This is a weekly column highlighting our ski coaches from around the country…..including elite coaches, college coaches, high school coaches, volunteer coaches, and learn-to-ski coaches. This is an effort to sample a diverse group of coaches and recognize the people who are the backbone of today's skiers. If you would like to nominate a coach for an interview, please email robertwhitney99@hotmail.com . Please give coaches name, email, phone, and a small paragraph describing the nominee. The more diverse, the better.
Name, age, background?
Eli Brown. 33 yrs old….maybe?
I grew up in urban Minneapolis. I raced on golf courses and lakes. I was always excited to head up north to get on some real trails and see real snow. I have fond memories of skiing in the UP of Michigan and Giants Ridge as a high schooler.
I ran and skied at Northern Michigan University under some great coaches: Sten Fjeldhiem, Trond Nystad, and Miles Minson. These guys had a big impact on my skiing/life and why I do what I do today. College teammates and roommate Pete Vordenberg, Kurt Wulff, and Frosty Whitworth also had an impact on me.
After the 1998 trials when Pete V hug up his boards for coaching, I thought I should try it as well. I started as assistant coach under Kevin Sweeney at Utah and had a blast.
I went on to coach running, xc skiing, and track at Whitman College. Great kids, nice cabin in the woods to live in, wood-fired hot tub, good times. The program was in flux during this time: we were dominating the USCSA circuit, and working to jump into NCAA. (The program is now full-on NCAA)
Then I was recruited by the Maine Winter Sports Center. I spent 2.5 years in “The Country†working with developing athletes, and launching a post-college program which included athletes like Dave Chamberlain and Dave Stewart, among others. My strategy was to add to the support that these athletes were getting from industry teams and elsewhere to give them the most support possible to make a strong push to the next level. The weather was cold up there in Caribou… but man, the people are warm!
After MWSC, I moved into a position at Fischer Skis as national xc race director. Working under Peter Ashley was great; probably the best boss I’ve ever had. It was cool working on the cutting edge of technology with the Austrians. Supporting athletes from Kikkan Randall, to young juniors, to crazed masters was interesting. Getting to know all the corners and personalities of the US xc ski world was also a wonderful experience.
