Caitlin Compton

Hey Everyone,

I am back and it is officially the new year!!!

Last year brought lots of adventures and travels and the Olympics! I am so thankful for everyone support and encouragement over the years. I could have never made it without all of you!

I am psyched to be back in Minneapolis and in my sweet apartment by Theo Wirth park. Lahti and I have been hitting up the awesome trails in the park and I got out for my first rollerski in the neighborhood last night.

My spring has been busy and of course I feel like I am totally out of shape from the break in training but I have learned that this break makes me even more excited to start training and my body very grateful for the rest! So if you see me out training please do not make fun of my slow pace, I need to start somewhere, I still have a number of months until the first races and I will speed up again

I am enjoying supporting other people in their pursuits this spring…my friends and their kids do so many amazing things. I am so impressed and excited to now cheer them on too.

More to come soon.

I just wanted to write a HUGE thank you to Ben Kremer. Ben was the often silent, other half (sometimes more) part of my Olympic Journey. He spent countless hours over the past few years doing his part to be in relationship with an athlete training for the Olympics. He was the “man behind the curtain.”

Ben had himself competed for many years with aspirations of qualifying for the Olympic Games. His sport was Biathlon and he also trained out of the Twin Cities and Elk River. He was close but had to retire due to the economic demands of his sport and the lack of funding and prize money. He had to retire and get a “real full-time job”. He knew the struggles of an athlete trying to achieve their best and could relate to what I was going through for the past 4 years. It was a huge help to have his uncompromising support week in and week out. He often drove not only me, but tons of other skiers in the area down the hills that were too steep, videoing hours of me skiing, and running with me on the same boring route when the weather was terrible and he really didn’t want to go.

It was awesome to have his support for my “Olympic Journey” and I know I could not have made it without him.  He has put a lot of his life on hold for me and he is now ready to dive into tackling his next dream. He helped me with all of my marketing/sponsorship/ and website design. He is incredibly talented and a very versitle Graphic Designer. You should check out his website at www.kremerdesign.com and view some of the other work he has done over the years ( between giving me splits at Nationals!!!).

Thanks again Ben for Everything you have done

Team Sprint with Kikkan Randal – 6th Overall

Olympics – 15K Pursuit – 43rd (23rd Fastest Skate Leg)

Full Results

30th Place – Full Results

2010 U.S. OLYMPIC CROSS COUNTRY SKI TEAM

Morgan Arritola, Ketchum, ID, 23, 5/13/86
Caitlin Compton, Minneapolis, 29, 11/7/80
Kris Freeman, Andover, NH, 29, 10/14/80 (2002, 2006)
Torin Koos, Leavenworth, 29, 7/19/80 (2002, 2006)
Andy Newell, Shaftsbury, VT, 25, 11/30/84 (2006)
Kikkan Randall, Anchorage, 27, 12/31/82 (2002, 2006)
James Southam, Anchorage, 31, 6/5/78 (2006)
Liz Stephen, Montpelier, VT, 22, 1/12/87

(name, hometown, age as of opening ceremonies, birthdate, (past Olympics))
Source: USSA

More info:

http://fasterskier.com/2010/01/ussa-announces-2010-olympic-team/

There are only a few 2009-2010 Caitlin Compton signed Limited-Edition posters. The cost for the poster is $20, and please include to whom the poster should be signed to, and if necessary an address to ship to. Please include the cost of shipping with your payment (probably about $5 to the Continental US). Local delivery may be available in the Twin Cities area. If you would like your very own poster signed by Caitlin and delivered to you, it can be done in two ways;

• Send money directly – mail a check to:
  Caitlin Compton
  225 Cedar Lake Road North
  Minneapolis, MN 55405
• Paypal Donation link:
  

A huge thanks to everyone who contributes. If you have any questions about thoughts on other ways to sponsor please see the Sponsorship page for information and how to contact me further. Thanks, Caitlin

We all made it to Silver Star. So far everything has been going really well. We will be skiing in the morning and it will still be really cold. This year we are staying in condos a little bit closer to the Soverign Lakes Trails. The girls have their own, the coaches have their own, and the boys have their own. We have Rebecca, Maria, Kristina Owen and I staying here right now. Jesse Diggins will be here for the weekend.

Phew!!!

After a very busy month of training and fundraising Brandan and I are off for my Olympic Qualification races!

This has been one of the most challenges years for me (for many reasons) yet I am so motivated and excited to start the season off strong and continue to get faster every week

Brandan and I are under one of the tightest budgets imaginable. We are leaving with just enough money (not all the fundraised checks have cleared yet) to get to West Yellowstone. Please check in often to hear funny stories (that’s right Dave I will have more to share!) and news of success from both of us.

I cannot thank everyone who helped organize and come to both my Fundraisers eanough! You were all incredible and I wouldn’t be heading out West without your help. I am so lucky that there are such wonderful people in the Twin Cities Ski Community. I know I will make you all proud

A few people I would like to thank here are: Piotr Bednarski, Ben Kremer, Cheryl + Jeff DuBois, Kate Ellis + John Harrer, Kuan + Heidi Teoh, Angie Robinson, Dave Christoperson, Mary Vancura, Kevin +Deb Ivens, Brandan Ostroot, Ahvo Taiple, Jan Guenther, Andy Turnball, Rudi Hargesheimer (Midwest Mountaineering), Kim Rudd, Mary-Beth Tuttle, Luke Skinner, Fast Wax, Ian Harvey, John Munger,  Peter Hanson, Bruce Adlesman and everyone else who contributed to the silent auction items. I would also like to thank the huge crowds that showed up for my fundraiser, and those who could not, who sent their words encouragement and support for this journey. I will never forget what you have done!

I have learned so much from my experience this year and what I have taken from this all is…creating an Elite Racing Team is more than just talking about it. This takes a lot of planning, sacrifice and money. Anyone out there considering starting their own team should have a very thorough budget and business plan before they start recruiting athletes. Especially very poor athletes (no matter how fast they are!) I give CXC and the US Biathlon Team a lot of credit now that I have seen how difficult this all is and how far they helped me get. I hope I can help other athletes in the future pursue their dreams by sharing my experiences and guiding them to the best opportunities available.

I will leave you with a quote I received from a very nice gentelman at the Mobil station where the van is being prepared for the trip.

“The race is not won by the swift and the quick, it is won by the one who endures to the finish.”