Jason Albert – Page 10

Johaug wins as U.S. Looks Fierce: Maubet Bjornsen Fourth, Brennan Sixth in Ruka 10 k Classic (Updated with Interview Audio)

Jason AlbertNovember 30, 2019

It was an elemental form of racing to open the distance events on the World Cup: the 10-kilometer interval start classic. No spoiler alert needed here. Norway’s Therese Johaug won in 26:47.5 minutes. Johaug comes into the season having won the distance overall last year and steamrolled to two distance race victories Beitostølen, Norway last weekend. Those races were the opening Norwegian national races, but were stacked fields. During another day with flurries, high humidity,...

Racing US Ski Team World Cup

A Big Day for Maubet Bjornsen as she Places Third in the Ruka Classic Sprint

Jason AlbertNovember 29, 2019

A big day for Sadie Maubet Bjornsen of the U.S. Ski Team (USST) in Ruka, Finland. She placed third overall in the women’s 1.4-kilometer classic sprint. Italy’s Lucia Scardoni established the time to beat in the qualifier, 3:03.01. Maubet Bjornsen played her fitness cards early as she qualified in second, 1:15 seconds back. “It has been an interesting fall battling through some frustrating tendinitis in my feet that didn’t allow me to run or ski...

News Racing World Cup

The “Klæbo step” Brings Redemption and the Win in Ruka’s Classic Sprint

Jason AlbertNovember 29, 2019

Straight to the point, no U.S. men advanced to the heats in Friday’s opening World Cup 1.4-kilometer classic sprint in Ruka, Finland. Since the sprint is part of a three-race series ending with a pursuit, all skiers started the qualifier. As snow flurries fell in a semi-dark and Arctic Ruka —skiers raced under the lights — Johannes Høsflot Klæbo of Norway won the qualifier in 2:37:42. Kevin Bolger of the U.S. Ski Team (USST) just...

News Racing US Biathlon

The Breakthrough: Kelsey Dickinson 2nd in Sjusjøen, Norway’s IBU Cup

Jason AlbertNovember 28, 2019

On Thanksgiving, it’s worth celebrating a breakthrough moment. When wins and podiums become quotidian, perhaps the luster wears over time. Sports fans love the breakthrough — the moment it first comes together for an athlete. In biathlon, the moving parts are many. The fitness, the pacing, the skis, the steady mental state on the range, the breathing, the shooting, the wind flags, and the targets falling — they all must align. Kelsey Dickinson, 26, of...

Multimedia Nordic Nation Podcasts

Nordic Nation: World Cup Preview with Devon Kershaw

Jason AlbertNovember 28, 2019

Devon Kershaw, for many years, was a go-to on the World Cup for Canada. He won a gold medal at the 2011 World Championship in the team sprint with Alex Harvey and finished second in the World Cup overall in 2012. He is accomplished. He is also a student of the sport. That was evident last season as he helped Eurosport with its television broadcast coverage of the 2019 World Championships. Watching Kershaw provide race...

Doping News

WADA’s Compliance Review Committee Recommends Strong Penalties for Russia

Jason AlbertNovember 25, 2019

In a just published press release, WADA has released its Compliance Review Committee’s (CRC) recommended consequences for RUSADA. On December 9, WADA’s Executive committee will decide upon’s RUSADA’s status as a compliant entity. Last week, the Compliance Review Committee suggested RUSADA again be declared non-compliant. Due to a leak of specific aspects of the Compliance Review Committee’s recommendations and sanctions, WADA has decided to publish the sanctions likely to be handed down on December 9....

Doping News

Death, Taxes, and RUSADA Non-Compliance

Jason AlbertNovember 25, 2019

There’s death, taxes, and this: the Russian Anti-Doping is likely to be back on WADA’s non-compliance list. Last week, WADA sent out a press release noting that its Compliance Review Committee had recommend non-compliance for RUSADA. WADA’s Executive Committee will consider the recommendation when it meets on December 9. This real world soap opera continues as athletes around the world seek better structural and legal remedies to clean up sport. The press release states the...

Multimedia Nordic Nation Podcasts

Nordic Nation: The New Coach Episode with Sweden’s Ida Ingemarsdotter

Jason AlbertNovember 22, 2019

In this episode, we speak with now-retired Swedish skier Ida Ingemarsdotter. The thirty-four-year-old Ingemarsdotter became the head coach for the Swedish national development team this fall. She’ll be leading a crew of U23 and U20 skiers as they hope to transition to the senior national team. For many years, Imgemarsdotter was a Swedish World Cup staple. She’s a two-time medalist at the Olympics and a down to earth Swede, as we learn about her recent...

Doping News

The Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act and the Power of One

Jason AlbertNovember 21, 2019

Noah Hoffman, retired athlete, and current sophomore at Brown University is part of the movement to upgrade anti-doping enforcement. On October 28, he posted a blog highlighting why he supported the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act (RADA). RADA is federal legislation that will criminalize doping. More specifically, as Hoffman notes, it criminalizes doping conspiracies involving international sporting events like the Olympics and World Championships. Here are the details of RADA as highlighted by Hoffman in his October...

General

Rendezvous Ski Trails Double Take and Some Decisions for WYSEF

Jason AlbertNovember 19, 2019

West Yellowstone is many things: a gateway to the world’s first National Park, a tourist-chotzche goldmine, a jumping off point to blue-ribbon streams and reliable late November cross-country skiing. Even remote West Yellowstone, like any other place boasting out your door recreation opportunities, can feel the pressure from development. If you’re headed to West Yellowstone for the annual Yellowstone Ski Festival, expect to do a double take while parking near the trailhead. The iconic “Welcome...

Multimedia Nordic Nation Podcasts

Nordic Nation: The Hard Work Pays off Episode with Rosie Brennan

Jason AlbertNovember 15, 2019

Back in 2015, prior to her first go at a World Championships, Rosie Brennan was asked this: What’s your biggest motivation while racing?. “I am most motivated by wanting to show that my hard work was worth it, that I did everything I could to go as fast as I could,” Brennan replied at the time. She was twenty six years old then, and now at 30 years old, the Park City native grinds away,...

General News US Biathlon

Clear the Mind and Take Your Time: Matt Emmons, a U.S. Biathlon Asset

Jason AlbertNovember 14, 2019

Speaking to Matt Emmons, I was reminded that much of sport remains in the realm of capturing a focused mental state. Emmons, at thirty eight years old, serves as the shooting coach for U.S. biathlon. In as much as he hones body position and breathing techniques on the range, he’s also present to coach clearing the mind when the heart rate thumps and the internal tick-tock of time on the shooting range is part of...

General News

Two New England Institutions Post New Waxing Guidelines

Jason AlbertNovember 11, 2019

Last week, two long established entities in the New England nordic sport scene released updated ski waxing policies. The Craftsbury Outdoor Center (COC) made its move towards a fluoro-free future while the New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) laid out fastidious wax restrictions based on age-group competition. Craftsbury’s homegrown professional ski and biathlon teams race as the CGRP – or the Craftsbury Green Racing Project. The “Green” reflects the team’s Vermont based Green Mountain roots...

Multimedia Nordic Nation Podcasts

Nordic Nation Audio Short: Max Cobb and the Extraordinary IBU Congress

Jason AlbertNovember 8, 2019

In this episode, we connect with Max Cobb, the CEO of U.S. Biathlon. He also sits on the International Biathlon Union’s (IBU) Executive Board. When we spoke, he had just returned from the IBU’s “historic” Extraordinary Congress which took place from October 18th-20th, in Munich. The IBU has been rocked in the recent past by internal mismanagement and doping scandals. Rather than succumb to the inertia associated with systemic change, the IBU has reset and...

General Interviews News

Chris Grover and the 2019-2020 Pre-Season Interview

Jason AlbertNovember 7, 2019

We spoke with Chris Grover of the U.S. Ski Team on October 29, to get his thoughts on the new season. With a packed World Cup schedule and an off-year for major championship events, Grover and his team have myriad moving parts to make gel. He comes with a new title, that of Cross Country Program Director. Besides the title change, he remains the leader for the cross-country staff and athletes. Grover was at his...

Multimedia Nordic Nation Podcasts

Nordic Nation: Vegard Ulvang and the Will to Lead

Jason AlbertNovember 1, 2019

Vegard Ulvang at fifty six years old remains an icon in Norway. With Olympic and Championship medals, a World Cup Overall title in 1990, he’s in the lineage of Norwegian skiing royalty. Away from the tracks, Ulvang began and then sold a profitable clothing company. He fills his time making documentaries and television features. He is also, as you’ll hear at the top of the interview, committed to living a life of exploration, calculated risk,...

News Resources

Takeaways from the 2019 International Coach Seminar in Trondheim, Norway

Jason AlbertOctober 29, 2019

Concurrent with the U.S. Ski Team and other nations partaking in the Toppidrettsveka rollerski series based in Trondheim, Norway, local organizers hosted the 2019 International Coach Seminar from August 24-25. The conference attracted coaches from eleven countries including Russia, the U.S., China, Finland, and Norway. Guri Knotten Hetland, a former Norwegian competitive skier, helped steer the conference’s agenda. Hetland is also leading Trondheim’s bid to secure the 2025 Nordic Ski World Championships and is the...

Doping News

RUSADA Head Confirms Data Manipulation as WADA Asks for More Time

Jason AlbertOctober 24, 2019

The culminating scenes in the RUSADA doping scandal have played out behind closed doors and before live audiences. On September 24, we reported on a three week timetable WADA had given Russian sport authorities to explain if and how it had manipulated information from the Moscow Lab’s data collection system. The data remains a key piece of evidence to determine the extent of Russian doping and its cover-up. It’s now been three weeks. In that...

Biathlon General News US Biathlon

The USBA X-Team: Zane Fields and Luke Brown

Jason AlbertOctober 22, 2019

For many years the U.S. Biathlon Association (USBA) has invested in talent. Athletes who demonstrate ski-speed and a knack for shooting on the firing range receive what amounts to a cushioned sport-specific transition. In this case, Luke Brown (Crosscut Mountain Sports/USBA) and Zane Fields (USBA) are the latest cross-country athletes embraced by the USBA’s X-Team. Brown, who is in his second year removed from Dartmouth, and Fields who is fresh off a four year stint...

General News

Swedish Innovation Hubs and their Push for Fluoro Free Ski Racing

Jason AlbertOctober 17, 2019

In our commitment to covering the wax ski wax industry, FasterSkier found it relevant to dive deeper into a press release we received on September 4. It came from Sweden based POPFREE Ski Goes Global Project. The project is a collaboration between teams at Peak Innovation and the RISE Research Institutes of Sweden. RISE is a non-profit affiliated with a regional university. RISE bills itself as possessing the research chops and leadership to accelerate innovation. On...

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