
- School of Science and Health, University of Western Sydney, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW 2751. firstname.lastname@example.com.
Key Points
- The recently registered SharkTM Aquatic Herbicide (240g/L carfentrazone-ethyl) was used at Glenbrook Lagoon to treat an infestation of cabomba, one of the first applications of this scale in Australia.
- Water quality and ecological effects were monitored to determine the impacts of the herbicide on a large natural water body.
- One year later, monitoring programs show a return to healthy dissolved oxygen levels; a healthy population of native fish and turtles; and no evidence of cabomba or weed water lily.
- This case study highlights the challenges involved with planning and implementing a large scale aquatic weed control program and the importance of understanding and careful consideration of the current physical, chemical and biological conditions of the individual water body being targeted.
Download the full Glenbrook Lagoon paper at:


text:
Jane Austen Meets "The Walking Dead" in "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" Trailer
Source: www.youtube.com / Via: www.youtube.com
Oh man, I'm gonna have some opinions about this.
The trailer for "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies," a spoof of Jane Austen's beloved novel, has finally arrived – and I have to say it does look pretty funny. Starring Lily James, Lena Heady, Matt Smith and Sam Riley, the movie retells the classic story of the Regency-era romance between independent Elizabeth Bennet and proud, wealthy Mr. Darcy – only this time they have to fight hordes of zombies while they're at it.
The movie is based off the novel of the same name by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith – meaning Grahame-Smith took the original classic novel and threw in a zombie apocalypse just for fun.
I read the book even though I'm terrified of zombies, because I love Jane Austen and I thought the concept sounded hilarious. Social commentary is a common theme between Austen's novels and zombie stories, and there are so many potentially brilliant jokes you could make with this.
To be honest, though, the book felt kind of blah to me. It was less a clever mashup of wildly different genres and more "this book is boring, let's throw in some zombies and fight scenes so dudes will want to read it."
Still, the movie could pull it off. Since the book came out, "The Walking Dead" and Austen adaptations like "The Lizzie Bennet Diaries" and "Death Comes to Pemberley" have become immensely popular among the respective genres' fanbases, so the filmmakers must know there's a high bar to reach. And if nothing else, there will be beautiful locations, lavish costumes and super-gory special effects to keep us entertained.
So yeah, I'm going to watch it – and then I'm going to nitpick for like three weeks.


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Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the past!
Sascha Martin's Time Machine:
a kids' sci-fi adventure that will have you in stitches! It's funny, too.
Sascha's class has been exploring
in the distant Pleistocene
And the past is always better
with a working Time Machine
Sascha whips one up and brings it
in to class, and turns it on;
And the tranquil air, so rare
at Landfill Public School, is gone …
If you giggle at The Dolly on
the Dustcart (by Pam Ayres)
If you chuckle over Winnie
at the bottom of the stairs
If you love Revolting Rhymes (Roald
Dahl), or Seuss 'n eggs in green
You'll adore John Arthur Nichol's
Sascha Martin's Time Machine
It's a belly-laughing, illustrated
children's book that rhymes
And the kids will want to read it
with you fifty million times.
This is Volume 2 of Sascha
Martin's Misadventures. Ooh!
And it does, in fact, accommodate
a lot of Number Two!
"With vibrant illustrations, witty verse, and engaging interactive elements, this story will keep younger kids engaged and leave older ones (and their parents) laughing their heads off."
(A. C. Spahn, author of the Endurance series and the upcoming Arcane Artisans series.)
Sascha Martin's Time Machine for Kindle
* This edition of the Time Machine's
Sascha Martin's Time Machine for Kindle Fire and Android tablets is available on the Kindle store: this link should take you straight to Sascha Martin's Time Machine on the Amazon store you normally use.
Sascha Martin's Time Machine for EPUB
The EPUB's set to go on 30 April 2019.
More Sascha Martin's Time Machine Videos


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The speakers present in each poem have different views of how to gain a proper and insightful education. William Wordsworth's "The Tables Turned" skews away from the classic schooling style, whereas Howard Nemerov's "To David, About His Education" maintains tradition.
After stepping back from the words themselves, it is apparent that the structure on each poem differs radically. "The Tables Turned" is written completely in quatrains and includes a consistent rhyme scheme of abab, cdcd, etc. This helps the speaker to make his points clearly in regards to his view on education. Contrasting this definitive structure, Nemerov's piece is a continuous set of 19 lines with no apparent pattern or rhyme scheme. Although there is no prominent structure, the concise and focused writing style maintains a central theme.
"To David, About His Education" is written in rather colloquial language, avoiding complicated words or abstract ideas. Nemerov includes common phrases to exemplify this concise style, "Things like" or "under his hat". By using common phrases spoken in everyday language, Nemerov's work connects the reader to the work. "The Tables Turned" uses more formal language and abstract idea, "And hark! How blithe the throstle sings!" Wordsworth tends to extend his ideas out to nature itself, more abstract rather than concrete, such as his mention of bringing "with you a heart that watches and receives". He uses these abstract phrases to loosen up the mind to be open to new ideas, specifically in regards to his definition of a true education.
"The Tables Turned" encourages the youth to close their books and look around, taking in "the sun, above the mountain's head." By using this gorgeous imagery, Wordsworth brings focus to nature and the world around us all. The poet describes the beauty of the fields and refers to books as "barren leaves" as if books have nothing more to offer. The imagery present in "The Tables Turned" works perfectly in portraying the...


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This chapter is a challenge; the domino effect has changed almost everything here. Every character is either:
- Talking about something that hasn't happened yet.
- Meeting as a result of events that haven't happened.
- Meeting to do something that HAS already happened.
That last one involves Parlay's money. Earlier, I moved up the scene where she passes around a fat stack of bills like Scrooge McDuck himself. Now I'm at the point where a meeting with Parlay has to occur, but Mean and the rest no longer have a reason to go meet her!
So, what does that mean? There's still information here that I need to convey, but this chapter is no longer a suitable vehicle for it! It fights me in every impossible paragraph! It is THE UNRULIEST CHAPTER! How can I defeat such a thing!? Continue reading