After 27 years of leading the Dartmouth men's nordic team and 10 years coaching with the U.S. Ski Team, Sun Valley native Ruff Patterson is venturing into the next chapter of his life and heading back west.
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Mike Sinnott
With plenty of shovels and smiles, the Sun Valley crew is working hard to make both SuperTour races happen at the Lake Creek trails. "Putting the work in here gives the athletes an opportunity to test themselves appropriately on the kinds of courses that they need to be prepared to ski on," SVSEF Nordic Director Rick Kapala explains.
As the fifth-ranked sprinter in the world this year and the only guy on the World Cup to qualify for the heats in every sprint he started, Andy Newell returned to the domestic sprint scene on Saturday as the odds-on favorite. Despite a challenging wax day at SuperTour Finals, he delivered the win he'd hoped for, besting Pat O'Brien and Erik Bjornsen in second and third, respectively.
There's something about SuperTour Finals that seems to agree with Kris Freeman. The veteran skier looked more like his usual self on Friday in the 15 k mass start classic — he gapped the field early and won the race by 47 seconds. Erik Bjornsen took second, beating Andy Newell in third by less than two seconds. Freeman now leads the tour by 12.2 seconds with the conclusion of two stages.
Erik Bjornsen headed into Thursday's wet-and-blustery 3.3 k prologue at SuperTour Finals with a controlled fire, pacing himself for the first half and attacking for his first SuperTour win by 14.5 seconds. The only man, or woman, to beat Kikkan Randall, he did so on a tough and slow course.
Sadie Bjornsen (USA), fresh off career-best World Cup results in both distance and sprint last weekend continued her hot streak, placing third in the OPA Cup Finals prologue.
On a bluebird day in Aspen, Colo., Brian Gregg (CXC) and Nicole DeYong (SVSEF) claimed the 2013 Owl Creek Chase titles on Sunday. They outlasted a 'murderously painful' course at 8,000 feet and a charging field to cross the line with room to spare.
Johnson Makes Podium Debut with Aspen Win; Brennan Prevails in Women’s Classic
Audrey ManganFebruary 10, 2013
On a snowy day in Aspen, Colo., Mike Sinnott won the opening sprint prologue of the SuperTour weekend, Patrick Johnson claimed his first career win in the 10 k classic and Rosie Brennan went two-for-two in both women's races,
The Tour de Twin Cities concluded on Sunday with a 10/15 k freestyle pursuit. After dozens of accumulated laps around the 3.3 k Wirth Park course, Torin Koos and Rosie Brennan each maintained their leads and emerged victorious in the overall standings. Brian and Caitlin Gregg both posted the fastest times of the day for the stage wins and their first double victory as a couple.
Reese Hanneman won the 10 k classic race at Wirth Park on Saturday for his first career SuperTour distance win. He beat Mike Sinnott and Torin Koos in second and third, respectively. Rosie Brennan bested Jennie Bender by 0.6 seconds in the women's 5 k to take home stage four.
After a cold-induced delay in competition the Tour de Twin Cities continued on Friday in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with a classic sprint at Wirth Park. In conditions more amenable to racing, Mike Sinnott and Jennie Bender took home the titles in stage three.
Weeks of altitude training clearly paid off for Matt Liebsch (Borton Volvo XC United) in the first race of the year. The pride of the Midwest won the SuperTour 9 k freestyle on Friday morning on a fast but challenging point-to-point course looking like he had gas left in the tank.
Elite Team Preview: Sun Valley Gold Team
Alex KochonJuly 5, 2012
Note: This is the eighth 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: Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation (SVSEF) Gold Team Coaches: Colin Rodgers (head coach), Clarke Sullivan (service tech) Roster: Simi Hamilton (U.S. Ski Team), Mike Sinnott,...
There’s something to be said about consistency. Canadians Graham Nishikawa and Michael Somppi might say it’s a little annoying. With repeat results, the two can’t be too upset with their performances in recent Alpen and Scandinavian Cup races. Both Senior Development Team skiers, Nishikawa and Somppi finished the same as they did in their previous races. At the Alpen Cup in Switzerland on Sunday, Nishikawa of the Alberta World Cup Academy was fifth in the...
Widmer, Sinnott Trail Norwegians in Scando Cup Final
Alex KochonFebruary 8, 2012
Any high-level racer will tell you experience is key, but sometimes it’s just as important to take in the moment. Ask Mike Sinnott, a member of the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation Gold Team who recently competed in a couple of World Cups. Six days after placing 37th in the Moscow freestyle sprints for his second-best individual World Cup result, Sinnott made his first Scandinavian Cup start this year on Wednesday in Madona, Latvia. There,...
A sprint qualifier can be defined as the preliminary stage of a sprint race in nordic skiing. In a race against the clock, competitors leave the starting gate at intervals and go as hard as they can for anywhere between 1 and 1.8 kilometers. The top 30 in most internationally sanctioned competitions, and sometimes a lesser number in other events, move onto the quarterfinals to face off against five other athletes at a time for...
For U.S. Men, Reasons to Add Fuel to the Fire in Moscow
Audrey ManganFebruary 3, 2012
For the American men in Moscow, Russia, the city sprints on Thursday were cause for a mixture of disappointment, frustration and optimism. Andy Newell and Simi Hamilton fell short of their expectations in Moscow, placing 22nd and 31st, respectively. After popping a top-10 in Otepaa, Estonia nearly two weeks ago, Newell struggled with back pain and couldn’t find the same energy to advance past the quarterfinals. For Hamilton, 31st marked the fourth time this season...
Much has been said about the string of breakthrough performances by the U.S. women on the World Cup this season, but on Sunday, the entire team deserved the credit for putting together an historic day for the U.S. Led by Kikkan Randall in 15th, the U.S. placed a total of five athletes in the points in the 10 and 15 k classic races in Otepää, Estonia. Jessie Diggins, in her first distance race on the...
After winning the Tour de Ski, Dario Cologna (SUI) took a much-needed break from racing and skipped last weekend’s city sprints in Milan, Italy. His return to the World Cup on Saturday in Otepää, Estonia, left little doubt that the overall points leader is on top of his game. He owned the classic sprint from the qualifier to final. Cologna’s qualifying time was more than 4 seconds ahead of the next-fastest skiers, and he handily...
RUMFORD, Maine – The final day of the United States Cross Country Ski Championship saw some controversy during the A Final of the men’s classic sprint on the trails of Black Mountain. Torin Koos (BSF) skied away from the rest of the heat, but was later disqualified for a questionable move, so the second skier across the finish line Tyler Kornfield (UAF) was crowned the national champion. While we don’t have footage of the contentious moment...