Matt Whitcomb and Pat Casey Named USST Development Coaches

FasterSkier · April 11, 2006

MATT WHITCOMB AND PAT CASEY JOIN U.S. CROSS COUNTRY COACHING STAFF

PARK CITY, Utah (April 11) – The U.S. Cross Country Ski Team has added two development-level coaches, Matt Whitcomb and Pat Casey, according to U.S. Nordic Director Luke Bodensteiner.

They join Head Coach Pete Vordenberg's staff, which also includes newly named Sprint Coach Chris Grover. Bodensteiner said he also expected to hire another coach as well as three waxing technicians. Roar Lillefjell has been promoted to succeed Chris Hall as head waxing technician; Hall resigned to become director of nordic competition services for Fischer Skis.

Whitcomb, 27, a native of Worthington, Mass., turned to coaching after racing for and graduating (biology major) from Middlebury College in 2001. He coached for a year with Glacier Nordic in Whitefish, Mont., and has been nordic head coach for four seasons at Burke Mountain Academy in Vermont. Included in his outstanding athletes is Liz Stephen (Montpelier, VT), who earned her first U.S. title in January.

Casey, 29, who grew up near Sun Valley, Idaho, is a former ski racer at the University of Utah. After graduating in 2002 with degrees in exercise & sport science and environmental studies, he coached for two years under Rick Kapala in the award-winning Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation program and has been head coach of the Bogus Basin nordic program for the past two seasons.

“Matt and Pat are such a natural choice for us. They've got excellent coaching credentials at the grass roots level, at the national, and even at the junior international level” Bodensteiner said. “And I'm looking for them to further enhance our development program by developing our Continental Cup team, and by working with our regions and many clubs across the country.”

Bodensteiner said Whitcomb, who is single, and Casey and his wife, 2002 Olympian Kristina Joder, will be relocating to Park City by mid-June.

Source: USST