Stepping into one of the most crucial jobs in terms of grassroots nordic development in the U.S., Hennie Kashiwa is assuming the role of executive director of the National Nordic Foundation. Tasked with promoting the NNF brand and building its funding base, Kashiwa explains how he plans to grow the organization and the community of cross-country skiers supporting the cause.
Earlier this week, Cross Country Canada announced that its head coach Justin Wadsworth will be stepping down at the end of this season. Wadsworth spoke with FasterSkier about his decision and recommendations for developing North America's next crop of World Cup skiers while also bringing international cross-country events to his home continent.
After eight races in 12 days, 14 Americans and 12 Canadians completed the Ski Tour Canada, a season-long goal for most of them. Here are some final thoughts from several North Americans after the seventh and eighth stages.
Throughout the first two days of racing in Canmore at the Ski Tour Canada, FasterSkier caught up most everyone competing for the U.S. and Canada. Here is what you haven't read -- quotes from the Stage 5 classic sprint and Stage 6 skiathlon earlier this week -- listed in alphabetical order.
A former SMST2 elite skier, Annie Pokorny is back in navy blue and white, racing for Middlebury as a senior with junior eligibility and focused on NCAA Championships this Thursday and Saturday in Steamboat Springs, Colo. So how do NCAA amateurism rules work in this case? The 23-year-old Pokorny explains.
One name notably absent from the World Cup results this year is Kikkan Randall. As the U.S. Ski Team veteran nears the due date of her first child, she talks about pregnancy, training and how next season might look. "We'll go over to Europe early next year as a family," she explains. "While it’s a lot to figure out, we've got some time and we've got some good options."
Notes, quotes, photos and even a video of several of the North Americans you've been waiting to hear from at the Ski Tour Canada.
A 32-year-old father of three who works full time at Gear West, Matt Liebsch learned Thursday that he earned the final start for the U.S. at the Ski Tour Canada, which starts on Tuesday. "I’m super pumped to get an opportunity to score some World Cup points again," Liebsch said. "I think I've got a legit chance."
After 10 years of the World Cup grind, U.S. Ski Team veteran Andy Newell discusses his future while regenerating at home in Shaftsbury, Vt., ahead of the season-ending World Cups in Canada. "I think being able to adapt year after year, and stay relevant and stay current in the sprints has been a challenge, but also something I'm proud of," he says.
Ivan Babikov's a World Cup racer, not a marathon specialist, but on Saturday, Feb. 20, he'll be one of the favorites at the 2016 American Birkebeiner in northern Wisconsin. He decided to do the race a week ago. “I remembered how crazy the Birkie is and how much people there care," he said. "This is their local Olympic Games, so I’m pretty pretty psyched to be going."
With World Cup starts ahead of him, U.S. classic sprint champion Eric Packer talks about his successes this season and how he overcame a scary setback last June. "Everyone has to deal with adversity, what matters is how you respond," he explained.
In the SuperTour 5 /10 k freestyle events this past Saturday held in Craftsbury, Vt., Anne Hart beat out Chelsea Holmes by less than three seconds for first, and Paddy Caldwell achieved his first victory of the season. "It was my first ever SuperTour win, so it's nice to cross that off the list,” Hart explained.
Fifty kilometers might seem like plenty of time to ease into a race, but especially in a World Cup race like Holmenkollen, those days are over. “It’s a battle from the start now," Canada's Devon Kershaw explained. His teammate Alex Harvey led the North Americans in 20th, Kershaw placed 23rd, Noah Hoffman of the U.S. was 24th, Graeme Killick of Canada 30th, and U.S. skier Scott Patterson 32nd.
New to the FIS Ladies Cross Country Committee, Dartmouth coach Cami Thompson-Graves is trying to understand why fewer women than men compete on the World Cup, and is this something the committee can help with? In many countries, girls and women participate in skiing at equal numbers to boys and men at younger ages, but then there is a drop-off. Is the small field size a funding problem or a participation problem?
Just six months after graduating from UNH, Annika Taylor, a 22-year-old California native, found herself starting her first World Cup race in late November as the sole female representative of Great Britain's cross-country ski team. "I’m actually addicted to the lifestyle because every weekend is a new experience," Taylor says.
Tad Elliott has been through a lot the last couple years. Every day, he said he questioned whether he'd make it back to the top. One of his supporters, Fast Big Dog interviewed Elliott about his recovery from illness and path back to a national title.
Joanne Reid started shooting this summer after her family received a biathlon rifle that had been her grandfather's. After going to IBU Cup trials in December to "see what happened", Reid found herself in Europe, posting a top-20 and a clean sheet in Nove Mesto - then got called up to the World Cup in Ruhpolding, Germany, one of biathlon's craziest venues.
Despite starting 26th in Sunday's final stage of the Tour de Ski, nearly 10 minutes back from the leader, Noah Hoffman is excited for the opportunity ahead of him. "You couldn’t design something that could be more to my strengths," he said of the infamous 9 k freestyle hill climb up Alpe Cermis.
With the longest races of the Tour de Ski out of the way, sprinters Andy Newell, Simi Hamilton, Sophie Caldwell, and Ida Sargent are looking forward to the classic sprint on Tuesday. They may continue the Tour a stage or two, seeking to score World Cup points in a distance event.
Didrik Tønseth admits that a plan that seemed smart in the morning didn't seem so smart after the race was over - and after Norwegian teammate Petter Northug left him for dead on the trails. With just one more sprint to get out of the way, the distance specialist still hopes for a top Tour de Ski finish.