Andrew Newell of Shaftsbury, Vermont has been one of the top junior sprinters in the world for the past few years as a member of the US Development Team. After scoring his first World Cup points in Trondheim, Norway this past winter and winning the overall Nor-Am sprint title, Newell was named to the US Ski Team this past spring.
In addition to being a World-class sprinter, Newell is arguably the world’s best Nordic freestyle skier. And by freestyle, I don’t mean skating. I mean tricks: halfpipe, big air, you name it — Newell can probably do it. His jaw-dropping aerials leave onlookers speechless. He does what alpine aerialists do, except that he does it on skinny skis and cross-country boots and bindings.
Newell also has his own film company, X-Ski Films, which has just released its second film, American Skier. We recently caught up with Andy Newell to talk about all of these subjects.
 going into the games, and if everything goes as planned hopefully I’ll be in a good position to do well.</p>
<p><b>How many hours a week are you training and what percentage of that is easy distance and what percentage is intervals?</b></p>
<p>As far as hours, it really depends on what the focus is for that week. In New Zealand the goal was to get some good skiing in so I logged a few 20 hour weeks. When we really hit the intensity though, hours are not a top priority so they can be anywhere from 10-15 per week. I have logged at least twice as much time in level 4 this year than last, so it can give you a little idea of how many intervals we are doing. Even on some easy weeks we are still doing 3 days of intervals. With all the hard workouts in a week it is important that the distance workouts are kept pretty short and really easy.</p>
<p><b>Can you give us an example of an interval workout that the USST sprinters are doing?</b></p>
<p>We mostly do level 3 or level 4 workouts like everyone else, but most of the time we keep them shorter (4 to7 min) and keep the speed up. The past two years we have started doing level 5 intervals too. Level 5 is faster than you would ski a sprint qualifier, so it’s going pretty hard. The idea is to get our bodies used to building up as much lactic acid as possible. It can be painful sometimes, especially at altitude. </p>
<p><b>How do you feel about Australian Paul Murray breaking your 100M world record? Is getting that record back a top priority?</b></p>
<p>The Australian breaking the record isn’t that big of a deal. I know I can go faster, and we’ll have to set another one this winter.<br />
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www.xskifilms.com ) new movie American Skier will be released on NOVEMBER 1st on VHS and DVD.
The gnarly dudes of Nordic are back with their second action packed film. Their first movie Generation X Ski, released in 2002, changed the way people perceived cross-country skiing with its fast paced race footage, extreme tricks, and rocking soundtrack.
American Skier is an intense 45 min flick with tons of bonus footage and excitement. The film gives an up close look at the top level of cross country skiing in the world, including race footage from World Championships, the 04′ world cup season, and much more. And since it’s an X Ski Film you can be certain that it will have some jaw dropping extreme Nordic, and tones of laughs.
“American Skier was created to help inspire our country's skiers and get fans excited for the upcoming Olympics†says producer and US Ski Team racer Andrew Newell.
“The skiing footage in this film is miles ahead of our last movie. It’s made up of only top notch racing and gives you an up close look at the World Cups that you can’t get anywhere else. If you’re not on the edge of your seat during the entire flick you better check your pulse.
“The level of jumping has increased since the last film as well and there are some crazy tricks.
“The movie is great for getting people excited about cross country skiing, and it’s an awesome tool for looking at the technique of the best skiers in the world.â€
By the end of Oct. customers will be able to order online at www.xskifilms.com with credit cards for $20 plus shipping.
There will also be a big premier party at the West Yellowstone Fall Camp (date not yet confirmed).
