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Dear FasterSkier.com readers, FasterSkier.com fully supports and recommends the use of helmets while rollerskiing. We have, over the years, posted a number of safety related articles encouraging helmet use and other safety precautions while training and especially while rollerskiing. As coaches, we normally require that the athletes we are working with wear helmets while rollerskiing. However, we sometimes use photos where the athletes have choosen to not use helmets. These athletes are adults and they...

I have enjoyed the recent discussion on the state of the US Cross-Country Ski Team and the future possibilities for improving international results. Thinking about the responses, from all over and fired up, I hope the Ski Team administration can draw some wise and very logical conclusions. The first would be that attempts to centralize the governance, education and training of cross-country skiing in this country have not, and cannot, work. There are two reasons...

Norway was the best nation at Worlds, however Sigmund Hov Moen points to the fact that Worlds was the exception for Norwegian distance skiers last season. They peaked at the right moment, but Worlds was way above how they performed in the regular World Cup. A new Daehlie has not yet emerged. Please note that these comments were excerpted from a long article by Moen about the status of Norwegian skiers age 14 to 19....

I have read numerous comments by other contributors regarding organizational management and ah yes money. It has been alluded to but not addressed completely. Let's not dance around this issue like it's not part of the problem because it is. In review of the relatively small revenue requirements (we're talking millions in the single digits) needed to fund a successful team campaign overseas, I am surprised by the the lack of professional organization focused on...

Thanks to everybody contributing to the recent debate on the status of US cross-country skiing. The articles gave a good status report and frank opinions, and best of all a host of ideas to explore for the road ahead. There are a lot of positive aspects of US skiing. We have the best gene pool in the world and we are the wealthiest nation on earth. We have a lot of good skiers of all...

It’s common for sports commentators to break down important stats or concepts for the audience. Such as Adam Vinatieri’s field goal percentage from 34 yards into a headwind when it’s snowing during an afternoon away game. Our sporting culture is consumed by an analytical obsession and the purpose of this is not merely trivial. It’s to gain a richer understanding of what’s going on, because sports are more entertaining when they’re meaningful. It’s been interesting,...

USSA Cross-Country is, in practical terms, a staff driven organization. The volunteer (political) committee structure is in place, but is pretty much non-functional in terms of an ability to change or implement any new policies, directions and priorities. The committees get together once a year to go through a standard agenda, without including time for (prepared) discussions such as the one we’ve seen here at Fasterskier.com. There is hardly any committee work done, or any...

By Torbjorn Karlsen, with contributions by John Aalberg and Cory Smith Thanks to everyone who contributed to 'The Current State Of US XC Skiing' discussion. It’s great to see that we can have a nationwide forum like this. Maybe we can make this an annual event: a season wrap-up here on Fasterskier.com by the USSA staff, the regional head coaches, and the most successful club coaches. It would help to improve communication and make sure...

Editor's Note: FasterSkier will wrap up this discussion with one final article tomorrow. If there’s one thing that can be gleaned from the postings this week, it’s that there’s a strong desire to develop athletes regionally and locally. This, of course, is neither a novel idea nor a revolutionary strategy. Local development has happened in the past and continues today in many different ways across the country. This collection of clubs, regions and coaches is...

Thanks to Fasterskier for hosting this healthy discussion and thanks to all of you that participated. In reading through the responses there are a few things I would like to comment on. I will try to summarize some of them and come up with my view. Topics are not in any particular order. 1. It takes lots of hard work and a large group of talent to succeed. This is self explanatory. Even Norway is...

Thank you for all the positive feedback, the constructive criticism and the good ideas. I thank you also for the opportunity to be heard and to share our own ideas and vision with you. For my part it is especially exciting to share our idea of the XCNDS. Just because this discussion is closed here at Fasterskier does not mean the doors are closed to communication. Keep the ideas flowing. For me it is not...

Thank you Fasterskier.com for this opportunity to express concerns regarding the development of skiing here in the U.S. I have read many good opinions over the past few days and I would like to thank all of the individuals who have contributed several constructive ideas for change. We all know one thing for sure and that is the NGB for skiing USSA has over the years not been able to establish consistent funding. The inconsistent...

Challenge: Assessing and Improving The Development of US Cross Country Skiers By: Jim Galanes Contributor: Jon Quinn-Hurst Written during the winter of 2005 "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." Albert Einstein At the present time there is an immediate and pressing challenge facing the Nordic ski community in the U.S.  We must take immediate steps to improve our development system if we hope to become a major power...

Editor's Note: Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this discussion. We will be wrapping it up in the next couple of days with a final response from the US Ski Team and our own thoughts. Feel free to continue posting your own comments at the bottom of each article. Many new comments have been added recently, so we encourage you to browse through all of the “Current State of US Skiing” articles (at...

These are some of the comments we have received from readers about our discussion of US skiing, including thoughts from Eli Brown of Fischer Skis. Many people have also been posting comments at the bottom of each article in the series, so if it has been a few days since you read the article, we recommend you go back and read all the comments as well. All articles in this series can be found in...

The following article is a reader's response to http://www.usskiteam.com/PublishingFolder/2878.htm http://www.ussa.org/PublishingFolder/272_3099.htm http://www.ussa.org/PublishingFolder/272_3098.htm Media: http://educationshop.ussa.org/product.asp?sku=186&category=elite http://educationshop.ussa.org/product.asp?sku=188&category=elite I hope this helps give you a better understanding about the challenges we face, how we addresss them, and why we operate the way we do.

Editor's Note: This is the third article in our discussion of the current state of US skiing. See also: Luke Bodensteiner Outlines The USSA Development Plan We appreciate Trond taking the time to share his insight. Coaches and athletes – we encourage you to share your thoughts. You are at the heart of this subject and your opinions should be heard. Here is your captive audience! Add comments below or

Editor's Note: This is the second article in our discussion of the current state of US skiing. It is a follow-up to Torbjorn Karlsen's article from yesterday ( Kris Freeman – part of the USST development plan

Editor's Note: Just a few years ago, it looked as if US skiers were gaining major ground in international competition. Among the signs of progress were 5th place finish in the 2002 Olympic relay and top five finishes by Kris Freeman and Carl Swenson at the 2003 World Championships. The future looked very bright. This year, however, the results took a step back. US elite skiers were not close to winning World Cup races, and...

FasterSkier.com is inviting you to join in a discussion about the current state of cross country ski racing in the United States. This discussion will include US Ski Team head coach Trond Nystad, Nordic Program director Luke Bodensteiner, FasterSkier.com writers, other coaches, and our readers. Just a few years ago, it looked as if US skiers were gaining major ground in international competition. The future looked very bright. This year, however, the top results took...