“All of cross-country skiing in the U.S. is really excited for this moment,” said Holly Brooks, who trains with Kikkan Randall in Anchorage and is one of her teammates at the Olympics.
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Nathaniel Herz
Nat Herz is an Alaska-based journalist who moonlights for FasterSkier as an occasional reporter and podcast host. He was FasterSkier's full-time reporter in 2010 and 2011.
Randall’s Skis Get Boost From International Support Staff
Nathaniel HerzFebruary 10, 2014
In Sochi, the U.S. Ski Team's small support staff will play a role that's cross country skiing's answer to the NASCAR pit crew.
Miss on Final Shot Knocks Dunklee Off Podium; 14th Place Still Women’s Best for U.S.
Nathaniel HerzFebruary 9, 2014
A single errant bullet forced Dunklee into a penalty lap and pushed her down to 14th place on the day — tantalizingly close to the podium, but still good enough for the best-ever Olympic finish in a sprint race by an American woman,
Harvey’s Pursuit Hampered by Skis with ‘No Kick and No Glide’; Hoffman Finishes 35th
Nathaniel HerzFebruary 9, 2014
Alex Harvey, the Canadian medal hopeful, placed 18th in the Olympic pursuit, hindered by a pair of classic skis that he said were both slick and slow. Noah Hoffman led Americans in 35th.
The King Is Back: Ageless Bjoerndalen Wins Sprint, Equals Daehlie Mark
Nathaniel HerzFebruary 8, 2014
Norwegian Ole Einar Bjoerndalen, 40, won the 10 k sprint at the 2014 Olympics on Saturday — earning his seventh career gold and 12th Olympic medal, besting competitors half his age over 10 kilometers of skiing and two rounds of shooting.
One of FasterSkier's three journalists in Sochi reports his first impressions.
The first three of the 36 cross-country skiing medals at stake at the Sochi Olympics are up for grabs Saturday, as racing begins here with the women's 15 k pursuit. Four Americans and three Canadians are entered in the event, which will have the athletes racing four 3.75-kilometer laps on trails at the Laura Cross-Country Ski and Biathlon Center --a massive Olympic complex installed at the top of a ridge in Russia's Western Caucasus Mountains over the last five years.
FasterSkier caught up last month with Pete Vordenberg, the former head coach of the U.S. Ski Team. A former Olympic cross-country skier himself, Vordenberg coached with the American team for 10 years before resigning after the 2012 season.
Early Saturday morning, Kikkan Randall's parents sat groggily in front of a pair of laptop computers in an East Anchorage condominium. Their daughter was seconds from starting a ski race 5,000 miles away, in a resort town in the Czech Republic. But their live stream of a Eurosport TV channel was showing ski jumping instead. "OK, come on," Kikkan's mother, said impatiently.
After nine months of deliberation, the Court of Arbitration for Sport announced on Tuesday that it decided to uphold Estonian cross-country skier Andrus Veerpalu's appeal and overturned the three-year competition ban the International Ski Federation originally imposed on him in August of 2011 for testing positive for human growth hormone. The Panel cited lack of confidence in FIS's standard of proof.
The cash from Caitlin Gregg's Birkie victory on Saturday will help keep her and husband Brian Gregg on sound financial footing as they train for next year’s Olympics in Russia.
In Competitive Kickoff, Colby’s New Trails Get Presidential Parade Lap
Nathaniel HerzJanuary 28, 2013
Colby College President William D. "Bro" Adams donned spandex to complete a ceremonial 2-kilometer parade lap around his college's new home trails this weekend.
Colby President William D. “Bro” Adams will be forerunning one of the first-ever competitions at the Quarry Road Recreation Area in Waterville this weekend — his way of punctuating the completion of a trail system that he hopes will be a draw for both his college and the surrounding community.
Valjas Captures First Canadian Podium of Season Behind Krogh, Pellegrino
Nathaniel HerzJanuary 1, 2013
Lenny Valjas earned the elusive first podium of the season for the Canadians, placing third behind Finn Hagen Krogh (NOR) and Federico Pellegrino (ITA) in the Tour de Ski freestyle sprint.
Thus Far, Tour Success is a Tough Act to Follow
Nathaniel HerzDecember 31, 2012
Want to win a race at World Championships or the Olympics? Then you might want to stay away from the top step of the Tour de Ski podium.
Québec World Cup organizer Patrice Drouin is full of ideas. That's how he convinced FIS to award Québec City its first World Cup and integrate a jump for the first time on the sprint course. Next on his agenda: a North American World Cup every year.
With flair and good humor, Austrian Harald Wurm finished his quarterfinal in Saturday's Quebec City sprint, scootering across the line on one ski after his binding detached in a crash.
Canadians Leave Quebec City Sans Podiums
Nathaniel HerzDecember 8, 2012
Alex Harvey, the only team member out of 28 Canadian starters to advance to the knockout rounds, was eliminated in his quarterfinal heat in Saturday's sprint in Quebec City.
“Today is as good or better, probably, than I felt or finished in any sprint last year,” said U.S. sprinter Andy Newell after racing to fifth place in Quebec City on Saturday.
Canadians Swing and Miss in Home Sprint
Nathaniel HerzDecember 8, 2012
Despite 28 starters, the Canadians only managed to advance a single skier to the heats in the Quebec City individual sprint, disappointing a raucous hometown crowd.