Visit FasterSkier.com →

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.

Tag: Bryan Price

Cnossen Tallies 3rd Medal of PyeongChang Paralympics; Soule and Arendz Take Bronze

American Dan Cnossen racing to silver in the men’s 12.5 k biathlon sitting on Tuesday and his third medal in as many races at the 2018 Paralympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. (Photo: U.S. Paralympics/Thomas Lovelock – OIS/IOC)

2018 Winter Paralympics (PyeongChang, South Korea): 10/12.5 k biathlon races

Amid soft and slow conditions at the Alpensia Biathlon Centre on Tuesday, American Dan Cnossen raced to his third-straight medal in as many races at the 2018 Paralympics, claiming silver in the men’s 12.5-kilometer sitting biathlon race just ahead of his U.S. Paralympics Nordic teammate and fellow military veteran Andy Soule, who earned bronze.

Cnossen, a retired Navy SEAL, previously won gold in Saturday’s 7.5 k biathlon sprint and silver in Sunday’s 15 k cross-country race. Despite wind gusts up to 15 miles per hour on Tuesday, Cnossen hit all 20 of his targets and finished second, 1:01.7 minutes behind Ukraine’s Taras Rad, who won in 45:35.6 with clean shooting as well.

“Personally, this was such an important breakthrough, to shoot 20 for 20, especially on the last shooting stage,” the 37-year-old Cnossen said, according to a U.S. Paralympics press release. “I’ve had some mental blocks in the past where I overthink things or get a little anxious, so I really took my time, especially on the last two shots. I wanted to get my heart rate down and make sure the wind wasn’t blowing. It feels really good to overcome this mental hurdle. I just wanted to see what I could do today, and have my own race, and not worry about what other people are doing.”

Soule, a 38-year-old Army veteran, missed two on his third shooting stage (0+0+2+0) to finish third, 1:33.1 out of first. It was the second Paralympic medal of his career after Soule he earned bronze in the biathlon pursuit at the 2010 Games in Vancouver, British Columbia.

“I was really skiing at an aggressive pace,” Soule told U.S. Paralympics on Tuesday. “I was struggling to hold it together at the range those last two shootings. When I missed those two, I also knew that I had seen other people missing. I knew a miss or two wasn’t going to necessarily put me out of it. I knew I just needed to get back up, set the same aggressive pace, and maybe back it off just a little earlier on the next lap to make sure I get the shots. It came together just fine.”

It was another special moment for the U.S. Paralympics program with two of its leading men on the podium.

“I’m really happy for our whole team, to see how much success we’re having,” Soule said. “I think it’s a testament to great coaching, great support, great staff. Lots of great work being done behind the scenes by so many people that you don’t even see who are out here long before we even arrive at the venue. It’s a great group of athletes. I’m so happy to be a teammate with these guys.”

“This race feels especially good because I have my teammate, Andy, on the podium,” Cnossen said. “I knew he was going to have a good race. I’m really proud and happy to see him on the podium.”

Also for the U.S., Aaron Pike placed seventh in that race (+5:38.1) with a single miss (0+0+0+1), Sean Halsted finished 14th (+10:35.7) with five penalties, and Bryan Price was 16th (+17:02.3) with 10 misses.

Canada’s lone man in the 12.5 k sitting biathlon race, Derek Zaplotinsky finished 12th (+9:15.3) with five penalties.

American Kendall Gretsch racing to fourth in the women’s 10 k sitting biathlon race on Tuesday at the 2018 Paralympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. (Photo: U.S. Paralympics/ Maddie Meyer – Getty Images)

Coming off two medals in the women’s sitting biathlon and cross-country events last weekend, Kendall Gretsch placed fourth in the 10 k sitting biathlon race on Tuesday, 16.5 seconds out of third. According to a U.S. Paralympics press release, she fell three times and incurred three penalties (1+0+0+2), finishing 2:05.4 behind the winner, Germany’s Andrea Eskau.

A four-time gold medalist in Paralympic cycling with two silver medals in cross-country skiing (from two Winter Paralympics), Eskau, 46, claimed her first gold of the PyeongChang Games in 42:36.6 with one miss (0+0+1+0). Marta Zainullina and Irina Guliaeva, of the Neutral Paralympic Athletes (NPA), took silver (+1:15.5) and bronze (+1:48.9), respectively, with Zainullina skiing just one penalty lap and Guliaeva having to ski three.

Oksana Masters did not finish, pulling out after 8.64 k with six penalties (1+2+1+2).

Second Medal for Arendz

Canada’s Mark Arendz racing to bronze in the men’s 12.5 k standing biathlon race on Tuesday at the 2018 Paralympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea. (Photo: Scott Grant/Canadian Paralympic Committee)

Mark Arendz led Canada with his second medal in the second biathlon race, the men’s 12.5 k standing, racing to bronze, 30.9 seconds out of first. Arendz cleaned three stages before missing one on his last shooting (0+0+0+1), causing him to ski an additional 150 meters in the penalty lap.

France’s Benjamin Daviet won that race in 38:55.5 with one late penalty as well (0+0+0+1), and Ukraine’s Ihor Reptyukh collected silver (+6.7) with one miss as well (0+0+1+0).

“I knew there were some tired guys, so I went for it from the start and tried to put some pressure on,” Arendz, 28, said in a Cross Country Canada press release. “I decided in that last bout to go for it all, throw it down, and go for the win. Unfortunately, I had the one miss and it made it a tight and interesting race.”

The men’s 12.5 k standing biathlon podium at the 2018 Paralympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, with France’s Benjamin Daviet (c) in first, Ukraine’s Ihor Reptyukh (l) in second, and Canada’s Mark Arendz (r) in third. (Photo: Scott Grant/Canadian Paralympic Committee)

Arendz, who took silver in the opening biathlon sprint and also has two biathlon silver medals from the 2014 Paralympics, is seeking his first Paralympic gold.

“It was a really tough battle all day. I handed it to them early and had a choice: to go for gold or settle for the podium. I went for the win and had that one miss that cost me today,” he said. “I ran out of energy at the end. I am really happy with my race and it is another medal for Canada. I know everything is going well. I just need that last little tweak to finally win one.”

American Ruslan Reiter finished 11th in that race (+8:41.4) with three penalties (0+2+1+1).

Brittany Hudak led the Canadian women in fifth in the 10 k standing biathlon race, 5:45.8 behind Ekaterina Rumyantseva (NPA) in first. Hudak cleaned the first three stages before missing one in the last bout (0+0+0+1).

“The first lap I felt good,” Hudak recalled in the team press release. “The skis were running well in these conditions, but then it just got slower as we went on. The flat sections you really try put power to glide the ski but your weight is sinking you into the snow. It got harder to get some glide and as my legs got more tired I didn’t feel like I was moving fast.

“I tried to keep calm in the range and take my time,” she added. “The wind today was gusting, so I took a bit longer on my setup than I usually would and tried to be consistent. For the most part it worked well until that last lap, and that last bout. Overall it was an OK race.”

Paralympic racing continues Wednesday with men’s and women’s cross-country sprints, starting at 10 a.m. Korea time (7 p.m. EDT Tuesday).

Complete results

March 13, 2018
Gretsch, Cnossen Nab Historic Biathlon Golds at Paralympics

Kendall Gretsch takes aim during the women’s 6-kilometer sitting biathlon at the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games on Saturday in PyeongChang, South Korea. She won the race to become the first American woman to medal in a biathlon event at the Paralympics (or Olympics). (Photo: US Paralympics/Mark Reis)

2018 Winter Paralympics (PyeongChang, South Korea): Biathlon sprints

The 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, opened in a big way for the U.S. and Canadian Paralympic nordic and biathlon teams on Saturday, with Kendall Gretsch and Dan Cnossen winning the U.S.A.’s first-ever gold medals in biathlon, and Canada’s Mark Arendz racing to silver for his third Paralympic biathlon medal and Collin Cameron becoming the first Canadian man to medal in a Paralympic sit-ski race.

In her first Paralympics, Gretsch, a 25-year-old three-time gold medalist in paratriathlon, led U.S. teammate Oksana Masters across the line in the women’s sitting biathlon 6 k sprint, finishing in 21:52.0 with a single miss (0+1). Masters shot clean (0+0) and finished 22.8 seconds back for silver, less than three weeks after injuring her elbow.

“I’m just really excited to be here,” Gretsch said, according to a U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing press release. “It’s just a great way to kick off the week and hopefully [there’s] more to come. It was an awesome race.”

Her gold medal was also the first for an American woman in Paralympic nordic skiing.

“It’s incredible,” Gretsch said. “For the U.S., we’ve been watching the Olympics and [Kikkan Randall and Jessie Diggins] had their historical medal for the women’s cross-country and that definitely motivated us coming here, so if I was able to do that, that’s great.

“Motivation to get a medal definitely heightened after seeing that and seeing how they pushed through all their races,” she continued. “They’re such a great team and we also have a really strong aspect of a really strong team all working together.”

The women’s 6-kilometer sitting biathlon podium on Day 1 of the 2018 Paralympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, with Americans Kendall Gretsch (c) in first and Oksana Masters (l) in second, and Lidziya Hrafeyeva of Belarus (r) in third. (Photo: US Paralympics/Mark Reis)

At the 2014 Paralympics in Sochi, Russia, Masters earned silver and bronze in cross-country skiing events. She also took a bronze medal in rowing at the 2012 Summer Paralympics.

“I am so happy, I feel like I just won my gold medal, basically. I’m so happy to be on the podium,” Masters, 28, told U.S. Paralympics after her first Paralympic biathlon medal.

“I was told I was not going to be able to race,” Masters said of her injury just before the Games. “I was basically fighting for a chance at the start line. I dug as deep as I could for my team and I’m happy to be standing on the podium next to Kendall.

“It’s amazing to have team USA having not only its first female biathlon medal but the first female Paralympic gold, followed by a silver,” she added. “It gives me goosebumps. It could not have been a better feeling.”

In his second Paralympics, Cnossen, a 37-year-old retired Navy SEAL, achieved his first medal — gold — in the men’s sitting biathlon 7.5 k sprint in 23:49.7. With a single miss (0+1), he skied in the top three throughout Saturday’s race before beating Belarus’s Dzmitry Loban, who also had a penalty (1+0), by 7.3 seconds for the win.

American Dan Cnossen (l) celebrates gold on Day 1 of the 2018 Paralympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, next to Canadian bronze medalist Collin Cameron. (Photo: US Paralympics/Getty Images)

Cnossen’s previous best in Sochi was sixth in the cross-country sprint and 10th in the biathlon individual race. He is also a world championships para-cyclist pursuing his second graduate degree from Harvard University.

“I would say Andy Soule was the trailblazer,” Cnossen said of his teammate’s bronze medal from the 2010 Paralympics in Vancouver, British Columbia. “When I was new on the team, he was the inspiration, and I know he’s going to pop a good race here as well.

“In the race, I just wanted to see what I can do, not worrying about anything else,” he explained. “In the last Games that I did in Sochi, I let the TV screens and the announcer get to me and today I just focused on what I can do and nothing else matters. I crossed the line and I wasn’t even going to look at the board and I was pleasantly surprised at the end.”

American Andy Soule racing to eighth in he men’s 7.5 k sitting biathlon sprint at the 2018 Paralympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. (Photo: US Paralympics/Thomas Lovelock for OIS/IOC)

With a total of nine Americans in the top 20 — Soule placed eighth, Aaron Pike 12th, Joy Rondeau 14th, Ruslan Reiter 16th, Jeremy Wagner 19th, and Bryan Price 20th — Cnossen said the best was yet to come. With the exception of Reiter, who competes in the standing division, all of those results came in Saturday’s sitting biathlon races.

“We have such an amazing team,” Cnossen said. “The way they’ve recruited new athletes, developed the waxing protocol — it’s really showing. This is just the start and we have six more races including the relays to go. It’ll be exciting.”

Silver + Bronze for Canada

In his third Paralympics, Arendz, 28, opened with a silver medal in the men’s standing biathlon 7.5 k sprint, matching his result in that event in Sochi four years ago. He shot clean and finished in 18:25.9 on Saturday, 30.8 seconds behind France’s Benjamin Daviet, who also cleaned the two-stage race and won in 17:56.6.

Canada’s Mark Arendz crossing the line for silver in the men’s standing biathlon 7.5 k sprint on Saturday at the 2018 Paralympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. (Screenshot: ZDF broadcast)

“Coming across the line I thought I had it,” Arendz said, according to a Canadian team press release. “I’m really happy with the day. It was an awesome race for me, but someone was just a little faster.”

Earlier in the day, Cameron, 29, raced to bronze in the men’s sitting sprint, missing one target (0+1) and finishing 9.7 seconds behind Cnossen in first.

“I got to the venue and saw Collin’s name at the top of the standings in his final lap of the sit-ski race,” Arendz recalled. “I cheered him on up his final hill and I took a lot of energy from watching him win his first ever Paralympic medal this morning.”

A former sledge hockey player, Cameron started skiing three years ago. In achieving his first Paralympic medal, he became the first Canadian male biathlete to reach the podium in sit skiing at the Paralympics.

“This is crazy. I didn’t expect this today,” Cameron said according to the press release. “I felt really great getting down on the mat and was in position every time. It got me on the podium today, and it is absolutely crazy.

“When I was coming into the range for the second time, I heard on [my coach John Jaques’s] radio when he bent down to give me my rifle that I was in third, and I missed that shot,” he added. “I took a breath and got the rest – then I just went for it. Coming up that final hill, the whole team was just screaming at me and I went as hard as I could.

“Everything came together today, and I don’t know why,” Cameron continued. “I think just the build up through the season. I was progressively getting snappier and faster, and all the work John spent with me in Sudbury. We focused on race procedure and that paid dividends today. It is such a fun course here.”

In the women’s 6 k standing biathlon sprint, Canada’s Emily Young placed seventh with a single miss (0+1), just ahead of teammate Brittany Hudak in eighth with two penalties (1+1).

Racing in PyeongChang continued Sunday with men’s and women’s sitting cross-country long-distance events, starting at 10 a.m. Korea time (8 p.m. EST on Saturday).

Complete results

March 10, 2018
U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing Names 2017/2018 National Team
Three-time Paralympic medalist Oksana Masters won her third consecutive overall women’s sitting IPC World Cup globe in cross-country. (Photo: U.S. Paralympics)

(Press release)

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Thirteen athletes, including seven U.S. Paralympians in Nordic skiing, were named to the 2017-2018 U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing National Team on June 1 by U.S. Paralympics, a division of the United States Olympic Committee.

“The level to which our Nordic skiers have performed already is very inspiring,” said Paralympic Nordic Skiing head coach Eileen Carey. “Our veteran athletes have continued to improve as we approach the Paralympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, and the addition of new members on our national and development teams is promising for the future.”

Three-time Paralympic medalist Oksana Masters (Louisville, Kentucky) highlights the team after claiming four world championships titles during the 2016-17 season, including cross-country crowns in sprint, middle and long distances, as well as the sprint biathlon title. She capped off the season by securing her third consecutive overall women’s sitting world cup globe in cross-country at the World Para Nordic Skiing World Cup Finals in Sapporo, Japan. Additionally, Masters finished third in the world cup overall rankings in biathlon.

Kendall Gretsch (Chicago, Illinois), Ruslan Reiter (Manchester, Maine) and Daniel Romanchuk (Mount Airy, Maryland) all make the national and development teams for the first time.

Four military veterans are featured on the roster, including Dan Cnossen (Topeka, Kansas/Navy), Sean Halsted (Rathdrum, Idaho/ Air Force), Bryan Price (Belton, Missouri/Army) and Andy Soule (Pearland, Texas/Army).

Team USA had a record-breaking 2016-17 season that finished with 33 world cup medals by five athletes, setting a record for the Nordic skiing team. Of the 33 world cup medals acquired, 12 were in biathlon. All A- and B-Team athletes reached the podium this past season, including first-time medals for Jake Adicoff (Sun Valley, Idaho) and guide Sawyer Kesselheim (Bozeman, Montana), as well as Aaron Pike (Park Rapids, Minnesota) at the PyeongChang Test Event.

2017-18 U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing National Teams

*Denotes U.S. Paralympian in Nordic skiing

# Denotes U.S. Military veterans

A Team
- Jake Adicoff (Sun Valley, Idaho) – visually impaired skier*
- Dan Cnossen (Topeka, Kansas/Navy) – sit skier*#
- Sawyer Kesselheim (Bozeman, Montana) – guide
- Oksana Masters (Louisville, Kentucky) – sit skier*
B Team
- Aaron Pike (Park Rapids, Minnesota) – sit skier*
- Andy Soule (Pearland, Texas/Army) – sit skier*#
C Team
- Kendall Gretsch (Chicago, Illinois) – sit skier
Development Team
- Sean Halsted (Rathdrum, Idaho/Air Force) – sit skier*#
- Bryan Price (Belton, Missouri/Army) – sit skier*#
- Ruslan Reiter (Manchester, Maine) – standing skier
- Daniel Romanchuk (Mount Airy, Maryland) – sit skier
- Joy Rondeau (Granby, Colorado) – sit skier
- Mia Zutter (Sun Prairie, Wisconsin) – visually impaired skier
June 1, 2017
U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing Names 2016/2017 National Team

(Press release)

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 1) — Seven athletes, including five U.S. Paralympians, were announced to the 2016-2017 U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing National Team by U.S. Paralympics, a division of the United States Olympic Committee.

“The high quality of our national team this season is very encouraging,” said Paralympic Nordic Skiing head coach Eileen Carey. “All of our athletes have shown themselves to be competitive as they continually challenge for medals on the international stage.”

Headlining the team is two-time Paralympic medalist Oksana Masters (Louisville, Kentucky) who comes off a perfect 2015-16 campaign in cross-country competition. She went undefeated in sprint, middle and long distances to claim her second consecutive overall world cup globe for the women’s sitting class at the IPC Cross-Country Skiing World Cup Finals in Vuokatti, Finland in March. She also amassed the most world cup cross-country points throughout the season than any other female on the world cup circuit.

The roster also includes three military veterans: Sean Halsted (Rathdrum, Idaho), ret., Air Force, Bryan Price (Belton, Missouri), ret. Army and Paralympic medalist Andy Soule (Pearland, Texas), ret. Army.

Making their national team debut are two newcomers Joy Rondeau (Granby, Colorado) and Mia Zutter (Sun Prairie, Wisconsin). Both competed in their first international competitions at the world cup in Finsterau, Germany which will play host to the 2016 IPC Nordic Skiing World Championships.

Team USA finished the 2015-16 strong with nine medals in the final two world cups, including three gold medals at the World Cup Finals. The team will face an important year in preparation for the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games. Before the world championships in February, the team will travel to world cups in Finland, Ukraine and Japan as well as South Korea for the PyeongChang Test Event.

2016-2017 U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing National Teams

*Denotes 2014 U.S. Paralympian
# Denotes retired U.S. Military

A Team

*Oksana Masters (Louisville, Kentucky), sit ski

*#Andy Soule (Pearland, Texas/Army), sit ski

B Team

*Jake Adicoff (Sun Valley, Idaho), visually impaired

Development Team

*#Sean Halsted (Rathdrum, Idaho/Air Force), sit ski

*#Bryan Price (Belton, Missouri/Army), sit ski

Joy Rondeau (Granby, Colorado), sit ski

June 3, 2016
Five Races in Four Days: U.S. Paralympics Sit Ski Nationals & IPC Continental Cup Recap

Canadian para athlete Yves Bourque, of Quebec, a veteran of the 2014 Sochi Paralympics, skiing in Craftsbury, Vt., at 2016 U.S. Paralympics Sit Ski Nationals and IPC Continental Cup from Jan. 6-9. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)

The first week of January was a busy one. In random corners of the world, some of the top-ranked nordic skiers competed for various titles: at the Tour de Ski in Switzerland, Germany and Italy, at U.S. Cross Country Championships in Houghton, Mich., and at the U.S. Paralympics Sit Ski Nationals and International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Continental Cup in Craftsbury, Vt.

In Craftsbury, about 30 miles south of the Canadian border in northern Vermont, five races were held in a span of four days, Jan. 6-9, after anticipated rain prompted organizers to move up the last two races to the scheduled off day.

“Busy for sure, but the OC [organizing committee] did an amazing job and the athletes got a big bang for their time and investment in being there,” U.S. Paralympics Nordic High Performance Director John Farra wrote in an email.

Oksana Masters (U.S. Paralympics Nordic A-team) during a snowy day in Craftsbury, Vt., at the U.S. Paralympics Sit Ski Nationals and IPC Continental Cup from Jan. 6-9. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)

The Craftsbury Outdoor Center hosted 25 participants in three cross-country races followed by two biathlon races. U.S. Paralympics A-team members Andy Soule and Oksana Masters won the opening men’s 7.5-kilometer and women’s 5 k mid-distance sit ski races, respectively, and Masters went on to sweep the remaining races of nationals.

Soule won four out of the five, placing second to longtime teammate Sean Halsted in the men’s 2.5 k short-distance sit ski on the second day of racing.

That day entailed back-to-back races: the short-distance in the morning and a full sprint — complete with a qualifier and heats —following in the afternoon.

“It was a busy day, but from a development perspective it was a great model,” Farra wrote.

Interestingly, the 850-meter sprint was scored as a “mixed” event, ranking both genders on a single results sheet. Masters topped the coed field, winning with an adjusted time 11 seconds faster than Soule. Halsted was the second male and third overall.

“This year for the first time we were able to take advantage of a new rule by IPC that allows us to combine men’s and women’s fields for the purposes of establishing a points base when the numbers of points-holding athletes in a single field would otherwise be too small,” Eileen Carey, head coach of U.S. Paralympics Nordic explained in an email.

“There is a precedent for this in IPC in the relay, where women get an additional 18% off their compensation to equalize the field and combine everyone in one event. As an example when Oksana is racing against women’s only fields, she has a 100% compensation, so her calculated result is the same as her real time,” Carey continued. “In this event, her calculated result was 82% of her real time. This made for a much more exciting event and a better competition for athletes. For our World Cup regulars and new skiers alike, it meant more practice going into technical sections in groups and having to ski more tactical races to qualify for finals.”

Looking at the overall field, Farra and Carey noted they were impressed by some “brand new” athletes.

“This was the first major competition for a majority of the field,” Carey explained. “As a group, they arrived impressively fit for skiing and improved throughout the week. It is exciting for us to have a bigger community of adaptive athletes in the same place each year.”

U.S. para skiers (left to right) Brittany Fisher, Oksana Masters, and Joy Rondeau at 2016 U.S. Paralympics Sit Ski Nationals and IPC Continental Cup. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)

In her first IPC Continental Cup and sit-ski nationals, Joy Rondeau, who trains with the National Center for the Disabled in Winter Park, Colo., placed second to Masters in all three cross-country events and the 6.5 k biathlon race.

“We had participation in all 3 classes and both genders… which was really cool for us,” Farra wrote. “Great to have some new talent in standing and visual impaired classes especially.”

“The development group as a whole came to the event more fit and more skilled than in the past so we think that means good things for the future of the sport,” Carey added.

This season, sit skiers Halstead and Bryan Price are on the development team. Halstead reached the podium in all five races, Price landed on it three times, and B-team member Aaron Pike tallied two podiums in Craftsbury.

Andy Soule (U.S. Paralympics A-team) at 2016 U.S. Paralympics Sit Ski Nationals and IPC Continental Cup. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)

“I was impressed with the group as a whole and am excited to see what is to come,” Carey wrote. “Our National Team athletes are skiing well and are on track for a good winter.”

As for the conditions in Craftsbury, Carey described them as “great.”

“The crew there is incredible with what they can do with small amounts of snow,” she wrote. “They worked hard making and moving snow and (once again!) made excellent courses for our skiers. I have learned to never underestimate what they are capable of, and they did not disappoint. We are lucky to have such a dedicated organizer in Nordic sport and the fact that they pulled out all the stops for our field of 25 athletes was amazing. They put together World Cup quality competitions.”

The national team is headed to Pyeongchang, South Korea, for the IPC Asian Cup Jan. 28-Feb. 1 and a chance to preview the 2018 Paralympics venue.

“We will get eyes on Pyeong Chang for the first time this winter so we will learn specifics from that trip that we will apply to our training,” Carey wrote.

Results:

Jan. 6 mid-distance

Jan. 7 short-distance | sprint

Jan. 8 biathlon sprint

Jan. 9 biathlon indvidual

More photos: http://www.lazenbyphoto.com/craftsbury-paralympics-gallery-2016/

January 16, 2016
Wednesday Workout: Reverse Pursuit Sprints with U.S. Paralympics Nordic
U.S. Paralympics Nordic national-team members Andy Soule (B team, back), Oksana Masters (A team, center) and Bryan Price (development team, front) doing some reverse pursuit sprints in the Oberhof ski tunnel in Germany in early October. (Photo: Eileen Carey)

This week’s workout comes from U.S. Paralympics High-Performance Coach and Associate Director Eileen Carey, who traveled to the Oberhof ski tunnel in Germany last month with a few national-team members for an on-snow camp.

***

This workout is designed to give head-to-head technical and tactical practice to a group of skiers with a wide range of speeds. This type of workout is important for our program because we often have training sessions with athletes with a wide range of experience levels and/or with different impairments competing against one another.

The combination of the short duration and reverse pursuit format aims to create head-to-head scenarios in situations that may not exist in more traditional interval or speed sessions. We have had good luck using this workout to combine standing and sit skiers into the same heat so they all get the opportunity to compete even if there might not be anyone else in their Paralympic class. This could also work well for a youth program, or any workout including athletes with a variety of ski speeds.

(Photo: Eileen Carey)

(Photo: Eileen Carey)

Here’s how it works:
1. Prep: Set up a short course with some technical elements. If your athletes have a wide range of ski speeds, a shorter course will help to facilitate more head to head action. A slalom style course with cones can be really effective and simple if all you have is a small area (think early season!). We usually shoot for between 75 meters to 300 meters depending on our technical and physiological goals for the workout.
2. Warm-up: During a 20-30 minute warm-up, athletes ski the course, focusing on technical elements and trying different lines around tricky sections. The solo practice helps build confidence and learn some of the unique elements of the terrain, conditions and other factors at play.
3. Solo heats: Have skiers ski the course 1-3 times on their own at a race pace speed. This is an important progression from the warm-up as additional speed always adds some new elements. The goal at the end of the solo rounds is for athletes to feel confident with the technical elements before adding the head to head component. During the solo heats, I time athletes to get an idea of the general times of each athlete or group of athletes. I usually time them to whatever section of the course I want them to be head to head on. This helps set up the heat starts.
4. Pursuit head-to-head heats: Once athletes are confident on the course, line them up in pursuit format, but with fastest skier at the end. Start athletes one by one in reverse pursuit order depending on how long it will take each of them to get to the sticky section of the course. Repeat head to head heats 5-10 times. Once you get an idea of where challenges are coming up for each athlete, you can manipulate start times to force them to focus on that aspect of their skiing.
5. Bonus tactical round: If you want to add an additional tactical element, set up your course as a loop. Complete the above workout doing one lap around the loop. Once they are dialed with that, have them do the same format in two laps. How does this change their tactics on the technical sections? How might they ski those sections differently on lap 1 and lap 2? The simple change can force some interesting changes and can be effective in starting a conversation about tactics in general. This is a great session to video so the conversation can continue after the workout. Plus, you will capture some great diggers, and who doesn’t love watching those on replay?
6. Cool down: 20-30 mins
There are lots of different ways to do this workout and so far all we have tried are both fun and effective. We recently had a camp at the Tunnel in Oberhof and this was a great technical and tactical workout to maximize the very small area that we had to ourselves. Be inventive and have fun duking it out!

The 2014 U.S. Paralympics Nordic Team before the Opening Ceremony in Sochi, Russia. (Photo: Eileen Carey)
November 5, 2014
2014 U.S. Paralympics Nordic Team Nominated

Tatyana McFadden (l) and Jeremy Wagner are headed to the 2014 Paralympics from March 7-16 in Sochi, Russia. (Photo: TeamUSA.org)

(Press release)

COLORADO SPRINGS – U.S. Paralympics, a division of the United States Olympic Committee, announced Wednesday that 16 Nordic skiing athletes and two guides have been nominated to the 2014 U.S. Paralympic Team to compete in biathlon and cross-country skiing at the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, March 7-16. The nominations are subject to approval of the USOC.

After sending six athletes to the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, Team USA’s Nordic roster will nearly triple in size with 12 men, four women and two guides for visually impaired athletes.

“We are thrilled to bring such a large team of athletes and professional staff to Sochi,” said John Farra, high performance director for U.S. Paralympics Nordic skiing. “We have made a concerted effort to introduce more athletes to the sports of cross-country skiing and biathlon over the past two-and-a-half seasons, and this growth is a sign of our success in keeping many of them excited about our Nordic sports and working toward becoming internationally competitive.

“In addition to building the numbers with new developing athletes, we have also focused many resources to help our top athletes get close to hitting the podium. Great focus was given towards equipment design for sit skiers, race ski selection and preparation in partnership with the U.S. Biathlon Association, and access to the best training camps and competitions around the world.”

2014 U.S. Paralympic Nordic Team Nominees:
(Subject to USOC approval)

Women

Monica Bascio (Evergreen, Colo.)

Oksana Masters (Louisville, Ky.)
Tatyana McFadden (Clarksville, Md.)
Beth Requist (Winter Park, Colo.)

Men

Jake Adicoff (Sun Valley, Idaho)

Omar Bermejo (Grand Rapids, Mich.)
Kevin Burton (Boulder, Colo.)
Lt. Cmdr. Dan Cnossen (Topeka, Kan.)
Travis Dodson (Deming, N.M.)
Sean Halsted (Spokane, Wash.)
John Oman (Rice Lake, Wis.)
Augusto Perez (East Syracuse, N.Y.)
Aaron Pike (Park Rapids, Minn.)
Bryan Price (Belton, Mo.)
Andy Soule (San Antonio, Texas)
Jeremy Wagner (Nanakuli, Hawaii)

Guides

David Chamberlain (Wilton, Maine)

Reid Pletcher (Ketchum, Idaho)

Three athletes return from the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, including Andy Soule (San Antonio, Texas) who won the first-ever U.S. medal in the Olympic or Paralympic Winter Games in the biathlon with his bronze in the men’s 2.4-kilometer race. Soule will be joined by his 2010 teammates Sean Halsted (Spokane, Wash.) and Monica Bascio (Evergreen, Colo.).

Bascio boasts the most Winter Games experience, with Sochi marking her third Winter Games and fourth Games overall. Having just recently retired from cycling, Bascio is one of three athletes who medaled at the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Other cross-over athletes include Tatyana McFadden (Clarksville, Md.) and Oksana Masters (Louisville, Ky.). McFadden is a 10-time Paralympic medalist in track and field, while Masters partnered with Rob Jones to become the first Americans to win a Paralympic rowing medal in the trunk and arms mixed double sculls event with their third place finish.

More than half of the athletes nominated to the men’s team are military veterans: Omar Bermejo (Marines/Grand Rapids, Mich.), Kevin Burton (Navy/Boulder, Colo.), Travis Dodson (Marines/Deming, N.M.), Halsted (Air Force/Spokane, Wash.), Bryan Price (Army/ Belton, Mo.), Soule (Army) and Jeremy Wagner (Army Reserves/Nanakuli, Hawaii). Lieutenant Commander Dan Cnossen (Topeka, Kan.) is the only active duty member of the team as he currently serves with the United States Navy.

Competition for Nordic skiing will take place March 8-16 with March 13 scheduled as an off-day. Nordic skiing includes both biathlon and cross-country skiing, both of which have three events contested at the Games, in addition to two cross-country relays.

The majority of the U.S. Paralympic Nordic Skiing Team will compete in both sports. A list of events entered by each athlete will be available in February.

The USOC and NBC Olympics have partnered to provide an unprecedented level of coverage to the Paralympic Winter Games. NBC and NBC Sports Network will combine to air 50 hours of television, starting on March 7 with the Opening Ceremony. It will be followed by daily coverage of all five Paralympic sports in the Sochi program, before the Games’ Closing Ceremony is broadcast on March 16. In addition to the unprecedented U.S. television coverage, the USOC and streaming sponsors BMW, BP, Citi, Liberty Mutual Insurance, Procter & Gamble and The Hartford will provide live online coverage at TeamUSA.org.

U.S. Paralympic Team nominees for alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, sled hockey, snowboarding and wheelchair curling will be finalized by the USOC no later than Feb. 21, the deadline to submit Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games delegation rosters to the International Paralympic Committee. Selection procedures and dates can be found at TeamUSA.org/ParalympicGames/.

January 30, 2014