June 08, 2014 (Barcelona, Spain) – USA XC Ski Team Head Coach Chris Grover was appointed as Chairman of the Sub-Committee World and Continental Cups Cross-Country last autumn. Congress Daily talked to him about the recently finished meetings and the biggest challenges Cross-Country Skiing is facing.

Chris Grover © USSA

How is the first Congress for you as the Chairman?
Chris Grover: It has been a very good Congress. I benefited from the work the Race Director Pierre Mignerey has done. He has been diligent about what changes we need to make, things like snow control, calendar planning, starting times. I was happy with the discussion and participation in the group. We were able to come up with good ideas and solutions that are good for the sport.

What was the most important topic discussed at the Sub-Committee?
CG: I think the most important item was the new false start rule. I think it is a good change that we have agreed on. It will provide a harsh penalty and will put in place a system where skiers will be afraid to make a strategy to break the rules. The discussion on World Cup calendars was very good as well. We have some challenges ahead of us to be tackled during the summer before the autumn meeting in Zurich.

What is the biggest task laying ahead of your Sub-Committee in the future?
CG: One of the main challenges is to really establish ourselves within the techniques and disciplines that we already have. There are still some discussions about changing some of the competition formats. We need to continue to solidify our identification process so that when people look at a race they immediately know this is what cross-country ski racing is, what is going to happen next, and it’s an exciting format.