US Head Coach, Matt Whitcomb—Excited, Centered, Prepared

This reporting costs money. Please support this coverage with a voluntary subscription (below) so FasterSkier can provide this level of access to the sport we all love year-round.

On the eve of the opening event of the Olympic cross-country program, U.S. head coach Matt Whitcomb sounded equal parts energized and grounded. Speaking with FasterSkier’s Nat Herz in the mixed zone, Whitcomb touched on everything from ski exchanges and early-Games logistics to the long arc of the U.S. program—and the feeling inside the team right now.

One technical focus that has drawn attention ahead of the Skiathlon is the ski exchange, especially after Jessie Diggins (USA) and Frida Karlsson (SWE) tangled while lining up for their respective individual exchange boxes in the last World Cup Skiathlon, but Whitcomb emphasized that there’s no single formula.

“It really varies,” he said. “This is a skill that we’ve practiced over a decade and a half in some cases, but each athlete really takes their own initiative.”

Some athletes choose to practice exchanges using the same straps on two pairs of poles; others use separate straps for each pair. The calculus, Whitcomb explained, comes down to risk versus reward.

“The thing that can go wrong in the ski exchange is everything,” he said. “And the thing that can go right is you can gain a second or two. And then the pack’s back together.”

That balance—between chasing marginal gains and avoiding catastrophic mistakes—often reflects an athlete’s mindset. Whitcomb pointed to Diggins, who had been practicing exchanges at full speed the day before, including simulated interference.

“She’s somebody who visualizes things, tries to practice them, goes back to visualizing, and then does it again,” he said. “You try a few different scenarios, and those all become part of your visualization. One thing we can guarantee is that there’ll be a lot of people in a small space. If that’s part of your visualization, you won’t be disappointed.”

Beyond the technical details, Whitcomb acknowledged the peculiar chaos that comes with the opening days of the Olympic Games.

“The schedules in the first few days are a little bit chaotic,” he said. “You’ve got press conferences, headshots—things that are kind of smack in the middle of a complicated schedule. And then on top of that, you’ve got 16 athletes with 16 different workouts.”

That congestion, he noted, eases once racing begins. Only four athletes per country race per day, and there’s a single training window on the course—simplifying logistics and allowing the staff to think about getting athletes off-site for training once the championships settle. Whitcomb mentioned options such as skiing the Marcialonga course or heading to Passo Lavazè or Predazzo for quality terrain and sunshine, but wanted to be careful to avoid too much altitude.

Asked how the team felt in that moment, Whitcomb didn’t hesitate.

“Really excited,” he said. “Very centered. Prepared. Our team is vibing in a really incredible way.”

Despite the athletes coming from different clubs and training backgrounds, he said the atmosphere feels unified.

“It feels like it is Team USA,” Whitcomb said. “It’s not one club versus another club. It’s just this amazing union. And I think the athletes would agree with that.”

Whitcomb also reflected on how much the program—and the sport in the U.S.—has changed over the course of Jessie Diggins’ career. He recalled the early years, when training camps meant homestays and catered enchiladas from a local Mexican restaurant, and waxing operations ran out of two Conex containers that had to be loaded and unloaded before and after every race.

“Now we’re renting houses and bringing a chef,” he said. “We’re in two trucks instead of two Conexes. We’re not moving 2,000 pounds of equipment every time.”

Just as striking, he said, is how expectations have shifted.

“We used to really celebrate a single top-30 on the whole team,” Whitcomb said. “We had a banner where we’d write those results down—29th in a World Cup, that went on the banner. And just the way the standard has changed across the board…”

That evolution, he explained, has been the product of steady, incremental growth rather than dramatic leaps. Whitcomb traced it back to the mid-2000s, when Pete Vordenberg secured funding to build a development team and expand the women’s program.

“I’ve benefited from nearly incremental progress every year with regard to budget,” he said. “And I think more than anything, the stability—not having a huge gap that takes us back five or ten years—has been key.”

Through all that growth, Whitcomb said the program has retained something essential.

“As the level of professionalism and resources has climbed, it’s remained fun and enjoyable, and we haven’t lost a human value,” he said. “That’s perhaps the thing I’m most proud of.”

He credited that culture in part to athletes like Diggins, Rosie Brennan, and Julia Kern—athletes whose long careers have helped define what the team is now.

As the racing is about to begin, Whitcomb’s message was clear: the work is done, the team is ready, and the foundation beneath it has been years in the making.

 

FasterSkier’s Nat Herz reporting from the Mixed Zone.

 

Help Support Our Olympic Coverage!

FasterSkier has our own Nat Herz on the ground at the Olympics, which is a significant financial lift for us. If you value the thoughtful work and access FasterSkier provides at championships like this one, please consider becoming a Voluntary Subscriber. Your support directly fuels our work to cover the people, places, and moments that make our sport special.

Join the FasterSkier community!