Hi there!
I’m in Finland getting ready for my first World Cup race of the season on Saturday. I thought this was a good time to share some of my season goals and plans for those who like to follow along, and to offer an opportunity to support me if you feel like it.
Last season recap
I skied in my first World Cup races last season, and won my first SuperTour. My best World Cup result was 36th in the Canmore Classic Sprint (4th American), and the SuperTour win was also a classic sprint. My distance skiing improved steadily, but wasn’t quite at the same level as my sprinting. I got starts on the World Cup this season from those results, which is why I’m here now!
Goals
Last year, all I wanted in the world was to qualify for the Minneapolis World Cup. Fortunately, I did, and it was the coolest experience of my life. I feel satisfied from that experience, and I feel like anything I achieve going forward is icing on the cake. Maybe that feeling will fade, but hopefully not ;). With that said, here are the things I have used as motivation fuel during the training season, and the things I’m working toward (with an acceptance that results-based goals are not entirely within my control).
Qualify for sprint heats on the World Cup (a top 30)!
Skiing heats is as fun as it gets
Qualify for more World Cups
Right now I am riding out last-season’s success. After period 1, everyone has to re-earn their starts and it’s never a given.
Even-out my disciplines
Which means improving distance racing to match sprint results, and improving skate sprinting to match my classic results. Don’t want to be a one trick pony, as they say.
Top 3 in a National Championship individual event
Last year I got 2nd in a sprint qualifier but not in the final, and 2nd in a team sprint.
Plans
Nov 30th: Ruka, Finland - Classic Sprint
Dec 7th: Lillehammer, Norway - Skate Sprint (New plan as of today!)
Dec 14th: Davos, Switzerland - Skate Sprint (New plan as of today!)
January: Anchorage, Alaska - US Nationals
Period 3: TBD
February: Cable, Wisconsin - American Birkebeiner
Period 4: TBD
Late March: Lake Placid, New York - SuperTour Finals
Be a part of it!
There’s a fundraiser happening right now for the National Nordic Foundation (NNF), which is a huge direct support for my season and many other US skiers.
Last year, NNF ended up covering 70% of my entire World Cup bill (thousands of dollars) because people like you helped me get to my $1000 fundraising goal. In other words, those dollars went a really long way.
If you have enjoyed these blogs, if you want to support my season, or if you want to support US Skiing as a whole, it would mean a lot to me if you’d consider donating to my athlete page here: https://nationalnordicfoundation.networkforgood.com/projects/241618-renae-anderson-s-fundraiser (EDIT: I reached my goal - thank you so much, this is hugely meaningful for my season. If you want to support me individually, I made a GoFundMe here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/smjm6z-support-my-racing-journey )
Thanks for reading. Ruka World Cup starts tomorrow if you want some entertainment this weekend! 10k classic tomorrow, then sprint, then 20k skate on Sunday.
-Renae
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