With another World Cup crystal globe in hand, Finnish biathlete Kaisa Mäkäräinen, 31, is gearing up for another season and World Championships at home in Kontiolahti. It hasn't been easy: she was sick for two months from May through June.
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Interviews
Interviews with racers, coaches and other relevant individuals within the Nordic ski world.
Following the final week of training in Finland and three days of rollerski races at the coveted Blink Festival in Norway, U.S. Biathlon coach Jonne Kähkönen gives an across-the-pond update from his native Finland.
Richard Hodges took over as Executive Director of Soldier Hollow in July after long-time Director, Howard Peterson, retired. Hodges plans to keep Peterson's legacy intact while improving Soldier Hollow's infrastructure and possibly attracting international competition.
During their recent trip to Bozeman, Mont., FasterSkier sat down with Sophie and Isabel Caldwell to reflect on Sophie's breakthrough season with the U.S. Ski Team, the sisters' future plans, and what it means to be a Caldwell.
After July 31 next week, USSA will stop funding U.S. Nordic Combined. Sounds like doomsday, but U.S. NoCo has a plan. Bryan Fletcher explains how they've already teamed up with U.S.A. Ski Jumping to form a unified "U.S.A. Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined".
From his home in Ruffieux in south-eastern France, Canadian head wax tech Yves Bilodeau talks about retiring from racing and taking a new role as wax technician in 1995, reflects on what he called the “Sochi drama,” and explains who he’ll be working with this World Cup season.
Extirpé de L’ombre: Yves Bilodeau, Technicien en Chef de L’équipe Canadienne
FasterSkierJuly 24, 2014
Nous avons joint Bilodeau à sa demeure savoyarde, battue derechef par une forte pluie contraignant le passionné de pêche à délaisser temporairement le Rhône. L’homme revient avec humour sur ses débuts en 1995, nous présente ses compagnons d’armes oeuvrant au sein de l’équipe canadienne et se prononce sans détour sur les déconvenues de Sochi.
With two biathlon gold medals under his belt from Sochi, France's Martin Fourcade is setting his sights on competing in both skiing and biathlon World Championships in 2015. It's not an easy team to join: the French men took bronze in the 4 x 10 k relay in Sochi. So Fourcade is joining them for training camps.
Norway’s Brun-Lie Impressed with U.S. Women’s Team: ‘I Think We Have A Lot to Learn’
Alex KochonJuly 22, 2014
Norway's Celine Brun-Lie chatted with FasterSkier while wrapping up her camp with the U.S. Ski Team and APU on Eagle Glacier. She flew home Tuesday, but not before flying around Alaska, visiting cabins, eating salmon, seeing moose, lots of moose -- and training 20-plus hours for each of the last two weeks.
Grethe Lise-Hagensen served as Montana State University’s Head Nordic Coach from 2003 to 2014. During her decade as head coach, Hagensen brought the team from a state of near non-existence to ranking third in the nation. In May of 2014, Hagensen’s contract was not renewed by the university’s administration. FasterSkier sat down with Hagensen in July to talk about her time at the helm of the MSU program and the accomplishments she achieved during her ten years as head coach.
Dasha Gaiazova was on the fence about continuing her ski career after the 2014 Olympics.The Russian-born Canadian had competed at back-to-back home Olympics, and in May, she wasn't named to Canada's World Cup or senior development teams. "I felt like I wanted to keep racing," she recalled. “The team got announced and I didn't get on the team, and I was like, I gotta think about some things.”
APU Head Coach Erik Flora isn't one to toot his own horn, but when it comes down to it, he's really in awe of the levels his Anchorage-based program has reached and his recent recognition as USOC Coach of the Year. "I had no idea it was coming," he says. "It’s such an incredible honor."
Olympic Biathlete Brian Olsen: Elite & Olympic Teams Should Say ‘You Can Play,’ Promote Inclusivity for LGBT Athletes
Chelsea LittleJuly 10, 2014
At age 21, Brian Olsen worried that coming out as gay would negatively affect his performance as a biathlete. Years later, he's using his position as an athlete rep to advocate for governing bodies in Olympic sports to think more carefully about the environment they're creating for gay and lesbian athletes. That might start here in the nordic community.
U.S. Ski Team Development Coach Bryan Fish fields questions from the NNF regarding the Regional Elite Group camps, like what are they, when do they happen, and who gets to go.
With USOC Support and Own Foundation, U.S. Biathlon Confident About Post-Olympic Financials
Chelsea LittleJuly 7, 2014
This spring, nordic organizations across the U.S. and Canada were hit hard by cuts from their Olympic funding partners. U.S. Biathlon Association President Max Cobb says his group wasn't one of them: USBA didn't get its full request, but it got enough. "It's a relief," he said. USBA also has the added benefit of a foundation to help with additional fundraising.
Interview: Former XC Oregon Racer Stephanie Howe Victorious in her first Western States 100
Lander KarathJuly 3, 2014
Former cross country ski racer, Stephanie Howe, won the 2014 Western States women’s 100-mile with a time of 18 hours 1 minute and 42 seconds. Not only did she finish with the fourth fastest female time in race history, it was also the first time that she had ever run 100 miles.
Breakthrough Season Nets New Sponsors, Army Service for Young Swiss Phenom
Chelsea LittleJune 27, 2014
What happens when you live in a ski-crazy country and have a breakout race on home soil? We talked to Roman Schaad, a 20-year-old Swiss sprinter who shot into the top 10 in his very first World Cup in Davos last December. That day, it took him 2 hours to finish interviews before he could go home - to his apartment literally next to the finish line. Sponsors and an Olympic appearance followed.
Former Canadian biathlete Jim Carrabre, now a doctor practicing in the Minneapolis/Saint Paul area, is launching a bid for the presidency of the International Biathlon Union. He will run against Anders Besseberg, who has held the position since 1993. A longtime antidoping advocate, Carrabre is also running on a platform of good governance and global development of the sport.
Post-Retirement, Crawford Hits the Books Hard, Gets into Calgary’s MBA Program
Alex KochonJune 19, 2014
Chandra Crawford stuck with skiing long after winning gold as a U23 at the 2006 Olympics because she remembered when Beckie Scott and Sara Renner explained "it would take ten years to get good." She committed, and after three Olympics, Crawford, 30, retired from the sport to pursue higher education -- cutting right to the chase with an MBA to better serve Fast and Female.
Pros of Tomorrow: After Injury-Fraught Year, Lustgarten Ready to Make His Mark with Sun Valley
Lander KarathJune 18, 2014
Ben Lustgarten had a modest start in nordic skiing, but his future in the sport is anything but. Despite a senior year at Middlebury College that was fraught with injuries, the emerging star is ready to excel in the world of professional skiing.