Holly Brooks was the one well-known name left off the U.S. Ski Team's nomination list for 2014/2015, and that's by her choosing, she says. Rather than retire, she's hoping to tweak her training to get back to podium contention, especially in marathons and distance races.
USSA has announced its nominations to the 2014/2015 U.S. Ski Team, with A-team returners Kikkan Randall, Jessie Diggins, Andy Newell, and Liz Stephen, plus the additions of Sadie Bjornsen, Sophie Caldwell, and Simi Hamilton to the A-team.
Scenes from the front of the pack during the women's three-lap, 30-kilometer classic mass start at U.S. Distance Nationals last Friday at Hillside trails.
Aku Nikander was somewhat an unknown in the men’s 50-kilometer classic mass start on Friday at U.S. Distance Nationals. As far as Noah Hoffman was concerned, he was the guy that stood between him and a shot at his second individual victory of 2014 Spring Series.
Sadie Bjornsen rose to the occasion for the final race of the season on Friday, going hard even when she had hoped she wouldn't have to, working with Liz Stephen to drop the pack, then attacking to leave Stephen behind in the final kilometers of the 30 k classic at U.S. Distance Nationals.
Photos from Tuesday's 4 x 5 k mixed relay, a new event at U.S. Distance Nationals, which was held at 5 p.m. in Anchorage and included 26 teams, 18 of which were vying for a national title.
The 4 x 5 k relay made its way back into U.S. nationals for the first time in about 16 years, but with a new twist of two men and two women per team. APU showed its strength and depth early on, and its winning anchor, Kikkan Randall said she's hoping the format makes it into the World Cup. She's not alone.
With Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan shouting encouragement, Kikkan Randall won her second straight race in front of a home crowd on a sunny Sunday at Kincaid Park.
Noah Hoffman knew he had to shake UVM senior Scott Patterson with every ounce of energy he had in Saturday's three-lap 15 k skate at SuperTour Finals. By the end of the second lap, Hoffman had built a nearly 5-second lead and extended it to 11 seconds through the finish.
On a sunny afternoon in Kincaid Park, several World Cup skiers, including three Olympians and three Alaska Pacific University members, took the time to chat on camera between training and testing on Friday.
Still craving more of the World Cup? Here are some comments from a few of the U.S. skiers who closed their international-racing seasons at World Cup Finals last Sunday in Falun, Sweden. (And don't fear, Spring Series is almost here!)
Liz Stephen led the U.S. in 15th to get closer to her overall World Cup and distance-ranking goals, and Noah Hoffman tried to ski more conservatively than usual to secure points in 18th. Kikkan Randall placed 20th and Sadie Bjornsen was right behind in 21st in Saturday's skiathlon at World Cup Finals in Falun, Sweden.
Reese Hanneman came within 0.45 seconds of becoming the third American man to make the World Cup heats this season, and Jessie Diggins was just over a second shy of qualifying in her first race back since getting sick post-Sochi. The two logged top-40 results again on Saturday, along with Ida Sargent, in the World Cup Finals skiathlons.
Three U.S. women and one man qualified for the rounds on the first day of World Cup Finals in Falun, Sweden, a strong start to what turned out to be a solid day for the Americans. Kikkan Randall and Sophie Caldwell once again made the final as a unit, and Sadie Bjornsen narrowly missed out on advancing to the semis after placing third behind them in their quarterfinal. Andy Newell made the semifinals to finish eighth overall.
Norwegians Marit Bjørgen and Ingvild Østberg took the top two spots in the classic sprints in Sweden today, with Americans Kikkan Randall and Sophie Caldwell making the final heat. Randall walked away with the heavy crystal Sprint Globe from the overall World Cup sprint win, while Bjørgen is now only three points behind teammate Therese Johaug for the overall World Cup chamionship.
For many, the Holmenkollen 50 k freestyle mass start on Saturday was all about larger goals -- not just the race itself. But to achieve those goals, one had to do well enough in the challenging six-lap race. Alex Harvey improved from 46th to 14th with that mindset, and Noah Hoffman put it all on the line for bonus points.
Teammates on the U.S. Ski Team and Alaska Pacific University, Kikkan Randall and Sadie Bjornsen tallied the best distance results of their respective careers on Sunday at Holmenkollen, the ultimate distance race of the season. Randall worked her way up and attacked late to finish 12th, and Bjornsen skied consistently with a pack of Norwegians to place 14th.
Kikkan Randall's disappointing elimination, by a hair's breadth, from Wednesday's classic sprint final in Drammen, Norway, was more than made up for when she found out that she was crowned the world's best sprinter for the third consecutive year.
Kikkan Randall was the top American in today's World Cup freestyle in Lahti, Finland skating her way to 21st place. Noah Hoffman was the top American man, finishing 24th on the icy course.
The first thing U.S. women's coach Matt Whitcomb tweeted after Saturday's freestyle sprint, the first World Cup since the Olympics: "We are back!" Randall had won another skate sprint to rise to the top of the World Cup sprint standings, and Sophie Caldwell joined her on the podium -- the first time two U.S. women have shared an individual World Cup podium.