Ski Buffs Competing Worldwide

BOULDER - Several current and former Buffs have been active worldwide early in the ski season with action taking place all over the world including Canada, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Austria, and here in the United States.

This is the second update of the pre-college racing season and while many current Buffs were active earlier in November, the focus the shifted to some former Buffs as we moved into December.

Former Alpine Buffs

Stef Fleckenstein, who has one season of eligibility remaining and is taking a year off of CU to focus on an Olympic push, had her first World Cup appearance in four years at Lake Louise, Canada, where she took part in two downhill races and one Super G race. She took 38th and 39th in the two downhill races and was 41st in the Super G Dec. 3-5.

Fleckenstein then stayed in Lake Louise for Nor-Am Cup races this week, taking first and second in training runs and then winning the NorAm downhill race Wednesday. Currently ranked 122nd in the world in downhill, her 38th place World Cup finish and win in the Nor-Am give her two performances and point totals that could push her closer to a top 100 ranking.

She continues NorAm cup action at Lake Louise for the rest of this week into the weekend. Her win gives her an early lead in the Nor-Am Cup standings.

Former Nordic Buffs

On the Nordic side, former Buffs Petra Hyncicova, Alvar Alev and Joanne Reid began their respective World Cup seasons, as well.

Hyncicova was in Lillehammer, Norway, for the second World Cup of the season, finishing 32nd in the freestyle sprint, 44th in the 10K freestyle and her Czech team took 14th in the 4.5K relay race Dec. 3-5.

Prior to that, the World Cup schedule got underway at Ruka, Finland, in late November and Alev took 63rd in the freestyle sprint, 43rd in the 15K classic and he didn't start the 15K freestyle pursuit. The next World Cup races for both men and women are in Davos, Switzerland, Dec. 11-12, where current Buffs Karolina Kaleta and Weronika Kaleta will both participate.

Reid also got her Biathlon World Cup season underway in Ostersund, Sweden, where she took 80th in the 15K individual race, and 84th and 102nd in two 7.5K sprint races while the US team was 13th in the 6K relay race. She was the second American in the 15K individual and third in the two sprint races. Those races also took place Dec. 2-5. Next up for Reid is the World Cup in Hochfilzen Dec. 10-12.

Current Alpine Buffs

As for the current contingent of Buffaloes, the alpine teams were mostly quiet on the racing front since the season-opening Nor-Am races at Copper Mountain November.

Magdalena Luczak is in Europe competing in both European Cup and World Cup races ahead of the college season. She took 19th in a European Cup GS race at Mayrhofen, Austia, and remained in Austria for two slalom races at Pass Thyrn. Her week ahead is busy with races scheduled in both Andalo (Dec. 11-12) and Valle Aurina (Dec. 15-16) in northern Italy.

The remainder of the women's alpine team and the men's alpine team were home training at Eldora since the series at Copper Mountain and several will next head to Panorama, Canada, for NorAm Cup races Dec. 14-18.

Current Nordic Buffs

On the Nordic side, since the Buffs training week over Thanksgiving on Rabbit Ears pass near Steamboat Springs, four men's skiers began their official racing seasons.

Ryan Jackson competed in the Western Canada Cup races in Vernon, British Columbia, and he took 10th in the sprint race and 15th in the 15K freestyle race there.

Meanwhile in Minnesota on the U.S. Super Tour, Magnus Boee, Will Koch and Alexander Maurer began their seasons. Boee took 15th in the sprint and 11th in the 10K freestyle races, Koch finished 21st in the sprint and 30th in the 10K freestyle race and Mauer was 44th in the sprint and 36th in the 10K freestyle.

The women's Nordic team has been busy training and the Kaleta's trip to Europe for the World Cup races in Davos will be the first racing action for any of them.

WUG Cancelled

The 30th Winter World University Games slated for Dec. 11-21 have been canceled, with the announcement coming just 13 days prior to the start of the games in Lucern, Switzerland. Former coach Richard Rokos was set to lead the US alpine team at the games and five Buffs were slated to compete, Kaitlyn Harsch and Bobby Ryan in alpine for Team USA, Filip Forejtek in alpine for the Czech Republic and Magnus Boee and Fredrik Nilsen in Nordic for Norway.

FISU issued the following statement.
"Following meetings of the Executive Committee of FISU and the Board of Directors of the Lucerne 2021 Winter Universiade Association, FISU and Lucerne 2021 have announced with deep regret that the Lucerne 2021 Winter Universiade scheduled for 11-21 December will no longer take place. Restrictions on international arrivals have been announced by Swiss authorities with regard to a number of countries where the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has been identified. Many more restrictions are expected in the coming days. Similar restrictions are also being announced by national authorities elsewhere, and the first case involving the Omicron variant has already been identified in Switzerland."

Players Mentioned

Magnus Boee

Stef Fleckenstein

Filip Forejtek

Kaitlyn Harsch

Ryan Jackson

Weronika Kaleta

Will Koch

Bobby Ryan

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