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.
Last month we were contacted by Lilo Bean, an undergraduate at Bowdoin College, to inform readers about her research project. Bean and a faculty adviser are collecting data from an anonymous survey to investigate eating disorders in cross-country skiing. The survey is open to those 18 and older and is linked below. This study is being conducted by Lilo Bean, a student at Bowdoin College. The Faculty Advisor for this study is Professor Crystal Hall of the Digital and Computational Studies Department at Bowdoin College.
Eating disorders have gained a lot of attention in the skiing community in recent years, instigated largely in part by Olympic champion Jessie Diggins openly talking about her struggle with an eating disorder.
It’s unsurprising that in a sport like skiing, where athletes’ bodies are on display and a focus of high performance, that disordered eating is common (population study of Norwegian adolescent cross-country skiers & disordered eating). However, there is still a lot still unknown about the why, how, and what of eating disorders in skiing.
Under the Digital and Computational Studies (DCS) Department, we (Lilo Bean under the guidance of Professor Crystal Hall) are conducting an independent study to examine the prevalence of eating disorders/disordered eating in nordic skiing. Digital and computational methods and analysis are creating the ability and opportunity to address new questions and data sets, and adding new perspectives to the core questions that have always concerned the humanities, social sciences, and natural & physical sciences. Using data analysis tools, DCS enables us to uncover new findings and meaning — within texts, news media, or social media — that would otherwise have remained hidden.
We are asking if you would take about 15 minutes to complete a survey for this research project. Participation is completely voluntary and your answers will be anonymous.
If you are interested, please click on the link for the survey and additional information: Survey link.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact lbean@bowdoin.edu. Thank you for consideration,
Maine is Beach Skiing Paradise for Bowdoin College’s Ski Team. (Photo: Nathan Alsobrook)
The workout this week comes from the head coach of the rising Bowdoin Ski Team, Nate Alsobrook. While it can certainly be beneficial to train at altitude or in the mountains, Alsobrook shows that the unexpected beaches of the Maine Coast can be equally well suited for preparation. This workout highlights looking outside the box to take advantage of the terrain you have access to.
In our program, we are always looking for creative ways to use our surroundings for fun and productive training. We don’t have a ton of mountains on the Maine Coast, but we have some gorgeous beaches – perfect for sand skiing intervals. Sand skiing feels surprisingly realistic – like skiing up a fairly steep hill. On a flat beach with fine, damp sand (ideally when the tide’s going out) you can also get some decent glide. It’s definitely a grind, so it’s best for high-intensity intervals.
Skiing on sand takes some getting used to; it’s easy to break into a run or bound, but with some focus, you can ski with proper technique (striding only – good luck trying to skate or double pole). Wet sand is surprisingly gentle on the bases, but even so, you’ll want to use your rock skis. Any skis will do, even skaters – you’ll have no trouble getting kick!
The team does this workout 2 or 3 times in the fall as a nice change of pace from running and rollerskiing. It’s particularly useful in the lead-up to our on-snow Thanksgiving Camp – it helps our athletes get a feel for sliding on long skis before getting back on snow.
Our favorite beach is only accessible by a 2 mile run through the woods, which makes for a perfect warm up – skis in one hand, poles in the other, and boots in a backpack.
1 x 3 minutes at a low threshold pace to complete the warmup and get a feel for the sand.
4 – 5 x 3 – 4 minute intervals at 5k effort (90%+ of max HR). Equal recovery time between intervals.
Jump in the ocean for a quick recovery swim, then pack up and jog 2o minutes back out.
Bowdoin nordic skiers with head coach Nathan Alsobrook. In July, Alsobrook was recognized as NENSA’s 2018 Coach of the Year. (Photo: @bowdoinskiing/Instagram)
Building on one of its most successful seasons yet, the Bowdoin College nordic ski team, out of Brunswick, Maine, recently jumped back into training under the guidance of head coach Nathan Alsobrook. Last winter, three skiers qualified for NCAA Skiing Championships, one alumna qualified for the U.S. Olympic team (Kaitlynn Miller, class of 2014), and one visually impaired skier Jake Adicoff (’18) earned a silver medal at the Paralympics. It was a season that Alsobrook names as a highlight of his coaching career.
American Jake Adicoff leads Canada’s Graham Nishikawa and Brian McKeever in the men’s visually impaired 20 k freestyle at the Paralympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea. Adicoff earned silver (behind McKeever) in the men’s visually impaired 10 k classic in PyeongChang. (Photo: US Paralympics/Mark Reis)
“The most fun thing about has just been to see the very slow but steady progress that the program has been able to make over the past several years,” Alsobrook said in a phone interview last month. “It’s been very fun and exciting.”
To top it off, Alsobrook was recognized by the New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) as 2018 Coach of the Year in recognition of his team’s steady progress and his contributions to the growth of cross-country skiing in New England.
“Over the past years, Nathan has been active in NENSA Programming, including serving as a coach at Eastern Regional Camps, chairing the Coaches Education Committee and running L100 Technique clinics for the state of Maine,” a NENSA press release stated. “Through his dedication to these programs he has made the Bowdoin Nordic Team a visible and attractive institution for skiers to continue their careers.”
Current Bowdoin Nordic Ski Team Head Coach Nathan Alsobrook (r) with Marty Hall, who coached at Bowdoin for eight years and was inducted into the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame this past spring. (Photo: Bowdoin Nordic)
A Bowdoin graduate (’97) himself, Alsobrook returned as head coach in 2007, taking the place of former U.S. and Canadian national team coach Marty Hall, to whom he attributes planting the seeds for Bowdoin’s current development.
“He was really responsible for taking Bowdoin out of where it had been,” Alsobrook said of Hall’s eight years with the team. “We really weren’t functioning at a super high level before Marty came in. He was able to really push for the college to bring more resources to the sport and just sort of professionalize the whole program. He essentially created this really great foundation for me to springboard off of.”
Before Bowdoin, Alsobrook coached at Whitman College, Montana State University (MSU), Colby College, and the Pocatello XC Ski Foundation, and earned a master’s in exercise physiology from MSU in 2005.
While it didn’t happen overnight, over the years, the Bowdoin Polar Bears have trended upward in the Eastern Intercollegiate Skiing Association (EISA) nordic rankings.
“We had individuals pop great races, and we had these flashes of brilliance that more was possible, but it took so many years for us to become competitive as a team. It was not until 2013 that we sent a skier to NCAA’s during my tenure,” Alsobrook explained. “We would have little successes here and there, a great relay performance or a single race where we would finish very competitively, but we never really put it together for consistent week after week Carnival team performances. It was really only last year that that finally happened, where all of a sudden for the combined men’s and women’s nordic events we would find ourselves finishing in the top half of the league.”
Every weekend on the Carnival circuit last winter, either Bowdoin’s men’s or women’s team placed in the top six. And it saw three skiers — more than ever before — qualify for NCAA’s in Steamboat Springs, Colorado: Gabrielle Vandendries, Renae Anderson and Elliot Ketchel.
Outside of the results, Alsobrook said he enjoys the culture of the student body at Bowdoin and feels that it contributes to the dedication and work ethic of his athletes.
“There is this really great sense of balance here at Bowdoin, and we really try to compliment that in our program,” he said. “It’s such a fun mix of these very academically focused and engaged students. … They just love learning, they love being in this environment and challenging themselves, and then they’re just so ready to get out and train hard.
“I think we do a pretty nice job here at Bowdoin of making this a very collaborative experience, the learning experience and certainly the athletic experience,” he continued. “And it’s just such a natural fit for when you’re trying to create this very team-centered program like I’m trying to do here, that that culture is already in place at the college. I mean, people really want to do well here, in whatever they’re doing, and they’re going to work really hard to do it, and yet they’re trying to help everyone else do the same. That’s something I really appreciate … any competition is directed toward making everyone better.”
His coaching philosophy aims to capitalize on this dedication to personal success, while also reflecting the sense of balance achieved at the school.
“I can’t remember who started saying this, but it’s something we started saying around our team: ‘Happy people ski faster,’ and that is really at the heart of what we are trying to do,” he said. “I know that my skiers are going to get more out of themselves on the race course if they feel very fulfilled with their Bowdoin experience as a whole.”
Bowdoin alumna Kaitlynn Miller racing to 53rd in the World Cup classic sprint qualifier last March in Drammen, Norway. (Photo: Fischer/NordicFocus)
According to Alsobrook, this culture and balance served Kaitlynn Miller, who now skis for the Craftsbury Green Racing Project, well in her time at the school. He described Miller as “very studious, very thoughtful … and yet very focused when it came time to train.”
Miller ended last season as the overall SuperTour leader and has earned World Cup starts in November and December as a result.
“It was really nice to have someone that embodied what we are trying to do in our program,” he continued. “For someone who is such a high-level athlete, she is just extremely humble, very kind and thoughtful, very team-centered. It was really fun to coach an elite athlete who was such a team-centered, selfless person … It’s been a real pleasure to watch her take off.”
As for the upcoming season, Alsobrook will continue to focus on the continued growth of his team.
“With my athletes, we’re all about the process,” he said. “Having said that, of course, I have outcome goals, essentially I want to see the team keep moving forward. We’ve never won the Maine State Championship, for example … so we’re really excited to go after that this year. We’ve come close a few times, and maybe this will be our year,” he said.
Another goal will be to continue to place highly at EISA Carnivals and to develop a strong championship team. Last year, its two female athletes at NCAA’s — Vandendries and Anderson — posted top-30 finishes in Steamboat.
“Certainly bringing back a good contingency of skiers to NCAA’s again is a big goal,” he said. “We had a number of times where our [team] finishes [in EISA competitions] were fourth, fifth, sixth pretty consistently throughout the season, and that’s a pretty good place to be in a league as competitive as EISA. I do not want to stay there and keep cranking out those finishes, I want to keep getting better. … I mean, hey, we did fourth last year, why not try for third this year? They’re just great things for us to keep fighting for while at the same time we stay firmly grounded on the process.”
NENSA is pleased to announce Nathan Alsobrook of Bowdoin College as the 2018 Coach of the Year.
Last winter Alsobrook led the Bowdoin Polar Bears to one of their most successful Carnival seasons – where every weekend either the male or female team placed in the top-six. On individual Carnival days the women’s team placed fourth, four times and the men’s team pulled down two fifth place finishes. These excellent results qualified three freshman skiers, Gabrielle Vandendries, Renae Anderson and Elliot Ketchel, for NCAA’s in Steamboat Springs, Colorado – a historical benchmark for the Polar Bears.
Over the past years, Nathan has been active in NENSA Programming, including serving as a coach at Eastern Regional Camps, chairing the Coaches Education Committee and running L100 Technique clinics for the state of Maine. Through his dedication to these programs he has made the Bowdoin Nordic Team a visible and attractive institution for skiers to continue their careers. The Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association (EISA) is a valuable pathway for athletic and personal development and we applaud the excellent job Nathan has done to support his skiers, and it will be exciting to watch the Polar Bears continue to succeed in the coming years.
Christian Gostout ’20, from Rochester, Minnesota describes Alsobrook as someone who, “offers his thoughtful attention and advice equally to every single skier on the team, coaching everyone in the unique way that works best for them. I think this is what allows the team to focus on and achieve both individual goals and team goals, regardless of what level any skier is at. Whether you’re trying to balance college racing with qualifying for JNs, ski All American at NCAAs, or just have well executed carnival races, Nathan will share his enthusiasm for every ambition his athletes have within and beyond the sport.”
Elliot Ketchel ’21, from Warren, Vermont describes Alsobrook as a well rounded leader, “Nathan is much more than a coach to all his athletes, he is an amazing mentor and friend. He cares about everything every one of us does in skiing and outside of it, and he is fully supportive of our pursuits, whether they are athletic, academic, or something else.” Ketchel was awarded the Bowdoin Outstanding First-Year Male Athlete award this spring.
It is an exciting time for Bowdoin Skiing with the hiring of two-time Olympian (’80 & ’88) Leslie Krichko as assistant coach, and during the winter of 2019 the Polar Bears will be debuting their new wax trailer. You can stay up to date with the team at www.bowdoinnordic.blogspot.com.
Congratulations Nathan Alsobrook on your hard work and fantastic accomplishments!
