June 07, 2019 (Stratton, Vermont) – Sverre Caldwell has positively touched the lives of hundreds of cross-country skiers over almost four decades as a Nordic ski coach. This spring he is retiring from his position as Nordic Director at the Stratton Mountain School in Stratton, Vermont.

Well-known throughout the US skiing community, Sverre is a member of the legendary “Caldwell Clan”, the son of John and Hep, brother of Tim, Peter and Jennifer, father of Sophie, Isabel and Austin. He and his wife Lilly live in Peru, Vermont.

Born in 1955, Sverre was put on cross-country skis by his father, “just as soon as he could walk.” He and his siblings attended the Putney School where both John and Hep taught, and like his brothers, Sverre competed in skiing’s four events: slalom, giant slalom, jumping and cross-country. He went on to race cross-country skiing for Dartmouth College and graduated in 1977.

After Dartmouth, Caldwell returned to the Putney School to teach math and coach skiing with his father. According to John, he told his son, “You coach alpine; I’m too old for that, and I’ll keep coaching cross-country.” Sverre’s coaching responsibilities also included jumping and soccer. As his father emphasized, “He was a good alpine skier!”

In 1980, Sverre took on the leadership of the fledgling Nordic program at Stratton Mountain School, a ski academy initially focused on the development of alpine skiers. He has been at Stratton every since, developing the cross-country ski program into one of the country’s very best, including adding the SMS T2 Team, an elite training group of full-time cross-country ski competitors dedicated to excelling in international competition and providing inspiration to the local community. During his many years at Stratton, Sverre has also been a classroom teacher and Headmaster of the school. All three of his children attended and raced for SMS, as did his wife Lilly in the early years of SMS.

This year, the SMS Nordic Team and the elite SMS T2 Team were recognized as the “Cross Country Club of the Year” by U.S. Ski and Snowboard for the fourth time in six years. Sverre himself has been recognized as the USSA Coach of the Year in 2001, 2003, and 2009. He was a 1988 U.S. Olympic Ski Team Coach, a three-time Junior World Team Coach, and has been a U.S. Ski Team Regional Coach. Under his guidance, SMS has placed 15 cross-country skiers on U. S. Olympic Teams. Over the past 24 consecutive years, Caldwell’s program has placed at least one athlete on the World Junior Team and garnered at least one Junior National Championship each year. Of the twenty athletes nominated for the 2019-2020 U.S. Nordic Ski Team, five are from the Stratton program.

Though the modest Caldwell will attribute the success of his early skiers to being gifted with exceptional athletes, the consistency and ever improving achievements of the Stratton Nordic athletes show an exceptional coach who has hit the nail on the head with his philosophies and actions.

One of Stratton’s best-known stars, Andy Newell, developed under the watchful eye of coach Caldwell. Newell came into the program as an eighth grader. During his high school years at SMS he placed in the top eight at the World Junior Championships for three years in a row in the sprint races. Upon graduating he was offered a spot on the U.S. Ski Team,, and his stellar career continued to bloom. When asked what he liked most about the Stratton program, Newell answered, “Sverre pushed us to train hard and a lot but it was always done with just the right amount of moderation with the goal of long term success and patience in mind. Train smart. Throughout the high school years we also learned why we were training the way we were. why it was important to build in base L1 training, why we do L3 intervals, how to listen to the body, and how to prepare for races.”

For his part, Andy continued to return to Stratton after graduating to train with and inspire the up and coming skiers. This practice of SMS alums continuing to be involved with the nordic program is one that Sverre has nurtured, and has become a cornerstone of the relationship between the Stratton Elite team and the SMS younger skiers. It is summed up in one of the missions for the Stratton Elite Team: local inspiration, and it has unquestionably raised the level of achievement by Stratton skiers to new heights and record achievements.

When a program has a number of talented, highly competitive athletes, the competitiveness between them can create a difficult atmosphere, as they strive to achieve the top result. Sverre recognized and prioritized the creation of a supportive, positive team atmosphere.

As Caldwell pointed out, “ . . . if you look at the big picture and you have a group with high goals it isn’t too hard to convince them that they will all be better if they work together. Our goals tend to be a combination of international excellence and personal improvement. There is no doubt that working together and learning from each other will help towards attaining these goals.”

Clearly, Sverre has accumulated a tremendous wealth of knowledge about cross country skiing, training skiers and building teams. His strengths and attributes go far beyond this knowledge. It is his friendly spirit and his positive, encouraging support that one feels when in his midst. In addition to coaching the Stratton athletes, Sverre has led summer camps for decades for Bill Koch League skiers, (aged 13 and under), and for developing high school skiers from teams and programs throughout the Northeast. He has welcomed each of the hundreds of kids who have come for part of a week to learn, train and very importantly, have fun with their cross country skiing peers.

Sverre’s warmth and sunny disposition have brightened times on the snow for many of us beyond his SMS team members. We thank him for all his contributions to U.S. skiing and wish he and his family all the best as he moves into a new stage of life.

Sverre took a group of SMS skiers to Norway in 2018. They were invited to forerun the World cup race in Lillehammer [P] SMS