Image Optical Sponsors a National Contendor

Lots of Races, Lots of Places

Reese Hanneman
What a whirlwind this winter has been so far! It makes me tired just thinking about all of the races I have done, places I have gone, and the endless hours of traveling I have endured since the snow began falling. Looking back, I realized that I have been in Alaska for six days between November 19th and now, February 3rd. And I still have a few more weeks of racing to do before I come home for a short mid-season break!
It started off in the Lower 48, with the big season opener SuperTour races in West Yellowstone around Thanksgiving. The snow conditions were surprisingly good, and we actually got stuck in a few serious blizzards! I had some pretty good results, but the thin air up there at such high altitude made it a very tough series of races.
Next, it was on to Canada for the NorAms, which are probably the most competitive races in North America. The best skiers from the US and Canada are pitted against each other for a few weekends in a row, and most of American and Canadian Olympians were there, making the racing super intense! I had a 9th and 10th place finish in the sprints, which I was really pumped about, considering that I was competing against some of the fastest guys on the continent. I hope that next year I can beat a lot of them! But we will see...
After spending a week in Fairbanks for the holidays, I flew out to the middle-of-nowhere Maine for US National Championships. Having never been to that part of the rural East coast, it was certainly a new experience for me. The snow was a little thin which made things sort of sketchy, but they were able to hold all of the races. I was feeling really, really good in the classic sprint, which is probably my best event, and I was thinking that I could have a really great race. However, in one of my heats, I was involved in a big crash, where another racer took me down from behind. I was pretty bummed, but that is just a part of sprint racing I guess!
Luckily, I did well enough at Nationals to be named to the US Under-23 World Championship team. That meant that I left directly from Maine, and flew to Helsinki, Finland for a week-long training camp. Training in Finland reminded me a lot of skiing in Fairbanks; fairly, cold, dark, and even the trees looked similar.
Next, it was on to the ferry, across the Baltic Sea, to Estonia for World Championships. There, I focused on the sprint race, and I ended up having a pretty decent result. Although my goal was to be in the top 12, I was happy with 24th place, which is against all of the best sprinters in the world who are under 23 years of age. One of the coolest things about these World Championship races is that they are shown live on Eurosport TV to all of Europe, meaning that millions of people were watching me race right as it was happening!
Right now I am in Latvia, getting ready for some more big races. Basically, all of the best skiers from Europe will be racing, so there will be great opportunities to get some good race experience! I cant wait to throw down with all of the speed that I have!
All of this racing and traveling costs a lot of money; even though I am a part of the US Ski Team and am representing the United States at World Championship events, I still have to come up with all of my own funding. That is why I am especially thankful for Image Optical’s continued support this season! Without their help, I wouldn’t be able to do this!
I am really looking forward to the rest of the season, and there should be lots of exciting racing left!

Magnetic interchangeable lenses

Ever wish you could make one pair of sunglasses work for every lighting situation? Now you can. Switch Vision has created a frame that allows you to change out lenses easily. Each frame comes with 3 sets of lenses: one for bright light, low light and glare. These glasses are very user friendly due to the magnetic attachment point located in the frame and lens. To get a closer look and hands on experience come in and ask to see Switch.

Image Optical Sponsors Local Skier with Olympic Dreams

It has been another amazing Alaskan summer. With the arctic winters consuming a majority of our year, it seems that we Alaskans have gotten used to cramming asmany warm-weather activities into our precious sunny months as we can. This summer was no exception.

As an elite cross-country ski racer, I spend much of my time outside doing a large assortment of activities. The training that is done in the summer is actually the most important factor in a skier’s winter success, and so a lot of my time is spent with this in mind.

The early summer months were filled with bike racing and triathlons. Fairbanks has a great cycling scene, and the Tour of Fairbanks is one of, if not THE best, bike race in the state. I raced alongside my younger brother Logan against the best riders in Alaska, and out of the 4-day, 5-stage race, we were each able to come away with one stage win apiece and 5^th and 6^th overall respectively.

Triathlons are also a fun way to stay in shape. Having to do three different sports within the same race makes it extremely challenging, but it’s a blast! The Eagle River Triathlon is a super competitive event with thousands of people turning out to race; I felt really good and took 3^rd overall, setting an age group course record in the process.

By mid-summer, it was time to get serious about ski training. This means lots of running, rollerskiing, and strength training. But one of the coolest experiences of the summer was getting to ski on a glacier for two week-long on-snow training camps. The Thomas Training Center is on the Eagle Glacier, in the Chugach Mountains behind Girdwood. It is a full-service cross-country ski training center, with almost 10k of groomed trails. The weather can be gnarly, with dense clouds, howling wind, and blowing rain all possibilities. The waterproof lenses on my Oakley’s from Image Optical really showed their benefits as I skied for hours and hours through some of the most moist conditions possible. The flat light and mist made having perfect eyewear not a luxury, but a necessity. Of course, when the clouds clear and the sun comes out, it is one of the most beautiful places I have seen.

Now as we near the end of fall, I am looking forward to another season of ski racing. I hope to build on the successes of last winter, and continue to represent the United States at the highest levels of international competition. I would like to thank Image Optical for supporting me in these endeavors and my pursuit of the Olympic dream.

by Reese Hanneman

Vision Expo West 2010

Our staff, along with thousands of other eyecare professionals, traveled to Vegas to attend the annual Vision Expo West. We recieved valuable education, viewed the latest in fashion for eyewear, and also discovered a fabulous new line which will be arriving shortly (pictured above).

Okay... we also had a little fun! We met Randy Couture who was modeling for Revolution eyewear and saw Cher up close and personal. Even on a business trip we still remember, "it's all about having fun at Image Optical!"

The Latest Fashion is a Blast From the Past

Come in to see how you look in the new Geek Chic.

With school just around the corner, we know that all of that school shopping puts a dent in your wallet and we want to help out a bit! Through the month of August, lenses for students are $25 off.... be sure to mention that you are a student or the parent of one!

Your IPhone and "Virtual Mirror"

Silhouette introduced the world to new technology in 2000 by inventing titanium rimless eyewear that replaced nuts and bolts with an ingenious sleek two prong sleeve. Image Optical made sure to bring you this great eyewear and many of you have enjoyed the benefits. They have been more durable, lighter, and don't require the constant tightening of its predecessor.

Now they have created Virtual Mirror so that you can see yourself in any of their frames which come in a variety of shapes and colors. And you don't even have to take your glasses off to try them on. By downloading their app at www.silhouette.com/iphoneapp you can upload a picture of yourself and simply follow the instructions provided. Of course to see them on in person come by and ask one of the ladies at Image Optical to help you find the perfect fit!