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James Southam

(letter of support, addressed to the University of Alaska President Jim Johnsen, and granted permission to post.)  *** Dear President Johnsen, My name is Holly Brooks and I am one of Alaska’s Olympic Cross Country skiers. I am writing this on behalf of several of our local Olympians, who have agreed to sign their names below, and encourage you to take the time to read this letter and gain an understanding of how much we...

Press release) SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Consistent with its mission of supporting athletic excellence in developing U.S. Nordic athletes, the National Nordic Foundation announced financial support for a new junior camp for rising cross country skiers. Happening August 6 – 14, 2015, the International Junior Camp includes athletes selected from the a National Ranking List, as well as criteria set by coaches at the USSA congress. Camp participants include: WOMEN: Katharine Ogden, SMS Julia...

Press release) SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — The NNF announced a prize money win schedule for any American competing at OPA Cup Finals events. As a pillar project, the OPA Cup represents a priority for NNF funding. The key development trip is funded with $31,000 of NNF trip support. This year, the NNF is raising the stakes for skiers competing by adding a bonus win schedule for any U.S. skiers seeking to compete. Prize money...

For the last two years, the U.S. Ski Team (USST) and U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) have been pushing American athletes to compete more in Europe, citing a need for experience in the cutthroat racing environment there. Belying that push, however, were thousands of dollars in prize money awarded to the winners of the sprint and distance disciplines of the SuperTour, the four month-long domestic race series. Those bonuses—$2,000 for each one, for men...

So now what? That is the question I have been getting lately. Starting in 2005 I have been a part of every major championships. Some have gone pretty well for myself others have been disasters but now those days are done. Weird to write.   Wh...

So now what? That is the question I have been getting lately. Starting in 2005 I have been a part of every major championships. Some have gone pretty well for myself others have been disasters but now those days are done. Weird to write.   Wh...

So now what? That is the question I have been getting lately. Starting in 2005 I have been a part of every major championships. Some have gone pretty well for myself others have been disasters but now those days are done. Weird to write.   Wh...

So now what? That is the question I have been getting lately. Starting in 2005 I have been a part of every major championships. Some have gone pretty well for myself others have been disasters but now those days are done. Weird to write.   Wh...

So now what? That is the question I have been getting lately. Starting in 2005 I have been a part of every major championships. Some have gone pretty well for myself others have been disasters but now those days are done. Weird to write.   Wh...

SuperTour action continues this weekend, as the domestic circuit moves from Rumford, ME, to Lake Placid for races on Friday and Saturday. Organizers are expecting between 325 and 350 athletes competing in a 10 k/6 k classic and a 15 k/10 k freestyle, headlined by competitors from the U.S. Ski Team and the Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Club. With two hours until entries closed at noon on Wednesday, Noah Hoffman (USST), Lars Flora (APU),...

After Sprint Setback, Flora Fires Back in 15 K

Going into the 15 k classic race in Rumford, APU’s Lars Flora had a total of four national championships to his name. But to say that he had endured a dry spell would be an understatement: it had been 1098 days since his last title, which came in Houghton, MI in 2008. After two tough seasons, and a demoralizing defeat in Sunday’s sprint, the 32-year-old Flora finally broke through on Thursday to collect his fifth...

Racing Returns to Rumford Wednesday; Classic Distance on Tap

Classic distance races are on tap for the U.S. National Championships in Rumford, ME on Wednesday, after two days of rest to allow for optimal course preparation. Volunteers, coaches, and even U.S. Ski Team member Liz Stephen worked with heavy equipment and shovels throughout Tuesday, leaving a 2.5-kilometer loop available for racing at Rumford’s Black Mountain. Under clear skies and with temperatures cooler—in the 20’s—the action gets started with the women’s 10 k at 10...

U.S. Nationals: Men’s Preview

With U.S. Nationals looming, there’s quite a collection of domestic skiers who think they could ski to a podium finish in the biggest races of the year. Besides the eternal glory of winning a national championship, there’s more on the line: for seniors, the races will be their best shot of earning low National Ranking List (NRL) points, which will qualify them for World Championships, and for younger skiers a strong result could mean a...

2011 Tour of Anchorage

In its 24-year existence, the Tour of Anchorage cross-country ski race, hosted by the Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage, has grown from just a few hundred participants to almost 2,000 ski- enthusiasts—making it one of the largest ski races in North America. This year’s event, slated for March 6th, will start at the foot of the Chugach Mountains and wind through beautiful birch and aspen forests, around the University of Anchorage campus, through Anchorage’s midtown...

While Sunday’s Haywood NorAm 10 and 15 k freestyle races were held in Canada, it was the Americans who took the top step of both podiums – and convincingly. The men’s race started in sloppy conditions – approximately 20 centimeters of snow fell overnight, and continued right up until the start of the men’s race, resulting in ankle deep snow in some places. The men skied three loops of 5 k, and each one contained...

Pro Workout: Testing Fitness with Reese Hanneman

If you’re wondering about your fitness heading into the new racing season, Reese Hanneman has a workout for you. The session—a long threshold interval peppered with 30-second all-out sprints—will give you a good idea of whether you’re ready to rock, or whether you’ve got some more work to do before pulling on a bib. “It’s a good one of those eye-opening workouts,” Hanneman said. Hanneman has only done this session once, in mid-October with the...