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.
"What role did you mom play in your development as a skier?" was the single question we raised to North American cross-country, biathlon and nordic combined national-team members. Many of them had a hard time holding back in their responses.
Opportunity has come knocking for Sugar Bowl Academy's 18-year-old Hannah Halvorsen. Her recent nomination to the U.S. Ski Team brings Halvorsen closer to her World Cup dreams, but she maintains she'll continue to take it day by day.
Following up on the U.S. Ski Team nominations announced earlier this week, we asked Chris Grover to explain the rationale behind some of the picks and share some insight on the coming season.
The U.S. Cross Country Ski Team has announced its nominations for the 2016-17 season, and the list includes eight A-team members, three B-teamers, and five development-team skiers, including newbies Ian Torchia and Hannah Halvorsen.
Doherty became the winningest youth and junior biathlete of all time, from any country, after picking up one last gold at Junior World Champs -- and also tallied three World Cup top 20s. Ogden secured her place on the U.S. cross-country scene by winning a SuperTour and notching third- and fourth-place finishes in the senior division at U.S. nationals.
Jessie Diggins maintained her streak through the final race of the season, winning the women's 30 k classic mass start -- what used to be her weakest race format -- on Saturday at U.S. Distance Nationals. She broke away on the first of nine laps, making it a race for second among Ida Sargent, Caitlin Patterson and Liz Stephen.
With the wrap-up of this year's World Cup season, many U.S. Ski team members made their way to Craftsbury, Vt., for the final races of the U.S. calendar. Noah Hoffman raced to his first win of the season in Monday's 15 k freestyle individual start. “Honestly, it’s nice to get to win a race every once in awhile,” he said.
After placing third in Wednesday's skiathlon, Finland's Matti Heikkinen claimed his first victory since 2011 on Friday in the men's 15 k skate. Canada once again had four in the top 30, with Alex Harvey leading the team in fourth. “I think it’s one of the best races of my life here," Harvey said of Canmore. Noah Hoffman led the U.S. in 23rd.
Norway's Martin Johnsrud Sundby won the Ski Tour Canada's brutal Stage 6 skiathlon on Wednesday, putting him third overall in the Tour, while Petter Northug remains in second despite losing precious time to Tour leader Sergey Ustiugov. Canada's Alex Harvey jumped a spot to fourth overall, and his teammates Ivan Babikov and Graeme Killick posted season-best results.
American Jessie Diggins posted her best World Cup classic sprint result to date, striding to a sixth in the Ski Tour Canada's Stage 5 in Canmore, Alberta. Diggins also sits in sixth overall heading into Stage 6 on Wednesday. Norway's Maiken Caspersen Falla remained undefeated in every classic sprint she competed in this season, winning the final by a whopping 7 seconds.
Wondering what Lenny Valjas was thinking after the Quebec City skate sprint, or how Noah Hoffman is feeling going into Canmore? Check out these images from the pursuit stage as well as North American quotes from the last two stages of the Ski Tour Canada.
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.
On a 1.7-kilometer technical course with hustling and jostling, U.S. sprinter Simi Hamilton proved he had the tactics and the lungs to ski with the world's best on Tuesday. He placed third in the Ski Tour Canada's opening skate sprint, 0.09 seconds behind Russia's Sergey Ustiugov in first and 0.01 behind France's Richard Jouve in second.
FasterSkier has several boots on the ground in Gatineau, and over the last couple days, we gained a sense about the conditions and chatted with a few athletes before the Ski Tour Canada opens Tuesday with 1.7 k freestyle sprints. Snow reports, photos, quotes, and an added bonus: the U.S. Ski Team's latest music video.
USSA CEO Tiger Shaw had never done a cross-country ski race before. But he went to Hayward, Wisconsin, for the American Birkebeiner, where he raced from Wave 9. "You can see that it’s really part of people’s lives,” he said of the event. Shaw highlighted how USSA is trying to work with regional divisions and provide more services to the nordic world.
Therese Johaug racked up her 15th World Cup win of the season, putting her on track to break Norwegian teammate Marit Bjørgen's record with three more wins in eight remaining races. Norway swept the top four, and Sadie Bjornsen led the U.S. women in 15th.
Jessie Diggins rocketed to her second-best result of the season and first individual World Cup sprint podium on Saturday at the Lahti World Cup. She broke up a Norwegian sweep, placing second behind Maiken Caspersen Falla and ahead of Heidi Weng, Ingvild Flugstad Østberg, and Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen.
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.