You are now back at work in your new position as Head Development Coach, tell us how things are going?
Pete Vordenberg: It is going well. We’ve staged two great camps so far with more to come. (check them out at www.nccsef.org)
Tell us about some of your plans at your new job?
PV: This job is going to have a lot of the same components that have been embodied in the work that I’d been doing with the team each year. The new elements will evolve as we go forward. The goal will be moving more junior skiers up the pipeline to a higher level. A little research shows that high results at the Nordic Junior World Championships is a very good predictor of success as a senior.
Looking back to the 2010 Olympic Games, what are your overall thoughts?
PV: We’re still looking at the Games and trying to see what can be learned.
Do you think you went into the Games with high expectations?
PV: Of course. We should have had, and should have, high expectations. We’ve worked hard and shown the potential to be on the podium at World Cups, the World Championships, and the Olympics… at the highest level in the sport. But we do not have the depth to do it every time, small mistakes are costly when you only have a few skiers at the podium level.
What was the high point for you at the Games?
PV: Kikkan and Simi’s sprint races.
And the low point…?
PV: No sense talking about low points. There is so much negativity outside of the team, but not inside the team. That negative mindset is not the mindset of winning or living.
Was the crush of the media distracting at times in Whistler?
PV: That’s part of the Olympics. Media, fans and the circus is part of the deal.
What lessons do you think you took away from the Games?
PV: As a team, and as individual coaches and athletes, that’s for us to work on. As a country it’s easy to see we need to push more athletes up the pipeline to a high level. It’s also important that we don’t look at the Olympics as the only measure of our program, and at the same time it’s equally important not to look at Liberec – where we did win a medal along with several other top results – as the measure of our program either. As a team and as a ski country we have come a long way but we also have a lot of work yet to do.
You took some time off at the end of the season and went trekking in Nepal, how did that go…?
PV: Yes, my wife and I had been planning the trip for almost two years. She was working at the Himalayan Rescue Association in Pheriche, Nepal. We were living at 14,000 feet. She was there for three months and I was there for almost two months. I got to help out on the medical and rescue side of things and also did some climbing and lots of hiking in the region – over 20,000 feet of climbing – which was neat. But the best thing was the pace and simplicity of life, and the people. Yeah, and the mountains were cool too.
What struck you about the trip?
PV: Simplicity and what you really need to live, which is very little. But also the way different religions and people can live in harmony together so closely.
Chris Grover took over your old job as head coach of the US XC Ski Team – what advice did you give hime?
PV: No advice. We have always worked closely together and as a team, and we continue to do that.
What did you observe this year on the international scene that was new or surprised you?
PV: No surprises really. I am always taken by how young people come to the World Cup firing good results. There isn’t much room for messing around. Every season I become more and more convinced that the number of paths to the top are more limited than I want to believe. Of course I want to remain open minded, but it’s a challenge to spend the winter on the World Cup circuit and see the level of commitment and ability that’s there.
What message do you give young athletes about preparing for that competitive level?
PV: We have lots of resources and information at the USSA web site www.ussa.org, and I’m always available by email pvordenberg@ussa.org. I tend to sum it up this way – train hard, rest well. While that’s too vague as it’s hard to sum it up, coaches and athletes should seek specifics from the USST. If we don’t have the answers we’ll search for them. We have access to the USOC, other national team coaches, and other US coaches who are doing great work.
What’s your current state of mind about the sport?
PV: We have built a lot of momentum. The Olympics was a tough uphill climb, but we shifted down, have the pedal to the metal now, and are roaring ahead. There are more clubs and more coaches keyed in and working hard. That’s the way. We can do it, but we have to keep working together, communicate directly and openly, and drive it.
Bryan Fish, Matt [Whitcomb], Grover and I have been talking to all the coaches at each of the Regional Elite Group camps that we’ve been going to. The goal is to discuss regional to national links and how the regions can organize themselves and their projects to fit into the national pipeline. That is what I meant about my new job evolving – we’re gathering ideas from the regions and putting them together to build a better structure. The steps of the pipeline have really been coming together over the past years, and we will be continuing that work. We’ve had many more top-30 results at the Junior Worlds, but we need more top-10, top-5 and podium results at JWC, U23 and the OPA/Scando (Continental Cup) level. The collaboration and effort is underway…check back with me in a bit.
Thanks for your time and we wish you all the best.
PV: Thank you Peter. Hope you and Cami are doing great.