In Part II of “The Road to Jackson” series, we hear from University of New Hampshire (UNH) nordic skiers Lizzie Gill, Silje Wilson, Katrin Larusson, and Peter Holmes, all of whom qualified for 2017 NCAA Skiing Championships. UNH is hosting the championships March 8-11 in Jackson and Franconia, N.H. “To represent UNH, we’re hosting, so let’s hope we can keep it up and have some fun, and also represent the EISA.”
Of all the competitors at 2017 IBU World Championships in Hochfilzen, Austria, it’s doubtful that too many were studying as much as Johanna Talihärm. The Montana State University sophomore was appearing at her fourth World Championships, and also represented Estonia at the 2014 Olympics. She has been the top Estonian biathlete in the women’s World Cup field for several years. “I don’t think anyone is studying with more than half time-credit load,” laughed Talihärm, who...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — So how cold was it at Kincaid Park Sunday morning for the last of four Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association (RMISA) races held in the Anchorage area this week? “It’s f—ing cold,” said women’s winner Merete Myrseth of the University of Utah. “It was cold,” said men’s winner Moritz Madlener of the University of Denver. “Now we fly back to Denver and get warm.” [Unavailable for comment] were the two skiers who...
Welcome to “17 Questions for 2017”, where we are catching up with American and Canadian national-team members before the beginning of the winter season. *** Jake Brown’s move to Lake Placid wasn’t his first major relocation in recent years: after helping NCAA Division III Saint Olaf win a cross-country running championship, Brown used his final year of ski eligibility to join midwest behemoth Northern Michigan University, where he won the 10 k skate at NCAA...
APU’s Scott Patterson and Jessica Yeaton, UAA’s Hailey Swirbul, and the UAF team all skied well in Fairbanks over the weekend in the continent’s first FIS races. Patterson jokes that he plans to purchase a time turner, so that he can “continue to win every single race in the U.S.”
The previously scheduled rally to #savealaskaskiing suddenly became more a celebration than a wake, as local supporters gathered in Anchorage on Thursday afternoon to celebrate that morning’s decision and talk about what comes next. Another gathering was held in Fairbanks at the same time.
#savealaskaskiing may have achieved its mission, as the NCAA’s decision not to take any action on the University of Alaska’s waiver request has led the school’s president to recommend against eliminating any sports on either campus.
After top-20 individual finishes at the last two World Junior Championships, Torchia is moving into the U23 category and pumped up to do it in Utah: "Time to defend our home turf from the Russians and Norwegians."
UAA nordic coach Andrew Kastning may have a new baby and a new job search arrive at the same time next spring. His athletes may need to apply to college again for the second time in two years. Behind the dollars and cents, the human cost of the proposed end of UAA skiing.
University of Alaska officials previously suggested that all sports had been viewed equally as they attempted to balance the budget. But new documents appear to suggest that men's ice hockey is more equal than others.
The University of Alaska president has recommended two options that could preserve the future of intercollegiate skiing at one or both of Alaska’s NCAA member schools – but both options may be without precedent in modern NCAA history. The final decision will be made by the Board of Regents in mid-November.
(letter of support, addressed to the University of Alaska President Jim Johnsen, and granted permission to post.) *** Dear President Johnsen, My name is Holly Brooks and I am one of Alaska’s Olympic Cross Country skiers. I am writing this on behalf of several of our local Olympians, who have agreed to sign their names below, and encourage you to take the time to read this letter and gain an understanding of how much we...
Facing drastic cuts to Alaska's state budget, a review team has proposed several options, some of which would end Division I college skiing at one or both of Alaska’s two NCAA schools in Anchorage and Fairbanks. “It’s scary not just for us, but it can start to be scary for the rest of the college ski teams around the country,” UAA Nordic Head Coach Andrew Kastning said.
It was a hard decision to leave the Roaring Fork Valley, where Maria Stuber headed the Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club nordic team, but the Midwest native is taking the reins at the College of St. Scholastica, and thrilled to build on the program's young-but-strong legacy.
After delving into the computation-and-analysis side of sports, Brayton Osgood is back and looking forward to his new position as head coach of the Dartmouth men's nordic ski team. "The opportunity to coach at Dartmouth is a fantastic one and I’m eager to lead the next generation of Dartmouth cross-country skiers," the 2003 Dartmouth grad said.
There will be a fully funded cross-country ski team at the University of Alaska Anchorage this school year, but all bets are off when it comes to evaluating priorities across the athletic department for next year. That’s the word from University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) officials as the Alaska Legislature drags through its latest special session with no final budget yet approved.
As the 2016 special session of the Alaska Legislature comes down to the wire, it's clear that state funding for Alaska's two NCAA cross-country ski programs is going to be substantially reduced as part of widespread cuts to the state university system. But by exactly how much and with what effects are all still up in the air.
After being nominated to the U.S. Ski Team D-team, Northern Michigan University junior Ian Torchia has decided to stay in school while simultaneously accepting the nod to the country's most-coveted training group. “One of the main reasons why I wanted this to happen is to show that you can do it while you’re in college,” Torchia explains.
There's just a few more days for juniors, seniors, and collegiate skiers and biathletes to apply to U.S. Biathlon's Talent Identification Camp, to be held in Lake Placid, New York, in June with national team athletes and coaches.
Cami Thompson-Graves and Ruff Patterson, the coaches of the Dartmouth nordic teams, are FasterSkier's Coaches of the Year. Dartmouth ended UVM's nearly four-year college win streak in the East, and eight alums raced in nordic World Cup competition this season, including three who stood on podiums.