May 03, 2016 – Long time Nordic figure Peter Graves has been named Interim Director of NENSA following this past weekend’s Board of Director’s meeting in Hanover, NH.  A native of Bennington, VT, Graves, 63, has spent a lifetime in the sport first as an athlete out of Mount Anthony Union High School in Bennington, later racing for Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO, where he was a member of legendary former U.S. Olympic ski team coach Dolph Kuss’ squad at Fort Lewis College. “One of the reasons I am so passionate about the sport, was that cross-country skiing changed my life in many ways, and I believe in that great transformative power, and its ability to give so many skiers opportunities they never dreamed were possible,” Graves noted.

After graduating in 1975, Graves worked in broadcasting, later moving to the Mid-West where he worked at the Telemark Lodge, during the early days of the American Birkebeiner, and at NorTur, Inc. in Minneapolis as Public Relations and Director of Racing services, for the importing firm which sold both Epoke and Landsem skis.

He was ABC Sports Nordic skiing color commentator at the 1980 Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid. In 1981 he began working as Assistant coach and Director of Development at the U.S. Ski Team working under his long-time friend Mike Gallagher.

Graves then helped open the famed Giants Ridge Ski Area in Biwabik, MN in 1985 and was instrumental in securing a FIS World Cup event that was held there. Following that in 1986 he was named the USSA Eastern Nordic Program Director for the field office in Brattleboro, VT and later moved on to be a member of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games Organizing Committee in Salt Lake City for two years.

Graves is well known for being a pioneer in broadcasting and PA announcing in skiing and mountain biking and has announced at eight Olympic games over his career. He spent six seasons as the Head Varsity Cross-Country ski coach at Harvard University.

He has been the past chairman of the USSA Eastern Cross-Country Committee, the USSA National Cross-Country Committee, and the chair of the Central USSA Cross-Country Committee. Currently he is on the Board of Director of the U.S. Skiing Hall of Fame.

Newly elected board chair, Carol Van Dyke of Stowe, Vermont who as Event Director for Junior Nationals Stowe and last year’s Super Tour at Trapps/Craftsbury has worked with Peter and greatly respects his commitment and energizing passion for the sport.  “Peter has the vision to showcase what this small but powerful non-profit organization is doing and can do for the ski world and help solidify support for NENSA’s programming.”

“I’m thrilled to be helping NENSA during this transitional phase, and really couldn’t be more delighted. I have never lost my love of this sport and have stayed closely connected through my announcing work. NENSA has a proud past and I hope to play a role in continuing the good work Zach Stegeman has accomplished and build on that energy. It’s a great challenge that I am thrilled by. The Board of Directors represents a group with tremendous skills and deep passion, and I really look forward to a great collaboration in taking the next steps forward,” said Graves.

Graves has two grown children, one-step daughter and is married to Dartmouth Women’s Cross-Country ski coach, Cami Thompson-Graves. The couple resides in East Thetford, Vermont.