Vacation is over for most elite skiers, and the 2012 training season is underway. While most athletes are focusing on the future, we are going to spend another week or so looking back. It is time for the annual FasterSkier awards. We will be handing out virtual medals to the top men and women in the following categories: Breakthrough Skier of the Year Adaptive Skier of the Year Biathlete of the Year Performance of the Year...
Biathlete of the Year In any normal year, this award would be as straightforward as they come. On the men’s side, Tim Burke (USA) is head and shoulders above the North American field. And despite inconsistent performances, Zina Kocher is the only woman who can threaten to crack the top-20. But this was an Olympic year, and Olympic results count more than World Cup or World Championship races – at least to the public. Neither...
Continental Cup Skier of the Year The Continental Cup Skier of the Year presented one of the biggest challenges of the 2010 FasterSkier Awards. Strong contenders from both the US and Canada entered the mix, with few head-to-head races to clarify the situation. Also complicating matters is the fact that the 2010 Canadian NorAm schedule featured many fewer races than the US SuperTour in 2010. Continental Cup Skier of the Year (women): Dasha Gaiazova (CAN). ...
Adaptive Skier of the Year A new and well-deserved addition to the FasterSkier Awards, the Adaptive Skier of the Year poses some challenges. There are many categories within adaptive skiing, and some of the athletes participate in both cross-country and biathlon. One goal of the FS Awards is to keep things clear and simple, and we decided to present one award covering all categories and both adaptive xc and biathlon. This is similar to the...
Collegiate Skier of the Year Last year this category posed the biggest challenge with tough decisions for both the men’s and women’s award, but 2010 posed no such problems. Both winners were very strong during the regular season and dominating at the NCAA Championships. Collegiate Skier of the Year (women): Antje Maempel (GER). Maempel, racing for Denver University, became the first repeat winner of this award, following up her close win last year with a...
FasterSkier Rookie of the Year It is hard to define a “rookie” in cross-country skiing. First year on the World Cup? First season as a senior? First year in college? First year skiing? We keep it loose and give the award to skiers who take a major step forward while moving up to a new level of competition. Rookie of the Year (men): Simi Hamilton (USA). In his first season out of college, Hamilton moved...
Crust cruising and powder skiing in the west, cycling in the east, and the Euros are finally winding down their race season. It is time for the third-annual FasterSkier Awards. Awards are given to the top man and woman in ten categories, three of which are new this year. In the past the Performance of the Year category was presented to a cross-country skier. We have added two additional awards in this genre, for Biathlon...
FasterSkier Cross-Country Skier of the Year This award is given to the top North American cross-country skier. Cross-Country Skier of the Year (women): Kikkan Randall (USA). Kikkan’s season got off to a slow start, but she stepped it up when it mattered most, winning the first Championship medal ever by a US woman, when she took the Silver at the World Championships in Liberec. This race netted her the FasterSKier Performance of the Year. In...
FasterSkier Performance of the Year FasterSkier Performance of the Year is given to the top single North American performance of the 2008/2009 season. FasterSkier Performance of the Year (women): Kikkan Randall (USA). Kikkan Randall won the first-ever US cross-country skiing medal when she took the Silver in the freestyle sprint at the World Championships in Liberec. This was the only the third medal won by a US cross-country skier – Bill Koch won Bronze at...
FasterSkier Nordic Combined Skier of the Year The FasterSkier Nordic Combined Skier of the Year is awarded to the top North American Nordic Combined performer of the season. Billy Demong (USA). Demong has established himself as one of the top Nordic Combined skiers in the World. This season he had 10 World Cup podium finishes, including five victories. He finished the season ranked third overall on the World Cup for the second consecutive season. At...
FasterSkier Biathlete of the Year The FasterSkier Biathlete of the Year is awarded to the top North American biathletes. Biathlete of the Year (men): Tim Burke (USA). Burke repeats as the male winner of the Biathlete of the Year Award. He started slowly, not cracking the top 20 in a World Cup race until late January. But he came on strong, showing the form that has made him the top North American biathlete for the...
FasterSkier Continental Skier of the Year The Continental Skier of the Year is given to the skiers who race primarily in North America with top results on either the US SuperTour or the Canadian Nor-Am series. Continental Skier of the Year (women): Kristina Strandberg (SWE). Strandberg, racing for XC Oregon and the Saab Salomon Factory Team, is the first repeat winner, dominating the US SuperTour for the second consecutive season. Strandberg more than doubled the...
FasterSkier Collegiate Skier of the Year The Collegiate Skier of the Year award posed the biggest challenge this year. There were no clear-cut winners who distanced themselves from the rest of the field and a strong case could be made for any number of skiers. Performance at the NCAA National Championships was a major factor in picking the winners. Collegiate Skier of the Year (women): Antje Maempel (GER). Last year the Women’s Collegiate Skier of...
FasterSkier Rookie of the Year It is hard to define a “rookie” in cross-country skiing. First year on the World Cup? First season as a senior? First year in college? First year skiing? We keep it loose and give the award to skiers who take a major step forward while moving up to a new level of competition. Rookie of the Year (men): Alex Harvey (CAN). Despite three World Cup starts last year, it wasn’t...