I finally felt compelled to raise my fists in celebration after I crossed the finish line. I didn’t come across the line in first, so why celebrate as I did especially in this society where if your not first your last? It has been a while since I put together a run that I was truly happy with and proud to call my own. Even if I ended up in 15th place, I would have been pleased with my performance.

From Sugarbush I packed the truck and made my way up interstate 91 across the Derby country line into Canada. I made my approach late Tuesday night and was rewarded with an easy drive to Quebec City, where I made an accidental wrong turn and found myself in the heart of the city. After breaking out the old Rand McNally I quickly diverted back onto the highway and fallowed signs to the classic World Cup venue of Mont Sainte Anne. I found an uninhibited patch of earth near the base of the mountain and with the excitement of the...

Lucia Oetjen wins bronze at the Four Cross European Championships and targets the World Cup! The Four Cross European Championships took place in Szczawno in Poland at one of the world's most beautifully situated and well maintained Four Cross-Tracks. A scenario almost like a golf course!The crowds and the atmosphere on the tracksite were just amazing. For further enjoyment in the Swiss Team, my result helped a bit. After a relatively hard fight in the final run I left the BMX Olympic participant Romana Labounkova (Czech Republic) behind me and take the bronze medal back home....

Pulling the RV in late on a moonless night, it wasn't until morning that we took in the gargantuan masses of striated dirt and rock, compressed and shaped by eons of time, looming against the horizon. 

The familiar feeling of butterflies in our stomachs strikes us every time as we travel to new destinations. With excitement and anticipation, we forge ahead into 2012.

How do you put into words something that is indescribable? I'm sure that many of those that are blessed with the companionship of a dog understand what I am speaking of. The richness dogs bring to our lives; simply put, our dogs are an integral part of the heart and soul of our family.