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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: Jens Arne Svartedal

  • Duel of the Marathoners

    Duel of the Marathoners

    OSLO, NORWAY – Oslo’s local ski organization Skiforeningen and Thomas Alsgaard’s new distance initiative Team United Bakeries dish up a 10K classic suffer fest with more than 1,200 feet elevation gain. Start is Sørkedalen, Oslo, finish at Tryvann.

    Jörgen Brink Photo: Madshus AS

    According to the start list, both Team United Bakeries and Team Xtra Personell are well represented in the elite wave. Both current Vasaloppet champion from Team United Bakeries, Jörgen Brink (SWE), and 2008 Vasaloppet champion Jørgen Aukland (NOR) from Team Xtra Personell are registered and ready to duke it out for bragging rights. Add 2008 and 2009 Vasaloppet champion Sandra Hansson (SWE) in the women’s race to the mix for a total of three Vasaloppet champions on the start line.

    “We’re really excited to have this kind of a marathon field. We think this event has potential, and next year, we’re planning to have the finish in the new roller ski arena at Holmenkollen,” Ole Kristian Sørland of Skiforeningen says to the Norwegian web site birken.no.

    From www.skiforeningen.no and www.birkebeiner.no, compiled by Inge Scheve, FasterSkier.

  • National vs Private Teams

    National vs Private Teams

    Team Xtra Personell: Anders Aukland, Jorgen Aukland, Jens Arne Svartedal
    Team Xtra Personell: Anders Aukland, Jorgen Aukland, Jens Arne Svartedal

    (translated from ski-nordique.net  11-4-09, “Northug et Cologna sous le même maillot ? ” and langrenn.com  “Ulvang mener Northug må få sin del av landslagskaka”  11-4 09)

      Leaders of the nordic ski world often look to cycling for ideas on how to advance the sport of skiing.  Could the next similiarity come in the creation of more private teams ?  With many national teams experiencing financial problems, the incentives to join a private team with larger funding could be very real.   Perhaps if the top athletes join private teams,  the national federations could then focus on the whole infrastructure of developing the younger athletes.   

      One example of a private professional team is Team Xtra Personell.  Started in 2006, its team members consist of  Jerry Ahrlin, Jens Arne Svartedal, Jorgen Aukland, and Anders Aukland.  It is a team fully funded by sponsors and it provides structure through a full staff of founders, coaches, trainers, technicians, and others.  But its relationship with the Norwegian Federation has not been good, and at times has brought penalties for the members of team Xtra.

         Vegard Ulvang, head of the FIS, is a sworn supporter of the current model of national teams, wherein the best skiers in the nation are on one national team.  He acknowledges the fact that some of the younger skiers, such as Peter Northug of Norway, do not feel they are fairly compensated by their national teams and so have recently considered joining private teams, but says to do this would be disruptive and very negative for the sport.

       Ulvang thinks the Ski Federation needs to find a way for the top skiers  to get compensated fairly by their national teams so that they are earning a bigger slice of the cake.

           Of differing opinion is Fredrik Aukland, head coach of the Swiss national team and advisor to Team Xtra Personell, who  firmly beleives in the future of private teams.  He  thinks it would not be unrealistic to see Swiss skier Dario Cologne and Northug on the same team in the future. 

    nortthug-and-cologna
    Peter Northug and Dario Cologne: future teammates?