No snow-speed records were broken at the sixth edition of Bysprinten, but the annual two-day ski festival on the streets of Mosjøen, Norway provided plenty of excitement for the 3,000 spectators who came out to see their favorite national team members ski as fast as possible. On Saturday, Eirik Brandsdal (NOR) prevailed in the men’s final sprint, and Laurien Van der Graaf (SUI) topped the women’s field. “I am very fond of Bysprinten. I often do...
The U.S. Ski Team announced on Wednesday that Pete Vordenberg — a leader on the team for the past 10 years and the man who literally wrote the book on modern American skiing — would be leaving his post as the men’s head coach. He became a new father this winter, and felt that he couldn’t be both a great parent and coach simultaneously. USST head coach Chris Grover said the team plans to find...
After ten years as a coach with the U.S. Ski Team, Pete Vordenberg announced on Wednesday that he is resigning from his post as the men’s cross-country coach. “The foremost reason I am leaving my coaching position is my new family,” said Vordenberg in a press release. “To do the job the way I would want to do it would require more travel, time and energy than I can give it. I support the whole...
Even if you’re not a running fan, chances are you heard that former Dartmouth College standout Glenn Randall led the opening 10 k of the Boston Marathon last Monday. Actually, ‘led’ doesn’t quite describe it — he gapped the elite men’s field, frenzy. To those who had never heard of Randall, it looked as though he was trying to grab a few minutes of fame with an opening pace he couldn’t hold. But as he...
Just when you thought the ski season was over, Norway hosted one of the world’s biggest ski marathons, the 38 k Skarverennet, on Saturday morning. About 12,220 skiers competed in the race that runs from Finse to Ustaoset, high in the mountains. Therese Johaug won in 1:41:33, defeating Norwegian teammate Marit Bjoergen by 19.8 seconds. Martine Ek Hagen took third, one-tenth behind Bjoergen. Johaug took it out hard up a long incline out of Finse, and Bjoergen...
In a sport that revolves around the winter season, spring invariably brings about new developments in preparation for the coming year. The New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) announced in December that its executive director of five years, Pat Cote, would be leaving this spring to go back to school for a Doctor of Pharmacy degree. After a winter-long search, NENSA decided at the beginning of April on Maine native Zach Stegeman as his replacement....
On Tuesday morning at its headquarters in Freeport, Maine, L.L. Bean presented Maine Winter Sports Center with a $1 million commitment to its Healthy Hometowns program. The gift is part of the outdoor company’s 100th anniversary celebration, which also included a $1 million grant to the National Parks Foundation and $500,000 that has already gone towards the creation of new athletic fields in Freeport. The goal of all three gifts is to make enjoyment of...
here to register. Bend, OR (April 16, 2012) – On May 20, the Athletic Club of Bend, Oregon, is partnering with Fast and Female to offer an energizing afternoon for both youth and adults. Fast and Female, a program launched seven years ago by 2006 Olympic gold medallist Chandra Crawford – is inviting girls ages 9 to 19 for a day of dance, activities, and inspiration from 3 pm to 6 pm. Following successful events...
original announcement that the job title had been changed from Program Director to Program Manager. The context of the new hire (namely, the position’s vacancy for an entire season and the nordic program’s recent budget problems) next led to more questions about the reasoning behind the shift in staff hierarchy, which all ultimately boil down to: What does this actually mean? The difference between the directorship and the managerial position replacing it mainly involves USSA’s...
It’s 80 degrees and you have five elite ski races to pull off for hundreds of athletes within a week. Go. This was the outlook Northern Vermont’s Craftsbury Outdoor Center faced in the week leading up to the start of spring series at the end of March. Such a forecast might have cowed even the most experienced race organizers, but with its new snowmaking system in place, a bit of foresight, luck, and a...
After operating without a Director for an entire season, there is a new leader at the helm of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association’s (USSA) nordic operations. On Thursday the governing body revealed Joey Caterinichio as its Nordic Program Manager. As the founder and head coach at Alaska Nordic Racing in Anchorage, Caterinichio has built up a wide breadth of experience in the sport. She was a chief organizer for U.S. Nationals when they were...
CRAFTSBURY, Vermont — Presenting footage from the final race of the year, which conveniently was also the most spectator-friendly. Thirty-three laps was one heck of a way to finish off the season. Thanks for watching! (results).
CRAFTSBURY, Vermont — For someone who was almost ready to hang up his skis and skip spring series altogether, Kris Freeman (SSC Vail/USST) sure knows how to turn things around over the course of a week. After fighting off a sinus infection during SuperTour Finals, and before that coming home from Europe disappointed with his World Cup season, Freeman handily defended his Distance Nationals 50 k title on Saturday, beating Tad Elliott (SSCV/USST) to the...
CRAFTSBURY, Vermont — After 20 victory laps, the women are finished with their season. The fast pace set by Kikkan Randall, Jessie Diggins and Liz Stephen made for an exciting race; each pushed the pace and tried to break at some point, and the last two laps were an all out sprint. Randall prevailed, but as they crossed the finish line everyone was happy to simply be done. Interviews with top athetes follow the race...
JAY, Vermont — The fourth and last stage of the 2012 SuperTour Finals was a 1.8 k suffer-fest up 1,079 vertical feet of a blue run at Jay Peak. Watch it unfold from the two spots on the course we had the cameras rolling.
JAY, Vermont — At the outset of the hill climb up Jay Peak on a blistery Wednesday morning, the four-race fight for the overall SuperTour Finals win had come down to two skiers: Kris Freeman (SSCV/USST) and Noah Hoffman (SSCV/USST). In the end, Freeman claimed the title just as he did in Sun Valley last spring: on a brutal pitch that left him and just about everyone else completely spent at the finish. Hoffman finished...
CRAFTSBURY, Vermont — There were a few surprises on Tuesday during the classic sprints: distance specialists Kris Freeman and Liz Stephen made it to the A-final, while sprint standouts Simi Hamilton and Sadie Bjornsen got knocked out. But such is sprint racing, and our videographer was standing in the start and finish area to catch some of the action on film. Interviews with the top finishers follow, including some great reactions from athletes who were...
CRAFTSBURY, Vermont — If anyone can attest to the fact that feeling off during a qualifier is no reason to count oneself out for the heats, it’s Dartmouth senior Eric Packer. Despite having “blown up a bit” in the classic sprint prelim at SuperTour Finals on Tuesday, qualifying in 16th, he didn’t throw up his hands in defeat. Instead, he went on to win the thing outright, beating SuperTour regulars and US Ski Team members...
