Glenn Randall is 17 years old, lives in Collbran, Colorado, and is a junior in high school. As a 16-year-old, he made the US Team for the 2003 Nordic Junior World Championship.
FasterSkier.com wanted our readers to learn a bit about this very talented athlete – enjoy his maturity and sense of humor:
Here is how Glenn describes Collbran:
Collbran has about 400 people. My high school has about 107 kids. The junior class has about 18 kids. The area has about 4000 cattle within easy running distance of town. There are also about 200 elk on an elk farm about a km from town. There are about 4,000,000,000 deer within the city limits, one of which was actually in school with the kids.
Last year you made the Junior World Championship team. Were you surprised, and how did you experience the Championship trip?
I was partially surprised, but being a naive 16-year-old at the time, I was convinced that I could make it. That was my goal for the year. It was a very good trip for me. I had a lot of fun, and I also gained valuable experience for future situations like Junior World Championships. The older kids on the trip also were a big help, and I think that they made me a little more comfortable racing against people 3 years older than me.
Your hometown does not stand out as a typical XC ski town? How many training partners and team members do you typically work out with?
Racer for racer, our team is very good. We had 100% of the junior racers make Junior World Championships last year. I am the only member of the team. I train against the clock and physiological factors like heart rate most of the time.
What are your ambitions for this upcoming season, your main goals?
My goal for the upcoming season is to make Junior Worlds, and race up to my potential.
Where do you see yourself as a skier in 3 years?
I see myself as a much stronger skier with a higher pain threshold, better technique, more speed, and greater endurance in 3 years. As for results, ask me in 3 years. I have high goals, and if you want to see them, come to my house and look at the walls.
Do you read the articles on www.fasterskier.com?
I read selected articles from fasterskier.com, but I don't have enough time to read them all. I think it is a great Website, and have recommended it to numerous other cross-country skiers. It also has articles on SOLDA Wax, which is the fastest wax I have ever skied on. I am sold on SOLDA and use it exclusively.
Living right outside Grand Junction, Colorado – do you consider yourself a cowboy?
The other skiers in the Rocky Mountain Division tease me about being a hick, because I hunt, and I agree with them. In fact, my team vest says “Grand Mesa Nordic–Hicks on Long Sticks,” and is a hunter orange. I also wear a hunter orange hat when I ski. I do not like horses much, and don't usually wear a cowboy hat, like some of the kids at my school, so in that aspect I am not a cowboy. However, I have sometimes had to stop roller skiing workouts for cattle drives. After my first experience like this, I discovered that cow pies are extremely slick. Because my school's mascot is the Cowboys, I do consider myself a Plateau Valley Cowboy.
Can you please tell us if your mom has had an influence on your skiing? Can you also please give us a quick summary of her racing and skiing background?
My mother has had a huge impact on my training. I have skied with her since I was a wee littlun, and her vast experience in ski racing has allowed me to get tips that many other skiers don't have. She was on two Junior World Championship teams for Norway, medalling in two relays and getting a top 5 result, was on the Norwegian Olympic team in Lake Placid in 1980, and was one of Norway's best relay scramblers. In fact, this past year when I scrambled at JOs, I called her up the night before and asked her for hints. These were very helpful to me. Oh, by the way, she was also a 4 time All-American in college here in the US, where she met my dad.
