In the lead-up to the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, Zach Caldwell led a much-discussed, multi-year effort to pin down the best stonegrinds and waxes for the challenging, variable conditions at Whistler Olympic Park. Caldwell’s months and months of hard work even drew the attention of National Public Radio, which Kris Freeman’s horrific skis in the opening 15 k freestyle in Vancouver. When the best skiers and wax techs in the world can be baffled by conditions,...
Despite a post-Olympic emotional rollercoaster, Canadian biathlete Zina Kocher has a bright outlook on the future. The Olympics for Kocher were both “awesome and terrible.” Her objective was to podium at the 2010 Games, but Kocher fell far short of her goal with a 65th position in the 7.5 k sprint, and 72nd in the 15 k individual. She praised the facilities, the support she received, and the volunteers at the Games, as well as family and...
With the Sochi Winter Olympics more than three years off, the city still maintains an aura of mystery to most Americans. Not for Luke Bodensteiner, the vice president for athletics at the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA), who has already visited the 2014 venues twice. Bodensteiner’s first trip to Sochi was with the International Ski Federation (FIS) two years ago, when he helped with a training seminar for some of the initial Olympic volunteers....