Nordic season not done just yet

Hey, ski friends, there is a lot of new news to get caught up on so let's scan the Nordic world for the latest.

Last week, Bjoern Einar Romoeren won the Norwegian national ski jumping championships -- salvaging some of his season. Anders Bardal was second in Vikersund. The Norwegian women's championship was won by Anette Sagen while Line Jahr was second and Helena Olsson Smeby was third.

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You probably know that Justyna Kowalczyk of Poland and Petter Northug of Norway took the overall World Cup titles for their respective season-long performances. This was Kowalczyk's second straight crown, while Northug took home his first overall title.

In regard to Kowalczyk, did you know that the Polish star started in 29 of 31 races this season and earned World Cup points in every race she entered? She took the title by a dominating point margin of 744 over Norway's Marit Bjoergen. Kowalczyk also took the titles in the sprint and distance Cups, as well.

The 24-year-old Northug took his first title after losing the battle of points at the World Cup finals last season. Northug became the first Norwegian man to win the overall title since Bjoern Daehli won it back in 1999. Lukas Bauer of the Czech Republic took second place overall, while Marcus Hellner of Sweden was third.

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A number of top international stars that have been with us for a long time have announced their retirements at season's end. They include skiers like the former World Cup champion and Tour de Ski winner Virpi Kuitunen, Sweden's Anna Olsson (formerly Dahlberg) and Canadian 2006 Olympic medalist Sara Renner of Canada. Italy's Sabina Valbusa has also announced her retirement and so has Laurence Rochat of Switzerland. Germany's long-time World Cup star Rene Sommerfeldt has stepped away for the time being, but he says to expect him back in a coaching role soon.

Also speaking of retirements: Milan Sperl, a long-time skier for the Czech Republic decided to call it a career at the recent Czech Nationals in Harrachov. Sperl won a bronze medal in the team sprint event at the World Nordic Championships in Sapporo. Despite his absence, the Czechs should still have a powerhouse team returning next season, including Lukas Bauer, Martin Jaks and Martin Koukal.

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You know how strong the Austrian ski jumping men are -- virtually unbeatable this season. The talent pipeline keeps that likelihood alive for future yeara. In the men's Continental Cup standings at season's end, the top three were all Austrian men. David Unterberger took the overall COC title followed by fellow Austrians 18-year-old double junior world championships medalist Michael Hayboeck. Third went to sometime World Cup jumper Manuel Fettner.

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This weekend, the French will hold their national championships for cross-country in Les Rousses, a town in the Jura region. Many will watch to see how French male stars Maurice Manificat and veteran Vincent Vittoz will do.

The world of Nordic action never ends, so continue to stay tuned.