Press Release PARK CITY, Utah (May 20, 2020) – Olympian Jed Hinkley has been named as the new sport director for USA Nordic, which oversees the sports of ski jumping and nordic combined across America. Moving forward, Hinkley will lead all USA Nordic athletic programs with the goal of putting athletes on the podium and maintaining a sustainable athletic pipeline. Hinkley spent six years on the U.S. Ski Team from 2001-2006 and represented the United...
As I flagged Josie Johnson and Augie Roepke at midnight on the longest day of the year, a smile came to my face, and I let out a big hoot. I have been around Ski Jumping for over 30 years, but I had never experienced what I was experiencing at that moment: the 2nd 12-hour jump-a-thon on the Summer Solstice. The previous year’s event was the impetus for this year’s USA Nordic Alaska Junior Flyer...
Chew on this for a minute: who stands as the greatest male U.S. distance skier in the “modern” era (defined by post-Bill Koch) of World Cup skiing? Most likely at the top of that list would be 37-year-old Kris Freeman. The New Hampshire native and longtime Granite State resident retired as a professional cross-country skier after this year’s U.S. Distance Nationals 50-kilometer classic race in late March in Craftsbury, Vermont. Freeman finished seventh in that...
Three years ago, U.S. Ski and Snowboard (officially dropped nordic combined from its funding rolls. It was a potentially big blow and flat-liner moment for a program coming off one the most successful runs in U.S. nordic sports history. As recently as 2013, the foursome of Todd Lodwick, Billy Demong, Bryan Fletcher, and Taylor Fletcher earned bronze in the team event at World Championships in Val di Fiemme, Italy. Now, under the umbrella of USA Nordic, and two World Championships...