Sara Studebakerova

Hello from Czech! We’re currently in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic, site of the 2013 World Championships, for World Cup 5. The post-Christmas World Cups can so far be summed up in one word: windy. Oberhof, Germany (site of World Cup 4) is known for it’s wind, and while the women’s sprint was relatively calm, our stay there saw all kinds of weather. So far, Nove Mesto is proving to be the same. Everyday we’ve come to the range to find the same wind from the left side, often with big gusts. Yesterday, during the women’s sprint, the weather added lots of snow to the mix in the middle of the race. It seems anything can happen here…but that’s biathlon, right?

We've all been getting used to our Czech names (which consist of the announcer adding -ova to the end of all the women's names) and it will be strange to be Sara Studebaker again next week when we head to Antholz. I'm looking forward to it...we're hoping for some sun!

And now, some pictures of 2012 so far:

It was a little bit windy in Oberhof...and Nove Mesto for that matter!

Various long car ride activities...

Stretching is important post-race.

We found this beautiful church in the town we're staying in here in Czech. The walls form a star pattern and inside is a cemetery. It was a little wind-swept on top, but the views were great!

Jet Lag and God Jul and Jet Lag

Beautiful, snowy Hochfilzen!

How crazy the past few weeks have been! And when I say crazy, I mean that in the best possible way. From Hochfilzen home to Idaho for Christmas, then back to Germany 13 days later. While there was no snow in Boise, I was able to get some good training in up in Ketchum/Sun Valley area. It was great skiing with my brother and Zach, and spending quality time with my family. We had our usual Christmas Eve party with lots of good friends, food and cheer; it was nice not to think about biathlon for a couple weeks and just enjoy being home.

Coach Armin on the range during the mixed relay. I had a great leg, tagging off just 14 seconds back from the leader. It was a great race to end December on!

While home I went to practice with the Bogus Basin Junior Nordic Team. It was great to connect with my old club and show them some new exercises...but boy did it make me sore!

Our Christmas Eve Smörgåsbord beginning to take shape...don't worry, there's much more than this!

I arrived today in Oberhof, Germany where it has, unfortunately, been raining for two days. All the snow they had is nearly gone, and the organizers are scrambling to make things ready in time for the races. Our women's group is down to three since this week is also the second round of World Cup trials in Forni Avoltri, Italy. This means we won't have a relay team on Wednesday, but hopefully we can qualify one or two for the first mass start of the year on Sunday! We'll see what the conditions bring, but whatever happens, I'm excited to be back on the circuit and looking forward to racing on Friday!

Happy Holidays and Best Wishes for 2012! ~Sara