FasterSkier

Tag: sprint starts

  • US Ski Team Announces World Cup Period 4 Starters

    US Ski Team Announces World Cup Period 4 Starters

    Dear Cross Country Community,

    We are pleased to announce the Team for Period 4 (Falun, Lahti, Drammen, & Oslo) of the 2025-26 World Cup season:

    Falun Sprint F & Lahti Sprint F

    Men

    Zach Jayne                                Objective          25-26 Overall SuperTour Leader

    Ben Ogden                                Objective          5th 25-26 Sprint World Cup

    Gus Schumacher                       Objective          21st 25-26 Sprint World Cup

    Jack Young                                Objective          26th 25-26 Sprint World Cup

    JC Schoonmaker                        Objective          28th 25-26 Sprint World Cup

    Kevin Bolger                             Discretion         15th Toblach Sprint F

    Zanden McMullen                     Discretion         20th Oberhof Sprint F

    Zak Ketterson                           Alternate          18th Val di Fiemme TDS Sprint C

    Michael Earnhart                      Alternate          35th Oberhof Sprint F

     

    Women

    Hailey Swirbul                           Objective          25-26 Overall SuperTour Leader

    Jessie Diggins                            Objective          25-26 Overall World Cup Leader

    Julia Kern                                  Objective          22nd 25-26 Sprint World Cup

    Sammy Smith                            Discretion         12th Oberhof Sprint F

    Lauren Jortberg                        Discretion         26th Oberhof Sprint F

    Alayna Sonnesyn                       Discretion         27th Davos Sprint F

    Rosie Brennan                          Discretion         15th Ruka Sprint C

    Ava Thurston                            Discretion         4th US Nationals Sprint F Qualification

    Emma Albrecht                         Alternate          5th US Nationals Sprint F Qualification

    Gus Schumacher (USA) charges up one of the hills on the sprint course at the base of the Mördarbacken during the 20 k Freestyle Mass Start in Falun, Sweden last season. (Photo: NordicFocus)

    Falun 20 km Skiathlon

    Men

    Zach Jayne                                Objective          25-26 Overall SuperTour Leader

    Gus Schumacher                       Objective          18th Distance World Cup

    Zak Ketterson                           Objective          26th Distance World Cup

    John Hagenbuch                       Discretion         14th OWG 10 km F

    Zanden McMullen                     Discretion         18th Oberhof 10 km C

    Ben Ogden                                Discretion         20th Toblach 5 km F

    Hunter Wonders                       Discretion         24th Oberhof 10 km C

    Luke Jager                                Alternate          29th Oberhof 10 km C

    JC Schoonmaker                        Alternate          29th Toblach 5 km F

     

    Women

    Hailey Swirbul                           Objective          25-26 Overall SuperTour Leader

    Jessie Diggins                            Objective          25-26 Overall World Cup Leader

    Julia Kern                                  Discretion         10th Toblach 5 km F

    Novie McCabe                          Discretion         22nd Goms 20 km C

    Rosie Brennan                          Discretion         24th Ruka 10 km C

    Luci Anderson                           Discretion         25th Davos 10 km F

    Kendall Kramer                         Discretion         27th Goms 20 km C

    Alayna Sonnesyn                       Discretion         27th Ruka 20 km F

    Jessie Diggins on her way to winning both the FIS Overall and Distance Crystal Globes in Lahti, Finland last season. (Photo: NordicFocus)

    Lahti 10 C

    Men

    Zach Jayne                                Objective          25-26 Overall SuperTour Leader

    Gus Schumacher                       Objective          18th Distance World Cup

    Zak Ketterson                           Objective          26th Distance World Cup

    Zanden McMullen                     Discretion         18th Oberhof 10 km C

    Hunter Wonders                       Discretion         24th Oberhof 10 km C

    Luke Jager                                Discretion         29th Oberhof 10 km C

    Ben Ogden                                Discretion         29th Toblach 20 km C

    John Hagenbuch                       Alternate          14th OWG 10 km F

    JC Schoonmaker                        Alternate          29th Toblach 5 km F

    Reid Goble                                Alternate          1st Wirth SuperTour 10 km C

     

    Women

    Hailey Swirbul                           Objective          25-26 Overall SuperTour Leader

    Jessie Diggins                            Objective          25-26 Overall World Cup Leader

    Julia Kern                                  Discretion         16th Goms 20 km C

    Novie McCabe                          Discretion         22nd Goms 20 km C

    Rosie Brennan                          Discretion         24th Ruka 10 km C

    Kendall Kramer                         Discretion         27th Goms 20 km C

    Sammy Smith                            Discretion         3rd US Nationals 10 km C

    Ava Thurston                            Discretion         4th US Nationals 10 km C

    Emma Albrecht                         Alternate          1st Wirth SuperTour 10 km C

    Alayna Sonnesyn                       Alternate          2nd Wirth SuperTour 10 km C

    Lauren Jortberg                        Alternate          2nd Anchorge SuperTour 10 km C

    Samantha Smith (USA) racing the individual World Cup sprint in Drammen (NOR) in 2024. (Photo: Modica/NordicFocus)

    Drammen Sprint C

    Men

    Zach Jayne                                Objective          25-26 Overall SuperTour Leader

    Ben Ogden                                Objective          5th 25-26 Sprint World Cup

    Gus Schumacher                       Objective          21st 25-26 Sprint World Cup

    Jack Young                                Objective          26th 25-26 Sprint World Cup

    JC Schoonmaker                        Objective          28th 25-26 Sprint World Cup

    Zak Ketterson                           Discretion         18th Val di Fiemme TDS Sprint C

    John Schwinghamer                  Discretion         1st US Nationals Sprint C Qualification

    Kevin Bolger                             Alternate          15th Toblach Sprint F

    Zanden McMullen                     Alternate          20th Oberhof Sprint F

     

    Women

    Hailey Swirbul                           Objective          25-26 Overall SuperTour Leader

    Jessie Diggins                            Objective          25-26 Overall World Cup Leader

    Julia Kern                                  Objective          22nd 25-26 Sprint World Cup

    Rosie Brennan                          Discretion         15th Ruka Sprint C

    Sammy Smith                            Discretion         19th OWG Sprint C

    Lauren Jortberg                        Discretion         30th OWG Sprint C

    Alayna Sonnesyn                       Discretion         27th Davos Sprint F

    Ava Thurston                            Discretion         3rd US Nationals Sprint C Qualification

    Erin Bianco                               Alternate          4th US Nationals Sprint C Qualification

    Jessie Diggins (USA) on her way to a podium finish during the first women’s 50k version of the famed Holmenkollen in Oslo (NOR) in 2023. (Photo: NordicFocus)

    Holmenkollen 50 km F Mass 

    Men

    Zach Jayne                                Objective          25-26 Overall SuperTour Leader

    Gus Schumacher                       Objective          18th Distance World Cup

    Zak Ketterson                           Objective          26th Distance World Cup

    John Hagenbuch                       Discretion         14th OWG 10 km F

    Ben Ogden                                Discretion         20th Toblach 5 km F

    JC Schoonmaker                        Discretion         29th Toblach 5 km F

    Zanden McMullen                     Discretion         18th Oberhof 10 km C

    Brian Bushey                             Alternate          4th US Nationals 20 km F

    Hunter Wonders                       Alternate          24th Oberhof 10 km C

     

    Women

    Hailey Swirbul                           Objective          25-26 Overall SuperTour Leader

    Jessie Diggins                            Objective          25-26 Overall World Cup Leader

    Julia Kern                                  Discretion         10th Toblach 5 km F

    Luci Anderson                           Discretion         25th Davos 10 km F

    Alayna Sonnesyn                       Discretion         27th Ruka 20 km F

    Novie McCabe                          Discretion         22nd Goms 20 km C

    Rosie Brennan                          Discretion         24th Ruka 10 km C

    Kendall Kramer                         Discretion         27th Goms 20 km C

     

    The above discretionary selections were nominated by a 15-person working group that included:

    James Southam                         Athlete Rep

    Ida Sargent                               Athlete Rep

    Perry Thomas                           Mansfield Pro Nordic Team

    Chad Salmela                            Team Birkie

    Andy Newell                             Bridger Ski Foundation

    Erik Flora                                  Alaska Pacific University

    Pepa Miloucheva                      Craftsbury GRP

    Colin Rodgers                            SMS T2

    Peter Holmes                            SVSEF Gold Team

    Sophie Caldwell                        Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club

    Eliška Albrigtsen                        Denver University

    Chris Grover                             USST

    Matt Whitcomb                        USST

    Jason Cork                                USST

    Kristen Bourne                          USST

     

    The nominations were then approved by a discretionary selection review group comprised of:

     

    Tyler Kornfield                          U.S. Ski & Snowboard Athlete Rep

    Anouk Patty                              U.S. Ski & Snowboard Chief of Sport

    Bryan Fish                                 U.S. Ski & Snowboard Development Director

     

    The above discretionary selection process will be repeated for each period of World Cup this coming season.  As always, if you have questions or concerns about this process, feel free to contact me directly.

     

    Sincerely,

     

    Chris Grover

    Cross Country Program Director, U.S. Ski Team

    chris.grover@usskiandsnowboard.org

  • Wednesday Workout: Bust Out of the Gate with the U.S. Ski Team

    Wednesday Workout: Bust Out of the Gate with the U.S. Ski Team

    Middlebury's Heather Mooney (l) and Stratton T2 skier Annie Pokorny (r) start together during the skate-speed-starts workout at the U.S. Ski Team camp in Lake Placid, N.Y., last week on Aug. 29. (Photo: Bryan Fish)
    Stratton T2 skier Annie Pokorny (l) and Middlebury’s Heather Mooney (r) start together during the skate-speed session on Aug. 29 at the U.S. Ski Team camp in Lake Placid, N.Y. (Photo: Bryan Fish)

    Growth is good, and when it comes to improvement, even the U.S. Ski Team has areas it wants to work on collectively. Sprinter or not, if racing’s in your future, chances are you could benefit from some speed work off the starting line.

    That’s why U.S. Ski Team (USST) Head Coach Chris Grover adjusted one of his team’s workouts last week at its camp in Lake Placid, N.Y. Instead of doing 16 to 18 skate-speed accelerations on rollerskis (each lasting about 10 seconds), Grover and his staff decided to cut down the number of accelerations, or rolling speeds, and add some sprint starts (transitioning from double pole to skate).

    The Workout: 4-5 x rolling speeds and 12 x sprint starts

    Where: Bear Cub Road (about 2.3-miles long to a dead-end) next to the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid

    Why: “We decided that we wanted to change the focus of the session to improving skate sprint starting technique,” Grover explained in an email. “We had a very productive session where most athletes made some excellent changes, and we have a follow-up session scheduled for Park City in October.”

    What: Warmup as usual, then begin rolling speeds: 4-5 accelerations (each lasting about 10 seconds), with about 3 minutes of recovery in between.

    When you’re done with that, recover for 3 minutes, and move to skate-sprint starts. From a standstill, build speed off the line: double pole then transition to V2. After 10 seconds, stop, recover for three minutes, and start again (for a total of 12 times).

    “We do practice starts regularly since they are important for certain sprints in some conditions,” Grover wrote. “We generally keep our speed training closer to 10 seconds for maximal neurological benefit and less fatigue.”

    Length: The workout itself should take about an hour. With warmup and cool down, you’re looking at 2 hours.

    Out of the USST’s 12 training days of camp in Lake Placid, there were about a dozen rollerski sessions scheduled and seven cross-training workouts. One of them was VO2-max bounding at Whiteface Mountain, an annual staple of their Lake Placid camp.

    “Bounding/ski walking intensity is a go-to workout for most cross-country ski racers around the world, most likely because you can access grades that are not available on pavement for rollerskiing,” Grover explained. “You can find long, steep pitches that resemble some of the bigger hills you might find on a ski course, and the mechanics, body position, and power application of bounding is identical to good steep classic striding or herringbone.”

    All of this can be done without worrying about cars or road hazards.

    “The question has been asked many times why don’t cross-country skiers simply rollerski and ski for all training,” he added. “After all, runners run, bikers bike, and swimmers swim. For me, there are two answers to this question. The first is that the preparation period for cross-country ski racing is so long, and the training volume is so high at the elite level, that cross-training modes like running become essential for preventing over-use injuries and for keeping training mentally fresh for the athlete.

     “Cross-training modes like running become essential for preventing over-use injuries and for keeping training mentally fresh for the athlete.” — U.S. Ski Team Head Coach Chris Grover

    “The second is that running provides increased leg strength because the athlete actually carries 100% of their own body weight (unlike biking or rollerskiing) and lifts that weight off the ground repeatedly,” he continued. “Agility is also improved by running, especially if you are constantly hopping from rock to rock in the Adirondacks!”

    The USST camp wraps up on Sept. 7 following the Climb to the Castle on Saturday, Sept. 6, of which Liz Stephen and U.S. Biathlon’s Tim Burke are the defending champions.

    Anne Hart (l) & Erika Flowers (r) work on skate-sprint starts on Aug. 29 at the U.S. Ski Team dryland camp in Lake Placid, N.Y. (Photo: Bryan Fish)
    SMST2 teammates Erika Flowers (l) and Anne Hart work on skate-sprint starts on Aug. 29 at the U.S. Ski Team dryland camp in Lake Placid, N.Y. (Photo: Bryan Fish)