Caitlin Gregg (left) doing speedwork with a Central Cross Country (CXC) camp in Marquette, Mich., home of her alma mater, Northern Michigan University. (Photo: Team Gregg/Facebook)
Fifteen years into her international racing career, Caitlin Gregg is still learning.
But the next season was one of frustration: the first half spent spinning her wheels on the World Cup, never feeling quite right, and then a trip home to re-tool midseason (and win another American Birkebeiner) before ultimately finishing 33rd in the Ski Tour Canada.
“It’s so hard when you have such a good end to a season and you’re so fired up and so motivated,” Gregg said in an interview this week. “You think you’re invincible and you’ve figured it all out. I write my own training plan, and I think I got a little excited and did a little too much intensity and a little too hard. My [Level 3 sessions] were just a little too hard. You learn from those mistakes.”
Gregg, 35, is taking those lessons and applying it to this year’s big goal: racing the 30 k freestyle at 2017 World Campionships in Lahti, Finland.
“I wanted to do the 30 k at the Olympics and didn’t make it,” she said. “The calendar has that race again at World Championships. To get there is never a guarantee. But speaking to [U.S. Ski Team Head Coach Chris] Grover, he obviously published some criteria and my path fits with what the Ski Team said is how to get there. I’m going to go off of what they said, which is leading the domestic SuperTour and having a strong showing at nationals.”
Caitlin and Brian Gregg at a training camp in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. (Photo: Team Gregg/Facebook)
This summer, Gregg’s training has been initially based on volume and more Level 3. A few weeks ago she started incorporating more intensity and time trials, and is pleased with her fitness.
“I wouldn’t say that I’ve done anything revolutionary in my training this year … but the time trials have been going great,” she said. “I’ve had a bunch of PR’s.”
The strategic shift after last season has also meant staying closer to home. Gregg was named to the U.S. Ski Team after her World Championships performance. Partly as a result, she and her husband, 2014 Olympian Brian Gregg – a duo who bill themselves as Team Gregg – spent a big chunk of last year in Park City, Utah.
Gregg has no regrets about that experience, but the couple decided to get back to their roots in the Twin Cities this year instead of going back out West.
“I really wanted to be home this summer and spending as much time as possible with my home team, Loppet Nordic Racing,” Gregg explained. “My training camps this year were with the LNR crew, which was really fun. It brought us to Hayward, Wisconsin, and Marquette, Michigan, and we ended up doing one camp in Park City. It was a busy summer with a bunch of camps.”
Much of that training ended up being with the LNR junior team.
“Piot [Bednarski] runs a pretty good operation in the sense that these kids are working hard,” she explained. “It’s not about just showing up at practice to say you were there. It’s about really putting in the work… They are skiing at a super incredible level.”
The trip to Park City, for instance, was partly because 2017 World Junior and U23 Championships will be held at Soldier Hollow. Gregg said she was “so excited” for the U.S. juniors who are preparing, dreaming, and fighting for the chance to compete there on home soil.
Gregg built on the juniors’ energy and used creativity to fit her training plan in alongside theirs.
“I was able to utilize slower wheel speed or weight vests, or I might do a couple extra intervals at the end while the girls cheered for me, or jump in with the boys for a workout,” she said. “It was really fun to have a consistent group of athletes to work with and a similar program all year.”
Gregg – who along with her husband has long been involved with local club teams as well as the mentoring program In The Arena – is becoming more and more serious about coaching in and of itself.
So the idea of training alongside area juniors was one she latched onto.
Caitlin Gregg picking up the win in the 13.1 k Surly Brewing Company Trail Loppet last weekend; Brian Gregg won the men’s 13.1 k. (Photo: Team Gregg/Facebook)
“My hope was to be an elite athlete who these guys could have an opportunity to train in the mix with, and really almost be an opportunity that they could be following me as much as possible,” she said. “I think that makes a big difference for them. I think it was a really good for both me and them.”
Another piece of the coaching puzzle came from involvement with Central Cross Country camps, including in Marquette, Michigan, where she could reconnect with her college coach Sten Fjeldheim at Northern Michigan University.
“I’ve decided that I love the coaching and I want to get more experience coaching, so there was an opportunity to go up there and see, from a little bit of an outside perspective, how Sten and [assistant coach] Shane [MacDowell] are running their program,” she explained.
That also meant checking in with a number of Loppet Nordic Racing athletes who had moved on to Northern Michigan University.
“This summer we had about ten girl from LNR actually going to ski in college,” Gregg said. “That is awesome. I owe so much to my opportunity to ski in college, both from an athletic standpoint and to get a scholarship to be able to go to school. So it really meant a lot to me to see these girls want to continue racing. And also how many of them got scholarships. It makes me feel good seeing that impact transfer over to them.”
As for the path Gregg’s own college career started her down, she’s still chasing Lahti.
“The girls on the ski team, they are so strong right now in so many different areas,” she admitted. “But there’s the potential that they don’t all want to race the 30 k at the end of the championships. So there could be an opportunity there.”
Team Gregg plans to start the season in West Yellowstone, Mont., even though it’s not a SuperTour this year.
“We are really happy because we have so many incredible sponsors which are based here domestically,” Gregg explained. “We race on the World Cup, the Olympics, World Championships, but we are really supported by the companies as domestic-level athletes so it’s awesome for us to be able to race here and showcase how grateful we are for the products. West is always a great opportunity to do that, a great time for U.S. skiing to get together.”
After that it will be the SuperTour circuit and U.S. Nationals, in a bid to land atop the domestic ranking list and get named to the World Championships team.
Not everything is under Gregg’s control; even if she is leading the SuperTour, it all comes down to how big of a team the U.S. ends up taking to World Championships.
And Gregg has been on both sides of that decision. In 2014 she was left off the Olympic team, and in 2015 she was taken to World Championships and competed in just one race, earning that bronze medal.
“There always exists something where you have the other athletes just racing in Europe, and you never go head to head with them,” Gregg said. “I think the fittest year of my career to this year was that year of the 2014 Olympics, and that’s a hard call. You just never know. And I can’t imagine it’s easy for them to make a decision.”
At this point, Gregg is simply going all out.
“I think it’s fair and I just have to put my trust and my belief in it,” she said of the criteria. “And hopefully they decide to take some extra athletes besides the national team.”
HOUGHTON, Mich. — Day 1 of the 2016 U.S. Cross Country Championships began with the women’s 10-kilometer and men’s 15 k classic individual starts on Sunday at the Michigan Tech Trails.
Caitlin Patterson (Bib no. 333) of the Craftsbury Green Racing Project is the races to first place overall finish in the women’s 15 k classic individual start on Sunday at U.S. nationals in Houghton, Mich. Her brother, Scott Patterson of Alaska Pacific University also took first in the men’s event. (Photo: Christopher Schmidt)
Alaska Pacific University’s Scott Patterson (r) leading Northern Michigan’s Adam Martin during the men’s 15 k classic individual start on Sunday at U.S. nationals in Houghton, Mich. Patterson took first in 40:26.4 and Martin third (+20.6). (Photo: Christopher Schmidt)
Alaska Pacific University’s Scott Patterson (l) leads Northern Michigan’s Adam Martin during the second lap of the men’s 15 k classic individual start on Sunday at U.S. nationals in Houghton, Mich. Patterson won the individual start in 40:26.4 and Martin placed third (+20.6). (Photo: Christopher Schmidt)
The Alberta World Cup Academy’s Kevin Sandau striding it out during the first lap of the men’s 15 k classic individual start on Sunday at U.S. nationals in Houghton, Mich. Sandau went on to place second overall (+19.0).
Alaska Pacific University’s Chelsea Holmes racing to a third place finish overall in the women’s 15 k classic individual start on Sunday at U.S. nationals in Houghton, Mich. (Photo: Christopher Schmidt)
Left to right: Alaska Pacific University’s Eric Packer powers around a corner ahead of Stratton Mountain School/U.S. Ski Team’s Paddy Caldwell and Team Gregg/Madshus’ Brian Gregg during the men’s 15 k classic individual start on Sunday at U.S. nationals in Houghton, Mich.
Kaitlynn Miller of the Craftsbury Green Racing Project racing to a second place finish overall in the women’s 15 k classic individual start on Sunday at U.S. nationals in Houghton, Mich. (Photo: Christopher Schmidt)
Alaska Pacific University’s Becca Rorabaugh (r) gets splits early on from APU head coach Erik Flora during the women’s 15 k classic individual start on Sunday at U.S. nationals in Houghton, Mich. Rorabaugh went on to finish fifth overall (+1:09.0).
Katharine Ogden of the Stratton Mountain School and U.S. Ski Team races to a fourth place finish overall (+1:05.1) in the women’s 15 k classic individual start at U.S. nationals in Houghton, Mich. (Photo: Christopher Schmidt)
Brian Gregg of Team Gregg/Madshus striding during the men’s 15 k classic individual start on Sunday at U.S. nationals in Houghton, Mich. Gregg placed fifth overall. (Photo: Christopher Schmidt)
Boulder Nordic Junior Racing Team’s Eliska Hajkova races to a sixth place finish overall in the women’s 15 k classic individual start on Sunday at U.S. nationals in Houghton, Mich.
Kris Freeman of Team Freebird strides to a sixth place finish overall (+40.8) during the men’s 15 k classic individual start on Sunday at U.S. nationals in Houghton, Mich.
Canadian Kevin Sandau (Alberta World Cup Academy) racing to second place in the men’s 15 k classic individual start on Sunday at U.S. nationals in Houghton, Mich. (Photo: Christopher Schmidt)
Alaska Pacific University’s Lex Treinen during his second lap of the men’s 15 k classic individual start on Sunday at U.S. nationals in Houghton, Mich. Treinen went on to place eight overall (+52.5).
Matt Liebsch of Gear West/Salomon and Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation’s Miles Havlick head towards the finishing stretch of the men’s 15 k classic individual start on Sunday at U.S. nationals in Houghton, Mich. Liebsch finished ninth overall (+57.3).
Stratton Mountain School’s Anne Hart leads teammate Erika Flowers to the finish of the women’s 15 k classic individual start on Sunday at U.S. nationals in Houghton, Mich. Hart placed eighth overall (+2:44.4) while Flowers took tenth (+3:03.4).
Central Cross Country’s Kyle Bratrud coming into the finishing stretch during the men’s 15 k classic individual start on Sunday at U.S. nationals in Houghton, Mich.
Alaska Pacific University’s Rosie Frankowski (r) receives splits from APU head coach Erik Flora during the women’s 15 k classic individual start on Sunday at U.S. nationals in Houghton, Mich. Frankowski finished ninth overall (+1:52.8).
Northern Michigan University’s Ian Torchia skiing to a seventh place finish (+ 47.8) on Sunday during the men’s 15 k classic individual start on Sunday at U.S. nationals in Houghton, Mich. His teammate, Adam Martin (NMU) (not shown) took second overall.
Alaska Pacific University’s Eric Packer was the third American and fourth overall in the men’s 15 k classic on Sunday at U.S. nationals in Houghton, Mich. (Photo: Christopher Schmidt)
Thunder Bay Nordic Development Center’s Michael Somppi (l) in front of Northern Michigan University’s Fredrik Schwencke (NMU) during the first lap of the men’s 15 k classic individual start on Sunday at U.S. nationals in Houghton, Mich. Somppi skied to a 10th place finish overall (+57.9).
The Craftsbury Green Racing Project women’s team: (from l to r) Caitlin Patterson, Kaitlynn Miller, coach Pepa Miloucheva, Liz Guiney, and Heather Mooney after the women’s 15 k classic individual start on at 2016 U.S. nationals in Houghton, Mich. Patterson and Miller placed first and second, respectively, on Sunday in the women’s 10 k classic on Day 1 of U.S. nationals.
HOUGHTON, Mich. — The nation’s best domestic racers have gathered in the snowy Upper Peninsula for the 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships in Houghton. Temperatures were mild on Saturday, in the mid- to upper-20s by the early afternoon, and athletes enjoyed fast, hard-packed snow before predicted snowfall and single-digit temperatures starting on Sunday.
Races kick off with Sunday’s 10/15-kilometer freestyle individual starts, and continue throughout the week with freestyle and classic sprints and 20/30 k classic mass starts.
Ben Saxton (USST/Stratton Mountain School T2)
The 5 k course features several long descents and climbs.
Pre-Race Day at the 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships in Houghton, Mich.
Chelsea Holmes (Alaska Pacific University)
Houghton received plentiful snow in the weeks leading up to the 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships.
Pre-Race Day at the 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships in Houghton, Mich.
Pre-Race Day at the 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships in Houghton, Mich.
Rosie Brennan (Alaska Pacific University)
Skiing the course
Practicing starts
Pre-Race Day at the 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships in Houghton, Mich.
The first of several hills on the 5 k course
College of St. Scholastica, APU, and UVM skiers out on the 5 k course.
Pre-Race Day at the 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships in Houghton, Mich.
Pre-Race Day at the 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships in Houghton, Mich.
Pre-Race Day at the 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships in Houghton, Mich.
Pre-Race Day at the 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships in Houghton, Mich.
Pre-Race Day at the 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships in Houghton, Mich.
Pre-Race Day at the 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships in Houghton, Mich.
400 meters to go
Pre-Race Day at the 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships in Houghton, Mich.
Participants ski the course at the 2011 Traverse City Nordic Ski Fest in Michigan. (Photo: Eli Brown)
With snow falling across parts of the western states, many are breaking out their skis and taking advantage of some great preseason skiing. While we are happy for our lucky friends, what are those of us who are not blessed with early season snow to do?
Eli Brown and the Vasa Ski Club just might have the answer. On Saturday, the Vasa Ski Club, with support from Brick Wheels and Keen Technical Solutions, will be hosting the 4th Annual Nordic Ski Fest in Traverse City, Mich. The event, which serves as the first Michigan Cup race of the season, will take place on a 350-foot (0.1-kilometer) manmade ski loop and will consist of skate skiing, time trials in the form of a preliminary, and head-to-head racing based on the results from the time trial. Skiers in the head-to-head will then travel in opposite directions on the course attempting to make it to the starting point before their competitor.
How does a small ski club of roughly 300 members pull off an early season race that attracted 50 racers from around the state of Michigan and roughly 300 to 400 spectators last year? It takes a week of around-the-clock work (8 a.m. to midnight) from roughly 30 volunteers, and a final key ingredient: ice-rink shavings.
Eli Brown, former race organizer and University of Utah head coach, brought the idea to use the shavings left over from ice rinks with him from Utah. He has implemented a successful Ski Fest on this premise for the past four years, and has formed a steady relationship with the local ice rink and its Zamboni drivers.
“We have a great connection with them,” Brown said on the phone. “I just can’t believe that no one else is doing this.”
Not only do the ice-rink shavings provide an opportunity for locals to get on skis early, they also allow the community to do it at no cost.
“I know you could spend some money and you could go somewhere glamorous like the glacier in Alaska, but we have a ski community and everyone is eager to ski, so we decided to do it,” he said.
Hosting an event like this has its challenges. Volunteers have been working around the clock shoveling ice into a refrigerated semi truck, transporting it, and then spreading it out on the course. Despite the incredible amount of work that has been put into the race, it can still be overwhelming at times.
“I’m getting as many volunteers as possible, and I could use twice that amount,” says Brown.
In the past, weather has also presented difficulties in the past, with Mother Nature defying race organizers with warm temperatures and rain. However, recent cold nights and an anticipated dusting of snow look to make Saturday’s event run smoother than usual. Even with the cooler temperatures, the course is expected to be completely gone a few days after the race.
The Ski Fest provides an excellent opportunity for the ski community to get excited about the upcoming season. Low-cost innovations like the use of ice-rink shavings present an option for nordic ski communities to extend their seasons, especially in years when there is little snow.
“This is something that we don’t need to do just once a year. There’s no reason we can’t do this all the time,” Brown said. “There’s white stuff out there, you just have to be a little creative; make it small and fun, and share it with people.”
In addition to the on-snow ski events, there will be a reggae band, homemade chili, beer, a ski swap, and for the first time, an on-snow fat-tire bike race. Ski events, located at Brick Wheels in Traverse City, will begin at 10 a.m. and continue till 2:30 p.m. The bike race will be from 4 to 5 p.m. Registration is on-site and costs $10.
Traverse City Nordic Ski Fest volunteers shovel ice shavings into wheel barrows before loading into the refrigerated semi truck. (Photo: Eli Brown)
In the past, Traverse City Nordic Ski Fest race organizers loaded ice shavings onto trailers. This year, Keen Technical Solutions donated a refrigerated semi truck to transport the ice. (Photo: Eli Brown)
Volunteers shovel snow from the trailer onto the course at the Traverse City Nordic Ski Fest. (Photo: Eli Brown)
The first load of snow is dumped on the course in preparation for Saturday’s Traverse City Nordic Ski Fest. (Photo: Eli Brown)
Race organizer Eli Brown directs volunteers while shoveling snow at the Traverse City Nordic Ski Fest. (Photo: Eli Brown)
Touching up the last year’s Traverse City Nordic Ski Fest course between races. (Photo: Eli Brown)
Participants pack down the course between events at the 2011 Traverse City Nordic Ski Fest. (Photo: Eli Brown)
Participants ski the course at the 2011 Traverse City Nordic Ski Fest in Michigan. (Photo: Eli Brown)
The view from the top of the course at the 2012 Traverse City Nordic Ski Fest. (Photo: Eli Brown)
GRAYLING, Mich. – What good is a killer ski boot without the right fit? Or a great deal on a pair of skis that aren’t the right length? The only thing that beats the selection at Cross Country Ski Shop is our staff’s expertise. We’re a ski shop run by skiers, and it shows.
We tirelessly work to stock the most up-to-date models of the best brands, including Fischer and Rossignol, and our prices are consistently lower than suggested retail prices. We guarantee that our staffers will make sure you’re in the right model and size.
Our shop is located in the heart of Northern Michigan, and we’ll be glad to serve you in person. But we also ship throughout the lower 48 states. Visit our site at www.xcskishop.com to review our selection and deals. Prices on some items are so low that manufacturers won’t even let us advertise them, so be sure to call us for our most competitive prices. Our staffers can provide expert fitting advice over the phone, so please call if you’re not sure what size you need.
We’re more than just skis and ski accessories. Our sister shop, Northbound Outfitters, carries the best summer gear in the state. Check out our selection of bicycles, canoes, kayaks and outdoor apparel at www.northboundoutfittersmi.com.
Need a little snow fix? Longingly looking at your waxing bench already? You are in luck this weekend, Brick Wheels is hosting the Third Annual VASA Ski Club Nordic Fall Festival and Ski Swap. We’ll bring in snow from Howe Ice Arena and create a ski loop. This is the first MI Cup Race of the season!
Events will feature a time trial, free skiing and head-to-head racing. MI Cup Team points only. Beer and food for racers are complements of our friends at Brick Wheels.
Don’t forget to check out our Second Annual Ski Swap. Bring in your gently used nordic equipment. Drop off is Saturday 3-6 PM.
Conditions report: Zamboni snow comes out like champagne powder. (oooh) Around 15 degrees and transforms quickly. It will be salted, raked and skied on a bunch. Some straw and carpet is possible too. Race day will be cool and sunny. Of course, early snow conditions could change.
See you out there! Bring your shorts and sunglasses.
Sunday Schedule of Events:
11 am–1 pm: Time Trial Races
11 am–4 pm: Swap
2–4 pm: Head to Head Races
5 pm: Swap checks and unsold equipment pick-up
Links:
Volunteer: We still need some volunteers for the event. Click here for opportunities and times.
“There’s something special about taking perfectly good snow, that’s gonna melt down a drain, and put it to good use.” Eli Brown, Nordic Fall Fest mastermind.
Call for more information: 231- 947-4274
Eli Brown brought the heat
Patching and raking
Individual heats , then head to head
Scott Howard 1st Tracks
Good load
Break time
Nothing brings a ski community together like hard work!
![Caitlin Gregg (left) doing spadework with a Central Cross Country camp in Marquette, Michigan-- home of her alma mater, Northern Michigan University. (Photo: Team Gregg/Facebook)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/09/14222228_1165253123549006_8742195822493572395_n.jpg")
![Caitlin and Brian Gregg at a training camp in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. (Photo: Team Gregg/Facebook)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/09/14333161_1182338695173782_1547273421141793668_n.jpg")
![Caitlin Gregg picking up the win in the 13.1 k Surly Brewing Loppet. (Photo: Team Gregg/Facebook)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/09/14440641_1187568131317505_6220865622771628030_n.jpg")
![Participants ski the course at the 2011 Traverse City Nordic Ski Fest in Michigan. (Photo: Eli Brown)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/10/photo-4.jpg")
![cross country ski shop logo](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/10/xc-ski-shop-logo.jpg"){kind=logo}
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/10/photo.jpg" "Brick Wheels Fall Fest, Ski Swap")
