Ben Saxton and Paddy Caldwell were two new names on the 2014/2015 U.S. Ski Team nominations released last Friday. Both with Stratton ties, the two were asked to join the D-team, an unfunded development squad back after a one-year hiatus.
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For all the international-racing junkies out there, the Swedish and Norwegian Ski Associations recently announced the nominations to their 2014/2015 national teams: a couple new names, a few departures, but both are back again with depth in numbers.
Not on the U.S. Ski Team List, Brooks Still in the Hunt for International Podiums
Alex KochonApril 29, 2014
Holly Brooks was the one well-known name left off the U.S. Ski Team's nomination list for 2014/2015, and that's by her choosing, she says. Rather than retire, she's hoping to tweak her training to get back to podium contention, especially in marathons and distance races.
In April, researchers got into a fight about whether Tylenol should be banned by WADA; looked at the effects of breathing pure oxygen between laps in a team sprint; considered the difference in fatiguability between male and female athletes; and checked whether you should be mixing up your strength training with sprints (hint: you should).
USSA has announced its nominations to the 2014/2015 U.S. Ski Team, with A-team returners Kikkan Randall, Jessie Diggins, Andy Newell, and Liz Stephen, plus the additions of Sadie Bjornsen, Sophie Caldwell, and Simi Hamilton to the A-team.
This interview with 19-year-old Austin Huneck gives a glimpse of what it's like to be a postgraduate skier and make the transition to full-time training and racing after high school. Huneck liked it so much, he's onboard with the MWSC for the second-straight year.
Wishing you were with NANANordic teaching skiing in Northwest Alaska right now -- or wonder what the program's like? Check out these videos.
Paquet: Deprioritizing Québec and the East May ‘Lose a Lot of Athletes Along the Way’
Chelsea LittleApril 23, 2014
Due to some communication miscues, we were initially unable to get in touch with Jean Paquet regarding the elimination of his coaching position with Biathlon Canada. Now we have: here's his side of the story about how the Valcartier National Team Center is being shut down, and what the centralization push may mean for the future of Canadian biathlon.
This winter, researchers built a rollerski with strain gauges to measure force application and work on technique; studied the microclimate inside your ski boots; put out a consensus statement about overuse injuries in young athletes; and studied the female athlete triad, an energy deficiency syndrome which can lead to bone loss.
More on U.S. Nordic Combined's predicament after its program lost direct USSA funding earlier this week. We caught up with both Fletcher brothers as well as USSA Vice President Luke Bodensteiner to hear more about the decision and what it means for the sport in the U.S.
The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association dealt U.S. Nordic Combined tough news on Monday when it informed them funding would cease after July 31, 2014, according to head coach Dave Jarrett, who's now searching for alternative financial solutions.
Justin Wadsworth's not sure how it got out there, but he said incorrect information reached the press on Tuesday regarding the Canadian World Cup Team's coaching and waxing staff for the 2014/2015 season.
Canadian National Team Changeup: De Nys No Longer Women’s Coach, Starts Junior Program
Katie BonoApril 14, 2014
Canadian Women's World Cup Coach Eric de Nys is in the process of starting a new junior-training program in Canmore after parting ways with the national team. “With the World Cup team being what it will be next year, it just can't justify having that many coaches there,” he says. “We had to do some restructuring and part of that was eliminating a job.”
In a departure from our usual race coverage, here we post another of our occasional first-person staff reports from races we've done. This article covers two of Alaska's 100-mile races and a multi-day backcountry wilderness race.
Therese Johaug could be the Norwegian Ski Federation's MVP. But can they keep her? "She’s going to make more money than both Petter Northug and Marit Bjørgen," one expert says. "The girl has everything, so the sponsors will be willing to pay very much."
With World Cup Podiums from Three Different Athletes, U.S. Biathlon Gains Stature in 2014
Chelsea LittleApril 10, 2014
The U.S. biathlon team says that they were far from surprised when Lowell Bailey and Susan Dunklee broke through and onto the podium at the end of this season. That gains the team some recognition: "It’s obvious that we have more athletes that are a threat for everybody now for the top results," head coach Per Nilsson says.
More than a month after the Olympics ended, we share a different perspective on Team Dominica's legitimacy from their coach J.D. Downing. "[That their Olympic experience was an] un-mitigated disaster is completely true," he says. "I take issue with how this Olympic experience was presented."
SMST2 Head Coach Gus Kaeding, 29, came to the striking realization this winter that he couldn't see himself coaching in 10 years. With that in mind, he decided to plot a new future, which could include a master's in finance. His contract is up at the end of June, but Kaeding plans to help Stratton transition to a new elite-team coach.
This winter, three teams of researchers investigated attitudes towards climate change within the ski industry. They found huge cultural differences between how Austrians, Finns, and New Zealanders perceived the threat - with the Austrian industry having no adaptation strategy, while New Zealand is ramping up snowmaking - as well as between CEO's and the skiers themselves.
Mark Iverson and Kikkan Randall pulled away from their competition in the AK Skimeister Challenge last Saturday at Alyeska Resort in Girdwood, Alaska, proving they can run, alpine ski, nordic ski, and bike on snow better than anyone else in the second-annual race.