Sigrid Aas will be traveling a lot over the next couple of months.
Aas, a senior on the University of Alaska Fairbanks ski team, performed so well at the recent Norwegian National Championship that she earned a spot on the national team and will be competing at the Stockholm World Cup Classic Sprint this Thursday, February 19 in Sweden.
"It is no surprise to me at all that Sigrid made the national team," said UAF Ski Coach Bill McDonnell. "She has the tendency to get better as the season goes on and based on where she was at the US National Championships, I believed the probability of her skiing very well at the Norwegian National Championships was quite high. It really is incredible. The level of the best women in Norway is very high.
"I actually think Sigrid can ski better than she's doing right now. Her skiing is progressing at the rate it should be, so I don't believe we've seen her best. You need a little bit of luck to be successful at the World Cup level and your skis have to be just right on that day. If all that's working for her in those races, good health, good skis, and some good luck; I know her results will be excellent. It is very gratifying to see someone coming out from the UAF program being capable of skiing with the best skiers in the world."
Aas will definitely be busy. She will follow the Stockholm World Cup with two more World Cup sprint competitions in the Trondheim World Cup Freestyle and the Drammen World Cup Classic, both in Norway. After that she will head back to the United States to compete with her Nanook teammates in the Central Collegiate Ski Association Regional Championship in Houghton, MI on February 28-29.
And after that, Aas and the rest of the UAF ski team will take part in the NCAA Ski Championships, March 10-13, near Reno, NV.
"This is the best thing that could have happened to her," McDonnell said. "After competing in the World Cup events, Sigrid's confidence should be ski high when she skis in the NCAA Championship. There's no telling how well she will do as long as she stays healthy. That's the key. If she's healthy at the national championship, she will be hard to beat."
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