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This is a two-part series exploring how some students in the Salt Lake City area are exposed to cross-country skiing through the good work of community members. Part-one features Gilberto “Juan” Rejón Magana of Hartland Community 4 Youth and Families, a non-profit serving disadvantaged youth. Part-two explores how the Utah Nordic Alliance, local teacher Rose Kjesbo, and dedicated colleagues teamed up to get kids on snow. All photos from part-one are from Peter Vordenberg, he is...
WADA Athletes’ Anti-Doping Rights Act: On June 18th, WADA issued a press release announcing its Athletes’ Anti-Doping Rights Act. According to WADA, the act was developed and approved by the organization’s Athlete Committee. Essentially, the document asserts it is an athlete’s “fundamental right” to participate in clean sport. It is a two-part document. The first part focuses on rights established in WADA’s Code and International Standards. The second part consists of recommendations, and according to...
Discussing the Building Blocks with Canadian National Team Coach Erik Bråten
Jason AlbertJune 29, 2020
At twenty-seven-years-old, Canadian National Team coach Erik Bråten brings youthful energy and a spirit that fosters independence amongst his athletes. Originally from Oslo, Norway, and new to the Canadian system in November 2018, Bråten has the dual task of shepherding a crop of young Canadian talent and assisting veteran athletes like Dahira Beatty and Katherine Stweart-Jones to achieving consistent in-the-points racing on the World Cup. Recently, Bråten has helped Nordiq Canada organize and produce a series...
Press Release PARK CITY, Utah (June 15, 2020) – USA Nordic has hired Chris Gilbertson as the head ski jumping coach for the men’s nordic combined team. Gilbertson spent 17 years coaching for the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club as well as the US Ski Team, where he led his athletes to five World Championship medals and four historic Olympic medals. Gilbertson returns to the sport after a seven year hiatus. Gilbertson will team...
Maternity insurance is relatively new in India and has been picking up pace in the last few years, primarily due to the rising costs associated with maternity-related hospitalizations. Delivering a baby is one of the finest moments in life; however, the costs can quickly run into lakhs. Therefore, having a solid maternity insurance policy is crucial to ensuring the care possible for would-be mothers and new-borns. These days it’s relatively simple to buy maternity insurance policy as you...
“Systemic racism and social injustice are real. The brutalities that have sparked the Black Lives Matter movement are just recent reminders that we can never take these civil rights for granted. At Madshus, we are committed to social justice and equal opportunities for all, through a supportive and inclusive environment for everyone, regardless of race, background and orientation. This is a guiding principle in every part of our operation – from the production line to...
Middlebury’s Kate Barton Advances to U.S. Ski & Snowboard D-Team Head Coach
Rachel PerkinsJune 24, 2020
If you read FasterSkier, you are likely aware that elite cross country skiing in the U.S. has been steadily on the rise over the last decade. In the last four years alone, we’ve borne witness to medals at all levels, including a Diggins-Randall double podium in the freestyle sprint at the 2017 World Championships, a 10 k classic win for Gus Schumacher at the 2020 World Junior Championships, a bronze medals for Will Koch and...
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) released results from a wide-ranging survey to assay how the challenges athletes are experiencing during the pandemic and the ensuing lockdown. According to the Athlete 365 Survey Findings, there were over 4000 respondents across the globe, of which 80 percent were athletes, with the remainder described as “entourage” and “stakeholders”. Six percent of respondents were from the U.S. Of the challenges described by athletes, 56 percent found it hard to train...
Fischer is launching it’s Skiletics Cup today that pins the world’s top alpine and Nordic athletes against each other in a series of exercises (like push ups, burpees, box jumps, dips, etc) to find out who the ultimate winner is. Athletes on the Nordic side include: Sadie Bjornsen, Klaebo, Johannes Thingnes Bo, and Tiril Eckhof. Each day a new battle will be posted with the winner moving on to the next round until only...
A phrase we probably have all become familiar with: Risk assessment and Covid-19. The International Ski Federation (FIS) published guidelines last week to assist local organizing committees of FIS World Cups to mitigate community spread at races. This comes on the heels of FIS joining an initiative called #Sport4Recovery. According to FIS, the new entity aims to organize stakeholders and “highlight the importance of sport for mental and physical health recovery as well as...
On June 3rd, FasterSkier published a statement regarding our commitment to diversifying the stories we cover and to providing a platform for people of color in the ski community to share their experiences. We aim to highlight the philanthropic actions members of the ski community have taken to support disadvantaged skiers and to promote inclusivity in sport. We’ve listened to your recommendations and followed the leads. We’ve spoken with clubs who have sought grants to...
This series comes to FasterSkier from the Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Club. A Day in the Life: APUNSC is checking in with Elite Team members of the course of the next few months to get a glimpse into what life looks like for elite athletes as training starts up again during a global pandemic. Today we check in with Thomas O’Harra (24), an APUNSC member since 2007 when he joined the APU DEVO program....
U.S., CANADIAN NGB/NSOs FORM NORTH AMERICAN FLUOROCARBON FREE POLICY WORKING GROUP (Press Release)
FasterSkierJune 15, 2020
Press Release PARK CITY, Utah (June 15, 2020) – National Governing Body’s and National Sport Organizations (NGB/NSOs), and snow sport organizations from the United States and Canada today are announcing the formation of a Fluorocarbon Free Policy Working Group. With representation from U.S. Ski & Snowboard, USA Nordic, U.S. Biathlon, USA Para Nordic, USA Para Alpine, Alpine Canada, Canada Snowboard, Freestyle Canada, Nordiq Canada, Biathlon Canada, Nordic Combined Canada and Ski Jumping Canada in addition...
Win now? Win later? Or somewhere in between? A one year plan with a World Champs looming in 2021 or something befitting a six-year plan for capturing hardware at the 2026 Winter Games in Italy? Those are the strategies in play as national teams set budgets, rosters, and priorities. For countries like Norway and Sweden – at least on the Swedish women’s side – win now and later seems to be the constant background noise....
Johaug: Fleet Footed in the 10 k
Jason AlbertJune 11, 2020
Norway’s Therese Johaug made news today on the running track, clocking a speedy 10 k in 31:40.69. Johaug’s run was part of a made-for-TV sport event in a time of limited international travel and social distancing. Called the “Impossible Games”, the format pitted some of Norway’s best track and field athletes against those from Kenya in a virtual competition. Best known by cross-country ski fans for dominating the distance races on the World Cup, Johaug...
Meet Renaud Jay, the French sprint specialist, who posted World Cup podiums nearly back-to-back this winter. Renaud Jay made his definite international breakthrough in January, when he posted his first World Cup victory, winning the team sprint in Dresden (GER). In February, Jay was third in the individual sprint in Åre (SWE), which was also the first event of the brand-new World Cup Ski Tour. We caught up with the ambitious 28-year-old cross-country skier from...
Momentum Northwest is seeking a Head Coach for our year-round Nordic program based in Seattle, Washington. Our ideal candidate will have the ability to coach athletes ages 12-18, assist with training of volunteer assistant coaches for our youth Mavericks program, and handle managerial and administrative functions with support from our dedicated volunteer base. We wish to fill this open full-time, year-round position immediately, and are actively interviewing candidates. PLEASE REPLY TO: Coert Voorhees (206) 331-0004...
This story has been updated to include the Thomas Bach’s statement made on 6-10-20 regarding athete protests. Bach is the President of the IOC. Since the video of George Floyd’s killing was released, pent up frustration has emerged on the streets, social media, and amongst the influential athlete rank and file. Many have called for change. The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) sent a letter to athletes Monday announcing the organization...
The razor-thin margin for national team selection in the U.S. played out again this season with David Norris (29) not discretioned onto the U.S. team – the sporting actuaries stated he lacked future medal potential. On both sides of the aisle, making the team or not, the platitudes didn’t cushion the blow for a skier who has doggedly pursued endurance speed for over a decade. Norris earned his first national championship podium with a third...