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A Memorable First Postpartum Birkie For Caitlin Gregg (With Audio Interview)
CommunityInterviewsLifestyle

A Memorable First Postpartum Birkie For Caitlin Gregg (With Audio Interview)

Rachel PerkinsFebruary 28, 2020

Two hours and twenty minutes after leaving the starting gate in Cable, Caitlin Gregg crossed the finish line on Main Street in Hayward, her eighth journey through Wisconsin’s north woods during the American Birkebeiner. Five of these resulted in the win, but this year, Gregg was the fifth woman across the line. Butt was still a first — her first Birkie as a mom, just over one year after giving birth to her daughter, Heidi,...

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A Norwegian in Hayward: Niklas Dyrhaug Wins The American Birkie (With Audio Interview)
CommunityContinental CupInterviewsRacing

A Norwegian in Hayward: Niklas Dyrhaug Wins The American Birkie (With Audio Interview)

Rachel PerkinsFebruary 27, 2020

Several inches of new snow five days out, a cold-snap that sent temperatures in Hayward plummeting to -24 degrees Fahrenheit two nights before the race, and a bluebird day with temperatures in the high teens at the start, climbing to mid-30s in the early afternoon. Firm tracks, perfect groom, and fast snow. You could not have asked for a more perfect day to showcase the trails linking Cable to Hayward, WI at the 2020 American...

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Amidst Full-Time Physical Therapy School, Yeaton Wins the American Birkebeiner
CommunityRacing

Amidst Full-Time Physical Therapy School, Yeaton Wins the American Birkebeiner

Rachel PerkinsFebruary 25, 2020

When we reviewed this year’s results for the elite women’s field at the American Birkebeiner, we did a double take. Jessica Yeaton sets a new course record and beats Riitta-Liissa Roponen of Finland, a favorite for the win, by over 40 seconds.  The surprise was not because Yeaton’s name didn’t belong there; the 28-year-old Perth, Australia native who has skied for APU has a list of SuperTour podiums and a wealth of international racing experience...

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Transitions, Training, and Birkie Preparation: A Q&A with Riitta-Liisa Roponen
CommunityInterviewsLifestyle

Transitions, Training, and Birkie Preparation: A Q&A with Riitta-Liisa Roponen

Rachel PerkinsFebruary 19, 2020

To view Riitta-Liisa Roponen’s complete FIS profile requires a lot of scrolling and selecting “show more.” The 41-year-old raced her first World Cup in Munio, Finland on November 28th, 1998. More than 20 years later, she raced her final World Cup event, helping the Finnish relay team to 3rd in Ulricehamn, Sweden on January 27th, 2019.  She went on to race at the World Ski Championships in Seefeld, Austria, placing 22nd in the 30-kilometer mass start...

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Weathering the Storm: Catching Up with Susan Dunklee
BiathlonCommunity

Weathering the Storm: Catching Up with Susan Dunklee

Rachel PerkinsFebruary 3, 2020

Success in biathlon can be fickle. With so many added variables, many outside an athlete’s control, the results page does not always align with the quality of the effort or performance. In an interview after a career best result in the 15k individual event in Pokljuka, Slovenia, Clare Egan explained that it is essential for a biathlete to differentiate between the two. “We learn early on in biathlon to distinguish between [results and performance] because...

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CommunityHealthNutritionResourcesReviewsTraining

Book Review: “ROAR: How to Match Your Food and Fitness to Your Female Physiology for Optimum Performance, Great Health, and a Strong, Lean Body For Life” by Stacy Sims, Ph.D

Rachel PerkinsJanuary 30, 2020

This book is for female athletes ages 12 to 92. Or for parents of female athletes. Or coaches of female athletes. Or anyone who wishes to otherwise support female athletes.  In 2016, Stacy Sims, Ph.D sparked a shift in training philosophy with her simple message to female athletes: “You are not a small man. Stop eating and training like one.”  Although the fact that there are physiological differences between men and women are abundantly clear,...

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Sustaining Success: Year Two for the Methow’s Ski to the Sun Marathon and Relay
CommunityGeneralInterviewsNews

Sustaining Success: Year Two for the Methow’s Ski to the Sun Marathon and Relay

Jason AlbertJanuary 29, 2020

All things aligned: a gauzy low fog burned off into bluebird skies and the snow skied crisp along a 42-kilometer gem during the Methow Valley’s inaugural Ski to the Sun Marathon and Relay. Last year, we ran a piece exploring how the Ski to the Sun Marathon organizers were rebooting their marquee ski race. The valley’s signature race had for years been a two-day pursuit. An attractive format to many, but it eventually stagnated with...

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Opportunity Knocked: Opportunity Seized
CommunityNewsOpinion

Opportunity Knocked: Opportunity Seized

FasterSkierDecember 10, 2019

By: Paige Elliott The call to action is clear: Nordic skiing needs more women coaches. From the launch of the Women’s Ski Coaching Association to former U.S. Ski Team coach Pete Vordenberg’s editorial on FasterSkier to Dr. Nicole LaVoi’s keynote presentation at U.S. Ski & Snowboard annual National Cross Country Coaches Symposium, gender equality has been at the forefront of recent conversation in the Nordic community. I believe in this mission and therefore want to...

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Breaking New Ground: Noel Keeffe
CommunityInterviewsUS Ski Team

Breaking New Ground: Noel Keeffe

FasterSkierDecember 6, 2019

This article was originally published on November 11, 2019 in Steamboat Magazine. It is reposted with permission. By: Tiia Libin Being a “first-ever” is rare, especially in a town filled with Olympians. Noel Keeffe is one of them. Born and raised in Steamboat Springs, Keeffe is the first Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club cross-country athlete to be named to the U.S. Cross Country Ski Team. “Our coaches continually remind us that our life as a student...

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CommunityInterviewsPara Nordic

Wednesday Workout: Structuring Training for Para Athletes Q&A with Martin Benes

Rachel PerkinsNovember 27, 2019

This insight into training para nordic athletes comes from Martin Benes, head coach of U.S. Para Nordic skiing. Benes joined U.S. Para Nordic in August 2018 after spending five years as the nordic ski director and head coach at Sugar Bowl Academy in Norden, CA. Benes responded via. email following a team training camp in Canmore, Alberta.  FasterSkier: Before taking this job, did you have any background in or connections to para sports? What have...

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Kikkan Randall Joins the Sub Three Hour Marathon Club One Year Post Chemotherapy
CommunityInterviews

Kikkan Randall Joins the Sub Three Hour Marathon Club One Year Post Chemotherapy

Rachel PerkinsNovember 4, 2019

Statistically speaking, only 2% of people who enter a marathon will finish under three hours. The 2019 TCS New York City Marathon was a bit above average, with nearly 3% (1,563 of  53,508 runners) breaking the elusive three hour barrier. Yesterday, four familiar cross country skiers joined the speedy club of athletes who have achieved this result.  Brian Gregg was first across the line, stopping the clock at 2:44:30 (6:17 per mile average). Next came...

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CommunityGeneral

The Importance of Women in Coaching with Dr. Nicole LaVoi

Rachel PerkinsOctober 21, 2019

On the last weekend of September, U.S. Ski & Snowboard held the annual National Cross Country Coaches Symposium in Park City, UT. This year’s event included a keynote presentation from Nicole LaVoi Ph.D., co-director of the Tucker Center at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Dr. LaVoi is a professor of sport psychology and sociology at UMN and leads research in “the structural and personal barriers experienced by female coaches, relational qualities of the coach-athlete...

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Unraveling the College Athlete Admission Process: A Look Into Post Graduate Gap Year Programs with Paul Smith of SVSEF
CollegiateCommunityInterviewsResources

Unraveling the College Athlete Admission Process: A Look Into Post Graduate Gap Year Programs with Paul Smith of SVSEF

Rachel PerkinsOctober 14, 2019

Deciding how to handle the “college conflict”, as aptly phrased by Alayna Sonnesyn, is a daunting and somewhat mysterious prospect, particularly for athletes and families who are unfamiliar with the process. How does a junior athlete know that they are cut out for a collegiate program? NCAA or USCSA? What about a gap year? In this series, FasterSkier spoke with collegiate and junior coaches and athletes who have chosen different pathways to create a resource...

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The Women Ski Coaches Association Launches a Grassroots Mission Toward Gender Equity in Sport
CommunityGeneralNews

The Women Ski Coaches Association Launches a Grassroots Mission Toward Gender Equity in Sport

Rachel PerkinsOctober 10, 2019

In August, the Women Ski Coaches Association (WSCA) set forth to balance the scales of gender equity in coaching. With Maria Stuber, head coach at the College of St. Scholastica (CSS) and former member of the Craftsbury Green Racing Project, at the helm, the WSCA strives to be “the voice and future of women in coaching.”  According to surveys conducted by the Tucker Center for Research on Women and Girls in Sport, since Title IV...

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CommunityResources

Unraveling the College Athlete Admission Process: Preparing for the Campus Visit with Dartmouth’s Cami Thompson-Graves

Rachel PerkinsSeptember 24, 2019

Deciding how to handle the “college conflict”, as aptly phrased by Alayna Sonnesyn, is a daunting and somewhat mysterious prospect, particularly for athletes and families who are unfamiliar with the process. How does a junior athlete know that they are cut out for a collegiate program? NCAA or USCSA? What about a gap year? In this series, FasterSkier spoke with collegiate and junior coaches and athletes who have chosen different pathways to create a resource...

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CommunityResources

Unraveling the College Athlete Admission Process with Anna Schulz

Rachel PerkinsSeptember 19, 2019

Deciding how to handle the “college conflict”, as aptly phrased by Alayna Sonnesyn, is a daunting and somewhat mysterious prospect, particularly for athletes and families who are unfamiliar with the process. How does a junior athlete know that they are cut out for a collegiate program? NCAA or USCSA? What about a gap year? In this series, FasterSkier spoke with collegiate and junior coaches and athletes who have chosen different pathways to create a resource...

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What Do Biathlon and Wedding Cakes Have in Common? Emily Dreissigacker.
CommunityInterviews

What Do Biathlon and Wedding Cakes Have in Common? Emily Dreissigacker.

Rachel PerkinsAugust 27, 2019

A glance at Emily Dreissigacker’s bio shows a slew of career highlights, including a 10th place finish in the sprint, a 9th place in the pursuit, and a 15th place in the mixed team relay at the 2019 Open European Championships in Minsk-Raubichi, Belarus. There is also a bit of Dreissigacker’s backstory — how both of her parents were Olympic rowers and how she also had outstanding results as a junior in rowing before shifting...

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First Tracks as a New Parent: Caitlin Gregg (Part Two)
CommunityGeneralInterviewsLifestyleResources

First Tracks as a New Parent: Caitlin Gregg (Part Two)

Rachel PerkinsAugust 19, 2019

The “First Tracks” series highlights the pregnancy, postpartum, and parenting experiences of noteworthy athletes in cross-country skiing in various stages of their professional careers. The sharing of these experiences can benefit athletes in any stage of their career, whether they are an elite or recreational skier, by demonstrating that it is very possible to return to skiing, competition, and an active lifestyle with a growing family. The series will include the physical challenges of being...

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First Tracks as a New Parent: Caitlin Gregg [Part 1]
CommunityGeneralInterviewsLifestyleResources

First Tracks as a New Parent: Caitlin Gregg [Part 1]

Rachel PerkinsAugust 13, 2019

The “First Tracks” series highlights the pregnancy, postpartum, and parenting experiences of noteworthy athletes in cross-country skiing in various stages of their professional careers. The sharing of these experiences can benefit athletes in any stage of their career, whether they are an elite or recreational skier, by demonstrating that it is very possible to return to skiing, competition, and an active lifestyle with a growing family. The series will include the physical challenges of being...

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First Tracks as a New Parent: Holly Brooks [Part 2]
CommunityLifestyleResources

First Tracks as a New Parent: Holly Brooks [Part 2]

Rachel PerkinsJuly 22, 2019

The “First Tracks” series highlights the pregnancy, postpartum, and parenting experiences of noteworthy athletes in cross-country skiing in various stages of their professional careers. The sharing of these experiences can benefit athletes in any stage of their career, whether they are an elite or recreational skier, by demonstrating that it is very possible to return to skiing, competition, and an active lifestyle with a growing family. The series will include the physical challenges of being...

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