![Patrick Caldwell NNF](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2014/01/CaldwellNNF.jpg")
Over $100,000 in Skiing Support Awarded
SALT LAKE CITY- Following a successful US National Championships last week in Soldier Hollow, Utah, the US Ski Team has named their upcoming squads for the World Junior and Under-23 World Championships, as well as the U18 Development team.
“These are the trips that Kikkan Randall and Simi Hamilton started on,” explained US Skiing’s Joey Caternichio at the team naming, highlighting the recent success from Randall and Hamilton, “These trips are where we find our next great skiers.” Thirty-four athletes from twenty programs comprise this year’s team make-up, a strong showing from a representative cross section of the skiing country, a similar representation to the athletes that powered the National Nordic Foundation’s Drive for 25 (D25) this fall.
“During the D25, these athletes and their peers raised approximately forty thousand dollars and helped bring in another 65 thousand dollars in matching donations,” explained NNF executive director, Dave Knoop. We have turned around and used those donations to fund the very teams these folks have made. The NNF has helped these athletes take care of funding so now their focus can purely be racing and not expenses.”
The competitions for the World Junior and U23 Championships will take place this year in Val di Fiemme, Italy, site of last year’s World Championships. The event begins on January 27th and continues through February 3rd. A pre- event camp will take place the week prior. The NNF supports the camp and the trip adding $3850.00 of support per athlete and reducing each individuals costs to $1500 in total. “We’re extremely grateful to have the NNF,” explained U23 skier Annie Pokorny, “It’s this funding and support that makes these trips doable.”
The funding is also crucial for the even younger U18 crowd, who will partake of races in Finland’s junior circuit. The team will be led for the third year by Boulder Junior Nordic Coach, Adam St. Pierre, who highlighted the quick turn around for U18 team members, “Health is priority #1 for (the team) leading into the Finland trip. They’ve got to recover from US Nationals and put in some training to…race fast in Finland.” Like the WJC / U23 team, the U18 team is supported heavily with NNF support. Each athlete will get $1875 in support for the event, leaving their total cost at $750.
“These trips are crucial to our success as a country,” described Bryan Fish at the naming ceremony for the World Junior Team, “With the NNF in place, we have a partner to help support skiing at the levels where development matters.”
For more information and for updates from these trips, log onto: www.Nationalnordicfoundation.org
![NNF logo](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2012/10/nnf-logo2.png"){kind=logo}
NNF Support of US Team Trips:
WJC/ U23 (including pre-camp) Individual Support: $3850
U18 Individual Support: $1875
World Junior / U23 Team
Nichole Bathe (University of Alaska)
Erik Bjornsen (APU)
Patrick Caldwell (SMS / Dartmouth)
Skyler Davis (SMS / T2)
Rosie Frankowski (Northern Michigan University)
Elizabeth Guiney (Craftsbury Green Team)
Lars Hannah (Steamboat Springs Winter Sports)
Jack Hegman (University of Vermont)
Mackenizie Kanady (University of Alaska)
Stephanie Kirk (University of Vermont)
Tyler Kornfield (APU)
Ben Lustgartenv (Middlebury College)
Adam Martin (Northern Michigan University)
Cole Morgan (University of Vermont)
Thomas O’Harra (APU)
Scott Patterson (University of Vermont)
Annie Pokorny (SMS / T2)
Mary Rose (SVSEF)
Ben Saxton (SMS)
Sloan Storey (SVSEF)
Maggie Williams (University of Vermont)
Marion Woods (University of Vermont)
U18 Team
Cully Brown (Durango)
Max Donaldson (Fairbanks)
Seiji Takagi (AWS)
Karsten Hokanson (Park City)
Peter Holmes (Tahoe)
Jake Bassett (AWS)
Kathrine Ogden (SMS)
Hailey Swirbul (AVSC)
Mattie Watts (SISU)
Taeler McCrerey (Summit)
Vivian Hett
Hannah Halvorsen
