Tomorrow fifteen of the top junior nordic athletes from around the country will amass in Park City for an intensive ten days of physical and educational training with the U.S. Ski Team. 25 athletes were named to this National Training Group (NTG) by the USST based on racing results from last season’s Junior National, U.S. National, U23 and World Junior Championships. The goal of the camp, say USST Coaches Chris Grover and Matt Whitcomb, is...
There are very few coaches for whom taking a job with the U.S. Ski Team (USST) is a step down in intensity. But after 300 days on the road last year as head coach of the Central Cross Country (CXC) program, that might just be the case for Bryan Fish. Last week, Fish was announced as the USST’s new Continental Cup coach, completing a USST staff reorganization that began in April when Chris Grover took...
Athletically, Tad Elliott and Torin Koos don’t have much in common. At 21, Elliott is a distance specialist, and still developing. Koos is a sprinter, and at 29, he’s in the latter half of his career. The two things they do share? Both had hopes of making the 2010-2011 U.S. Ski Team—and both were left off the roster. As part of a shift in strategy under new Head Coach Chris Grover, the team announced last...
With Thursday’s announcement of team nominations, seven skiers are in line for spots on the 2011 US Cross-Country Ski Team. This number is down from the 11 last year, and 18 in 2009. One rookie was nominated, and five athletes were not invited back, accounting for the decline. According to USSA Nordic Director John Farra, the decrease in team size was not due to budget cuts. While the there was belt-tightening across the board when...
PARK CITY, UT (April 13) – After coaching the sprint team for four years, Chris Grover will take over as the head coach of U.S. Cross Country Ski Team as the team begins its run to the Olympics in Sochi in 2014. Grover has been at the helm guiding the talents of World Cup podium performer Andy Newell (Shaftsburry, VT) and World Championship silver medalist Kikkan Randall (Anchorage). “Chris has earned the respect of the...
With his 10th place finish in Holmenkollen on Sunday, Andy Newell moved into 4th in the overall Sprint Cup standings. He is now just two points behind Petter Northug (NOR), who did not race today. While Emil Joensson (SWE) has locked up the overall, Alexei Petukhov (RUS) in 2nd is still within striking distance, 17 points up. There is only one sprint competition remaining – a classic city sprint Wednesday in Stockholm. As it is...
With four events down and two to go, FasterSkier caught up with U.S. Ski Team Sprint Coach Chris Grover on Monday night for a quick check-in about the American performance at the Games thus far. Grover talked results, expectations, and the pressures on the team over the last couple of weeks. FasterSkier: So, can you start by just giving me kind of a sense of how the team and coaches are feeling about the Games...
Canmore, Alberta – Yet another North American World Cup has come and gone, and as has been the case in recent years, it was a mixed bag for the United States. There were some obvious high points – Caitlin Compton’s 14th in the 10km freestyle and Torin Koos qualifying 2nd in the men’s classic sprint – before being eliminated in the semifinal. And one should not overlook Holly Brooks’ 24th in her first World Cup...
With a thin international field here contesting the classic sprint in Canmore, for the world’s best, Saturday morning’s qualifier was just a formality. From here, the stage is set for a knock-down, drag out series of heats on what the U.S.’s Torin Koos called a “strong-man’s course.” 1.7k long and striding-heavy, the difficulty and length of the new sprint loop in Canmore will make for a tough, tactical afternoon. “Nobody’s going to want to put...
The first World Cup sprint race of the 2010 season left the U.S. Ski Team (USST) with one strong result, but still looking for more. FasterSkier caught up with USST Sprint Coach Chris Grover right after the race. He said that Andy Newell—who finished seventh—had a very strong day, dominating his quarterfinal heat and only just missing out on a spot in the finals after battling with the eventual winner, Ola Vigen Hattestad. “He led...
The 4th annual FIS Tour de Ski will be held this season, and for the first time an American will compete. Andy Newell will start the eight-stage event that is modeled on the Tour de France. In the past it hasn’t made much sense for US athletes to take part. Contesting the Tour requires not only a high level of fitness, but the ability to excel at every distance and technique. Rule changes for the...