From the FasterSkier archive — posts syndicated from athletes’ and coaches’ own blogs between 2004 and 2012, kept online as published. Current coverage is at fasterskier.com.
Job Posting: Golden Nordic Club Head Coach 2017- 2018
The Golden Nordic Ski Club in Golden, British Columbia, is seeking an enthusiastic, self motivated seasonal full time Head Coach with skills and integrity for the upcoming 2017/18 ski season, starting part time in October and November to more full time December to mid-April. He/She will work directly with the Skills Development Committee and the Board of Directors of the Golden Nordic Ski Club. This is a fantastic opportunity to become an integral part of Golden Nordic Clubs journey to grow our youth, racing and skills development programs!
The Head Coach shall be responsible for:
* Volunteer and Paid Coach coordination for Youth Programs
* Developing quality and sustainability of all our club programs with focus on youth
* Competitive Junior and Senior Race Team Coaching
* Skills development for Senior and Junior Race team members
* Provide any input for grant writing in conjunction with the Club’s grant writers
Researching applicable grants
Ensure timely and professional reporting to granters when required
* Responsible for staying with in the Programming Budget for expenses and meeting income targets
* Fund raising and promotion
To be done in conjunction with parent committee
* Management of youth and school program ski equipment, including skis, boots, poles
* Management of all equipment and supplies related to the competitive and regular programs
* Monthly reporting to the board of directors and season end detailed report
* Work with the Skills Development Committee to continue to offer high quality programs such as School Groups, Masters and a Women’s 55+ program and teach for these programs as well.
* Organize on snow training sessions for volunteer coaches (ICC and CC)
* The Club is considering a paid seasonal Program Coordinator position. This position requires proven coordination and supervisory experience. An appropriately qualified coach will be considered as a candidate to fill a combined role.
Requirements:
5+ years coaching experience
Previous racing experience preferred
Minimum T2T (Training to Train) preferred with commitment to continuing professional development.
Strong technical knowledge and love of Cross Country skiing
Excellent race support abilities
Competence in race waxing and basic equipment repair and maintenance
Current First Aid and CPR
CANSI certification (optional but nice to have)
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
Excellent at being a team member and working in cooperation with others!
Excellent Administration and Organizational Skills
Excellent ability to organize and motivate volunteers
Valid and clean driver’s license and vehicle for travel to races
Criminal Record check
There is also opportunity to live in the Dawn Mountain Chalet suite to be the caretaker for the Club of the Chalet. This would be a separate contract.
Finland’s Iivo Niskanen (c) celebrates his World Championship title as Norwegians Martin Johnsrud Sundby (l) and Niklas Dryhaug hoist him up on Wednesday after the men’s 15-kilometer classic race at the 2017 Nordic World Ski Championships in Lahti, Finland. (Photo FIS Cross-Country/Twitter)
FIS Nordic World Championships (Lahti, Finland): Men’s 15 k classic
After narrowly missing the victory in Sunday’s classic team sprint, Finland’s Iivo Niskanen got his gold, winning Wednesday’s men’s 15-kilometer individual classic start race at the 2017 Nordic World Ski Championships on Wednesday in Lahti, Finland. Niskanen covered the course in a time of 36:44.0, besting Norway’s Martin Johnsrud Sundby by 17.9 seconds.
Starting in bib 64, Niskanen didn’t take long to ski in the top spot, posting the fastest time from the 4.7 k mark until he finished. He held off Sundby, as well as Norwegian Niklas Dyrhaug, who started a minute behind Niskanen in bib 66 and ultimately finished in third (+31.3).
Missing the podium by 10.5 seconds was Russia’s Alexander Bessmertnykh in fourth, 41.8 seconds behind Niskanen’s winning time. Placing fifth (+53.2) was Didrik Tønseth of Norway. Russia’s Andrey Larkov took sixth (+53.2), while kazakhstan’s Alexey Poltoranin placed seventh (+1:06.3). The second Finn to finish in the top ten was Sami Jauhojaervi in eighth (+1:09.7). Ninth (+1:10.6) went to the former 2015 World Champion, Johan Olsson of Sweden, and his Swedish teammate, Calle Halfvarsson rounded out the top ten in tenth (+1:15.0).
Erik Bjornsen led the U.S. men, placing 18th (+1:56.7) after starting in bib 26. The second American to finish was Kyle Bratrud in 33rd (+3:11.5) followed by Andy Newell in 50th (+4:21.7) and Ben Lustgarten in 55th (+4:56.9).
Devon Kershaw led the Canadians, placing 35th (+3:24.8). Knute Johnsgaard was the next Canadian, finishing 56th (+5:00.7), followed by Jesse Cockney in 65th (+6:20.7).
The women’s 4 x 5 k relay takes place Thursday. The U.S. is slated to start (in no particular order): Jessie Diggins, Kikkan Randall, Liz Stephen, and Sadie Bjornsen.
FIS Nordic World Championships (Lahti, Finland): Nordic Combined large hill/10 k
Bryan Fletcher (U.S. Nordic Combined) jumping to 31st on the large hill in Lahti, Finland. He later finished the day in 31st in the 10 k Gundersen to lead his team. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)
Germany’s Johannes Rydzek racked up win #3 in as many nordic-combined competitions at the 2017 Nordic World Championships in Lahti, Finland, winning the individual large hill/10-kilometer Gundersen start on Wednesday.
The last individual competition of the championships began with Austria’s Mario Seidl jumping the farthest at 132.0 meters and earning 137.3 points. His Austrian teammate, Wilhelm Denifl finished second in the jumping portion, earning 125.7 points. Japan’s Akito Watabe was third for the jumping, with 123.8 points.
Competitors returned later in the day for the 10 k cross-country portion, with Rydzek racing to first after starting a minute back in fifth. Rydzek won the 10 k event in a time of 26:41.6. Just 4.8 seconds later, Watabe captured silver after starting 54 seconds back. The bronze medal went to France’s François Braud, who also started 54 seconds back and finished 13 seconds off Rydzek’s time.
Four U.S. Nordic Combined Team skiers contested the event. Bryan Fletcher led the Americans finishing 31st (+3:58.3), after jumping to 31st and starting 2:39 back. His brother, Taylor Fletcher was the second American to finish the cross-country portion, racing to 36th (+4:55.6) after jumping to 51st and starting 4:26 back.
Ben Berend (U.S. Nordic Combined) jumping to 21st to lead the U.S. on the large-hill jumping portion of Wednesday’s competition at 2017 Nordic World Championships in Lahti, Finland. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)
Ben Berend jumped the farthest for the Americans in 21st, and raced to 40th (+5:08.6) after starting 1:55 back.
The 21-year-old explained during an interview with FasterSkier that he sees his recent success in jumping as a result of not overthinking his efforts on the hill.
“Basically, I’ve just turned my mind off,” Berend said. “I didn’t take training yesterday, I’ve just been kind of not jumping as much as I usually do, and like when I’m at home I’m not thinking about ski jumping, I just kind of go up and do it and it’s working right now, and so I’m not going to change any of that. I’m just having fun, it’s been a blast.”
Adam Loomis finished the day in 44th (+5:47.9) after jumping to 45th and starting 3:29 back.
Canada’s Nathaniel Mah jumped to 52nd and finished the day in 52nd.
The U.S. Nordic Combined’s Bryan Fletcher (31) chasing Italy’s Alessandro Pittin on Wednesday in the individual large hill/10 k at the 2017 Nordic World Championships in Lahti, Finland. Fletcher finished 31st and Pittin placed 20th. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)
Biathlon Canada “Eh!” Teamer Scott Gow training in New Zealand this summer. (Courtesy photo)
Welcome to “17 Questions for 2017″, where we are catching up with American and Canadian national-team members before the beginning of the winter season.
***
Scott Gow’s World Cup season might not have started off as a barn-burner last year, but he made up for it later: the Canadian biathlete notched a season-best 34th place at home in Canmore, then headed to World Championships in Oslo where he finished 18th in the 20 k individual and then turned in a tough-as-nails performance to contribute to a bronze medal in the men’s relay.
Gow just turned 26 and is looking for more from the World Cup this season.
1. Biggest change in your life in the last five or so months since the ski season ended?
My Grandpa passed away in April, which left a huge hole in my mom’s side of the family. He was very old and his health was on the decline, but it was still tough to have him go.
2. Biggest change in your training?
I haven’t made any major changes in the structure of my training. I’m doing a little more volume this year, but that’s about it. My biggest change has been in my mental approach to training. I’m much harder on myself, from a mental standpoint, to iron out any inconsistencies in my shooting, ski technique, etc.
3. Major areas of improvement you’ve seen so far?
The Canadian men’s team training in Park City, Utah. (Courtesy photo)
I’ve seen some good improvements in shooting accuracy during high intensity and I’ve also seen my ski speed come up a bit over previous years.
4. Whom you’ve been working closest with this offseason (coaches or training partners)?
We are a very close team, so I’ve been working closest with Christian, Brendan, Nathan and Macx and our coach Matthias. We’ve had some excellent training sessions together just the six of us, and we’ve been having fun too.
5. Best trip in the last five months (and why)?
I love Park City, it’s my favorite training camp, but I would have to give it to New Zealand. I had never been to the southern hemisphere, and spending three weeks on snow in NZ was a ton of fun.
6. Favorite cross-training?
Normally I’m not a huge fan of running, but I do enjoy going running with my girlfriend and our dog. They make running infinitely more enjoyable
7. Favorite non-athletic activity or pastime this summer?
I enjoy booting up my xbox and playing online with my brothers. It can get heated but we all like playing with each other.
8. Song that was your jam this summer?
There isn’t one particular song. I’m a classic rock guy, so if the song was on the charts more than 20 years ago I’m probably listening to it.
9. All-time favorite race moment?
Gow (left) and the Canadian team celebrates their bronze medal before taking the podium for the 2016 World Championships men’s relay. (Photo: JoJo Baldus)
Hands down the relay in Oslo last year. It doesn’t get much better than winning a medal with your teammates and your brother on one of the world’s biggest stages
10. First thing you pack in your bag when you leave for Europe?
Wallet and passport. I’ve shown up to the airport without those two items before, and I’ll never make that mistake again
11. Venue/event you’re most excited to visit this season?
I’m excited to check out Korea. I’ve never been to Asia before so it will be an interesting experience
12. Who will win the World Cup title this year?
Biathlon: Simon Schempp and Marie Dorin Habert, Cross Country: Dario Cologna and Marit Bjorgen
13. Biggest sacrifice you feel you’ve made choosing this career path?
I’ve had to put my education and career on hold.
14. If you could change one thing about your sport, what would it be?
I would get rid of the politics that permeate all levels of the sport.
15. What did you have for breakfast this morning?
I had oatmeal and brown sugar with a banana
16. In 5 years, I’ll be ____?
Retired from skiing, and hating having to make my way in the real world
Adam Loomis exploring the mountains outside of Planica, Slovenia. (Photo: Ben Berend)
Welcome to “17 Questions for 2017″, where we are catching up with American and Canadian national-team members before the beginning of the winter season.
***
24-year-old Wisconsin native Adam Loomis has become one of U.S. Nordic Combined reliables, contributing to a number of top-eight team results over the last few years. After competing in his first senior World Championships in Falun, Sweden, in 2015, Loomis is targeting the Lahti World Championships this season for his best performances yet.
After scoring World Cup points three times in individual races in the 2014-2015 season, Loomis was left outside of the top 30 last season.
Biggest change in your life in the last five or so months since the ski season ended?
This year I spent April and May at an internship in Denver. The opportunity arose from one of USA Nordic’s sponsors, Basin Holdings. It was a totally new experience to work in a business setting – and great to gain some real world work experience. I really enjoyed my time in Denver and the office team that I worked with… but, at the end of the day, this time reaffirmed that life as a full-time athlete beats working in just about any office!
Biggest change in your training?
Adam Loomis (U.S. Nordic Combined B-Team) competing at the World Cup in January 2015 in Chaux-Neuve, France, where he scored his first World Cup points. (Photo: Sandra Volk)
This summer, we committed to an extended training camp in Europe. After Summer Grand Prix competitions in August, I stayed overseas with some of my teammates until late October. We rented an apartment near Planica, Slovenia, which is arguably the best venue for Nordic Combined in the world. Our coach, Martin Bayer, lives there now, which worked perfect. It was really beneficial for everyone – and a blast!
Major areas of improvement you’ve seen so far?
With the help of our new coach, Nik Huber, I put increased focus on strength training this summer. I’ve made some big headway improving the strength and speed of me legs. Of course the key will be to show it this winter!
Whom you’ve been working closest with this offseason (coaches or training partners)?
Overall, whether we’re in Park City or training overseas, we do most of our training as a team – which is key to our success. That said, when I’m in Park City, I probably do the most training with my brother, since we live together and his schedules been more lined up with mine this year than in the past.
Best trip in the last five months (and why)?
As I already mentioned – the time in Slovenia was great. A cool part of this was when we took trips from our base to train at other venues. Later in the trip, we spent a few days in Ramsau, Austria and nearly a week in Oberstdorf, Germany. It was so nice to have these trips be separate excursions, rather than just the next hotel room that we had to haul our packed duffel bags into – like it normally is when we’re on the road for a long time.
Favorite cross-training?
Backcountry skiing on bluebird spring days.
Favorite non-athletic activity or pastime this summer?
Adam Loomis competing in the summer Grand Prix in Villach, Austria, this year. (Photo: Romina Eggert)
Cooking (and eating) are honestly some one of my favorite activities. Fortunately, I’m not a special jumper.
Song that was your jam this summer?
Aquarius Apocalypse by Stop Light Observations
All time favorite race moment?
The first time I scored World Cup points, in Chaux-Neuve, France. I put myself into a great position after challenging conditions on the jumps, so I knew I had an opportunity to finish in the top-30. The crowd lining the narrow strip of race course was so loud that I didn’t hear anything from my coaches until the last lap – when I heard that I was just outside the top-20. In the end, I finished 21st – and it’s also worth noting that if my teammate Bryan Fletcher hadn’t caught me and set a good pace for a few laps, I don’t think I would have finished where I did.
First thing you pack in your bag when you leave for Europe?
I would say my passport, but that would be a lie… My most important non-equipment item is my Kindle. It’s one of the originals, for books only, and one of the few distraction-free relaxation activities these days.
Venue/event you’re most excited to visit this season?
Adam Loomis in the third leg the team Gundersen 4 x 5 k at the 2015 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Falun, Sweden. The U.S. finished seventh overall. (Photo: FlyingPointRoad.com)
The 2017 World Championships in Lahti, Finland. Making the team and performing well there are among my top goals for the season. Having experienced the atmosphere at the annual Lahti World Cups, I know the Championships will be incredible.
Who will win the World Cup title this year?
If he is able to stay healthy, youngster Jarl Magnus Riiber (NOR) will be hard to beat. He already proved that at Summer Grand Prix, but he has a habit of dislocating his shoulder which might dampen his season.
Biggest sacrifice you feel you’ve made choosing this career path?
Not taking the “traditional path” of going to college right after high school. I’ll be able to complete my degree with DeVry University online while I’m still skiing, but we really miss out on the social side of college. However, I think the experiences, friendships and opportunities that Nordic Combined have offered me are well worth the tradeoff.
If you could change one thing about your sport, what would it be?
I wish we could make it more visible in the US, whether by offering EuroSport in the US, or getting us into the ESPN rotation. If I made the Sport Center top-10, I’d know I made it.
What did you have for breakfast this morning?
Oats with homemade applesauce, strawberries, banana and walnuts.
In 5 years, I’ll be ____?
Panicking about being nearly 30. Definitely still involved in Nordic Combined, whether as an athlete or otherwise remains to be seen.
On Tuesday, Biathlon Canada published its final roster for the first trimester of the International Biathlon Union (IBU) World Cup, IBU Cup and Jr. IBU Cup. Below is the official announcement:
Team Announcement Trimester #1
World Cup, IBU Cup, and Jr. IBU Cup
The following athletes are nominated to the World Cup, IBU Cup and Jr. IBU Cup Teams for Trimester 1 in accordance with the National Team Program:
World Cups #1,#2, #3
Ostersund, SWE, Pokljuka, SLO, Nove Mesto, CZE
Coaches: Matthias Ahrens, Roddy Ward, Joar Himle
Service Team: Raphael Grosset, Pavel Stolba, Martin Struna
MEN
1. Nathan Smith (National Eh! Squad/Foothills Nordic)
2. Brendan Green (National Eh! Squad/Hay River Nordic)
3. Scott Gow (National Eh! Squad/Rocky Mountain Racers)
4. Christian Gow (National Eh! Squad/ Rocky Mountain Racers)
Joanne Reid proving that you don’t need an official biathlon range to train. (Courtesy photo)
Welcome to “17 Questions for 2017″, where we are catching up with American and Canadian national-team members before the beginning of the winter season.
***
Joanne Reid is certainly the newest newcomer in North America to have earned World Cup starts last season, representing the United States in Europe and Canada last season just six months after picking up the sport.
The CU Boulder graduate student had strong races all summer and fall at U.S. Biathlon rollerski trials and earned more World Cup starts for this season’s period one races. She most recently finished on the podium at the Frozen Thunder biathlon races in Canmore, Alberta.
1. Biggest change in your life in the last five or so months since the ski season ended?
Mirror Lake, near Reid’s part-time home in Lake Placid, New York. (Courtesy photo)
My life has been one constantly shifting situation from the instant I picked up a biathlon rifle, so it’s hard to pick just one change. USBA gave me a resident room in Lake Placid starting in June, so I’ve been living and training there. Not full-time, since I’m still in graduate school, but a large chunk of time. It’s like sliding backwards on the life scale, right back to freshman-year dorm life. Roommates, hallway cameras, alcohol bans, dining hall, no overnight guests, the whole nine yards. I’m 24, and this is the first time in my life I’ve actually been treated like a potentially wild teenager (I graduated high school at 16 and opted out of the dorms when I arrived at University of Colorado). On the other hand, there’s something seriously incredible about living in a place with bonafide housekeeping that cleans your bathroom for you.
2. Biggest change in your training?
Structure. I’m not a person who plans or lives with a structured rhythm of life. I’m a very spontaneous and sometimes reckless person, and my training has always reflected that fluidity. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, I’m very in-tune with my own body and I know when I can push and when I shouldn’t, so I tend to rearrange workouts on the fly. My coach (Jean Paquet), has been trying to find a balance between the school-sport juggling act while also keeping me in a more defined training plan. To his credit, he has been able to rein me in and allow me the flexibility I need while I finish school, and also hasn’t had a aneurism from trying to deal with me. (Yet.)
I decided if I was going to go, I’d go all the way. If my coaches are going to put this much time into me, I owe them an effort back, so here’s things I’ve never done before that I’m trying out:
1) keeping training log
2) using a heart rate monitor
Joanne Reid representing the United States in the women’s 7.5 k sprint at the IBU World Cup in Canmore, Alberta. (Photo: Daniel S. Guay)
3) having technique that doesn’t look like a speedskater taught me to ski
4) hydrating… You want me to carry a rifle AND a drink belt?
5) recovery/actually addressing injuries instead of waiting for them to go away, like the ex-boyfriend you hope will stop texting you
6) not having to classic race, ever again (I’m really enjoying this 83% pole uproar over here)
7) keeping coaches (and USADA!) updated of my whereabouts, rather than wandering to a new city or state somewhat randomly
3. Major areas of improvement you’ve seen so far?
Jean and the USBA coaches have completely redesigned my ski technique. Because I’ve done so little technique work across the years (basically none, ever), I’ve had the same funky style forever. (Funky Style Forever would be a great name for a rock band). For instance, I came into Placid for the first time last October, and within the first three days found out my poles were an inch too short and had been since I stopped growing about eight years ago. I’ve been watering my race poles and keeping them in sunlight, but they haven’t grown any taller, so I think I’ll just have to get new poles for this coming season.
And then there’s that whole shooting thing. Since I only started a year ago, I still have a very steep upward trajectory. At the top, you can work for months and drop only a second off your range time. At my level, I can work for months and drop half a minute off of mine. But sometimes you hit things, sometimes you don’t. It’s all part of the ride. The CBC traditionally utilizes the “spray and pray” method when it comes to big races, so I just might make that my race motto.
4. Whom you’ve been working closest with this offseason (coaches or training partners)?
Mountain biking in Colorado. (Courtesy photo)
I’m lucky to have the coaches I do in US Biathlon, they’ve been incredibly patient with me and my long commute back and forth to school. When I’m home in Colorado, I’ve had some help from some of the BNS staff in trying to implement technique work that my Placid coaches have been teaching me. To have them on the same page and helping me focus on the right pieces has been a godsend. On the other hand, having those guys allied may have been the biggest mistake of my life. Big brother is always watching…..
Jennie Bender has been dabbling in biathlon, so it has also been really fun training with her in Placid sometimes. She has always been one of my biggest ski heroes, and is definitely a kindred spirit of mine.
5. Best trip in the last five months (and why)?
I got in my car and journeyed down to Santa Fe, southern Arizona, the Grand Canyon, and back across Colorado. I also drove my car from Colorado to Placid (yeah, that’s as long as it sounds), and I stopped to see my grandparents (and dog) in Madison along the way. I actually love to drive, and I love the heat (worst winter athlete ever), so I had a great time.
The best trip was NOT when I got stuck in the Chicago airport during the great Southwest server meltdown of summer 2016. I’m actually surprised I’m not still stuck there.
6. Favorite cross-training?
Grand Canyon, Arizona. (Courtesy photo)
Mountain biking, rollerblading, speedskating drills. I have actually done intervals with all three of these training mediums.
7. Favorite non-athletic activity or pastime this summer?
I stood in one place and played a lot of corn-hole.
Don’t be ridiculous. Why would you do that? You only get one life. I ran around with my nerdy engineering friends chasing Pokemon on bicycles (yeah, I said it), brewery hopped at some incredible Colorado microbreweries, climbed some of the mountains in the Rockies, went on spontaneous road trips with my mountain bike and rifle into the Wild West, went to a rodeo, visited the home of a CU astronaut where I also shot an AR-15 (does that count as training?), jumped in Boulder Creek, drove across the country, body surfed in the Pacific. All of those things were my favorite thing to do in that moment, so I did them.
8. Song that was your jam this summer?
Heart’s Desire, Kip Moore (**country alert**) and On the Turning Away, Pink Floyd.
9. All time favorite race moment?
1973, when Secretariat won the triple crown, immortalizing himself as the greatest racehorse of all time and shattering the course record (he holds all three records to this day, in fact: the Derby, the Preakness, and the Belmont stakes).
10. First thing you pack in your bag when you leave for Europe?
My rifle? Oh wait, I put that in the box. Skis in the bag, rifle in the box. You think packing for nordic is hard? Trying cramming all your stuff for three months into a rifle case that, you know, already has a rifle in it.
Other than that, my bag is usually about 30% socks. I love socks, especially the bike socks that come in the crazy designs. I also way overdo down jackets and vests because I don’t do cold well, but I have mastered the art of the rifle on the back, down jacket on backwards technique. Don’t tell me I don’t look cool wearing my down jacket backwards, because I know I do, and the hood keeps my nose warm.
11. Venue/event you’re most excited to visit this season?
The warmest, sunniest one. (Can you tell I grew up in California?)
12. Who will win the World Cup title this year?
Honestly, I follow the NFL (go Seahawks!) much more closely than I follow biathlon or nordic. Fourcade is always a good bet. Just as long as he doesn’t put on the wrong lip balm.
13. Biggest sacrifice you feel you’ve made choosing this career path?
Travel. Travel is ouch. Did you know Susan Dunklee hasn’t been in one place longer than fourteen days for the past four years? Can’t say I’m that extreme, but sometimes it feels like it.
I was stopped at the Canadian border the other day and border control asked me where I live. I was genuinely flummoxed. For the next five minutes, I proceeded to make border control my personal shrink, while I explained the woes of the transient and vaguely homeless, whilst the line of cars grew and grew behind me. I think this was really aided by my Californian license plate.
14. If you could change one thing about your sport, what would it be?
For now though, real rifles. Reid training at Cave Creek, Arizona, the largest outdoor shooting range in the United States. (Courtesy photo)
I would be a huge fan of switching to laser rifles, just because flying with a firearm that shoots live rounds is such an enormous pain in the ….. Arm.
15. What did you have for breakfast this morning?
I’m not really good at breakfast. Usually I roll out of bed five minutes before training, cramming a power bar in my face while I shove on my ski boots with a bleary-eyed, dazed expression. If I’m home in Boulder I don’t usually wake up before 10 or 11, so waking up for an 8am practice AND having time to eat when I shift to the Eastern time zone is an impossible task for me. Morning people…. Morning people are freaks.
I didn’t have coffee. I actually had to give up caffeine when I switched to biathlon, because it makes me shake. I know, cry for me.
16. In 5 years, I’ll be ____?
In the mountains somewhere, smiling at the sky. It’s actually pretty rare for me to know what I’m doing next month, let alone five years from now.
17. In 50 years, I’ll be ____?
Drinking all the coffee I want, doing something completely unrelated to skiing or biathlon, probably residing in a desert in the southwest.
NENSA Seeks Paid Intern for Seasonal Work
Assisting our Non-Profit Cross Country Ski Organization
Summary:
This is a seasonal position requiring part-time hours December through May/June. Travel within New England, and regular weekend work for NENSA Eastern Cup and Championship Events is required during these months. This position includes flexible time during the peak season, and may work remotely part of the time, with staff mentoring.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
Attend all Eastern Cup weekends, the Bill Koch Youth Ski League Festival, U16 Championships, and Eastern High School Championships.
At events, this person is responsible for site set up, including NENSA banners, NENSA sponsorship banners and NENSA tents.
Transport and deliver clean and sorted bibs to Race Organizers, then collect, clean and sort bibs for next Championship event.
Help with registration and day of race registrations, results and postings.
Post event write ups, press releases, pictures and race reports.
Help manage the Virtual Team Captain Meeting page prior to event, and throughout the race weekend.
Assist High Performance Director with logistics, data gathering and management, and coordinating athletes for the Junior Nationals Trip.
Assist High Performance Director with logistics, planning, data management, staff and athletes for the U16 & U18/U20 REG summer camps.
Help manage the Development and Elite Team
Other duties as assigned
QUALIFICATIONS:
Bachelor’s Degree preferred
Proven written, electronic, and interpersonal communication skills
Comfortable working on a using a variety of computer applications, campaign marketing, social media, digital media sharing, including proficiency with Microsoft Office Applications: Excel, Word, Power Point & Outlook, Google Team Collaboration, as well as fb and Instagram.
Ability to work/communicate independently and effectively from a remote location
Familiarity with the New England cross country skiing community
Excellent written, verbal communication, and team collaboration skills
Ability to lift and carry 50lbs
Must be eligible to work in the USA
Valid drivers license
Have access to a vehicle capable of carrying 6 bins of bibs, banners, etc.
Passion for sport of cross country skiing and supporting the NENSA mission
CONDITIONS:
Travel
Washing and sorting Bibs
Hanging banners and setting up NENSA Tents as needed
Event work
Work will often be done outdoors, in varying and winter weather conditions
Paddy Caldwell rollerskiing around Mount Moosilauke in New Hampshire this fall. (Photo: Pat O’Brien)
Welcome to “17 Questions for 2017″, where we are catching up with American and Canadian national-team members before the beginning of the winter season.
***
U.S. Ski Team D-teamer Patrick “Paddy” Caldwell was all over the place last year: taking classes and training at Dartmouth College, racing in the west, winning a SuperTour and college carnival in Vermont, traveling to Romania for U23 World Championships, and then back to Vermont, where he finished third in the 15 k skate at SuperTour Finals.
This season will be his last as a U23, and he’s looking forward to concluding that part of his career on home soil in Soldier Hollow, Utah.
1. Biggest change in your life in the last five or so months since the ski season ended?
No major changes since last winter. I was in Hanover this summer taking classes at Dartmouth, now I am back in Stratton with the SMS Elite Team.
2. Biggest change in your training?
Paddy Caldwell trail running in Park City, Utah. (Photo: Simi Hamilton)
This summer I focused more on speed/power than I have in the past.
3. Major areas of improvement you’ve seen so far?
I think my top-end speed has improved since last year.
4. Whom you’ve been working closest with this offseason (coaches or training partners)?
Pat O’Brien, the SMS Elite Team coach.
5. Best trip in the last five months (and why)?
I had an amazing trip out to Colorado and Utah last month first visiting my girlfriend’s family in Loveland, Colorado, then heading to Park City for the annual USST training camp. I love being out west and exploring new places to run and hike.
6. Favorite cross-training?
Trail running.
7. Favorite non-athletic activity or pastime this summer?
Hanging out at the cabin and paddling around the lake.
8. Song that was your jam this summer?
Hamilton.
9. All time favorite race moment?
Nordic/Biathlon team relay at the Youth Olympic Games in Seefeld, Austria.
10. First thing you pack in your bag when you leave for Europe?
An excited Paddy Caldwell (Dartmouth College/SMST2/USST) (center), Tad Elliott (SSCV) (l), and Kris Freeman (Team Freebird) during the podium ceremony for the SuperTour men’s 10 k freestyle on Feb. 6 in Craftsbury, Vt. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)
Starbucks VIA and a cribbage board.
11. Venue/event you’re most excited to visit this season?
Soldier Hollow for the U23 World Championships. Its awesome that such a big event is happening in the US and it will be amazing to see all the different teams racing on a home course.
12. Who will win the World Cup title this year?
Harvey and Diggins.
13. Biggest sacrifice you feel you’ve made choosing this career path?
I love the skier lifestyle and am so thankful for the opportunity to pursue ski racing. The biggest sacrifice for me is not being able to see friends and family on the road.
14. If you could change one thing about your sport, what would it be?
I would make skiing 100% doping free.
15. What did you have for breakfast this morning?
Coffee. Cereal, yogurt, peanut butter, banana and blueberries.
16. In 5 years, I’ll be ____?
27 and, with any luck, I’ll be happy, healthy and chasing snow.
Allez les bleus: Race winner Simon Fourcade (bib 5) at the finish line of the 15 k mass start with second-place teammate Simon Desthieux (bib 4) and fourth-place finisher Fabien Claude (back).
SJUSJØEN, Norway–Before Sunday’s women’s mass start even began, expectations were high for an exciting race: all nine of the best-seeded biathletes were individual or relay podium finishers during the previous World Cup season, and bib number ten belonged to Junior World Champion Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold.
And not surprisingly, there was plenty of drama over 12.5 kilometers and four shooting stages.
The first lap was relatively even until the final climb where Tiril Eckhoff of Norway, Yuliya Dzhima of Ukraine, and Celia Aymonier of France created a slight gap. But the first shooting mixed up the order and set the standard for the remainder of the race. Dzhima hit five targets, as did Ukrainian teammate Olena Pidrushna, along with Anais Bescond and Anais Chevalier of France. The winner of Saturday’s sprint, Justine Braisaz of France, missed once.
Leaving the range in first, Dzhima held this position until the finish line. She hit all 20 targets except for her final shot, which was too far to the upper-left corner.
The women’s mass start in Sjusjøen, with eventual race winner Yuliya Dzhima of Ukraine fourth from right.
Dzhima skated hard with every stride. At times it seemed like she was breathing heavily, but the gap to second-place finisher Pidhrushna was never shorter than eight seconds, which was after the first shooting. From there on, Dzhima was in the clear. After 8.8 kilometers she had amassed a lead of 35 seconds to Pidhrushna and well over a minute to Braisaz, who eventually finished in third place.
During the post-race press conference, Dzhima – an Olympic relay gold medalist from 2014 – said that she was “unaware of how big the gap was.” While Pidhrushna sometimes seemed to be closing part of the gap, Dzhima’s spot in the lead was never really threatened and she finished the race with an 18.5 second margin.
Pidhrushna, who hit 20 out 20 targets, had a solid margin over Braisaz (+37.3), who had missed a shot each in the first three shooting stages.
Asked what she thought of her own performance, Dzhima replied, “I am very happy about today’s race, and the fact that there was almost no wind made it a little easier both to shoot and ski.”
The competitions were excellent prep for the World Cup, which starts in two weeks, Dzhima said.
“The downhills!” She laughed when asked what the easiest part of the course was. Pidhrushna agreed.
“We like the tracks in Sjusjøen really well,” the women said. “They are tough but very high quality, and the final climb is really hard. But once we finish that one we are ready for any course.”
But the happiest woman on the course today was without a doubt the fourth-place finisher, 18-year old Karoline Erdal. Last season, Erdal won the 6 k sprint and anchored Norway’s bronze medal relay team at World Junior Championships.
Karoline Erdal celebrates her fourth-place finish.
On Sunday, the young Norwegian hit all 20 targets and crossed the finish line 1:08.9 after Dzhima.
Later in the afternoon, the men’s 15 k mass start was set to be just as exciting as the women’s race. The big question was, would the French team be able to live up to the previous day’s strong performance? In the sprint, five-time World Cup champion Martin Fourcade had surged to a convincing victory, and the French had put five men in the top six.
On Sunday, they lived up to expectations.
The French team lacked Fourcade, who told L’equipe that he decided yesterday to pass on the mass start due to a lack of energy.
But the French still repeated their feat of stealing five out of top six finishes. Martin’s older brother Simon Fourcade won withSimon Desthieux second, just three seconds back. Krasimir Anev of Bulgaria placed third (+18.1), before a trio of Frenchmen: Fabien Claude (+29.2), Jean Guillaume Beatrix (+1:01.7), and Quentin Fillon Maillet (+1:04.4).
The men’s mass start snaking through the stadium.
“I had to represent my family today, and I am really happy about my race,” Fourcade said during his post race interview with NRK. “I was a little unlucky with the wind yesterday, but I was happy today. I was good in the shooting range and in the track so I am full of confidence for the beginning of the season in Östersund in two weeks… My goals are a little the same as last season, top ten in the World Cup and a medal at the World Championships.”
It was clear from the very beginning that the French didn’t just come to Sjusjøen to try, they meant business. After a first lap that was calm enough for the entire field to stay together, the French were among the top shooters. After the first stage Fourcade, Desthiuex, Claude, and Beatrix had hit all their targets, along with Anev and Norway’s Johannes Tingnes Bø.
This good performance on the shooting range continued on throughout the race except for Bø, who missed three shots in the second shooting. With it, Norway’s hopes for a podium seemed to slip away.
The remaining five skated on and were joined by Fillon Maillet, who had missed twice in his first shooting but made up ground.
By 7.8 kilometers – just over the halfway point – a leading pack had developed consisting of three French athletes and Anev. Rather than pushing the pace, all of them skated easily and it appeared that Norway’s Henrik L’Abee-Lund and Ole Einar Bjørndalen, in pursuit 13 seconds behind, still had a chance to catch them.
But L’Abee-Lund missed twice in his third shooting, and Bjørndalen once; Claude was the only one in the lead who didn’t hit all targets, and dropped from the front pack.
The competition wasn’t quite over yet. Fourcade delivered a fourth lap so fast that nobody else could match him, then headed to the final shooting. Where he had shot the fastest of anyone in the field on the previous stage, Fourcade took his time to make sure he knocked down all five targets. He held a lead of 20 second going into the final lap; Desthieux closed with the fastest lap time of the day, but was unable to catch his older teammate.
“I think we have a strong team this year, and the young boys are pushing me,” Fourcade said. “It really is a good team spirit this season.”
Sjusjøen’s large shooting range – 40 points rather than the standard 30 sets of targets – allowed for a larger mass start field than in World Cup competition.
Martin Fourcade of France prepares to take the podium after his win in the 10 k sprint in Sjusjøen, Norway.
SJUSJØEN, Norway — Twenty-year-old Justine Braisaz, of France, won the biathlon season opener on Saturday in Sjusjøen, 23.1 seconds in front of Norwegian Tiril Eckhoff and 36.6 second ahead of Ukrainian Juliya Dzhima. The young French woman shot down 10 out 10 targets and skated equally fast throughout the 7.5-kilometer sprint. Eckhoff missed once during prone and once standing while Dzhima missed her second shot standing.
The fourth place finisher, France’s Celia Aymonier, finished 56.3 seconds off of Braisaz’s winning time, while Norwegian Fanny Horn Birkeland was another 1.5 seconds back in fifth (+57.8).
From the start, the podium appeared to be a competition among Braisaz, Eckhoff and Dzhima.
In her finish-line interview, Braisaz said, “I am happy about the result, and even though I hit every target today, the shooting is something I have to work on because it is not my strong suit. But it was a good day.”
Before the race, Erlend Slokvik, president of the Norwegian Biathlon Association told FasterSkier that he thought Eckhoff was the likeliest candidate for the top of the podium, and throughout the race the crowd seemed to agree with him. The 26-year-old Eckhoff received loud cheers for her 8-of-10 shooting.
After the race, the finish-line interviewer asked Braisaz if she thought she’d be dangerous this season.
Tiril Eckhoff of Norway on her way through the stadium on her way to second place in the 7.5 k sprint in Sjusjøen, Norway.
“Yes I think so, I hope so,” she replied.
When asked by NRK during the post-race press conference what she thought about her victory Braisaz said, “I didn’t expect it, and I really don’t know how it happened.
“I have worked hard over the summer with my technique and shooting and it’s reassuring to be in good shape today.” she continued. “I had to focus on what I could do because Eckhoff and Dzhima were very strong.”
Asked what her goals are for the season, Braisaz said she has no specific goals, but she hopes to be “in shape for the World Championship.”
Also at the press conference, Eckhoff was asked how she felt about her race.
“I’m glad to have started the season, and I feel like I’m in good shape and that I am strong, but I may have started a little too quickly,” she said.
As for her shooting: “I’m happy about thestanding, but I used a little too much time during the prone so the focus from now on will be to systemize the shooting so I can do it faster and better,” she said.
Third-place finisher Dzhima said after the race that she was happy about being in good shape, but she wasn’t happy with 90-percent shooting.
“I’m not happy about missing one target, I wanted to hit all ten, but luckily it’s early in the season,” the 26-year-old told FasterSkier through a translator.
Fourcade Leads Five Frenchman in Top 6
In the men’s 10 k sprint, Martin Fourcade took charge from the start. The five-time World Cup overall champion hit all his targets and skated the track equally well. No other biathlete could match Fourcade’s performance and the closest was Norwegian Johannes Thingnes Bø, who finished 12.9 seconds behind him with perfect shooting.
Norwegians Thomas Fenne (bib 94) and Emil Hegle Svendsen (bib 96) on the shooting range in the 10 k sprint in Sjusjøen.
“I am happy about the result, but I am not in that good shape so today was a very good day,” Fourcade told L’equipe after the race.
And indeed it was for the French team. Five out of the top six men’s finishers were French. Fabien Claude placed third (+31.7), Quentin Fillon Maillet was fourth (+59.3), Jean-Guillaume Béatrix was fifth (+1:05.7) and Simon Desthieux was sixth (+1:07). The only miss among these five came from Desthieux, who missed once in his standing shooting.
Norwegian TV2 called the French team’s performance a “frightening shot for the Norwegian biathletes”.
In the post-race press conference, Fourcade said he was “satisfied with the result. It was not my best performance, but for November this is good.”
Asked about the performance of his team, he said, “It means a lot. It pushes me in training and I have to work really hard to stay ahead of my team, so it’s good.”
Fourcade pointed to World Championships as his goal for the season, but he’s also focused on the World Cup. “I want to be as good as possible all season,” he said.
Up until the second shooting, it looked like Johannes Bø could potentially threaten Fourcade’s place on the podium, but the final lap of skiing became too tough for Bø.
“I’m happy about the race, it was a good performance,” he told FasterSkier. “I skied well, but I feel like I can do better than I did today, but I started feeling it in the second lap and third was painful and I was happy to finish.”
Asked how he felt about his 10-for-10 shooting, he said, “I’m very happy and I feel confident about it. We’ve focused more on shooting in training this season and it seems to have paid off.”
Third-place finisher Claude, who, at 21, has never raced a World Cup but has made it to four Youth/Junior World Championships, said that he was happy about his performance.
“I am really happy and satisfied with my race, my preparations have been great and the conditions today were great so I’m really happy,” he told FasterSkier. “And zero misses is not common for me so that is something I will take with me into the season.”
His main goal for the season? To reach the World Cup, he said.
Eight-time Olympic gold medalist Ole Einar Bjørndalen finished ninth, 1:33.9 minutes behind Fourcade. After the race, the 42-year-old Norwegian told FasterSkier, “This was no super race but I shot well and I skied as fast as I had planned. The fact that I am that far behind Fourcade is not something I worry about this early in the season.”
The U.S. Nordic Combined juniors after a rollerski workout in Slovenia this summer. (Photo: Martin Bayer)
Welcome to “17 Questions for 2017″, where we are catching up with American and Canadian national-team members before the beginning of the winter season.
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One of U.S. Nordic Combined’s young guns, Jasper Good spent last season bouncing between the Continental Cup and World Cup, with a brief jaunt to World Junior Championships where he notched finishes of 11th and 12th.
The Steamboat Springs native just turned 20 and is gearing up for his first season outside the junior ranks.
1. Biggest change in your life in the last five or so months since the ski season ended?
I started taking classes at the University of Utah, got to start sometime!
2. Biggest change in your training?
I have chosen to have more of a focus on the ski jumping side of my training plan than I have in the past.
3. Major areas of improvement you’ve seen so far?
Jasper Good (U.S. Nordic Combined) racing to 11th in the normal hill/10 k individual competition at 2016 Junior World Championships in Rasnov, Romania. (Courtesy photo)
In the last couple months my jumping has made great strides along with my overall XC performance!
4. Whom you’ve been working closest with this offseason (coaches or training partners)?
The last couple months I was in Europe with Adam Loomis, Ben Berend, Grant Andrews, Koby Vargas and Taylor Fletcher for a short stint. We were coached by Martin Bayer and Nik Huber.
5. Best trip in the last five months (and why)?
The trip I just returned from in Central Europe. We rented an apartment in Slovenia for about two months and made short trips to Ramsau, AUT and Oberstdorf, GER.
6. Favorite cross-training?
Mountain Biking hands down. I may not be as good as I would like but I love it!
7. Favorite non-athletic activity or pastime this summer?
Hanging with family or friends, whether its at a concert or on a fun adventure ‘vacation’!
8. Song that was your jam this summer?
Left Hand Free – alt J / also our EU camp jam this fall was Aquarius Apocalyptic by Stop Light Observations.
9. All-time favorite race moment?
Jasper Good at jumps training in Park City, Utah. (Photo: Clint Jones)
Last year in the Seefeld Triple WC I skied with one of the fastest guys on the circuit for longer than I ever had and logged my best race time!
10. First thing you pack in your bag when you leave for Europe?
Peanut Butter and Cholula
11. Venue/event you’re most excited to visit this season?
Ramsau, AUT. It’s one of my favorite places to go anytime of the year for training and competitions. Amazing place.
12. Who will win the World Cup title this year?
I would have to put my money on a repeat title for Eric Frenzel, but I’m seeing a strong performance from Bryan Fletcher with his new ‘baby boost’.
13. Biggest sacrifice you feel you’ve made choosing this career path?
I’m sure you hear this a lot but the social aspect of someone my age. The Nordic Combined world is a small world so we may not have as many opportunities to make lots of friends but our NC community are great friends!!
14. If you could change one thing about your sport, what would it be?
I would add some more technical features to the downhill of our cross-country races, just to keep things exciting. Oh and have competitions in the US!!!
15. What did you have for breakfast this morning?
A sunny side up egg with smoked salmon, and a banana with Peanut Butter!
16. In 5 years, I’ll be ____?
I will just have turned 25 so I will have to go rent my first car from Hertz.
Norway won the men’s 4 x 7.5 k relay at the 2016 IBU World Cup in Presque Isle, Maine, with (from left to right) Lars Helge Birkeland, Johannes Thingnes Bø, Tarjei Bø, and Erlend Bjøntegaard. (Photo: IBU/NordicFocus)
The Norwegian biathlon team is coming off of a high note last season, when they hosted World Championships in Oslo and saw gold-medal performances from Tiril Eckhoff, Johannes Thingnes Bø and both its men’s and women’s relay teams. The legendary Ole Einar Bjørndalen also picked up an individual silver medal to add to his collection.
The team’s task now is about keeping up the intensity and building towards the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. One target metric: to have both its men’s and women’s teams ranked in the top two at the end of the year.
Last season, the Norwegian men won the Nations Cup and its women ranked seventh.
“This will probably, to some degree, become a sort of ‘in-between’ season,” Norwegian Biathlon Association President Erlend Slokvik recently told FasterSkier on the phone. “But athletes that didn’t perform as well as they had wanted will probably be extra motivated to do well this season. There was also a bigger focus on peaking in the World Championship [last season], because being part of one in your home country is sort of like an Olympics.”
Erlend Slokvik, president of the Norwegian Biathlon Association (NSSF). (Photo: NSSF)
Slokvik was elected president in May after having served as first vice president for the last eight years. He coached the Norwegian biathlon teams from the spring of 2000 to the spring of 2002, during which time the Norwegians won eight medals at World Championships and six medals at the Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah.
After his election, Slokvik emphasized that having the world’s best biathlon team was important in order to attract sponsors, continue good recruiting and development of top-level athletes. He wanted to focus especially on coaches’ education and the development of new biathlon arenas to help towards this goal.
While biathlon is already a very popular winter sport in Norway, the federation is also aiming to build from its grassroots and development levels after Oslo.
“We have noticed a greater interest to some degree, but biathlon has been a popular sport for a long time, one of the most popular in the country, so there is a limit to how much of an increase we can see,” Slokvik explained. “But there has definitely been an increase, which is something we see in, for example, ticket sales for World Cup events … There is good recruiting in many places and the World Championship definitely contributed to that. We did a recruiting tour in connection the championships, which Tora Berger among others were part of and this definitely had an effect on recruiting.”
While the usual suspects are expected to contribute to the national-team results this season, there are opportunities for newcomers, like Marte Olsbu, who had something of a breakthrough at the Oslo World Championships, finishing seventh in the mass start and turning in strong legs in the mixed and women’s relays.
Norway’s Marte Olsbu celebrates her first IBU World Cup podium after placing third in the women’s sprint last March in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. (Photo: IBU/Evgeniy Tumashov)
“In the men’s team, we have the ‘big four’ (Emil Hegle Svendsen, Bjørndalen and Tarjei and Johannes Bø) whom we expect to do well, as for the rest of the team we’re hoping that more and more athletes will stabilize on such a high level,” Slokvik said. “In the women’s team we hope that Marte will stabilize on a level close to Tiril [Eckhoff]. She won the sprint and pursuit rollerski national championships, so she is in good shape.”
While the team did almost entirely dryland training through October, it is now transitioning to a new phase.
“A lot of it has been threshold training, and preparation for shooting with an elevated heart rate,” Slokvik said. “Because of that the athletes haven’t done as much high-altitude training and instead spent time in lower elevation. They are in Trysil [Eastern Norway] now training in good conditions. They’ve spent time in France, for example in October, normally they would have spent time [on the glacier] in Val Senales, where they ski in high altitudes, but not this year. This [lower altitude] has allowed for more specific biathlon training, such as skiing with higher heart rate and shooting.”
While the Norwegian biathlon has steered clear of the doping scandals that deeply impacted its cross-country counterparts this summer and fall, those events prompted the federation to review its policies towards medication for athletes.
“We’ve gone through our routines and been clear in our communication with athletes, who have become even more aware of what they should do and not do,” Slokvik said. “Basically we followed already established routines.”
Norway’s Tiril Eckhoff racing to 25th in the mass start at 2016 IBU World Championships in Oslo, Norway. Eckhoff recently told Aftenposten that she stopped taking her asthma medication because she no longer needs it.(Photo: JoJo Baldus)
It has caused some stress and worry: Eckhoff said in an interview with Aftenposten that she has stopped taking her asthma medication. But it’s not because doing so was breaking any rules, Slokvik said.
“Since the news of [Martin Johnsrud] Sundby’s situation and the team’s use of asthma medication, athletes even with a diagnosis have been suspected and she didn’t want to contribute any more to that,” he explained. “Tiril has a diagnosis, but the severity of [her asthma] at the present time isn’t at a level where she wouldn’t be able to function without the medication. If it had, she wouldn’t have stopped taking it.”
The first competitions of the biathlon season are approaching on Saturday in Sjusjøen, Norway. Is the host team primed for improved performances over last year?
If those goals of being one of the top two teams in the world are any indication, it’s likely.
“We feel that this is a realistic goal, and it was set based on past performances,” Slokvik said.
Sjusjøen’s shooting range as seen from a bridge in front of the VIP/media tent on Nov. 2 in Norway. Sjusjøen is hosting the season-opening biathlon races on Nov. 12-13. (All photos: Aleks Tangen)
SJUSJØEN, Norway — Talk about early snow: Sjusjøen, a Norwegian ski destination just 20 kilometers outside Lillehammer, has offered a one-kilometer loop since Oct. 1 for biathletes and cross-country skiers of all levels.
Over the last month, the loop has grown to several kilometers as winter arrives in Norway. The area had a substantial snowstorm last weekend, with more than 12 centimeters of standing depth.
“It’s to give people a chance to ski. It’s an ‘offer’ this destination provides and it helps us maintain full-time positions, which is positive for the region and people that want to ski have a chance to do so,” Johannes Håukåssven, the head groomer in Sjusjøen, explained in a recent phone interview. “It also lengthens the season for Sjusjøen as a ski and tourist destination. For example, fifteen years ago, there were no tourists here before Christmas.”
Looking down Sjusjøen’s race course, which will be used for this weekend’s season-opening biathlon races. The competitive course goes off to the right.
The early snow loop is financed primarily by Ring Alm, a locally based manufacturer of wood-based products.
Håkåssveen works on the loop from 6 in the morning until late at night. Many days during the season, he starts working on the tracks at 5 a.m., and some times even earlier.
“They have been salted nearly every day, but we stopped doing it the week of Oct. 17-23 when the temperature at night began to stabilize below zero [Celsius],” Håkåssveen explained. “We work hard to maintain a clean set of tracks with no gravel of any kind. We also have some snow stored, but most of it comes from snow canons.”
While the tracks support tourists as well as elite skiers from around the world (the U.S. team trained there for a pre-World Cup camp last season, for example), they are a primarily local resource.
Therefore, organizers take special care to preserve the boreal landscape that makes Sjusjøen a favorite ski destination.
“The environment is really considered,” Håkåssveen said. “We know that 60 to 70 percent of our potential users live in the surrounding area, and the short drive to Sjusjøen is far better than a long flight to, for example, the Alps. We also don’t use any chemicals and all of the electricity we use comes from hydroelectric power. Some trees will be removed, but this is far from substantial.”
Athletes from all over Norway come to Sjusjøen in order to ski the loop. Håukåssven says it has been quite popular among both professionals and recreational users.
“Biathletes such as Ole Einar Bjørndalen and cross-country skiers Heidi Weng and Øystein Pettersen have used the tracks,” Håukåssven said. “There are also many local athletes, in addition to biathletes from Ukraine and Latvia, that have tested the tracks. And they seem happy about the conditions.”
The venue also hosts season-opening biathlon races attended by not only Norwegian, but also other international athletes. Those competitions are slated for Nov. 11-13 this year, with men’s and women’s sprints and mass starts this weekend. In 2015, biathletes came from Germany, Ukraine, Italy, Finland, France, and the U.S. to start their race seasons in Sjusjøen.
The shooting range in Sjusjøen, Norway, as seen on Nov. 2. (Photo: Aleks Tangen)
“The event is continuously developing,” Norwegian Biathlon Association President Erlend Slokvik said of the season-opening races. “This year there will be a tent overlooking the shooting range for the audience. There will also be many invited guests from the eastern part of the country, people from politics, business and sports administration. What we’re experiencing is that people see the season opener as a fine place to witness great performances and to socialize.”
In an effort to attract spectators, the organizing committee is offering free transportation to the races from Lillehammer and nearby Moelv.
As of Thursday, there were nearly 400 athletes entered in various competition categories. Some teams use the opportunity to make roster selections for the World Cup, which adds excitement.
“It is perhaps a little too early in the season for the athletes to perform at their best level, but with the fresh snowfall, that’s being well maintained we are looking at some good conditions and potentially fast times,” Slokvik said. “I don’t think the artificial snow will have an effect on the performance, loose snow might favor the lighter athletes, but it doesn’t seem like that will happen.”
— Chelsea Little contributed reporting
Just beyond the bridge is the start.
First hill after shooting.
The Sjusjøen course offers a variety of challenges, this is near the middle.
The toughest climb on the course, close to 200 meters long, and near the end of the loop.
On top of the hill seen in previous photo, after the turn comes a short climb before racers enter the stadium.
Chris Pappathopoulos and his daughter, Tula, who turned 12 last week. “I have my fingers crossed she doesn’t ‘outgrow’ these activities,” Pappathopoulos wrote in an email.
This week’s workout comes from last year’s inaugural CXC Marathon Cup winner Chris Pappathopoulos, of Madison, Wis. He explains how to combine family time and training with this rollerski-canoe combo. “I have done this with my daughter where she bikes while I rollerski, and then we canoe,” he wrote in an email.
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“Finding time to train for working, master athletes is probably one of their biggest challenges. While this workout certainly isn’t limited to athletes trying to balance family and sport, it does work very well for that. This is one of my “kill two birds with one stone” workouts. The workout isn’t perfect, but I get to spend time with my daughter outdoors. The sacrifice in quality is well worth it.
Chris Pappathopoulos takes a photo of his daughter, Tula, while they paddle downstream on Oct. 15 on the Yahara River in southern, Wis.
The general premise of the workout is rollerskiing up river and paddling back down. We paddle second because that is what Tula prefers, the order could be reversed. We make it work by dropping off the canoe at the upstream launch point. I usually lock the canoe to a tree and either tuck paddles and PFDs up in the canoe or hide them in the woods. We then drive to the take out point and park the car. Tula bikes and I rollerski back up river.
There usually ends up being a number of impromptu sign-post races and uphill races. When Tula was younger and we would bike/rollerski, I would limit technique in these impromptu races to something like single stick with no kick to even it out. Now that she is faster they are more of a free for all. I also get to work on my race craft. It is entirely possible I may have taken advantage of Tula’s propensity to be distracted by horses to win a race or two. While keeping this entertaining for Tula, these sprints are a good opportunity for speed work adding training benefit. For most skiers with kids old enough to do this workout, top-end speed isn’t exactly a strength anymore. So it is quite beneficial to work on this and strengthen the neuromuscular adaptations to move fast.
“There usually ends up being a number of impromptu sign-post races and uphill races. … It is entirely possible I may have taken advantage of Tula’s propensity to be distracted by horses to win a race or two.” — Chris Pappathopoulos, on rollerskiing alongside his 12-year-old daughter while she bikes
Once we get to the canoe we lock up the bike, put the rollerski gear in the canoe and launch. We paddle downriver to the car while I catch up on the Patrick Marsh Middle School gossip. Once there, we load the canoe and go pick up the bike.
When Tula was younger, I would run while she biked. I’m hoping in a couple of years we will both be rollerskiing with different wheel speeds for equalization.
When I paddle alone, I go up and downstream. Similar to the above workout, if it is a new river, I will throw rollerski gear in the kayak if I am going downstream first just in case I find out I can’t make it back upstream.
As far as my plans this winter, with the help of Boulder Nordic Sport, Rossignol skis and boots, Start poles, Bliz eyewear, and Facetape, my primary goal is to win the CXC Marathon Cup. I’m hoping to find a way to make it out to Nationals for the 30K. Closer to home I’ll continue to help coach the middle school and high school Madnorski East Ski Team.”
Lowell and Erika Bailey and baby Ophelia out for a ski on Frozen Thunder in Canmore, Alberta. (Courtesy photo)
Welcome to “17 Questions for 2017″, where we are catching up with American and Canadian national-team members before the beginning of the winter season.
***
Last year was Lowell Bailey’s 11th season on the competing on the World Cup, and he again proved his big-game chops. Two years after finishing 8th in the 20 k individual at the Sochi Olympics, a best-ever finish for a U.S. biathlete, Bailey notched a tenth-place result in the 15 k mass start at 2016 World Championships in Oslo.
1. Biggest change in your life in the last five or so months since the ski season ended?
My wife Erika and I became the parents of a beautiful baby girl, Ophelia, on June 15th 2016! In addition to that monumental life change, I took a new job helping to fundraise for Crosscut Mountain Sports Center, a yet-to-be-built world-class biathlon/xc training and outdoor recreation center in Bozeman, Montana.
2. Biggest change in your training?
I’ve worked closely with the USBA coaching staff to create a training plan which allows me to stay closer to home. I’ve incorporated much more stroller-jogging into my recovery workouts as well 😉
3. Major areas of improvement you’ve seen so far?
Bailey doing some kid-friendly training. (Courtesy photo)
I’ve focused on improving my shooting speed and consistency. Every world cup biathlete has ups and downs in their ski speed throughout the season. The key to success is maintaining a consistently high level of accuracy on the shooting range so that, when you do hit your peak, you can also rely on your shooting.
4. Whom you’ve been working closest with this offseason (coaches or training partners)?
I’ve worked closely (albeit remotely between Lake Placid and Sweden) with Per Nilsson. On the ground, we have a great group of motivated coaches and athletes in Lake Placid. It’s a very lively, motivating training center these days!
5. Best trip in the last five months (and why)?
I think I’m currently on it! Erika, Ophelia, and I are in Canmore, Alberta for the National Team pre-season on-snow camp. Frozen Thunder has been in great shape and I love the area. It’s been great having the whole family here (see attached pic).
6. Favorite cross-training?
Trail running. We have great trail running in the Adirondacks and this summer I was able to explore some new places out west. I did some trail runs with the Bridger Biathlon Club kids and it was amazing to see so many passionate, fun-loving kids hooked on biathlon and enjoying the Great Outdoors.
7. Favorite non-athletic activity or pastime this summer?
The family and I spent our free time at my wife’s grandmother’s camp; a tiny little cottage tucked into the trees on the shore of Moose Island on Lake Placid lake. It is definitely one of those places where time stands still, the iPhone stays in the backpack, and the stars shine a little bit brighter at night.
8. Song that was your jam this summer?
“Ophelia” by THE BAND! I grew up with their music and have always loved the group. After our daughter was born, I felt obligated to go back and re-discover their entire catalogue.
9. All time favorite race moment?
Lowell Bailey en route to finishing 10th in the World Championships mass start in Oslo, Norway, in 2016. (Photo: JoJo Baldus)
Last year at World Champs in Oslo, Norway. The Mass Start was one of the races I’ll always remember; staying up front through the entire race until the very end. It was thrilling, heartbreaking, exhilarating, and confirmed in an instant why I still love this sport after so many years.
10. First thing you pack in your bag when you leave for Europe?
Coffee filters and a one-cup coffee maker.
11. Venue/event you’re most excited to visit this season?
I always enjoy our time in Antholz, Italy, one of the most beautiful places to race on earth. I’m also looking forward to seeing the new course changes in Pyeong Chang.
12. Who will win the World Cup title this year?
Martin Fourcade is always a safe bet!
13. Biggest sacrifice you feel you’ve made choosing this career path?
Biathlon is an incredible career path, but I’ve always understood that it is just one of thousands of incredible career paths. I think the biggest sacrifice in pursuing anything is that by saying “yes” to that one thing, you are saying “no” to something else. I’m constantly confronted with situations – a family reunion, a concert, a fly-fishing trip – that I have to forego on account of my training and competition schedule. It’s just what you have to do as a full-time professional athlete.
14. If you could change one thing about your sport, what would it be?
I would eradicate doping from biathlon. With the recent McLaren Report findings, we now see just how unscrupulous the actors, how advanced their capabilities, and how pervasive their effect has become on our sport. We are quickly approaching a watershed moment; the moment when we either decide to take the controversial, albeit necessary, actions required to rid our sport of doping forever, or quietly sit by and watch biathlon descend further into a state of corruption and deceit.
15. What did you have for breakfast this morning?
The Nordie Trifecta: Eggs, granola, yogurt!
16. In 5 years, I’ll be ____?
Standing on the deck of the newly-built Crosscut Mountain Sports Center, sipping a micro-brew with Erika and the rest of the Crosscut Boardmembers, while smiling youth biathletes and XC skiers race around the Crosscut stadium below!
Contract/Seasonal Position: The position could start as early as Nov. 20 and go through mid April.
Casper, Wyoming, is home to over 50 km of amazing trails and a newly constructed Nordic and Biathlon Training & Competition Center. CMBC is seeking an energetic and enthusiastic individual to coach and/or lead growing U8 – U20 programs, Nordic Rocks Elementary programs and Paralympic/Adaptive programs.
Advanced Skiing and competition experience required.
Adaptive experience not required, but a willingness to learn is a must.
Ian Torchia says this was “one of my favorite moments of the summer…learning the salmon fly fishing ropes from Erik Bjornsen and David Norris after a big week of training on the glacier.” (Courtesy photo)
Welcome to “17 Questions for 2017″, where we are catching up with American and Canadian national-team members before the beginning of the winter season.
***
This spring, Ian Torchia became the latest in a long line of Northern Michigan University skiers to snag a U.S. Ski Team nomination. That came thanks to two stellar years of World Junior Championships racing in a row: in 2015 he finished 11th in the skiathlon, then in 2016 15th in the 15 k skate.
Now a junior at the college, Torchia is a major contributor to the perennial midwest powerhouse; he finished second and fourth at NCAA Championships last season. But he’s headed into the U23 ranks internationally.
1. Biggest change in your life in the last five or so months since the ski season ended?
I attended two training camps with the US Ski Team, broke my wrist in late June during a mountain bike race and had to one pole rollerski for 2 months, learned how to surf, and started loving classes again since changing my major to Exercise Science.
2. Biggest change in your training?
“A recent Vo2max test for Exercise Physiology class. Love what I’m studying.” (Courtesy photo)
Slight increase in yearly volume but not much change other than that with Sten [Fjeldheim]’s plan. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
3. Major areas of improvement you’ve seen so far?
Breaking my wrist was a blessing in disguise as my legs are stronger than ever.
4. Whom you’ve been working closest with this offseason (coaches or training partners)?
Learned a lot from the US guys at the training camps but the bulk of my time has been under Sten and assistant coach Shane MacDowell’s tutelage with the Marquette Training Group (MTG) men.
5. Best trip in the last five months (and why)?
Tossup between the two camps in Bend and Anchorage. I’ll give the nod to Bend for having 2 functioning wrists and an unreal Broken Top crust cruise but salmon fly fishing with Bjornsen in AK is a close second.
6. Favorite cross-training?
Mountain biking and surfing on Lake Superior.
7. Favorite non-athletic activity or pastime this summer?
I love a good game of Settlers of Catan.
8. Song that was your jam this summer?
My roommate Oscar Friedman produces music so definitely his song Shine (GWYLO remix). Check it out on Spotify!
9. All time favorite race moment?
Torchia competing in a mountain bike race where he later broke his wrist. He writes: “The infamous first mountain bike race. Sten’s made sure I’m not doing any more of them anytime soon!” (Courtesy photo)
Either getting 3 NCAA All Americans for NMU in the 10k freestyle with my teammates Adam Martin and Jake Brown or moving from 60th up to 11th at Junior Worlds in Kazakhstan in the skiathlon.
10. First thing you pack in your bag when you leave for Europe?
Buffalo Wild Wings BBQ hot sauce. Makes Romanian mystery meat taste great!
11. Venue/event you’re most excited to visit this season?
Soldier Hollow for U23’s. Time to defend our home turf from the Russians and Norwegians.
12. Who will win the World Cup title this year?
Sundby and Heidi Weng. Simi and Sophie for Sprint World Cup!
13. Biggest sacrifice you feel you’ve made choosing this career path?
There are some sacrifices but I mostly feel very blessed to be surrounded by great teammates and friends and live in a place like Marquette with so much to offer.
14. If you could change one thing about your sport, what would it be?
Stop NMU students from asking if we’re the alpine team. Bring back the daily Hoff blog. Give the Nordic Tribune a Pulitzer Prize.
15. What did you have for breakfast this morning?
An asiago bagel with jalepeno cream cheese, 2 eggs (hard), and quite a bit of yogurt. No coffee, just naps.
16. In 5 years, I’ll be ____?
Slowly chipping away at my Ph.D in Exercise Science and hopefully skiing on the World Cup.
17. In 50 years, I’ll be ____?
An old grey-haired retired professor trying to keep up with my kids skiing, surfing and mountain biking.
U.S. Ski Team Head Coach Chris Grover (r) discussing classic technique with national-team members Simi Hamilton and Ian Torchia (left) last month at an on-snow camp in Bend, Ore.
Pink posse: Katherine Stewart-Jones and teammates strike a pose at a recent rollerski workout. (Courtesy photo)
Welcome to “17 Questions for 2017″, where we are catching up with American and Canadian national-team members before the beginning of the winter season.
***
21-year-old Katherine Stewart Jones made her World Cup debut for Cross Country Canada last season, first in Europe and then in the Ski Tour Canada. The Nakkertok Nordic racer, now based at the NDC in Thunder Bay and taking courses at Lakehead University, then went on to pick up three bronze medals at Canadian National Championships in the senior division.
That’s coming off a junior career where she had two top-20 finishes at 2015 World Junior Championships.
1. Biggest change in your life in the last five or so months since the ski season ended?
Not having too much change this year has been a huge positive.
2. Biggest change in your training?
An increase in volume of about 100 hours and a lot more focus on double-pole.
3. Major areas of improvement you’ve seen so far?
Stewart-Jones training on the Haig Glacier this summer. (Courtesy photo)
My overall fitness in general
4. Whom you’ve been working closest with this offseason (coaches or training partners)?
I have continued to work with my coach Timo Puiras, my team’s new assistant coach Tim Wintoniw and my strength coach Paul Hemsworth. It has been great to be able to work with such a big group of girls this year. With 6 girls on my team there is always someone to train with.
5. Best trip in the last five months (and why)?
Park City. I loved the variety it provided for training, the endless roads and running trails kept things interesting!
6. Favorite cross-training?
Hiking! I love trail running/hiking and climbing mountain peaks
7. Favorite non-athletic activity or pastime this summer?
I love adventuring in general, camping, cliff/bridge jumping, discovering new places
8. Song that was your jam this summer?
Love on The Brain- Rihanna
9. All time favorite race moment?
Canada’s Katherine Stewart-Jones during the women’s 15 k skiathlon in Canmore, Alberta, last season. (Photo:Fischer/NordicFocus)
The Gatineau World Cup at the ski tour Canada. Racing in front of the home crowd on home soil was an unreal experience. It made me realize how lucky I am to have such a big support team behind me.
10. First thing you pack in your bag when you leave for Europe?
My earplugs, everyone who knows me knows how much I love sleeping.
11. Venue/event you’re most excited to visit this season?
Soldier Hollow! I rollerskied there this fall and the trails look like so much fun!!
12. Who will win the World Cup title this year?
Maiken Casperson Falla
13.Biggest sacrifice you feel you’ve made choosing this career path?
Stewart-Jones and her teammates seeing some early snow. (Courtesy photo)
Honestly, I really haven’t sacrificed much. I am pretty lucky to be able to do what I do. The one thing I wish I could do more of without compromising my training is to go on long backpacking adventures, but that can wait until the end of my ski career!
14.If you could change one thing about your sport, what would it be?
To be more accessible to everyone financially… its an expensive sport
The U.S. Ski Team wrapped up its final dryland training camp of the season in Park City, Utah, on Monday, Oct. 31. Athletes arrived on Oct. 17, with skiers from Alaska Pacific University (APU), the Craftsbury Green Racing Project (CGRP), Stratton Mountain School T2 (SMST2) Team also in attendance, along with a development group contingent. Cross Country Canada’s national team (NST) also spent most of the month in Park City, with developing and World Cup athletes alike training at Soldier Hollow (SoHo) from Oct. 7 to Oct. 24.
Here are some of the best photos FasterSkier could obtain. (We’re still seeking Canadian photos; send submissions with captions and credit information to info@fasterskier.com.)
Left to right: Cross Country Canada’s Devon Kershaw and Alex Harvey along with U.S. Ski Team A-team members Noah Hoffman, Erik Bjornsen and Simi Hamilton during a 4 x 10 min L3 skating session up Snake Creek Canyon in Midway, during their respective teams’ training camps in Park City, Utah. (Photo: Matt Whitcomb)
Right to left: Canadian National Team members Alex Harvey and Jess Cockney during a classic ski at their team’s training camp in Park City, Utah, this Ocotber. (Photo: Ivan Babikov/Instagram)
Canadian National Team athletes during a classic ski at their team’s training camp in Park City, Utah, this October. (Photo: Ivan Babikov/Instagram)
Canadian National Team athletes during a classic ski at their team’s training camp in Park City, Utah, this October. (Photo: Ivan Babikov/IInstagram)
Front R to L: U.S. Ski Team A-team members Jessie Diggins and Kikkan Randall (Back R to L):
U.S. Ski Team A-Team member Simi Hamilton during a 15 k classic ski in Soldier Hollow at the USST’s annual training camp in Park City, Utah, which ran this year from Oct. 17 until Oct. 31. (Photo: Matt Whitcomb)
U.S. Ski Team A-Team member Paddy Caldwell during a 15 k classic ski in Soldier Hollow at the USST’s annual training camp in Park City, Utah, which ran this year from Oct. 17 until Oct. 31. (Photo: Matt Whitcomb)
U.S. Ski Team A-Team member Noah Hoffman during a skate sprint in Soldier Hollow at the USST’s annual training camp in Park City, Utah, which ran this year from Oct. 17 until Oct. 31. (Photo: Matt Whitcomb)
U.S. Ski Team A-Team member Liz Stephen during a 5 x 8 minute L3 classic ski up East Canyon at the USST’s annual training camp in Park City, Utah, which ran this year from Oct. 17 until Oct. 31. (Photo: Matt Whitcomb)
Right to left: U.S. Ski Team A-Team member Jessie Diggins, Kikkan Randall, and Liz Stephen during 6 x 3 minute max effort double pole intervals at the USST’s annual training camp in Park City, Utah, which ran this year from Oct. 17 until Oct. 31. (Photo: Matt Whitcomb)
Left to right: U.S. Ski Team member Noah Hoffman chases Gus Schumacher during a skate sprint in Soldier Hollow at the USST’s annual training camp in Park City, Utah, which ran this year from Oct. 17 until Oct. 31. (Photo: Matt Whitcomb)
Left to right: U.S. Ski Team A-team members Sophie Caldwell, Andy Newell, Kikkan Randall, and Liz Stephen during a 15 k classic ski in Soldier Hollow at the USST’s annual training camp in Park City, Utah, which ran this year from Oct. 17 until Oct. 31. (Photo: Matt Whitcomb)
Left to right: Jessie DIggins leads her U.S. Ski Team teammates Kikkan Randall, Ida Sargent and Julia Kern during a skate sprint in Soldier Hollow at the USST’s annual training camp in Park City, Utah, which ran this year from Oct. 17 until Oct. 31. (Photo: Matt Whitcomb)
Wyatt Gebhardt during a skate sprint in Soldier Hollow at the USST’s annual training camp in Park City, Utah, which ran this year from Oct. 17 until Oct. 31. (Photo: Matt Whitcomb)
Front L to R: U.S. Ski Team members Andy Newell, Erik Bjornsen chased by (Back L to R): Ben Lustgarten and Paddy Caldwell during a skate sprint in Soldier Hollow at the USST’s annual training camp in Park City, Utah, which ran this year from Oct. 17 until Oct. 31. (Photo: Matt Whitcomb)
U.S. Ski Team member Erik Bjornsen during a 15 k classic ski in Soldier Hollow at the USST’s annual training camp in Park City, Utah, which ran this year from Oct. 17 until Oct. 31. (Photo: Matt Whitcomb)
Left to right: Bridger Ski Foundation’s Jennie Bender and Stratton Mountain School skier Erika Flowers during a skate sprint in Soldier Hollow at the USST’s annual training camp in Park City, Utah, which ran this year from Oct. 17 until Oct. 31. (Photo: Matt Whitcomb)
Ben Saxton (SMST2) during a 15 k classic ski in Soldier Hollow at the USST’s annual training camp in Park City, Utah, which ran this year from Oct. 17 until Oct. 31. (Photo: Matt Whitcomb)
Ben Saxton (SMST2) skis with a junior athete during a skate ski at the USST’s annual training camp in Park City, Utah, which ran this year from Oct. 17 until Oct. 31. (Photo: Liz Arky)
Left to right: Hunter Wonders and Luke Jager during a skate sprint in Soldier Hollow at the USST’s annual training camp in Park City, Utah, which ran this year from Oct. 17 until Oct. 31. (Photo: Matt Whitcomb)
Left to right: U.S. Ski Team (USST) D-team members Julia Kern, Katharine Ogden and Hannah Halvorsen jump for joy after the USST’s sprint time trial training session in Park City, Utah, on Oct. 28. (Photo: Erika Flowers)
Right to left: U.S. Ski Team (USST) athletes Ida Sargent and Jessie Diggins along with teammates Julia Kern and Kikkan Randall during a sprint time trial at the USST’s annual training camp in Park City, Utah, which ran this year from Oct. 17 until Oct. 31. (Photo: Bryan Fish)
Right to left: U.S. Ski Team (USST) A-Team athletes Ida Sargent and Jessie Diggins along with USST Development Team skier Julia Kern, and USST A-Team member, Kikkan Randall during a sprint time trial at the USST’s annual training camp in Park City, Utah, which ran this year from Oct. 17 until Oct. 31. (Photo: Bryan Fish)
Stratton Mountain School T2 (SMST2) skier Anne Hart (c) challenges her teammate Erika Flowers (l) and U.S. Ski Team member Liz Stephen during a sprint time trial at the USST’s annual training camp in Park City, Utah, which ran this year from Oct. 17 until Oct. 31. (Photo: Bryan Fish)
Right to left: Stratton Mountain School T2 (SMST2) skier Anne Hart, along with U.S. Ski Team A-Team member Liz Stephen, SMST2 athlete Erika Flowers, and Bridger Ski Foundation skier Jennie Bender during a sprint time trial at the USST’s annual training camp in Park City, Utah, which ran this year from Oct. 17 until Oct. 31. (Photo: Bryan Fish)
U.S. Ski Team D-team skier Katharine Ogden (r) during a sprint time trial at the USST’s annual training camp in Park City, Utah, which ran this year from Oct. 17 until Oct. 31. (Photo: Bryan Fish)
U.S. Ski Team D-tem athlete Hannah Halvorsen (r) during a sprint time trial at the USST’s annual training camp in Park City, Utah, which ran this year from Oct. 17 until Oct. 31. (Photo: Bryan Fish)
U.S. Ski Team D-team athlete Hannah Halvorsen (r) during a sprint time trial at the USST’s annual training camp in Park City, Utah, which ran this year from Oct. 17 until Oct. 31. (Photo: Bryan Fish)
U.S. Ski Team D-team athlete Paddy Caldwell (r) during a sprint time trial at the USST’s annual training camp in Park City, Utah, which ran this year from Oct. 17 until Oct. 31. (Photo: Bryan Fish)
A train of women during a classic ski at the U.S. Ski Team’s annual training camp in Park City, Utah, which ran this year from Oct. 17 until Oct. 31. (Photo: Bryan Fish)
Athletes during a skate session at the USST’s annual training camp in Park City, Utah, which ran this year from Oct. 17 until Oct. 31. (Photo: Bryan Fish)
Right to left: U.S. Ski Team (USST member Jessie Diggins and Julia Kern during a skate session at the USST’s annual training camp in Park City, Utah, which ran this year from Oct. 17 until Oct. 31. (Photo: Bryan Fish)
Left to right: U.S. Ski Team (USST) D-team members Katharine Ogden, Hannah Halvorsen and Julia Kern during a skate session at the USST’s annual training camp in Park City, Utah, which ran this year from Oct. 17 until Oct. 31. (Photo: Bryan Fish)
Right to left: Stratton Mountain School T2 (SMST2) skier Anne Hart, followed by her Stratton teammate and U.S. Ski Team D-team athlete Julia Kern as well as Erika Flowers (SMST2) during a skate session at the USST’s annual training camp in Park City, Utah, which ran this year from Oct. 17 until Oct. 31. (Photo: Bryan Fish)
Right to left: U.S. Ski Team A-Team athletes Liz Stephen, Jessie Diggins, Sadie Bjornsen during a skate session at the USST’s annual training camp in Park City, Utah, which ran this year from Oct. 17 until Oct. 31. (Photo: Bryan Fish)
U.S. Ski Team D-team athlete Julia Kern (r) during a skate session at the USST’s annual training camp in Park City, Utah, which ran this year from Oct. 17 until Oct. 31. (Photo: Bryan Fish)
U.S. Ski Team A-Team member Andy Newell striding it out during a classic training session at the USST’s annual training camp in Park City, Utah, which ran this year from Oct. 17 until Oct. 31. (Photo: Andy Newell)
Left to right: U.S. Ski Team A-team member Sadie Bjornsen, Julia Kern, Katharine Ogden, and Liz Stephen during a classic ski at the USST’s annual training camp in Park City, Utah, which ran this year from Oct. 17 until Oct. 31. (Photo: Sadie Bjornsen)
Basketball battle of the tallest nordies: Jesse Cockney takes it to the hoop past Lenny Valjas. (Courtesy photo)
Welcome to “17 Questions for 2017″, where we are catching up with American and Canadian national-team members before the beginning of the winter season.
***
Jesse Cockney has a knack for turning in big performances on home soil: his major breakthrough came in 2012, when he qualified second and finished ninth in the World Cup sprint in Canmore – his hometown since age seven – in just the sixth World Cup start ever in his career.
Last season, Cockney competed in World Cups in Europe without making the heats, then made a splash by finishing 10th in the Quebec City skate sprint as part of the Ski Tour Canada. This year Cockney is looking for more World Cup successes and recently earned his way onto Cross Country Canada’s Period I World Cup tour.
1. Biggest change in your life in the last five or so months since the ski season ended?
I spent the summer running a waffle cart with my girlfriend at Canmore’s mountain market.
2. Biggest change in your training?
Last year I made a big change in my training and moved to Quebec City for the summer and this season I’ve been back in Canmore full time.
3. Major areas of improvement you’ve seen so far?
Jess Cockney racing to 29th in the freestyle sprint qualifier at Stage 3 of the Ski Tour Canada in Quebec City. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)
So far this year I’ve felt a big improvement in base fitness.
4. Whom you’ve been working closest with this offseason (coaches or training partners)?
Lots of time with my roommate Knute.
5. Best trip in the last five months (and why)?
Watertown National park with Graeme Killick in June for training. It was our first time to the park and we had some very productive volume days.
6. Favorite cross-training?
Fishing
7. Favorite non-athletic activity or pastime this summer?
Fishing
8. Song that was your jam this summer?
Whatever CKUA was playing.
9. All time favorite race moment?
When my teammate Gord Jewett won the 2010 Olympic trials at Sovereign lakes.
10. First thing you pack in your bag when you leave for Europe?
Skis
11. Venue/event you’re most excited to visit this season?
Jess Cockney (Canadian World Cup B-team) racing to first in the men’s classic sprint qualifier at Frozen Thunder on Tuesday in Canmore, Alberta. The win should secure his spot with the Canadian national team at World Cup Period 1. (Photo: Jenn Jackson)
Canmore nordic centre for the team sprint at 2017 Ski Nationals.
12. Who will win the World Cup title this year?
[Martin Johnsrud] Sundby and [Ingvild Flugstad] Oestberg
13. Biggest sacrifice you feel you’ve made choosing this career path?
I wouldn’t want to be anywhere/doing anything else.
14. If you could change one thing about your sport, what would it be?
I’d change our earnings, closer to the NBA salary cap per nation.
15. What did you have for breakfast this morning?
Scrambled eggs, toasted bagel, coffee and an apple
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![NENSA logo](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/11/Unknown.jpeg")
![Paddy Caldwell roller skiing around Mount Moosilauke in New Hampshire this fall. (Photo: Pat O'Brien)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/11/Caldwell-Moosilauke.jpg")
![Paddy Caldwell trail running in Park City, Utah. (Photo: Simi Hamilton)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/11/Caldwell-Park-City.jpg")
![An excited Paddy Caldwell (Dartmouth College/SMST2/USST) (center), Tad Elliott (SSCV) (l), and Kris Freeman (Team Freebird) during the podium ceremony for the SuperTour men's 10 k freestyle on Feb. 6 in Craftsbury, Vt. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/02/DSC_2711copyW.jpg")
![Allez les bleus: Race winner Simon Fourcade (bib 5) at the finish line of the 15 k mass start with second-place teammate Simon Desthieux (bib 4) and fourth-place finisher Fabien Claude (back).](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/11/DSC_0043.jpg")
![The women's mass start in Sjusjøen.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/11/DSC_0029.jpg")
![Karoline Erdal celebrates her fourth-place finish.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/11/Erdal-Sjusjøen.jpg")
![The men's mass start snaking through the stadium.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/11/DSC_0039.jpg")
![Sjusjøen's large shooting range - 40 points rather than the standard 30 sets of targets - allowed for a larger mass start field than in World Cup competition.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/11/DSC_0107.jpg")
![Martin Fourcade of France prepares to take the podium after his win in the 10 k sprint in Sjusjøen, Norway.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/11/DSC_0037.jpg")
![Tiril Eckhoff of Norway on her way through the stadium on her way to second place in the 7.5 k sprint in Sjusjøen, Norway.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/11/DSC_0109.jpg")
![Norwegians Thomas Fenne (bib 94) and Emil Hegle Svendsen (bib 96) on the shooting range in the 10 k sprint in Sjusjøen.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/11/DSC_0026.jpg")
![The U.S. Nordic Combined juniors after a rollerski workout in Slovenia this summer. (Photo: Martin Bayer)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/11/IMG_0354.jpg")
![Jasper Good (U.S. Nordic Combined) racing to 11th in the normal hill/10 k individual competition at 2016 Junior World Championships in Rasnov, Romania. (Courtesy photo)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/02/FB_IMG_1456400600246.jpg")
![Jasper Good at jumps training in Park City, Utah. (Photo: Clint Jones)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/11/IMG_0174.jpg")
![Norway won the men's 4 x 7.5 k relay on Saturday at the IBU World Cup in Presque Isle, Maine, with (from left to right) Lars Helge Birkeland, Johannes Thingnes Bø, Tarjei Bø, and Erlend Bjøntegaard. (Photo: IBU/NordicFocus)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/02/2016-02-13_147299f66c53ef4.jpg_image_scaler_800x0.jpg")
![Norwegian Biathlon Association (NSSF) President Erlend Slokvik (Photo: NSSF)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/11/Erlend_Slokvik.jpg")
![Norway’s Marte Olsbu celebrates placing third for her first IBU World Cup podium in the women's sprint on Thursday in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. (Photo: IBU/Evgeniy Tumashov)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/03/2016-03-17_29dcb917bdac7d2.jpg_image_scaler_800x0.jpg")
![Norway's Tiril Eckhoff en route to 25th in the women's 12.5 k mass start at 2016 IBU World Championships in Oslo, Norway. She had five penalties, three of which came in the third stage.(Photo: JoJo Baldus)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/03/Eckhoff.jpeg")
![Marte Olsbu training in October. (Photo: NSSF/Skiskytterforbundet)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/11/jkvfevqxlxi9bxshplc6.jpg")
![Sjusjøen's shooting range as seen from a bridge in front of the spectator tent on Nov. 2 in Norway. Sjusjøen is hosting the season-opening biathlon races on Nov. 12-13. (All photos: Aleks Tangen)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/11/DSC_0404.jpg")
![Looking down Sjusjøen's race course, which will be used for this weekend's season-opening biathlon races. The competitive course goes off to the right. (Photo: Aleks Tangen)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/11/DSC_0443.jpg")
![The shooting range in Sjusjøen, Norway, as seen on Nov. 2. (Photo: Aleks Tangen)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/11/DSC_0406.jpg")
![Chris Pappathopoulos and his daughter Tula, who turned 12 last week. "I have my fingers crossed she doesn't 'outgrow' these activities," Pappathopoulos wrote.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/11/Chris-WW.jpg")
![Chris Pappathopoulos takes a photo of his daughter, Tula, while they paddle downstream on Oct. 15 on the Yahara River in southern, Wis.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/11/P1000072.jpg")
![Lowell and Erika Bailey and baby Ophelia out for a ski on Frozen Thunder in Canmore, Alberta. (Courtesy photo)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/11/IMG_8462.jpg")
![Bailey doing some kid-friendly training. (Courtesy photo)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/11/IMG_8472.jpg")
![Lowell Bailey finishing 10th in the World Championships mass start in Oslo, Norway, in 2016. (Photo: JoJo Baldus)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/03/IMG_6480.jpeg")
![Casper Mountain Biathlon Club (CMBC)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/11/cmbc-logo.png"){kind=logo}
![Ian Torchia says this was "one of my favorite moments of the summer...learning the salmon fly fishing ropes from Erik Bjornsen and David Norris after a big week of training on the glacier." (Courtesy photo)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/11/FullSizeRender1.jpg")
!["A recent Vo2max test for Exercise Physiology class. Love what I'm studying." (Courtesy photo)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/11/IMG_0827.jpg")
![Torchia competing in a mountain bike race where he later broke his wrist. He writes: "The infamous first mountain bike race. Sten's made sure I'm not doing any more of them anytime soon!" (Courtesy photo)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/11/FullSizeRender-21.jpg")
![U.S. Ski Team Head Coach Chris Grover (r) discussing classic technique with national-team members Simi Hamilton and Ian Torchia (left) last month at an on-snow camp in Bend, Ore.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/06/Grover-1-e1465787052870.jpg")
![Pink posse: Katherine Stewart-Jones and teammates strike a pose at a recent rollerski workout. (Courtesy photo)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/11/IMG_07581.jpg")
![Stewart-Jones training on the Haig Glacier this summer. (Courtesy photo)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/11/IMG_0631.jpg")
![Canada's Katherine Stewart-Jones during the women's 15 k skiathlon in Canmore, Alberta, last season. (Photo:Fischer/NordicFocus)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/03/Stewart-Jones160309mf014-e1457661500866.jpg")
![Stewart-Jones and her teammates seeing some early snow. (Courtesy photo)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/11/IMG_1139.jpg")
![Basketball battle of the tallest nordies: Jesse Cockney takes it to the hoop past Lenny Valjas. (Courtesy photo)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/11/unnamed.jpg")
![Jess Cockney racing to 29th in the freestyle sprint qualifier at Stage 3 of the Ski Tour Canada in Quebec City. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/03/DSC_3244copyW.jpg")
![Jess Cockney (Canadian World Cup B-team) racing to first in the men's classic sprint qualifier at Frozen Thunder on Tuesday in Canmore, Alberta. The win should secure his spot with the Canadian national team at World Cup Period 1. (Photo: Jenn Jackson)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/11/cockney.jpg")