The following is a letter that Scott Johnston, the coach of the Methow Olympic Development squad that at some points included Sadie and Erik Bjornsen and Torin Koos, and who also coached Team Gregg, shared with FasterSkier. He addressed it to U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association CEO Tiger Shaw after receiving Shaw’s Fall Quarterly Update, but says he has not received a reply. Some of Johnston’s concerns served as the basis of questions we asked...
Toko Athlete Lukas Bauer Wins in Kuusamo! American Tim Burke 3rd in Ostersund! Toko athlete Tim Burke shot clean and finished 3rd in the Ostersund Biathlon World Cup 10k race I started the skis with a layer of HF blue. Cold powders had been running fast all week so I put Jetstream blue powder on everyone’s qualification skis. In the qualification round, the blue flouro block tested the best and was a safe choice. Since...
The MOD grew by three with the addition of both Brian and Caitlin Gregg and junior Maya Seckinger. "The new additions have brought challenges but great rewards, too," coach Scott Johnston says. "At times were are going 4 different directions but all with the same ending destination."
Over the past several years, I've made an effort to travel to Silver Star, B.C. for a week or so prior to the opening Super Tours in West Yellowstone. Training at Silver Star gives me an opportunity to spend several days at moderate altitude (~5500ft) ...
Toko Wax Clinic with Methow Olympic DevelopmentSaturday, November 10th 6:30pm - 8pmNordic Ultratune - Winthrop, WACome share in the enthusiasm for the upcoming winter with the athletes of Methow Olympic Development, the Northwest's premier elite Nordic...
Me. The ski world is abuzz with news of recent snowfalls, exciting athletes and enthusiasts to don the summer-stored lycra and rock skis and hit the new-fallen freshies. We of the Methow Olympic Development Squad are no different; when the weather turn...
Mark at work in his shop in Winthrop, WA (photo plundered from www.ultratune.net)As befits a sport such as cross-country skiing, we spend most of our time focusing on our physical preparation, training, and honing our bodies to finely-tuned killing mac...
It doesn't matter what your passion is; sooner or later if you're truly invested in something you give too much to it and it bites you in the ass. A few weeks back that's what my training did to me.There were plenty of warning signs, and I ignored them...
By Brian GreggFall training in the Methow has been fantastic. After traveling around so much the last few years in the Fall we decided to stay in one spot for as long as possible and focus simply on training. I have always worked part-t...
Brian and IBrian and I were invited to come and train with the MOD Squad earlier this spring. I was waist deep in school and work obligations so I decided that I would let Brian head to the mountains to work with Scott Johnston (the coach of MOD), S...
Here we are again, on target for the one blog/month frequency which I've been hitting pretty consistently since March. My apologies; I'm sure there are some interesting things happening in the interim but without adequate photos it just doesn't seem ju...
Here's my first attempt at making a training video which documents some of the workouts and fun we at the MOD squad have undertaken the last few weeks. There's not a lot of material but it's a good start and now that I know that IMovie isn't scary vood...
Note: This is the seventh preview in a quick-and-dirty series on U.S. elite teams. We asked coaches to send their 2012/2013 rosters and tell us what’s new for the coming season. We will be publishing additional reports over the next few weeks. Teams are presented in no particular order. Team: Methow Olympic Development (MOD) Coach: Scott Johnston Roster: Sam Naney What’s new: Brian Gregg as a training partner. Gregg will spend much of the summer...
Given the preponderance of base training I did last year, this season we're stepping up the intensity a lot sooner and with more volume than ever before. Perhaps the three greatest focuses we have for this dryland season are: power, speed, and anaerobi...
Alison and I arrived to the reception on the rusty steedWhile training continues to pick up through the summer, I managed to take a few days and get myself hitched. Amidst rollicking thunder and intermittent showers last Saturday, Alison and I threw ou...
This spring is perhaps my busiest ever, largely due to that wedding thing in two weeks... Alison and I have been steadily tying down plans and getting things ready for the ~200 people who will converge in my parents' back yard for our union. Should be ...
Cheering one of my athletes to a win in the girl's 4x100m relayThis past month of April has been a busy one. After returning from Craftsbury and ST Finals, I jumped immediately into coaching the Junior High track team at my old school. With a team of a...
The briefest of notes about today's 15km CL mass start: woof. I was pretty tired coming into the race after four starts in the last five days, and definitely felt the fatigue in my legs at the start line. Because of yesterday's finish I was seeded 8th ...
This morning was the 3km prologue of ST Finals in Craftsbury, VT. The organizers here have done an astounding job of preparing this course despite record high temps in the 70s all last week. The weather is starting to turn now and it got just cold enou...
Last week I was in Mont Ste Anne, Quebec for some races at Canadian National Championships. I primarily wanted to focus on the skate sprint as I knew the Canadian National Team guys would be home from Europe and their recent successes and corresponding...