Kikkan Randall has had to take a cautious step back from traditional workouts this spring in Bend, Ore. She’s dealing with a recurring issue with her left Achilles and is taking proactive steps to heal it in order to return to full training in a few weeks. “All is good, just trying to be smarter this time around and not push through potential injuries to the point I did last summer,” she says.
The Sochi Organizing Committee showed off, for the first time, the beautiful meals that will be up for grabs at the Olympics in February. Across the nordic sports, North Americans could medal in, we estimate, four events – and if you start talking a little crazy, maybe almost a dozen sets of the handcrafted hardware could come back across the Atlantic.
You waited long enough and probably didn’t even know it was coming, but here it is: a montage of your favorite top Canadian skiers (at least the ones at Canadian Nationals) talking about their seasons in a nutshell.
To say that Jennie Bender had an inconsistent season is a bit of an understatement. She won her first national championship and dropped out of her first race within the same week this January, and in April finished last in the 30 k National Championship. Now, as she recovers from a herniated disk in her back, she’s moving on from her team of the past three years at Central Cross Country to the Bridger Ski Foundation in Bozeman, Mont.
Meet Cendrine Browne, the youngest member of Canada’s Senior Development Team. At 19, she’s quickly progressed to the elite ranks, and despite her competitive background in triathlons, she’s likely to stick with skiing.
Skiing is an upper-body sport. It doesn’t pay just to have a strong engine; if you want to win sprint finishes you’d better have a strong double-pole, too. CSU head coach Rob Bradlee takes us through one of his standby summer strength workouts — no gym required.
This month, the Journal of Applied physiology confronted allegations of scientific misconduct in two cases: one when a study used an athlete who turned out to have been doping, and another when researchers asked participants to use banned methods. The journal invited discussion from many of the scientists involved as well as WADA, with interesting, and antagonistic, results.
The U.S. and Canadian national teams currently in Bend, Ore., for their spring camps had an unstructured training session at Mt. Bachelor this weekend. Mt. Bachelor Ski Education Foundation nordic director and 3-time Olympian Dan Simoneau snapped photos of junior skiers and World Cup athletes alike ski laps around the trails.
Earlier this month, Andrew Musgrave met one of the greatest cross-country racers of all time: Thomas Alsgaard. What was more, they were going to be teammates on the newly formed Team LeasePlan Go. That’s right: Alsgaard’s back and Musgrave’s going to be spending some more QT with veterans like him.
After starting off last season with a bang — a win in West Yellowstone and a trip to the Canadian World Cups — Ryan Scott finished his 2012-2013 campaign feeling unsatisfied. To reinvigorate his training before the Olympic year, he’s taking a trip to Norway this June to train with friends and compete in a few races.
Most of the U.S. Ski Team reunited this week in Bend, Ore., for their first spring training camp of the year. The group set to work on snow at Mt. Bachelor to get ready for next season, and anticipation for the Olympic Games in February is already building. “It’s definitely a big motivator,” says Andy Newell. “You want to make every interval session count.”
The U.S. Ski Team’s annual May training camp began in earnest this week in Bend, Ore. A few inches of fresh snow greeted skiers at Mt. Bachelor on Wednesday morning, just in time for the group’s first interval session: a set of 6 x 4-6 minute L3 freestyle intervals with intermediate sprints.
It took some flexible training and a plane trip from Minnesota, but last Saturday, Santi Ocariz achieved his longtime goal of racing (and winning) the Pole Pedal Paddle in Bend, Ore., while women’s runner-up and Bend native, Zoe Roy, challenged the winner.
Leaving their rifles at home, the U.S. biathlon team is in Bend and today addresses a question that many skiers face come spring: how do you tackle the first couple overdistance workouts after a break? How long should they be, and what activity is best? Coaches Per Nilsson and Jonne Kahkonen assigned a three to four hour classic OD, and gave us their tips.
The annual USSA Coaches Congress wrapped up this weekend in Park City, Utah, and the biggest decision to come out of the meetings was an overhaul of the U.S. SuperTour calendar so that it makes more athletic and developmental sense nationwide. Other changes include the addition of a mixed club relay at SuperTour Finals and renamed junior age groups.
Five years after starting SISU Nordic, Ben Popp has accepted the position of executive director of the American Birkebeiner, North America’s largest ski marathon. Popp talks about the “dream job,” his goals for the big race, and how he’s handling the transition.
Your dreams have been answered! FS is seeking energetic and committed interns to contribute to its daily online publication. Position initially part time with a small stipend and equipment perks.
Sovereign Lake Nordic Center’s annual Summer Ski camp from May 10-19 attracted the usual collection of hard-core skiers, a mixture of teams and day trippers who need a last fix of snow before the inevitable arrival of summer. With the city of Vernon already in full-summer mode in the valley below, Sovereign’s weeklong camp is the last chance for set tracks in the region.
With new athletes headed to Craftsbury, Sun Valley, Stratton and Alaska, it looks like the SuperTour can expect a sizable incoming class next season.
NNF Aligns with USSA Coaching Certification
Gear West Nordic Summer Camp 2013
Mt. Borah Epic Race Recap
Hand-Selected Ski Orders Deadline Extended to June 7 & Nathan’s Notes on Next Season’s Classic Skis
