Big changes to the team roster and the coaching staff are this spring’s news for the Central Cross-Country Ski Association (CXC). 18 athletes and three coaches will comprise the 2011 team for one of North America’s largest and fastest-growing clubs.
Vacating the post of head coach that he held since the formation of CXC in 2006, Bryan Fish has accepted a position with the US Ski Team (USST) as Continental Cup coach. Jason Cork will be stepping in to fill this void, bringing his experience with Durango Nordic Ski Club, Michigan Tech University, and recent J1 and World Junior Championships coaching staffs to the job. Gus Kaeding, a former CXC athlete, will be stepping up as the team’s elite development coach this season.
Olympian and CXC athlete Garrott Kuzzy is optimistic about the changes in coaching staff, saying “I see the changes as positive, all the way around; we’ve now got three great coaches, four if you include Igor Badamshin, instead of just one.”
Turnover among athletes is similarly high. A notable loss to the team comes with the departure of Rebecca Dussault, who along with her husband has taken an internship position at an organic farm in Colorado for the year and is pregnant with her third child, due January 19. Also leaving the team are decorated skiers Kristina Owen, Kelly Chaudoin and Audrey Weber.
The men’s team will be headed by Kuzzy, who will continue to work with CXC after a parallel stint with the USST. Notable newcomers include Santiago Octariz, who represented University of Wisconsin-Green Bay last year as the lone NCAA All-American from the central region, and Tad Elliott, a National Champion and U23 World Championships team member. (Elliott raced for CXC’s marathon squad last year; this year he will be a full member.)
