Kikkan Randall signs with U.S. ski team, Mat Maid.(MANUFACTURING)

At 23, Kikkan Randall is the top female U.S. cross-country skier and among the best in the world. She's young to have won five national championships, raced in two winter Olympics and placed fifth in last year's World Cup races.

In a country where most top athletes retire from sports by the time they reach 30, cross-country skiers often compete for a decade beyond that. "I'm on track to reach one of my ultimate goals--an Olympic medal--in 2010, at the Vancouver, BC, games," Randall said. "Getting there isn't a wham-bam achievement," she added. "It takes a healthy lifestyle, dedication, patience and making good decisions. These same values apply anywhere, whether you're talking about sports, school or work."

Matanuska Maid has just agreed to sponsor Randall at least another year, according to corporate marketing consultant and company spokesman Greg Galik. "Matanuska Maid has sponsored Kikkan's athletic efforts since 2003, and these sponsorships allow her to devote her time to training without having to work," he said. Randall said the generous sponsorship also includes a supply of Matanuska Maid Dairy products, "which contain important proteins and carbohydrates to sustain strong bones and to help regenerate muscles after tough workouts and racing."

The U.S. Cross-Country Ski Team for 2007 will include 14 racers. Tazlina Mannix of Anchorage, one of seven women to compete in World Cup races internationally, will join Randall, who also skis on the Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center team, on the U.S. team.

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