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Tag: Hennie Kashiwa

  • NNF Board of Directors Elects New Chairman

     

    (Press release)

    The National Nordic Foundation (NNF) is excited to announce the election of a new Chairman of the Board, Peter Ashley. Peter succeeds former Executive Director and long-time Board Chair, David Knoop who is moving into an unofficial advisory role with the organization. Over the past eight years, Knoop transformed the nearly-defunct National Cross Country Ski Education Foundation (NCCSEF) into a fundraising powerhouse that has contributed in excess of $1 million to developing nordic athletes since 2010.

    “I can look back to eight years ago,” says Knoop, “and there was a real need for an organization to fill in the gaps between what the clubs were capable of and what the U.S.S.A./U.S. Ski Team was doing. We had a few bright spots like Kikkan Randall and Andy Newell, but overall, the ‘Development Pipeline’ was more theory than practice. The NNF arose out of a need to create funding and a sustained budget for development programs.” David, further reflecting on the subsequent eight years: “The NNF is a success story that I’m very grateful to have been a part of and enjoy with so many of you. I know that the NNF will continue to be successful with your support and I wish everyone all the best and hope to see you around enjoying the sport and lifestyle that we love.”

    Peter Ashley, who has been on the NNF Board of Directors for the past two years brings a wealth of experience and connections from a lifetime in the skiing community. Among his many accomplishments, the Jackson, Wyo., native, spent nine seasons as a U.S. Ski Team coach before working over 20 years with Fischer Sports as National Sales and Marketing Manager for their Nordic Division.

    “This is an exciting time to be involved with the NNF,” says Peter.  “The past years’ results are a testament to the hard work of the nordic community over the last 20 years. I look forward to working with all the nordic clubs, coaches, athletes and the entire nordic community to continue and improve on the past years’ success. Soon we’ll announce the NNF funding of summer projects in 2017!”

    Executive Director, Hennie Kashiwa’s role remains unchanged. “I am very excited for the NNF to have Peter’s wealth of experience both in skiing and as a leader,” says Kashiwa. “As we transition, however, it is critical to recognize the work that Dave Knoop put into the NNF. Without Dave, the NNF would simply not exist as it does today. Both personally and as a member of the skiing community, I’d like to thank Dave for the monumental impact he’s had on our sport.”

  • NNF Announces Live Coverage of Nordic Junior & U23 World Championships

    NNF TV

    NATIONAL NORDIC FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES LIVE COVERAGE OF NORDIC JUNIOR & U23 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS EXCLUSIVELY ON NNF.SKI/TV

    January 24— Starting January 30, the world’s best nordic junior and U23 athletes will descend on the site of the 2002 Winter Olympics, offering a preview of the Olympic podiums in 2022 and beyond. All twenty-four events of the 2017 FIS Nordic Junior and U23 World Ski Championships will be available live, worldwide—exclusively from the National Nordic Foundation (NNF). Access links to all events can be found at www.nnf.ski/tv.

    In producing live coverage of the World Junior/U23 Championships, the NNF is not only pleased to provide the global skiing community with access to high-level international competition, interviews, and skier education but also to raise funds for nordic athletes across the United States. Live access to each event will be available for $4.95 or all events for $49.95. By offering this pay-per-view model worldwide, the NNF aims to generate funding that will support future athletic programming.

    “This is a unique and exciting opportunity,” said Hennie Kashiwa, Executive Director of the NNF. “Not only are we able provide a service to the community and support the event’s organizing committee, but this is a chance to find new revenue that can go right back to our athletes. Tell your friends about it; this is going to be great.”

    Once the Championships have concluded, all competitions will be archived and available, along with edited interviews and educational segments, at www.nnf.ski/tv.

  • FasterSkier Podcast with New NNF Executive Director, Hennie Kashiwa

    FasterSkier Podcast with New NNF Executive Director, Hennie Kashiwa

    A Feb., 2009 Hennie Kashiwa on the University of Denver wax bench, at Devils Thumb Ranch in Tabernash, CO. (Photo ©2009 Brett Wilhelm/Rich Clarkson and Associates, LLC)
    Hennie Kashiwa working the University of Denver wax bench in February 2009  at Devils Thumb Ranch in Tabernash, Colo. (Photo: Brett Wilhelm/Rich Clarkson and Associates, LLC)

    In mid-April, Hennie Kashiwa, a 31-year-old Colorado native, was named the new executive director of the National Nordic Foundation (NNF). The Kashiwa name has been synonymous with snow and skis for generations — Hennie is no stranger to the business and coaching sides of cross-country skiing. He comes to NNF having coached at the NCAA Division I level as well as spending five years in the “industry” working at Boulder Nordic Sport.

     

    On its website, NNF has posted a succinct and singular mission: “The NNF’s mission is to support athletic excellence in developing nordic athletes in the United States.”

    It’s Kashiwa’s job, officially beginning May 1, to fulfill that mission while working with outgoing executive director James Southam. For Kashiwa, one key component of realizing mission success will be expanding the NNF’s presence by broadening its scope of funders.

    Hennie Kashiwa, the NNF's new executive director, grew up in Steamboat Springs, Colo., and lives in Boulder, Colo., with his wife Sonya and his daughter, Heidi. They are expecting a second daughter in June, according to an NNF press release. (Photo: NNF)
    Hennie Kashiwa, the NNF’s new executive director, grew up in Steamboat Springs, Colo., and lives in Lakewood, Colo., with his wife Sonya and his daughter, Heidi. They are expecting a second daughter in June, according to an NNF press release. (Photo: Tobias Albrigtsen, Boulder Filming)

    Tobias Albrigtsen, Boulder Filming

    Speaking about a specific pitch he’d give potential donors relates to Olympic medal count.

    “One example of a pitch, depending on who you are talking to: cross-country skiing, well, not just cross-country skiing, but nordic skiing. It’s important to remember that nordic combined has given us more nordic medals than cross-country at this point, there’s more medal opportunities in the nordic sports than any other skiing events,” Kashiwa said. “If we really want to boost our medal count, supporting our cross-country and nordic combined skiers should be a priority.”

    As the U.S. Ski Team boasts a powerhouse women’s team and skiers like Simi Hamilton, who finished 10th overall on the Sprint World Cup, breaking through on the men’s side, it still remains vital for U.S. cross-country skiing to maintain a steady pipeline of skiers able to graduate to the international skiing stage. Historically, the NNF has helped fund those aspirations.

    In this podcast, Kashiwa explains what he brings to the NNF and where how he sees the organization evolving.