Stratton Mountain’s Sverre Caldwell ©Stratton Mountain School file photo
I think many would be interested in knowing what your life was like growing up in the Caldwell clan?
Sverre Caldwell: I have three siblings within three years of me so we were rarely bored. Our family did lots of stuff together and it was fun. In the winter we skied, some alpine, mostly xc. My father was a USST coach for a while so we were exposed to some great skiers (USST and Scandinavians who came to stay with us).
Did you have to ski XC?
SC: I don’t think so, it never really came up. We were probably all skiing before we could talk, certainly before we could reason. We skied and we had fun skiing, it was just something that seemed natural to do.
Your brothers and sister all raced, do you take to it naturally?
SC: I guess so. We really only raced 2-3 times a year until we got in high school. When we were in high school at Putney, the three boys all skied four events. We had a good, but small team. We all did everything. I think our schedule was something like this… Monday and Wedensday was XC ski, Tuesday we jumped, Thursday was Alpine, Friday and Saturday were school races (usually two alpine, a jump and an XC ski race), Sunday maybe an Eastern XC race. Obviously weighted towards XC! You do that and have a fun team, it’s pretty natural.
How would you describe your racing career, did you meet your goals?
SC: I’m not sure if I ever had any real goals. In high school we just raced and didn’t really think about anything other than hoping our team did well. In college I started to specialize in XC, but had some health issues (pneumonia one winter, bad back another) and realized that I liked working with people. By my senior year I was more of a helper and less of a racer.
When you started at Stratton it was when the school was starting up – how did you get the job?
SC: I think my father told me about the job. I had never heard of the school, but I heard that they were looking for a coach. I was interviewed for the job and we both liked what we saw enough to make it happen. At the time, I had a lot of XC experience, but no real XC coaching experience. I had taught and had coached soccer, jumping and alpine skiing.
Tell us more about how things evolved for you there.
SC: I was very lucky to be handed an excellent team, which included Kris Petty and Leslie Thompson. Truth be told, I probably learned as much from them as they did from me. I knew technique and I was enthusiastic. Everything worked out well the first year and that attracted more good skiers. Ingrid Langell (Butts) and Joe Galanes were among those who joined us in year two. That means that we had four future Olympians on the same high school team.
At the time, there were very few skiers training year round. We did and we kicked ass. In the late ‘80s I was asked to be a USST regional coach. I tried that and enjoyed it, but found that I did not want to travel so much (I got married in ’87) and was more comfortable coaching Juniors. I went back to coaching, then spent four years as Headmaster (also a good experience, but I missed coaching) and returned to coaching in the mid ‘90s.
You have had some great athletes there as well as your own kids who have become good skiers, especially Sophie. Did you think she had natural talent early on?
SC: All three of my kids have attended Stratton and enjoyed it. Sophie is at Dartmouth now and she loves that program there. Sophie is a very good natural athlete and that certainly helps her because she has a good feel for the snow. But I doubt she would be too fast if she hadn’t trained 400, 450, 500 and 550 hours through her four years of high school. When natural talent meets with a good solid training program, good results tend to follow.
You’ve devoted your life to XC skiing – tell us what that means for you?
SC: Actually, I’ve dedicated my life to my family. The fact that I can somehow make ends meet coaching is icing on the cake. It’s a nice life working with a bunch of kids who really want to learn as much as they can about skiing. I really enjoy what I do and that makes things good.
Who do believe was the best athlete you’ve ever coached?
SC: Unfair question. Everyone brings something special and unique to the table. Kris Petty had passion, Leslie Thompson had dedication, Joe Galanes had desire, Kristina Joder had spark, Andy Newell had amazing coordination, Kris Freeman has the focus… I could go on, everyone Olympian or not, has something pretty special to offer.
What is the biggest thing we should know about coaching junior athletes?
SC: If you are excited and having fun, they will act accordingly and do pretty well.
Is skiing evolving in a direction that encourages you?
SC: I think that US skiing is moving in the right direction. Pete Vordenburg and the USST staff are doing a good job of getting the word out that we can do well, but we have to work hard. I think we have more skiers training better than we have ever had. The results should come!
How has coaching juniors changed over your professional lifetime?
SC: As I said, I started with a dedicated and talented group. The main coaching strategies have not changed too much. We train a little more now, but the basics are actually pretty much what they always have been. Be organized, enthusiastic and have a plan.
Answer this…if I wasn’t doing this, what would I be doing?
SC: I still don’t know what I’m going to do when I grow up.
Where do you see yourself ten years from now?
SC: Ten years isn’t too far away. I’ll probably still be coaching. Maybe I’ll cut back a little and coach the younger kids…
Tell the truth…do you eat any junk food?
SC: Not unless Tortilla chips count.
What’s a perfect day for you?
SC: Blue skies, no wind and extra blue wax for kick… plus time to enjoy it.
What is your current frame of mind?
SC: Life is good, coaching XC skiing is not life threatening.
Do you have any heroes and if so why why?
SC: I don’t think that I have any one hero. Basically anyone who works hard with a smile on his/her face has figured some things out and gets my vote.
Do you have a personal motto or a rule(s) to live by?
SC: I figure that we only go around once, so we should enjoy life. I also like a quote that a soccer coach buddy of mine told me that goes something like this; “Everything is practice until the Olympics”.
If you had an extra million or so you would donate it to whom or to what?
SC: The Sverre Caldwell retirement fund, duh. Actually, my next project is to try a slightly different angle with this skiing thing. I would like to have a fund so that I could offer incentives for excellence in international competition. Pay for WJCs and U23s for anyone who places in the top 10-15. Give anyone who wins an Olympic or World Championship medal $100K etc. I think this would be great…helping them dream big and encourage them to get after it!
I haven’t been there for years, but tell us about the JC sauna mystique?
SC: I haven’t attended the Wednesday evening sauna in awhile, but it’s always ongoing. I imagine that there are still a handful of regulars plus a couple of drop-ins solving all of the problems of the world over a couple of home brews.
All the best – you’ve been a good friend and it’s been great spending time talking with you.
SC: Likewise Peter!