The North American Women's Training Alliance camp began in Alaska this week, and on Tuesday they did a rollerski workout that U.S. Ski Team women's coach Matt Whitcomb called "the best threshold workout I’ve seen out of this group of women since I’ve been working with the team." Presenting this week's workout, with video.
This is the final piece of a four-part series on female nordic coaches in the U.S. Part IV gathers input from women who work with the little guys, the future of skiing, in thriving youth programs across the country. “It’s all about fun for the younger skiers," says Tamarack Gliders coach Marie French. "If we catch their interest year after year, even if it’s with a ride on the groomer or rolling around in the powder, they will love cross-country skiing and come back for more."
Peter Graves and Kevin Sweeney remember their friend and famed former Utah ski coach, Pat Miller, who passed away in late June after a brief illness. Miller went to the Olympics in nordic combined and went on to coach and direct the Utes for 23 years.
Daniel Richardsson, Olympic gold medalist for Sweden, was injured in a car crash in central Sweden on Sunday and taken by ambulance to Hudiksvall Hospital. Richardsson had reportedly stopped to help a friend change a flat tire on the side of a highway when a motor home approached the two men at high speed and ran into both of them, killing the friend and damaging a ligament Richardsson's knee.
Universal Sports Network, which offers exclusive year-round coverage of Olympic sports programming, made an announcement on Thursday that could help more U.S. ski fans watch their favorite winter athletes. Time Warner Cable, the second-largest U.S. cable system operator in the country, will start carrying the Universal Sports channel later this summer as part of a new multi-year contract.
There are many stakeholders involved in creating the World Cup each year — athletes, race organizers, national governing bodies and, ever increasingly, television. U.S. Ski Team head coach Chris Grover shares his thoughts on media influence on cross-country’s evolution and provides some insight into the reasoning behind decisions made at last month’s FIS Calendar Conference.
Swix Sport USA and the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation came out with some big news for their respective organizations on Tuesday, announcing that Swix signed on as title sponsor for the Birkie's ski events for two years. Swix Sport USA President and CEO Steve Poulin talks about the significance of the partnership and how it will contribute to Birkie Fever.
Arm muscles aren't as good at leg muscles at extracting oxygen from the bloodstream - and they are actually worse in double-poling than in striding. That might limit the effectiveness of your upper body, but research suggests that modern double-poling technique actually maximizes what's possible for these arm muscles, while enabling faster skiing.
On July 4, Eric Strabel did the unthinkable, besting the field and beating a Mount Marathon course record that stood for 32 years. The APU university and elite-team coach has been working at conquering the 3,022-foot hill climb for the better part of the last year, and nipped a former U.S. Mountain Running Team member by seconds in doing so. Comments from other top-four finishers Brent Knight, Ann Spencer and Lauren Fritz.
The third chapter in 'Part of the Team: The Impact of Female Coaches in the U.S.' takes a look at female coaches who work with U18 and U16 athletes, the kids who are in the process of choosing nordic skiing over other sports. These coaches are involved with juniors at a critical point in their development, and many discuss how they mentor their skiers and why they've stuck with that level.
You probably know the players, the four main guys that make up SSCV/Team HomeGrown, but here's the scoop on what they're up to and what each is aiming for in the lead up to Sochi.
In an effort to ring in 2013/2014, we’re kicking off our second-annual elite team preview – now called “The 12.” Starting with the Craftsbury Green Racing Project and proceeding in no particular order, we’ll profile 12 of the biggest powerhouses in U.S. cross-country skiing throughout the next several weeks. Don't worry, we'll get to Canada, too.
The U.S. Ski Team's summer training camp in Alaska has become increasingly international over the past few years, and in 2013 the list of invitees will grow by one more. Norwegian National Team member Astrid Jacobsen is scheduled to be in Alaska for three weeks in July to train with the American women.
After announcing Wednesday that the Maine Winter Sports Center (MWSC) is closing Black Mountain Ski Resort in Rumford, Maine, six-time host of the U.S. Cross Country Nationals, President/CEO Andy Shepard is hoping a buyer will step forward soon.
Upon returning to Park City from her recent training trip to Norway and Sweden, Liz Stephen spoke about the experience of training with Marit Bjørgen and Therese Johaug, overcoming the fear of new things, and how she plans to carry confidence into next season, where she wants to be on the podium at the Sochi Olympics.
A week after relentless amounts of rainfall and resulting floods devastated southern Alberta, residents of Canmore are drying out, keeping their heads up and training on par.
The Maine Winter Sports Center, which has owned and operated Black Mountain in Rumford, Maine, since 2003, has announced its intention to close the alpine mountain, effective immediately.
When he last attempted to make the Olympics, Mikey Sinnott was four years younger and admittedly a step quicker. But the 28-year-old Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation skier is confident he can offset aging with accumulated experience and earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team for the first time in his career.
For Part II of the 'Part of the Team: The Impact of Female Coaches in the U.S.' series, Nancy Fiddler interviews five college coaches about the challenges and rewards of their jobs, how they achieved their respective positions, and what's kept them there so long.
In June journals, there was a surprising bevy of articles specifically about cross-country skiing – efficiency differences between age groups, how efficiency changes with cadence, optimal pacing strategies and more.