Nordic Nation: U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Tom ‘TK’ Kelly in the House (Part 1)

Jason Albert · February 27, 2018

FasterSkier would like to thank Fischer Sport USA, Madshus USA, Concept2, Boulder Nordic Sport, and Swix Sport US for their generous support, which made this coverage possible.

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea — At the Olympics in PyeongChang, FasterSkier sat down with U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s longtime Vice President of Communications Tom Kelly. After starting with the organization back in 1986, Kelly will be stepping down a few months after the Olympics. Kelly, 65, is the nerve center to U.S. Ski Team’s media and communications outreach. Shepherding athletes through the mixed zone or writing up a press release about Lindsey Vonn’s (make that Jessie Diggins’s and Kikkan Randall’s) latest win — yes Kelly oversees all the sports at U.S. Ski and Snowboard — are just some of his responsibilities.

Long after the fans are gone, U.S. Ski & Snowboard communications director Tom Kelly soaking it all up after the U.S. women’s team, with Kikkan Randall and Jessie Diggins, won gold in the freestyle team sprint at the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. (Photo: FlyingPointRoad)

Kelly, who goes by “TK”, is a pro’s pro. (He also usually has a trademark hat on.) With to without the hat, TK has mastered the combination of respecting both the athletes’ needs and being an open communicator with the snow-sport community. In Part 1 of this two-part interview, Kelly discusses his early career and how the nature of his position with the U.S. Ski Team has evolved. For Part 2 on his contemporary experiences, click here.

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