Tuesday, December 27, 2011

US Nationals

Currently I am sitting in the Portland JetPort ready to go to Burlington to then go to Craftsbury, VT to get some snow skiing in before I head to US Nationals this Friday. It is amazing how short of snow our country is right now.

I am very excited to get some more skiing in after spending the holidays in Jackson Hole, WY. Surprisingly, the snow there was equally as dismal as Colorado's snow as well. However, it was very nice to see my family and get some skiing in, now my 8th venue this winter so far.

US Natonals will be held in Rumford, ME this year, my old stomping grounds when I went to Bates College. it will be nice to see some people I haven't in a while and reconnect with friends.

We start up racing tomorrow. Here is our schedule:

Jan. 2: Skate Sprint
Jan. 4: 15km Skate
Jan. 5: 30km Classic (Mass start)
Jan. 6: Classic Sprint

I'll be giving updates all week on:
www.twitter.com/sylvanellefson

Here are some pictures from my past two weeks.



Me and my brother Kjell.



Kjell Nordic Skiing for his 3rd time ever...





Sunday, December 18, 2011

Home Again

I just got back home after 4 weeks on the road and I'll be honest when I say its not too much longer than that, that I like to be on the road. It was nice to get back to "some" snow, but not as much as we have been stomping around on for the past couple of weeks. We have had to make it work a little bit.

Anyway I had a great time in Canada racing at the Sovereign Lakes NorAm in British Columbia. It was a great duel of the USA and Canada. The first day of racing was a classic sprint, not always my best event but I was feeling pretty good going into it. I qualified 4th and then skied into the semifinal where I had a touch of bad luck getting nudged out on a left hand corner. I skied the B-final and felt like I really had the speed the whole day. Sometimes you just gotta be in the right place at the right time. I ended up placing 8th on the day and USA put 7 in the Top-12.


I'm in the back (Bib #4)
All photo credit to Jessie Winter Photography

The following day we had a 15km classic race. I woke up feeling slightly tired from the long day before but ready to rock and roll. Warming up I felt pretty good still. The snow was coming down when we got there but cleared by the time we had started. The course there is very hard. there is no other way to describe it. Its just hard. Its a World Cup course so what should you expect? Not a lot less than what we got. Regardless I knew I had to ski into it easy and work with the course as each lap unfolded. I was getting splits right around 5th and 6th the whole race and its where I ended up in the end. Again a good race for me. I was very happy with the result. 

It was also pretty awesome to be racing with my ITA teammates Torin Koos and Brian Gregg. These guys have been killing it as well. 

Now I am back home for a couple of days before I head back up to Jackson Hole to spend some Christmas time with my grandparents, mother, and brother! I am super excited! Right now I have just been training and having fun seeing people I haven't in a awhile. I'll leave you with some pictures of our day today climbing up to the top of Beaver Creek form the the base of the valley. It ended up being about a 1000 meter gain.




And our ugly sweater party!!!





Thursday, December 8, 2011

Bozeman SuperTour and onto Canada


After having a great training week in West Yellowstone we headed up to Bozeman, Montana. The Sun Valley Ski Team has been helping me out with wax support and lodging while Eric and Dan are in Colorado making sure our Nordic future is taking names.

Our first SuperTour race was on Saturday and was a skate sprint prelim. I was actually feeling great through the first half of the course. I speed checked before one of the gnarly turns before the last uphill and hit some hidden object under the snow putting me into a bit of an uncontrollable movement of human and Nordic skis. Luckily I didn't fall but I did come to a stop completely perpendicular to the trail.  I finished the race not knowing where my time would put me. I figured my folly took off about 3 seconds. I ended up 10th, about 3 seconds out of 4th. Brutal.

The afternoon I wanted redemption and my body felt really good after a morning of intensity. It was three laps and I continued with my early season race plan or starting off pretty conservatively, big and strong, and finishing strong. The plan worked and I skied to a 1st place finish about 13 seconds ahead of my next competitor, Mike Sinnott who I was gunning for for the Overall SuperTour title and World Cup Start rights.

The last day of competition was a 15km classic race. With a similar game plan in mind, I had a strong classic skier starting right in front of me, Erik Bjornsen. I knew that if I could catch him by the third out of four laps we could ski together and crush the course. Everything went to plan. I caught him on the third lap and stayed on his tail just waiting for the fourth lap to get off his tail and hit the last lap hard. I finished in 1st again this time a full 30 seconds ahead of my next competitor Erik Bjornsen. It was a solid race and a solid weekend. Mike Sinnott needed to place 19th or worse for me to get those start rights. He ended up not having a great race but was 8th in the end. I was very excited for him as I was for myself.

I moved further up the Overall SuperTour list in points and closer in striking distance to Mike. I also currently hold the SuperTour Distance Leader bib. Excited to be skiing so well and to be representing SSCV Team HomeGrown with the help of IN-THE-ARENA.

Race reports are below.

Skate race report: http://fasterskier.com/2011/12/sinnott-takes-victory-in-bozeman-sprint-ellefson-climbs-to-top-of-podium-in-10-k/

Classic Race Report: http://fasterskier.com/2011/12/ellefson-wins-15-k-classic-in-bozeman-sinnott-clinches-world-cup-spot/

SuperTour Standings: http://blogs.fasterskier.com/continentalcup/?p=1156

Thursday, December 1, 2011

West Yellowstone Races

Our training camp at West Yellowstone had to be absolutely one of the greatest trips to West Yellowstone we have had thus far. After heading to West on the 19th of Novemeber, we were headed into a week full of volume hours and our first set of races. It is really nice to be able to come to a place with significant amounts of snow and focus on dialing in on technique and logging hours of training for the upcoming season. Every day leading up to our first races we were out the door at 7am for our morning jog, out the door at 8am for our first session for 1.5 - 3 hours. Back home eating and resting, then back out the door at 3:30 for afternoon sessions. Every night we had food from our amazing parents that send along food or cook it for us. Incredibly helpful for all of our athletes. I always feel spoiled when I come here.

Our First Races: On Wednesday some of us had our first races and they were a great start to the season. It was quite an interesting format race where there is one classic sprint qualifier in the morning and then a skate sprint qualifier 1 hour following the first. The reason they have to do this instead of running a full sprint is because there is not a FIS homologated sprint course here and they find complications in running a full sprint on a point-to-point format. Our results were outstanding. I was 13th in the classic sprint and 4th in the skate sprint. Mike Vigers (one of our newest members) was 23rd and the 2nd OJ. Christian Shanley was 30th overall and 2nd J1. Outstanding result for him. Cal Deline placed 41st overall but took the 5th J1 spot. Aleksei and Parker both had outstanding races for this time of year and we are all excited for what they throw down the rest of the year. In the end SSCV ended up taking 3 of the top 7 junior spots for the men. The women had equally amazing races. Hannah was our first finisher with a 28th spot overall and a 1st place showing for J2's. Also to mention she would have been 5th in both the J1 AND OJ race. These girls are anywhere from 1 year to 5 years older than Hannah. Sally and Eva both had great sprints putting them in as the 9th and 11th J1's, and at the wrong end of some tight times for the J1 girls. A good start that continued into the following days.

15km Skate Race: The race here only found 5 SSCV racers in it, debatably more successful from our first day of racing. I finished in 2nd overall, just ahead of Mike Sinnott and Matt Gelso of the Sun Valley Team. I knew Mike Vigers was having a great race when he got a positive off of him after the first lap. Mike ended up skiing to a 9th place finish and an amazing finish at that. If that wasn't enough, Christian Shanley and Cal Deline skied to 34th and 38th place finishes respectively. This put them in as the 2nd and 3rd fastest J1's and the 6th and 7th fastest juniors in the nation, including ALL OJ's. Our last skier Christian Kloser also came in with a great race finishing in 84th. You have to give this guy some time after his Colorado State Championship Biking Title (he's probably still basking in the glory as he should). 

5km/10km Classic Race: Our last race here and a day before our departure unfortunately. I continued the streak of fast skiing by placing 2nd overall behind Graeme Killick of the Alberta Racing Team. This second place finish put me in the running for the Overall SuperTour Title and in the SuperTour Distance Leader Bib for the Bozeman, MT SuperTour races. The classic day was equally an important day for the juniors as each junior, minus the injured ones (i.e. Katie Scruggs AKA Pretzel) who continued her positive training for a great season once she is able to use those poles again. Mike Vigers took the 5th OJ spot. Christian Shanley and Cal Deline again had impressive races sitting in their 2nd and 3rd J1 spots respectively. Aleksei and Parker again had great races for this time in the season. Finshing in the top-15 in each of their age groups. Christian Kloser had a tough day but once the classic legs get under him, he'll be off and running! The ladies had some great finishes with Hannah Hardenbergh coming in an impressive 1st place for J2 girls, 12th for all Juniors (including colelge athletes), and 41st Overall. Sally and Eva were the 14th and 15th J1 girls and narrowly missed beating some their Colorado rivals. They'll certainly get them next time. And back from a lacross camp was Clare Baker coming in just a couple seconds behind Salyl and Eva.

We had a great week and are already excited to come back for camp next year. Thanks to the parents and coaches for preparing food and making our skis uber fast. Without them racing so well wouldn't be possible!

Back to my classroom on the 12th of December! Pretty excited to see what I missed out on!


I also did a Fireside chat with one of our Juniors that went to homecoming with Lindsey Vonn!



Lastly I made a GoPro video mounted from my classic ski. Fun having fun with video.


Thursday, November 10, 2011

Warming Up the Engine

These next week weeks are the last two before the season starts and they have been pretty eventful. We have a great club, Ski and Snowboard Club, that creates about a 500m loop to ski on by November 1st and then about 1km by mid-November. It is a little amount of skiing but it sure is nice to be on snow. We have been training on this loop for 2 weeks now and have been getting a case of vertigo but its totally worth it! Also, one of the most exciting stories of the week is that I met fellow ITA team member, Charles Christianson. We met in the gym at Ski and Snowboard Club Vail. After telling him that we were nordic skiers, he knew one of had to be his ITA teammate. Sure enough.


We have had some epic adventures and some awesome skiing. I can't stop saying it. Training has been great and I am ready to hit the season runnin'. We have had some great days of training here with some good company. I have been skiing with Sam Tarling (NCAA Champion), Conor Wallace (NCAA skier from Denver University), my other Team HomeGrown teammate Mike Vigers and a slew of other high school nordic skiers that are starting to push the level of skiing. Awsome! Some pictures are below of my recent adventures...







Lastly one of our Nordic skiers asked Lindsey Vonn to homecoming. She said YES! Bothof these guys are amazing human beings.

I will get up soe photos of my mew classroom as soon as I get our Halloween Party pictures from Mrs. Chalk. I have been loving my placement and can't wait to work with this classroom for the rest of the year!




Friday, October 28, 2011

Back to Vail, Back to Business

Have had a great couple of weeks training back in Vail. We finally have been getting some serious snow and look to be getting on snow next week. For us at Ski and Snowboard Club Vail, we have snow blowing capability at the base of Vail Mountain and every year get about one kilometer of track groomed for us to ski on starting on November 1st. Pretty awesome stuff.

The past 2 days I was in Fruita, CO doing some biking with my buddy Paul, who is getting married tomorrow, and some other buddies. We had a great time and it is always so awesome to me that we can be skiing on snow in Vail and then drive 2 hours west and ride bikes in the desert. Some pictures are below:





I also had some buddies come from out east to do some biking all over the valley. One of them said the riding that he has done in Colorado is better than the biking in Moab. Nice compliment!


As for my school placement, I couldn't be any happier. I have loved every second I have been in my 4th grade classroom. On Monday we are having a Halloween Party! Should be some good stuff. I'll have some good photos!

Racing starts in a month. Time to start crankin'!

S


Friday, October 14, 2011

SSCV Team HomeGrown in Park City

We are just finishing up a ski camp in Park City. It was a great week here with some pretty incredible weather for the middle of October. We had a great crew from Vail come along consisting of our coach Eric Pepper, Mike Vigers, Christian Shanley, and Cal Deline. I think it was a great camp for me but also for these young guys to see what the level of training is here. I know I never went to these kind of camps when I was their age. Something good to be exposed to at the high school level. It has been pretty fun to see these guys mix it up in the speed workouts, sprint workouts, and distance workouts. I'm pretty excited to see where all these young guns will be in the next 10 years.

For me it was a great chance to catch up with some old friends and to get some training in with some people that can really push me in workouts and kick my butt. Thats what you need to get to the next level.

Like I said the weather has been so awesome here. We got a chance to head out for a little run yesterday afternoon. Right after I had a chance to throw a quick little video together:


(I'd recommend watching it at full size)

Some pictures from the week:






Also on Monday I will be starting my new volunteer placement at Red Sandstone Elementary School (where I went to elementary school). Very excited to go and hang out with that class. I went to pizza party there last Friday because they had just finished up doing a serious week of testing so Mrs. Chalk was nice enough to get them some pizza.

We're having the rest of Team HomeGrown over for dinner tonight and the Kate/Simi show. And not to mention the man, the myth, the legend Nathan Winebaum. Good to see old college buddies!


Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Remembering Dad

I cruised up Vail Mountain yesterday with one of my dad's old buddies, Hooker Lowe, to go see a memorial he had made for my dad after he passed 13 years ago. I opted out of some bounding intervals with the team, and instead did them on my own as I headed up Tourist's Trap and Rivas Ridge on Vail Mountain. It took me about 50 minutes to get from Golden Peak to the top of Chair 3.

I had been wanting to go to this spot for some time. Anyway, Hook brought up some new pictures of him and we had a beer in his honor. Quite an emotional experience for me to go up there, but always reminds me how precious life is, to love, and live life to the fullest. Carpe Diem.

Here are some pictures of the afternoon:








I am also excited to announce that I found a placement to be a Classroom Assistant at Red Sandstone Elementary School. I went to RSES from Kindergarten to 4th grade and had some great years there. Pretty excited to go back and give back to a school that gave me so much. I will be in the classroom with Kristine Chalk, a former teacher of mine at Vail Mountain School.

S






  

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Back to the Mountains of Colorado

I had a great time out in Lake Placid at the US Ski Team intensity camp. When I left off I was just into the first week of training and the rest of the second week proved to be just as good as the first. We had some good time trails and some good group workouts.

One of the big workouts of the week was the Climb to the Castle. This race is one that I have done 3 years now and it climbs 2,000 vertical feet in 5 miles. It, traditionally, is a skate rollerski race but because of a foot issue I am having (specifically posterior tibial tendonitis) I had to classic the race. Going into the race I am not sure what I was expecting for a result. I knew it was going to be a completely different kind of race. As the race started I found myself at the back of the pack, fearing that if I started on the front line I would either be passed or start out too hard. I found myself in the middle of the pack about 300m up the hill and then began to pass some people. I was keeping pace with the front pack, but they were still about 100 feet ahead.

I ended up finishing 5th overall, skaters and classic skiers.

I caught a hard time at the end of the race. I knew I would. No one wants to be passed by someone with another technique, in this case, classic skiing. I know I wouldn't. But regardless, its not going to keep me from trying my absolute hardest. I averaged about a 185bpm heart rate and maxed out at 189 with a low heart rate of 180. I strode the whole way, naturally causing a sore back, and was able to kick double-pole two short, flatter sections. A good effort for me.

We ended the camp with an OD classic ski and some more speeds for Green Racing Project racer, Tim Reynolds, myself and teammate, Mike Vigers.

I love being back in the east after missing it for a couple months at a time. We had an amazing family, The McClellands house us for a second year in a row. We ate well, slept in comfy beds, took outdoor showers, went cliff jumping, rested, and had a great time. I look forward to this camp every year and will continue to do so.

Some articles on the camp if you are interested:

Placid Sprint Race
http://fasterskier.com/2011/09/small-group-drives-usst-camp/

Climb to the Castle Report
http://fasterskier.com/2011/09/freeman-continues-reign-as-king-of-the-castle-edges-burke/

Pictures from Climb to the Castle
http://fasterskier.com/2011/09/climb-to-the-castle-photo-gallery/

Video from Climb to the Castle
http://fasterskier.com/2011/09/climb-to-the-castle-race-video/

I am attaching another article written about the decline of financial assistance in the US
http://fasterskier.com/2011/08/budget-cuts-and-european-focus-drive-elimination-of-supertour-prize-money/

"As an example, Vordenberg pointed to the recent addition of B-team athletes Noah Hoffman and Tad Elliott to the Team Homegrown squad, where they will receive financial support from the Ski and Snowboard Club of Vail" - Fasterskier


A good article and points out why outside assistance is in much need right now. I feel lucky and honored to be apart of a program like In-The-Arena (ITA) for this reason. ITA will be the reason that I will be able to compete where and when I need to. Thanks a million Amory and ITA!


Below are some pictures of the week in Placid. I'll be putting up a video sometime in the next month. Off to Park City for another camp here on October 10th. 
Men's leaders on the Climb (Bib 67 is my teammate Tad Elliott)
Sylvan heading around the second to last switchback on the Climb to the Castle
View from the top of the Climb to the Castle

Sylvan leading the first sprint quarterfinal








Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Shaping up in Placid

We have been in Lake Placid now for a week and have had a great amount of intensity workouts and volume. It is great to be back here because I lived here for a summer between my Junior and Senior year in college. I had a great time here and it always brings me back when I come stay. Staying in the Adirondacks is always comfortable, cozy, and fun. We have another week left here but am excited for the rest of our week. We have been training with the US Ski Team here and it has been great to mix it up with the guys here and the other teams in attendance.

Here is a shot of Kris Freeman (USST), Noah Hoffman (USST/Team HomeGrown, myself (in the white) and Tad Elliott (USST/Team HomeGrown).
As for my placement in the community, I am in the process of looking for the perfect placement for the school year. I am looking to work in an multilingual elementary school in Edwards, CO. Good stuff coming up.

More updates to come from the camp!

Skol,
Sylvan

Friday, September 2, 2011

Enjoying the Last Days of Summer

It has been quite the summer loaded with volunteering, work, playing, and training. An amazing summer at that. During the past couple of weeks I have put in some good training hours and some good, important resting hours.

I recently returned from one of my best friend's cabins in Ontario, Canada. A very unique place, where the only access is by boat and there is no electricity. I have been going up there since I was a freshman in high school and have never had as much fun in my life as when I am up there. 5am fishing trips to catch nothing but lily pads, wake boarding, wake surfing, water skiing, porch-sittin', book-readin', laughing 'till our cheeks are sore, and running are all apart of the Lake Wah Wash Kesh experience.

Before we took off to Canada we had a day in Washington D.C. to explore.

Sarah and I in front of the White House. If you look close you can see President Obama waving a sign that says, "Welcome Sylvan and Sarah to my giant white house and my giant white lawn!"
After visiting Canada, we arrived back in Vail in the midst of the US Pro Cycling Challenge. This race was an awesome experience because the valley or the state hasn't seen this caliber of racing since the Coors Classic in the 80's and 90's. The Challenge just so happened to have the Top-3 finishers from the Tour de France, along with a strong contingency of other riders. The crowds were unbelievable. Most of the pictures that you see below had to be taken a couple rows back or up high to even try and get a shot of the rider coming by.

Our beautiful Colorado flag 50m from the finish of the Vail Uphill TT
Christian Vande Velde
Levi Leipheimer on his way to winning and taking the Overall
We arrived that morning at Ski and Snowboard Club Vail knowing that we were going to run to the TT, but didn't know how. We ended up running 4.5 hours up and over the top of Vail and into a gully that brought us out to the end of the TT. A great time followed by a great time.

Heading up to the top of Benchmark
Top of Benchmark overlooking the road the TT'ers went up
Currently I am still looking for my next volunteer opportunity in the valley. Right now it looks as if I will be working at Edwards Elementary in a unique environment where English is spoken on one day and then Spanish the next. Still in the process of cementing my time there.

Yes'm...

Sylvan


Wednesday, August 24, 2011

A Summer of Footsteps

This summer I had the privilege to work with some pretty amazing middle school students at my former high school in Vail. SummerQuest is a program that I have always wanted to be apart of since growing up in Vail, but have never had the chance to do so because of other work/training commitments during the month of July. SummerQuest is a long-time running program in its 16th year of operation. It is a program that outreach program hosted by Vail Mountain School for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students throughout Eagle County who have been identified as being talented but in need of remediation.

Our days consisted of fun and learning. School began at 8. Homebase until 8:30. Mathematics at 9. Outdoor activity at 9:45. Language Arts at 10:15. Electives (i.e. soccer, art, cooking, astrology) at 11. Everybody returning to their houses by noon. This schedule provided a way for students to learn and know that it was going to be a good time. Every kid that has ever talked about SummerQuest only has one thing to say about it, "Fun!" So it has to be a great mix of teaching methods, the people that teach them, and the reputation of the program that helps SummerQuest be so successful.

This July I was in charge of the 8th grade homebase, 8th grade math, and 7th grade language arts. I was joined by two other teachers, which made the student-teacher ratio in the class 3:1. A pretty good way to keep all of your students involved. We had a great time laughing, studying, and enjoying our summer together.

My 8th graders!

I was also fortunate enough to talk with a group of upcoming 9th graders about my life as a professional athlete and was able to connect to them because it wasn't out of reach and because it was a smaller sport. I essentially talked them about drive, passion, and having fun. I said if they could incorporate those into anything they were interested in, they could be successful.

A "Thank You" from the 9th graders I had the chance to speak with

Besides my summer placement my summer has been filled with other work, training, and travelling. I have been able to get some solid training in these cool, Colorado mountains. There is an awesome summer running series here in Vail that I do every summer and has been successful. I recently got engaged to my best friend, Sarah Wright, who was also an NCAA Nordic Skier for the University of New Hampshire. That was very exciting (and nerve-racking). I recently returned from a 10 day "rest-sesh," I call it, visiting Sarah's family and part of my family in the Midwest and continued onto Canada. My best friend from college has an old cabin on a lake up there that has no electricity or access to the cabin by road. Always have a great time there.

The write up in the paper about Sarah and I!

My coach, Dan Weiland, and I about 200m into the 10k@10,000ft

Sarah and I canoeing the flooded St. Croix River on the Minnesota/Wisconsin border.

Now onto solidifying my next In-The-Arena project. I can't wait. SummerQuest helped foster my love for working with kids, so I feel as if I'm on a good track right now.

Best! S

Thursday, July 7, 2011

SummerQuest et al.

I am ecstatic about becoming and In-The-Arena athlete. The Nordic community in the US is so small and I would even go as far as saying we are a big family with the same amount of time fighting, but also having a fun, loving relationship. It was some of these members from my Nordic family that talked so highly of In-The-Arena and how their experience with this unique program has influenced their lives profoundly. I still know former In-The-Arena athletes that are still very much apart of the community projects they started years ago.

I am very excited to be apart of my community project called SummerQuest. This is a program that started 16 years ago at my high school alma mater, Vail Mountain School in Colorado. I was never able to be apart of the program growing up because of my busy summer schedules of ski camps, work, and summer adventure. While my summer schedule hasn’t really gotten any less busy, my ability to time manage has gotten better. My program is one that is unique to our valley because it gives rising 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students the opportunity for educational success and is designed for students whose home, language and socio-economic circumstances may have diminished their affinity for schoolwork. It will be a great experience to be able to see students who want to get ahead in their studies over the summer come to SummerQuest and study, have fun, and study.

In terms of Nordic skiing, my summer of training has been great so far. We just got back from training on snow in Bend, Oregon for 10 days. Being able to ski this time of the year is a great way to kick off the training year and get motivated for the 700+ hours I will be training this year. I will compete in running and biking races all summer to keep my competitive spirit alive and will have plenty of training partners to push the pace all summer long. I hope to keep all my followers engaged though the next months and years. I can’t wait to see what happens!