US Ski Team member Torin Koos placed second in both the West Yellowstone skate sprint and the recent classic sprint at Soldier Hollow. Both times he placed second to fellow US Ski Team skier Andrew Newell. Koos know he will have his work cut out for him if he wants to win today's classic sprint at US Nationals. Koos has been the US Ski Team's main sprinter since he burst onto the scene at the 2001 Soldier Hollow World Cup, but he is still looking for his first National Title – as is Newell. In 1999 & 2000 Marcus Nash won the National Sprint title. In 2002, Lars Flora won the sprint. In 2003, it was Carl Swenson. Last year, Leif Zimmerman.
He has been preparing for this race for the past few weeks, but the preparation hasn't always been optimal. He went home to Leavenworth, Washington for Christmas but lack of snow forced him to pull out his running shoes and prepare for Nationals on foot.
