When Norway’s new star biathlete Tarjei Boe got sick just prior to the first national team camp with the Olympic Development and had to postpone his departure, he was flooded with offers for the next winter.
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As Kerry Lynch’s career was ascending, Walter Malmquist’s career was peaking. Graduating from New Hampshire’s Holderness School, he joined the U.S. nordic combined team in 1974, retiring at the end of the 1980-1981 season. Competing in the 1976 and 1980 Winter Olympics, his best finish was 12th the 15 k nordic combined event in the 1980 Games, in Lake Placid. Today, Malmquist is a volunteer coach at the Holderness School, Proctor Academy, and Andover Outing...
As the ski season for Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club (SSWSC) wound down, juniors coach and former World Cup nordic combined skier Kerry Lynch answered questions via phone and e-mail with FasterSkier correspondent Peter Minde. A three-time nordic combined national champion, Lynch raced from 1979 until 1987, and his international success presaged the later successes of Ryan Heckman and the current crop of U.S. nordic combined skiers. A participant in the 1980 and 1984 Winter...
All those long, lonely nights driving a cargo van full of skis and waxing equipment across Europe have given USST coach Pete Vordenberg plenty of time to think. Anyone who has ever undertaken a late night trip knows the mind comes up with all sorts of ideas, but rarely do such musings come to fruition. But for Vordenberg, a seemingly outrageous fantasy in the wee hours of a trip across Finland appears to be headed...
After many years on the national and international stage, 2010 Olympian Haley Johnson is calling it quits. 29-year-old Johnson, who had several of the top U.S. women’s finishes in biathlon events in the last five years, was nominated for the national team again this year. So it came as a surprise to some that she turned down that nomination and is instead moving to Denver to finish her college degree and get married. “She called...
Ski fans who get nostalgic thinking back to the days of the two-day pursuit can take heart—you’re not the only ones. When cross-country skiers Kikkan Randall and Sami Jauhojaervi travel to the International Ski Federation’s (FIS’s) spring meetings, they could be advocating a revival of the format, based on feedback from their colleagues on the World Cup circuit. As the two athlete representatives to FIS from the discipline of cross-country, Randall and Jauhojaervi, who’s Finnish,...
FasterSkier Adaptive Skier of the Year Adaptive Skier of the Year (men): Brian McKeever (CAN) McKeever continued his dominance of the adaptive skiing circuit, collecting three cross-country golds at the IPC World Championships and a silver in biathlon. All this hardware came without longtime guide, brother Robin McKeever, who suffered an injury not long before the start of the Championships. Long-time friend, and Erik Carleton took over, and McKeever did not miss a beat. McKeever,...
FasterSkier Collegiate Skier of the Year Collegiate Skier of the Year (women): Maria Graefnings (SWE/University of Utah) A senior at the University of Utah, and a native of Falun, Sweden, Graefnings dominated the RMISA circuit during the regular season, winning seven of eight starts. Graefnings transferred to Utah from the University of Nevada when that program was cut. In addition to her success in the western region, Graefnings won the NCAA national title in the...
Jean Marc Gaillard (FRA) won the 38-kilometer Skarverennet from Finse to Ustaoset in Norway after a fierce sprint to the finish Saturday.
FasterSkier Breakthrough Skier of the Year For the first time we are naming a Breakthrough Skier of the Year. The award is even less defined than the Rookie of the Year. Any skier who took a significant step forward is eligible. Though not limited to domestic skiers, we will lean toward such athletes, as the Rookie of the Year has generally gone to the World Cup level. Breakthrough Skier of the Year (women): Kate Fitzgerald...
The Norwegian Ski association announced the 2011-12 national teams at Geilo, Friday night.
North Americans have heard the name Nishikawa ad naseum over the last few years, as Graham Nishikawa has established himself as one Canada’s top domestic skiers. But now, his younger sister Emily Nishikawa is the rapidly rising one. After finishing as the top Canadian and winning a national title in the 5 k freestyle in Canmore in March, in the first individual event at the Canadian Championships, Nishikawa went on to place 2nd overall in...
FasterSkier Rookie of the Year It is hard to define a “rookie” in cross-country skiing. First year on the World Cup? First season as a senior? First year in college? First year skiing? We keep it loose and give the award to skiers who take a major step forward while moving up to a new level of competition. Rookie of the Year (women): Jessie Diggins (USA/CXC Elite) The choice for the female Rookie of the...
Vacation is over for most elite skiers, and the 2012 training season is underway. While most athletes are focusing on the future, we are going to spend another week or so looking back. It is time for the annual FasterSkier awards. We will be handing out virtual medals to the top men and women in the following categories: Breakthrough Skier of the Year Adaptive Skier of the Year Biathlete of the Year Performance of the Year...
Scattered across the United States are a handful of skiers belonging to an exclusive club—one that includes Kris Freeman, Colin Rodgers, and Morgan Smyth. Earlier this month, biathlete Tim Burke became the club’s newest member, but not by choice. Instead, he joined the other three when he lay down on an operating table in Lake Placid and went under the knife, to relieve the symptoms of compartment syndrome. Quietly, Burke had endured the condition since...
After considering her options for a month, Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen (NOR) has made up her mind.
A record warm April has been rough on the snow pack, even in the mountains. Race organizers are bringing in truckloads of snow to save Skarverennet 2011, scheduled for Saturday.
The Swedish Ski Association has named the training groups for the 2011-12 national teams, as well as the athletes for the development project Team 2015.
Apply Now to Join Team XC Ottawa
FasterSkierApril 21, 2011
We are looking for talented, committed, and determined athletes for our team. On-line application to join XC Ottawa for the coming year is now open. Closing date is now Sunday April 24th, and the selection should be finalized by early May. XC Ottawa is an elite racing team and our focus is to compete at the highest level in Canada and beyond, as well as to develop up and coming racers to race at that...
The following is the USSA’s list of nominations for the 2012 U.S. Cross Country Ski Team. The nominations include those athletes who qualified based on published selection criteria. The USSA will announce the actual team roster later this spring, naming those athletes who accept the responsibilities of being a part of the U.S. Ski Team and who are planning to compete in the 2012 season. Athletes nominated to the 2012 U.S. Cross Country Ski Team...