Kincaid Park lands US Championships

Tue, Jul  8, 2008 - By Beth Bragg

Kincaid Park will be the center of the cross-country skiing universe for the next two winters -- as far as Americans are concerned.

The next two national championships -- including those in 2010, which will help determine the members of the 2010 U.S. Olympic team -- will be held in Anchorage, officials with the Nordic Ski Association of Anchorage said Monday.

The championships will bring about 300 out-of-state skiers to town and could pump close to $1 million into the Anchorage economy each of the two years.

But for Alaska skiers, the real value of the events -- especially the 2010 championships, which will happen the month before the Winter Olympics in Vancouver -- is the opportunity to ski on familiar trails for a series of races that can make or break a career.

But to native Kikkan Randall, the biggest aspect of a home-snow advantage "is getting to sleep in our own beds."

Complete story in the Anchorage Daily News.