junior nationals – FasterSkier

The Wrong 30,000

Matthew VoisinJune 3, 2026

This article was made possible through the generous support of our voluntary subscribers. If you value coverage like this, please support FasterSkier with a voluntary subscription. Will Sweetser thinks American Nordic skiing is recruiting in the wrong places. Here is what he is building on Donner Pass to prove it. This is the second of two parts — be sure to read part one, to learn about Sweetser’s background and coaching philosophy — Keep Showing Up:...

Feature Training

Development in Norway Isn’t Just a Plan. It’s a System.

Jim GalanesMay 12, 2026

This article was made possible through the generous support of our voluntary subscribers. If you value coverage like this, please support FasterSkier with a voluntary subscription. A review of a recently published paper from Norway, “Long-term development culture for sustainable Olympic success: Lessons learned from Norwegian cross-country skiing” by Jacob Walther and Øyvind Sandbakk, is worth the time. Long-term development culture for sustainable Olympic success: Lessons learned from Norwegian cross-country skiing – ScienceDirect We’ve all heard...

Feature Lifestyle Training

If we know better, why don’t we do better?

Jim GalanesApril 25, 2026

This article was made possible through the generous support of our voluntary subscribers. If you value coverage like this, please support FasterSkier with a voluntary subscription. Where do High School and USCSA programs fit into our development. In a recent article, I laid out the disconnect between what we say about long-term development in Nordic skiing and what we do and the rewards. “Long-Term Development in Nordic Skiing: What We Say vs. What We Actually Do”....

Continental Cup News

Annika Martell Named Head Ski Coach at Craftsbury Green Racing Project

FasterSkierApril 8, 2026

The Craftsbury Green Racing Project has named Annika Martell as its new Head Ski Coach. Martell brings a resume that spans nearly every corner of the Nordic skiing world. A Minnesota native, she headed east to ski at Colby College, where she captained the team and earned recognition for her leadership before graduating with a degree in economics and environmental science. Her coaching career has taken a similarly wide path. Early on, she interned with...

Job Postings News

Park City Ski & Snowboard Seeks Head Cross Country Competition Coach

FasterSkierApril 6, 2026

Park City Ski & Snowboard is seeking a Head Cross Country Competition Coach to lead its U16+ competitive Nordic program. The full-time, year-round position reports to Cross Country Director Emma Garrard. Below is the full job description. Reports To: Cross Country Director, Emma Garrard Employment Status: Full-time, year-round, salaried exempt Compensation: Annual salary commensurate with experience, plus benefits Athlete Focus: U16 and above Position Summary The Head Comp Team Coach will manage the...

Feature Juniors Training

Long-Term Development in Nordic Skiing: What We Say vs. What We Actually Do

Jim GalanesApril 3, 2026

This article was made possible through the generous support of our voluntary subscribers. If you value coverage like this, please support FasterSkier with a voluntary subscription. As the season winds down, it’s worth stepping back and asking a simple question: Does the way we develop young skiers in the United States reflect the philosophy we say we believe in? I know everyone is probably done with hearing about how the Norwegians do it, so let’s look...

Collegiate Feature US Ski Team

“You Can’t Live Nervous”

Matthew VoisinDecember 22, 2025

Finals week has a way of compressing time. Days shrink into problem sets and exams; nights stretch just long enough to make sleep negotiable. When Jack Lange logged onto Zoom from Hanover in late November, he was finishing his senior fall at Dartmouth, a mechanical engineering major balancing equations while packing for a training block at Silver Star. The snow out west wasn’t cooperating. Races were being reformatted. Nothing felt settled. That uncertainty didn’t seem...

Feature Juniors News

Junior Nationals—Past, Present, and Future

Jim GalanesJune 2, 2025

The U.S. Cross Country Junior National Championships—originally known as the Junior Nationals, then called the Junior Olympics for a stretch, and now again the Junior Nationals—were first held in 1965 in Bend, Oregon. Those early events included all ski disciplines: cross-country, alpine, ski jumping, and nordic combined. They were hosted at venues that could accommodate the full spectrum of competitive skiing. In digging into history, I found it surprisingly difficult to track down hard dates...

Community News Racing US Ski Team

Q & A with New Faces on the US Ski Team: Michael Earnhart

Ben TheyerlJune 22, 2022

U.S. Ski & Snowboard recently announced its U.S. Ski Team nominations for the 2022-23 season. Of the 22 athletes named to the team this season, six were not on the previous year’s roster, either newly named or renamed: Michael Earnhart, Walker Hall, Zak Ketterson, Will Koch, Finn O’Connell, and Sammy Smith. To help fans get to know these new(er) faces, FasterSkier is doing a series of interviews, providing insights into the factors that have contributed to development,...

Juniors News Racing Results US Nationals

2022 Junior Nationals Recap: After Long Wait, Minneapolis Hosts Top US Juniors for Full Slate of Racing

Ben TheyerlMarch 16, 2022

To trace the thread of the past, present, and future of American cross-country skiing, all you have to do is look at a golf course in Minneapolis that touches 3 of those 10,000 lakes in Minnesota; Theodore Wirth Park. Over the past week, America’s most-skied loop played host to the US Ski and Snowboard Junior Championships (formerly Junior Nationals, or “JNs”), bringing the top under-20 year old skiers from across the nation together for the...

Continental Cup General Interviews News Other

Heather and Brooke Mooney on Where Skiing Led Them and What’s Next

Gabby NaranjaJuly 27, 2018

Perhaps you have heard of them. Or at least seen them. At 6 feet and 6 feet 2 inches tall, respectively, the Mooney sisters, Heather and Brooke, are hard to miss. But their height is not the only reason the two women stand out. The sisterly pair also share a talent for the sports they pursue. At one point, for both of them, that sport was skiing. And at one point, for both of them,...

Interviews News Racing US Ski Team World Cup

17 Questions for 2017: Rosie Brennan

FasterSkierNovember 24, 2016

Welcome to ’17 Questions for 2017′, where we are catching up with American and Canadian national-team members before the beginning of the winter season. *** First named to the U.S. Ski Team in high school, Rosie Brennan dominated the 2015 SuperTour and earned rights to race in Europe, including at World Championships where she finished 16th in the 30 k classic. After a six-year absence she was renamed to the national team after that winter and...

General Juniors News

High Plains Remains a Division as USSA Studies Jr. Nationals Qualification

Chelsea LittleMay 15, 2016

USSA CEO Tiger Shaw explains how the Cross Country Sport Committee unanimously voted to reaffiliate High Plains, while making a task force to examine some of the issues over the summer: "It was democratic, it went to committee, all the major players were there and had their say."

General Juniors News Racing

Two Clubs to Superclub: Despite Wild Success, Loppet Nordic Racing at ‘The Tip of the Iceberg’

Chelsea LittleSeptember 3, 20142

Almost three years ago now, Reid Lutter and Piotr Bednarski decided that rather than watching their two Twin Cities training programs compete for skiers and resources, they should join forces. The results are a lesson in what city-based ski clubs can accomplish: in 2014 Loppet Nordic Racing was the most successful junior team in the country.

General Juniors News Racing

Junior Nationals: Relay Top-10 Recognition

Alex KochonMarch 9, 2014

Giving credit where it's due, a look at the top-10 teams on the last day of racing at U.S. Junior Nationals in Stowe, Vt., in the 3 x 3-kilometer freestyle relays. New England ran away with the Alaska Cup after topping the podium in three out of the six races on Saturday.

General Juniors News Racing

Junior Nationals Video: Classic Sprints Galore

Alex KochonMarch 6, 2014

The age-group winners of the Junior Nationals classic sprints chat on camera about their races and how they topped the competition on Wednesday in Stowe, Vt.

General News

SuperTour Calendar Redesigned at USSA Congress

Audrey ManganMay 21, 20132

The annual USSA Coaches Congress wrapped up this weekend in Park City, Utah, and the biggest decision to come out of the meetings was an overhaul of the U.S. SuperTour calendar so that it makes more athletic and developmental sense nationwide. Other changes include the addition of a mixed club relay at SuperTour Finals and renamed junior age groups.

Juniors Racing

Junior Nationals: Fairbanks Skiers Anchor OJ Relay Victories

Matias SaariMarch 13, 2013

Hannah Boyer and Logan Hanneman got to experience something rare and special on Tuesday: a clinching anchor leg on their home trails at Junior Nationals. Boyer and Hanneman each helped Team Alaska win gold in the Older Junior divisions of the 3 x 3-kilometer classic sprint at Birch Hill Recreation Area.

General Juniors News Racing

Junior Nationals in Photos and Videos

Alex KochonMarch 14, 2012

MIDWAY, Utah — The 2012 Cross Country Junior Nationals wrapped up at Soldier Hollow last weekend, and if you’re longing for more (or missed any of the action), check out our comprehensive videos and photo galleries of each day’s events. For photos, visit our FasterSkier’s YouTube channel and scroll down for the most to least recent.

Juniors Racing

Kern Skirts Tie to Lift New England; Alaskan Boys Claim J2 Relay Title

Alex KochonMarch 10, 20122

All 2012 Cross Country Junior Nationals coverage is brought to you through the generous support of Complete relay results Audrey Mangan contributed reporting.

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