The USST recently wrapped up its 2015 spring training camp in Park City, Utah. Although the camp was moved from Bend and Mt. Bachelor, Ore. due to lack of snow, it was deemed a success by USST Head Coach Chris Grover.
The USST recently wrapped up its 2015 spring training camp in Park City, Utah. Although the camp was moved from Bend and Mt. Bachelor, Ore. due to lack of snow, it was deemed a success by USST Head Coach Chris Grover.
Caitlin Gregg, Rosie Brennan, Katharine Ogden, and Julia Kern discuss their USST nominations.
Liz Stephen and Alex Harvey are FasterSkier's cross country skiers of the year for their impressive feats in the 2014/2015 season.
FasterSkier's cross country performances of the year come from Alex Harvey at the 2015 World Championships where he won silver and bronze medals in the sprint and skiathlon. Jessie Diggins and Caitlin Gregg are co-recipients of the women's award for their historic 2-3 finish in the 10 k freestyle at Worlds.
Rosie Brennan racked up six victories in eight races in the U.S. before finishing her season in Europe, and Dakota Blackhorse-von Jess also won both national sprints and subsequently qualified for World Championships, making them our Continental Skiers of the Year.
After impressive seasons and groundbreaking results at World Championships from Rosie Brennan and Graeme Killick, the American and Canadian have earned the title of FasterSkier's Breakthrough Skiers of 2015.
The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) announced its cross-country team nominations for the 2015/2016 season on Thursday, naming 16 athletes to the team, four more than the previous year.
Despite having eight different women score World Cup points this season and a record six end up in the Red Group (top 30) after period IV, the U.S. women slipped from fourth to sixth in the Nations Cup standings. Alex Harvey, Andy Newell, and Simi Hamilton were the only North American men to attain Red Group status at the end of the season.
Brian Gregg was surprised, but thrilled, to get a World Cup start for the legendary Holmenkollen 50 k: "If I had to pick one World Cup to do all season, this would be the one that I wanted." He didn't waste his chance, skiing to 35th place. U.S. teammate Noah Hoffman placed 44th.
The 50 k classic mass start which wrapped up 2015 World Championships was punishing for everyone, and U.S. skiers Noah Hoffman and Erik Bjornsen were no exception. Hoffman didn't feel his best and Bjornsen said he struggled with the slush and his own technique - but was trying to use the race as a learning experience. "I don’t think there’s any reason to sit out events like this," he said.
Whether it was Sadie Bjornsen leading the race at 5 k, Liz Stephen scoring the best result ever for a U.S. woman in a World Champs 30 k by finishing 11th, or Rosie Brennan outsprinting Justyna Kowalczyk for 16th, the American women ended World Championships on a high note.
Canada and the U.S. men's teams battled for a close 10th and 11th positions in Friday's 4 x 10 k relay at the 2015 FIS Nordic World Championships in Falun, Sweden. While both teams acknowledged a desire for improvement, they were pleased with their respective efforts.
A Russian racer skied over Sadie Bjornsen's tips 2.5 kilometers into the 4 x 5 k relay, but the Americans fought back strong to finish fourth. "We all skied the best we possibly could today," said Liz Stephen. "I’m already dreaming for the next chance at a podium.”
Just how anomalous was the podium in the women's 10 k freestyle at FIS World Championships on Tuesday? We find that FIS points still provide a great overall correlation to the results - and that while the five unseeded early starters had an advantage, the biggest losers in terms of snowstorm effects appeared to be the Germans, not the Norwegians.
Americans Jessie Diggins and Caitlin Gregg discuss how they were able to take advantage of the opportunities in Tuesday's 10 k freestyle individual start at the 2015 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships. The USST also boasted a day where all of its four starters landed in the top 15 with Liz Stephen in 10th and Kikkan Randall in 15th.
Charlotte Kalla made for a happy local crowd on Tuesday with a 41-second win in the 10 k freestyle at 2015 World Championships in Falun, Sweden. Two Americans joined her on the podium for a historic first in a women's distance race at a World Championships: Jessie Diggins in second and Caitlin Gregg in third.
The U.S. Ski Team finished Sunday's team sprint in the middle of the pack, as the defending world championship team of Sophie Caldwell and Jessie Diggins skied to eighth and the American men's team of Andy Newell and Simi Hamilton notched seventh.
Erik Bjornsen of the U.S. Ski Team and Alaska Pacific University notched his best-distance result of the season on Saturday in his first race of 2015 World Championships. He led the U.S. men in 28th in the skiathlon, while Noah Hoffman placed 44th, Kris Freeman was 48th and Matt Gelso finished 54th.
The start lists are out and it's official: Sophie Caldwell and Jessie Diggins will be representing the U.S. women in Sunday's freestyle team sprint at World Championships. While it was a tough decision to leave Kikkan Randall off the team, U.S. head coach Chris Grover explains the reasoning behind it.
Out of six U.S. Ski Team members who advanced to the heats in Thursday's World Championships classic sprint, Sophie Caldwell and Simi Hamilton went the farthest, making it to the semifinals before finishing 10th and 12th, respectively. Andy Newell placed 17th and rookie Dakota Blackhorse-von Jess led his quarterfinal at one point before ending up 30th overall. Sadie Bjornsen was 19th and Ida Sargent placed 29th.