APU Women’s Elite Ski Team Recipient of National Grant From the Women’s Sport Foundation
Eric ByramNovember 10, 2015
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After surgery on his hand and then a knee injury, U.S. Ski Team member Erik Bjornsen recently resumed full-on training, and did so with the help of French biathlete and multiple-time world champion Martin Fourcade in France. "It's crazy to see how famous he is," Bjornsen says. "He’s just a normal guy."
FasterSkier’s Continental Skiers of the 2015: Brennan and Blackhorse-von Jess
FasterSkierMay 18, 2015
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.
In April, FasterSkier contributor Seth Adams joined the volunteer ranks of NANANordic and headed north to Noorvik -- a remote city in the Alaska's Northwest Arctic. The following is his editorial recapping the experience.
This summer APU is hosting a masters on-snow ski camp at the Thomas Training Center on Eagle Glacier. Come experience glacier training, just as APU’s Elite team and Olympians Kikkan Randall, Holly Brooks, Erik and Sadie Bjornsen make their seasons. “Skiers are made in the Summer” The camp is coached by APU Elite coach Erik Flora, Greta Anderson and Galen Johnson. Erik has coached at Olympic and World Championship levels, including three time Overall World...
An intimate look at first-timer Seth Adams' adventures with NANANordic, which introduces youth to nordic skiing in remote regions of Northwest Alaska.
While most skiers are heading out on vacation, Holly Brooks is en route to Siberia for the last race of the FIS Marathon Cup. She leads the series by four points over Tatjana Mannima of Estonia, meaning that whether it's in first or in sixth, whoever crosses the finish line first takes the crown.
APU Shows Depth with 1-2 Mixed Relay Finish at SuperTour Finals (with Gallery)
Lander KarathMarch 24, 2015
Alaska Pacific University's first and second teams overcame deep, new snow to claim the top two spots in Tuesday's 4 x 5 k mixed relay at the 2015 SuperTour Finals in Sun Valley, Idaho. Stratton Mountain School T2 skied to third behind the two APU teams.
Bjornsen Powers to Another SuperTour Finals Title; Phinney Earns First Major Podium
Lander KarathMarch 23, 2015
Sadie Bjornsen (APU/USST) claimed her second victory in two days in the 1.2 k freestyle sprint at the 2015 SuperTour Finals in Sun Valley, Idaho. She was followed by a strong performance from Middlebury College's Kelsey Phinney, who earned her first podium at the domestic elite level.
APU Nordic Ski Center is accepting new members for the Summer-only Bridge Program. What: The Bridge program is geared for college age student-athletes (high school graduates through U23), but for those with other academic commitments from Fall to Spring. The goal of this program is to bridge the gap between ski seasons and other potential gaps in areas of training and ski sport education. Bridge participants will train and learn about elite level cross country...
Patterson 15th, Undone by Warm Snow and Dragging Skis; Caldwell 20th, Reid 22nd in Final U23 Race
Chelsea LittleFebruary 7, 2015
Scott Patterson followed up his 13th place in the 15 k skate with a 15th place in the 30 k skiathlon at Under-23 World Championships - a solid showing, according to coaches, but by his own assessment missing the results goals he had set for himself. U.S. teammate Paddy Caldwell placed 20th, and Joanne Reid led the American women in 25th.
In her second-ever team sprint (and first one since 2009), Rosie Brennan teamed up with Ida Sargent to advance to the final, where they placed sixth of 10 teams. The U.S. women's first team, Sadie Bjornsen and Sophie Caldwell placed 11th, as did the U.S. men's second team (Erik Bjornsen/Matt Gelso), and Andy Newell and Simi Hamilton ended up 19th after a late semifinal crash.
Kikkan Randall's been home for just over a week, and in a phone interview on Tuesday, she said she was ready for the break. "It wasn’t an easy decision to leave the racing circuit ... but with Falun being my big goals, I wanted to really try to make a drastic change," she says.
Ever since the season started in West Yellowstone, Rosie Brennan's been on a roll. On Saturday, she achieved her seventh-straight podium, and third-consecutive win out of four races at U.S. nationals, becoming the first skier to do so since Kikkan Randall won all four nationals events in 2010.
Decisions on the World Cup circuit, like when to stop when the going's good or whether to stay in Europe when things aren't going exactly according to plan, aren't easy. But they have to be made. APU Head Coach Erik Flora explains the thought processes behind some recent U.S. Ski Team member moves.
Rosie Brennan (APU) earned her second national title in a week after striding to a 5.5 second win in the women's 20 k classic mass start in northern Michigan. APU coach Erik Flora said that he believes Brennan is ready for the next level of racing saying, “she is one of our top ladies and she is right at that point to make that next step and jump in with the World Cup crew.”
Gregg Battles Conditions, APU Women to Notch Her First Win of Season in Houghton
Lander KarathJanuary 4, 2015
There was no shortage of excitement in the women's 10 k freestyle at the 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships on Sunday, as Caitlin Gregg earned her first win of the season after returning from Europe. It wasn't without contest, however, as a strong APU team of Rosie Brennan, Chelsea Holmes, and Jessica Yeaton were also in the hunt.
Patterson Back to Racing After Freak Accident, Life-Threatening Blood Clots
Lander KarathJanuary 4, 2015
Since Scott Patterson (APU) was impaled by Erik Bjornsen's ski in October he has dealt with a surgery, pulmonary embolism, and a long recovery. Despite facing what looked to be a season-ending string of health issues, Patterson is racing at U.S. Nationals in Houghton and looking to see what he can do.
Last Monday, 150 bright-eyed kids got a chance to ski with 23 top US athletes at the 4th Annual Lickety-Splits Ski Camp for Kids. The camp offered the opportunity for kids to spend the afternoon playing games and learning to ski from some of the best skiers in the country. Tyler Kornfield, the founder of Lickety-Splits, noted “This year’s camp was the best yet. Since the beginning, we have had between 100 and 140 kids [per year]...
It's tough to swallow getting destroyed by Norwegians week after week. Reese Hanneman is still absorbing a huge jump in training hours from the summer and fall, but also: "I think people really underestimate how hard it is to go from racing well in the U.S. to racing well here on the World Cup.”