Kuzzy on Leaving CXC

In April, CXC skier and USST alum Garrott Kuzzy announced on his website that he would be leaving Wisconsin and heading back to Vermont to work as an administrator for a bicycling tourism company, leaving his future racing plans open ended.  FasterSkier caught up with Kuzzy to talk about his new lifestyle, training, and his goals for the future.

Kuzzy, a member of the US Ski Team in 2009 and 2010, skied without USST support this winter.  His season highlights included SuperTour wins in Minneapolis and Houghton, as well as two top-10s at US Nationals.

The biggest factor in his decision to leave CXC, he said, was simply the need for something new.  “My results had gotten a little stagnant, so I needed a change of pace to stay motivated.  I joined CXC five years ago right after graduating from Middlebury, and that’s a long time to be in one place devoting all your energy to one thing,” he said.

Right now, Kuzzy is happy to get outside at five o’clock and work out with friends just for the fun of it.  “There are so many things to do and accomplish within skiing and life in general.  I still have goals, they’re just not as ski-specific as in the past.”

Kuzzy says he is excited about forming new relationships with NENSA and local clubs while maintaining involvement with the Midwest.  He plans on helping Murray Banks coach Mt. Mansfield Nordic this winter and will be coaching an upcoming NENSA camp at Craftsbury. “I’m definitely staying involved,” he said.  This weekend Kuzzy travelled to Stratton to train with Andy Newell, Chris Grover, and the juniors at SMS, and he will be returning to the Midwest for a camp in Minneapolis in July.

Despite not having a concrete training plan for the moment, Kuzzy is by no means hanging up his skis, and is looking to enter races this winter in the CXC suit.  “I’ve built great relationships with CXC, Toko, and Salomon, and I definitely plan on maintaining them.”

“There are World Cup races in Quebec in two years that aren’t completely out of the question either, and I’m not saying I’m no longer training for Russia in 2014,” he said.

As far as his new job goes, Kuzzy loves working for VBT so far, but noted that the downside to a desk job is that he has no inclination to update his website when he gets home.  “I want to apologize to friends and fans for not posting to it lately, but after eight hours in front of a computer, I’d rather go out for a hike.”