September 20, 2018 (Lake Placid, NY) – Last weekend Lake Placid was the epicenter of all things Nordic skiing in the Northeast region. NENSA (New England Nordic Ski Association) was thrilled to partner with ORDA (Olympic Regional Development Authority) and NYSEF (New York Sports Education Foundation) to offer two days of the most progressive rollerski programming in the US. Both days saw intense competition and strong showings in both junior and open categories and were a part of the NENSA Bag Balm Rollerski Series.

On Saturday the weekend kicked off with Doubleday, a combination 3k prologue and 1.5k sprint whose results were combined to determine the winners. The events were held on the fast rolling turns and steep climbs of the rollerski track at the ORDA Training Facility. And if the track wasn’t enough – all competitors got exposure to some of the new NENSA agility features including the Bicycle Ramp and Step-down Jump between the two events.

Junior division races were won by Quincy Massey-Bierman of Craftsbury/Mansfield Nordic in the women’s race and Timothy Cobb of EABC/Mansfield Nordic in the men’s race. Canadian competitors made a good showing in the open division races and wins were taken by Nicholas Clifford of Carleton University (Ottawa, ON) in the men’s race and Zoe Williams of Nakkertok (Cantley, QC) in the women’s race.

Doubleday was the brainchild of NENSA Competitive Program Director Justin Beckwith. “We designed the event to mimic one of our final Eastern Cups of the year in Dublin, NH” Beckwith says, “With the goal of bringing more fast skiing (sprint and junior relay distances) into both Series. The most exciting part for me today was to see the true ‘citizen race’ nature of the field – not only did we have excellent skiers – but we had skiers young and old – and everyone was clearly having fun!”

Sunday morning brought the NYSEF Climb to the Castle, an epic 2300’ ascent up the Whiteface Mountain Veterans Memorial Highway. A cool, mostly clear morning greeted over 100 competitors who came out to test their mettle against the mountain. Many athletes participated who had also raced at Doubleday – a factor that helped create the largest field in the event’s twelve year history.

The women’s win went to Tara Gereghty-Moats of NYSEF/USA Nordic Combined in 45:03, followed by Jackie Garso of St. Lawrence University in second at 49:24, and women’s Doubleday winner Zoe Williams in third at 49:40. Jake Brown of Craftsbury Green Racing Project took home the men’s win with a non-race wheel course record time of 35:40 (Swenor #2 wheels), followed by his teammate Raleigh Gosling in second at 38:16 and Erikson Moore of Fonders-Laurentides (QC) in third at 39:00.

The NENSA Bag Balm Rollerski series will continue with the NENSA Rossignol Fall Classic in Jericho, VT on October 13 followed by the NENSA Elite Invitational at Trapp Family Lodge on November 3. NENSA will also be announcing details of the Maine Rollerski Cross Festival at Pineland, ME on October 27th this week.

Doubleday results here
Climb to the Castle results here
NENSA Bag Balm Rollerski Series Rankings here

September 19, 2018 (Smithers, B.C.) – Northern BC skiers had a great kick off to their fall dryland training this past weekend when former National Development Team Coach, Eric de Nys, came to Smithers to lead the Teck Regional Fall Dryland Camp.

The camp hosted 29 athletes from communities across the north – from Prince George to Kitimat. Coach Eric spent a lot of time on roller skiing, ski striding techniques and strength training with the older athletes.

The athletes were particularly impressed with his support on a long double-poling session up Eckman hill on the Babine Lake Road – a hill he appeared to have fond memories of! It turned out that Eric grew up racing with the Caledonia Nordic Ski Club of Prince George, and used to train with Smithers athletes often. He is now Head Coach for the Sovereign Lake Nordic Club and Cross Country Ski Academy in Vernon.

The younger athletes may also have some new tender muscles this week – for many this camp was their first time on roller skis.

The camp agenda included a talk on sports nutrition from former Bulkley Valley Cross Country Ski Club (Smithers) racer, Dr. Mallory Quinn. Wow, the circle of cross country skiing is impressive! The Bulkley Valley Cross Country Ski Club has been fortunate this past year to have such high- quality instruction and inspiration come to their community. Last spring Olympic Gold Medalist, Becky Scott, also joined local athletes for a fun day of skiing.

Many thanks to the Bulkley Valley Cross Country Ski Club which contributed many volunteer coaches and the support needed to host this camp. This includes carrying on the tradition of cooking awesome food (thanks to the K. Wilford secret recipe book, which is not so secret).

September 16, 2018 (Wilmington, New York) – Jake Brown (Craftsbury GRP / USBA Dev) topped the men’s field while Tara Geraghty-Moats (USA Nordic) was the fastest woman at the 12th annual NYSEF Climb to the Castle freestyle rollerski race on Sunday.

The grueling 5-mile/8km climb features an average 8% grade up the Memorial Highway to the summit of Whiteface Mountain– New York’s 5th highest peak with an elevation of 4,867 feet. The event is round #3 of the NENSA Bag Balm Rollerski Race Series p/b SkiTrax – links to full results below.

Results (brief)

Overall
1. Jake Brown (Craftsbury GRP / USBA Dev – SR) 35:40.7
2. Raleigh Goessling (Craftsbury GRP – SR) 2:33.9
3. Erikson Moore (Fondeurs-Laurentides – U18) 3:19.6
4. Aidan Kirkham (Nakkertok/Carleton University – U23) 3:45.7
5. Finn Dodgson (Barrie Cross-Country – U20) 6:48.6
6. John Lindfors (Nakkertok Nordique – U20) 7:53.7
7. Ben Milley (Nakkertok – U18) 9:07.3
8. Henry Johnstone (CSU – U18) 9:16.1
9. Aidan Raynorfondeur  (Independent – U16) 9:22.2
10. Tara Geraghty-Moats (USA Nordic – SR) 9:23.0
11. Devin Perry (Castleton University – U23) 9:40.0
12. Sproule Love (Manhattan Nordic Ski Club – M1-4) 9:59.0
13. David Knoop  (Independent – M5-10) 10:14.5
14. Adam Terko (Mansfield Nordic Club – SR) 10:24.1
15. Timothy Cunningham (SLU/EABC – U20) 10:43.0

Women
1. Tara Geraghty-Moats (USA Nordic – SR) 45:03.7
2. Jackie Garso (St. Lawrence University Ski Team – U20) 49:24.1
3. Zoe Williams (Nakkertok – U23) 49:40.6
4. Sheila Kealey (Nakkertok Nordic – M5-10) 50:19.2
5. Quincy Massey-Bierman (Craftsbury/Mansfield – U16) 52:28.9

Men’s results here.
Women’s results here.
Over all results (age group) here.

September 15, 2018 – According to a CBC report, Beckie Scott, Canadian Olympic champion, has resigned from the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) Compliance Review Committee but will stay on as the chair of WADA’s athlete committee. The move comes after that six-person committee recommended on Sept. 14 that the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) be reinstated – read more here.

September 15, 2018 (Lake Placid, New York) – Canada’s Zoe Williams (Nakkertok) and Nicholas Clifford (Carleton) won the Open Women’s and Men’s 3km Prologue interval start at the Lake Placid Doubleday today at round #2 of the NENSA Bag Balm Rollerski Race Series p/b SkiTrax.  Laura Appleby (CSU) won the Junior Women race while Canuck Finn Dodgson (Barrie Cross) took the Junior Men’s Prologue. Up next is the 1.5 kilometer Freestyle preliminary sprint – read more here.

Results

Open Women
1. Zoe Williams (Can) Nakkertok
2. Zoe Pekos (Can) WNDC/BXC
3.  Amy Duclos (USA) SMC
4. Ellen Emers (USA) Saint Michael’s

Open Men
1. Nicholas Clifford (Can) Carleton 3:59.7
2. Josef Iwan (USA) Saratoga Biathlon 4:32.9
3. Jay Hole (USA) 4:55.9
4. Christian Otto (USA) 5:07.0

Junior Women
1.  Laura Appleby (USA) CSU
2. Quincy Massey-Bierman (USA)
3. Shilo Rousseau (Can) Barrie Cross

Junior Men
1. Finn Dodgson (Can) Barrie Cross
2. Timothy Cobb (USA) EABC / Mansfield
3. Henry Johnstone (USA)  CSU

September 14, 2018 – For the third straight year, Central Cross Country Skiing (CXC) took a demo to the vets, setting up a Paralympic Nordic Station for the 32nd annual Hines Veterans Games at the Edward Hines, Jr. Veterans Administration Hospital outside Chicago.

Military Sports Camp
 CXC is recognized by U.S. Paralympics as a Paralympic Sports Club and conducts monthly clinics throughout the year at both the Hines VA Hospital and Jessie Brown VA Hospital in Chicago as well as in Milwaukee and Minneapolis. CXC also assists with the Military Sports Camp and Valor Games in Chicago.

5th Annual Bike Drawing
The funds raised go directly to Central Cross Country Skiing – Adaptive Program to provide opportunities for cross country skiers through organized outreach, as well as providing access to sit-skis.

Once again, Kent Eriksen Cycles will provide a custom designed, hand-crafted, titanium road, cyclocross or hardtail mountain bike frame but with the new name Bingham Built. The winner will be selected at the drawing on November 1st with delivery of the completed bike by June 1, 2019.

PURCHASE A TICKET here

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September 07, 2018 (New Zealand) – Bryan Fogel, the man behind the 2017 documentary Icarus that blew the lid off of the Russian doping scandal, has renewed his call for International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach to resign, stating that this step is the only way for the IOC to regain legitimacy and move past the scandal.

Fogel was in Wellington, New Zealand in late August speaking to sporting bodies on funding issues when, according to local media reports, he spoke to his continued frustration over the IOC two years after the release of the McLaren Report that details the extent of institutionalised doping in Russia leading up to the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

The findings of the McLaren Report confirmed beyond a reasonable doubt what was claimed by Russian scientist Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov in Fogel’s documentary film, namely that Russia put a system in place to protect doped Russian athletes.

In New Zealand, Fogel was speaking about the risks of continued government involvement regulating sporting bodies, and was quoted as saying, “Any time that a national or Government body is policing international sport, there’s a conflict of interest there.”

To date, Russia has still not accepted the findings of the McLaren Report.

New Zealand media report here.

September 05, 2018 (Cardrona, New Zealand) – The USA’s Sophie Caldwell took the win in the 1.1km Freestyle Sprint round two of the Winter Games NZ at the Snow Farm in New Zealand with Ida Sargent in second and Kelsey Phinney in third. American Kevin Bolger topped the men’s field with teammate Benjamin Saxton in second followed by Tomoki Sato from Japan in third. Jessie Diggins did not compete telling Trax, “I’m still in the middle of a huge training camp and with the 42km race three days before the 5km race, I didn’t want to do all three NZ Winter Games races,” said Diggins.

Results

Women
1. Sophie Caldwell (USA)
2. Ida Sargent (USA)
3. Kelsey Phinney (USA)

Full results here.

Men
1. Kevin Bolger (USA)
2. Benjamin Saxton (USA)
3. Tomoki Sato (Jpn)

Full results here.

September 04, 2018 (Anchorage, Alaska) – Calling all Anchorage teen women! Fast and Female next Sunday (September 9), 3:30-5 PM at Alaska Pacific University. Only 50 spots available, so get signed up! Short jog, some mobility, and then a variety of tips and tricks from the @apunordicskiteam women’s team.

Fast and Female POWER HOUR: ANCHORAGE

Fast & Female is proud to present an afternoon of fun and athletic inspiration for girls 14-18!

Join l for an afternoon of fitness and inspiration. Connect with professional athletes, meet other girls interested in sports, and hear about life as an athlete!

WHEN: Sunday, September 9, 2018 from 3:30-5:00pm
WHERE: APU Atwood Center (4101 University Dr.)
WHAT TO BRING: Participants should wear clothes appropriate for outdoor activity and bring a water bottle.
COST: $10. Online registration closes Saturday, September 8 at noon ADT. Day of event registration will be $15. Participation includes a Fast and Female T-Shirt.

Fast and Female more info here.
POWER HOUR Anchorage registration here.

September 03, 2018 (Wanaka, New Zealand) – Team USA’s Jessie Diggins continued her strong start to the season leading an American podium sweep of the women’s 5km FR Interval Start race that kicked of the Winter Games NZ at the Snow Farm in New Zealand.  Sophie Caldwell was second and Caitlin Patterson was third. Kyle Bratrud took the win in the men’s 10km race with Japan’s  Kaichi Naruse second followed by fellow American Benjamin Lustgarten in third.

Unofficial

Women
1. Jessie Diggins (USA)
2. Sophie Caldwell (USA)
3. Caitlin Patterson (USA)

Men
1. Kyle Bratrud (USA)
2. Kaichi Naruse (Jpn)
3. Benjamin Lustgarten (USA)

September 02, 2018 (Jackson, N.H.) – The Board of Directors of the Jackson Ski Touring Foundation (Jackson XC) is pleased to announce the appointment of Ellen Chandler as the organization s Executive Director.

Jackson XC is a community  based non  profit cross  country ski destination with a vast, 150 kilometer, trail network and is known for holding events of regional, national and international importance. Founded in 1972 by local businesses, primarily innkeepers, as an economic stimulus project Jackson XC has become the model for community  based cross country centers around the country.

We are pleased to have Ellen join Jackson XC and bring her ideas and experience from working in the ski industry and community recreation,  said Kevin Killourie, President of Jackson XC s Board of Directors.  Ellen has a passion for cross country skiing that is very evident, and she is committed to building on Jackson s traditions to make the foundation even stronger as we move forward. 

I could not be more happy to be joining Jackson,  said Chandler.  This is the first  official  cross country ski area I ever visited when I was just starting out as a skier, and I have had some of my most memorable ski outings here. There is so much to love about cross country skiing in Jackson and the way the village supports the center, I am eager to be a part of the future of this great touring center. 

There is an element of homecoming for Chandler in this move. Her first job after graduating from Williams College, where she was captain of the ski team, was in public relations at Attitash. Other Mt. Washington Valley employers include Wildcat and the Bretton Woods Nordic Center. Currently she is working at Eastman Community Association, a private residential community with more than 1,100 homes in N.H. s Upper Valley, where she has managed the cross-country ski center and other recreational programs. She is on the board of directors of the New England Ski Museum and the New England Nordic Ski Association.

Chandler will officially start work at Jackson XC on September 17, working with retiring Executive Director Breanne Torrey who will remain with the organization through a transition period.  We are grateful for Breanne s many contributions through her tenure at Jackson,  said Killourie.  Under her stewardship we accomplished many goals including new trail construction and bridge installation projects, extensive work with landowners and local businesses, and hosting the NCAA National Championships. She leaves the organization strong and poised for growth. 

About Jackson Ski Touring Foundation: The Jackson

Ski Touring Foundation is a community Based nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, chartered in 1972 to maintain trails in and around the village of Jackson, NH. The  Foundation  maintains 150 km of trails that are considered by many to be the finest cross   country ski trails in the Eastern United States.

September 01, 2018 (Wanaka, New Zealand) – The U.S. Cross Country Team, currently training at the Snow Farm in New Zealand, started its first race of the season, Sept. 1, at the 24th edition of the Merino Muster, part of the Wolrdloppet race series. Jessie Diggins (Stratton, Vt.) and Simi Hamilton (Aspen, Colo.) took the wins in the 42K race, with Katharine Ogden (Landgrove, Vt.) winning the 21k version.

“I got to ski in a pack for most of the race and it was really fun to throw in a longer race than we ever get to do in the World Cup,” said Diggins after the race.  “Turns out I love the long-distance efforts. The snow was fast, the course was fun, and all the volunteers did a great job.” 

Hamilton was stoked as well. “We pretty much raced in a pack, Kyle, Adam, myself, and two Japanese skiers, for about 97 percent of the race, ” he commented. “It was great to take turns pulling and drafting, and just moving fluidly as a train out there. My skis were running really well the entire race, and I just focused on conserving energy where I could. I was really hoping that it would come down to a sprint finish in the last 0.5k, so I guess I was lucky that it did.”

U.S. Cross Country Team coach Jason Cork summed up the conditions as  super nice – sunny, around freezing, very little wind with nice, fast grooming. “In general, the pace was pretty relaxed for everyone until the end, when it ramped up,” said Cork.

Team Member Katharine Ogden, racing the shorter distance was happy with her form and victory as well. “This was a super fun race! it was awesome to have an opportunity to put on a bib during the offseason, and, we were so lucky to have a perfect bluebird day for it.” 

The Team camp continues at the Snow Farm through September 10 and includes the upcoming Winter Games NZ beginning Tuesday, Sept. 4.

Results Merino Muster .

August 31, 2018 (Lake Placid, NY) – SkiTrax caught up with top Norwegian roller skier, Ludvig Søgnen Jensen, the world’s fastest cross-country skier in the new discipline of Super Sprint racing, following the NENSA Rollerski Tour Celebrity Deathmatch – Jensen vs Newell in Lake Placid, NY, on August 8. Read more about the Celebrity Deathmatch here and the new Bag Balm NENSA Rollerski series launch here.

Was this your first visit to the USA?
Ludvig Søgnen Jensen: No, I’ve been in the states before. I have been in NYC a couple times on vacation, and Washington DC to visit a friend. But this is the first time I got to go outside of that concrete jungle, and spend some time in the “real USA”. It’s been nice to go to some new places and explore New Hampshire, Vermont, New York and Massachusetts.

What about Canada – ever been?
LSJ: Never been, but would love to go though.

Pls give us a brief history of yourself.
LSJ: I’m a 29-year-old skier and student at The Norwegian School of Sports Science. I grew up in Oslo and started skiing at the local track when I was about three years old (and maybe with my family even before). I did all distances growing up, but desided to become a sprinter. In 2013 I got a wild-card for the Super Sprint at the Bislet stadium in Oslo and won the race. I beat [Petter] Northug, [Federico] Pellegrino, [Andy] Newell and other big names in that race. Then I got the opportunity to represent Team Jobzone, a private sprint team in Norway, and traveled around Europe to compete in the Super Sprint distances (100m in winter, and normally 200m rollerski in summer). I haven’t lost one 100m Super Sprint on snow since 2013.

How big is rollerskiing vs XC skiing in Norway?
LSJ: XC skiing is bigger, it’s the most popular sport in Norway. But lots of skiers use rollers to train for the winter season. Now we have the FIS Rollerski World Cup, and other big events like the Blink Skifestival, Alliansloppet and Toppidrettsveka which attracts the media, top skiers (including the USA and Canada) and spectators. Canada’s Alex Harvey was recently 2nd and 5th at Toppidrettsveka 2018.

Tell us about any special training you do?
LSJ: I do a lot of sprinting, both winter and summer. I rest longer in between reps and sets compared to distance racers, and I lift more weights in the gym. A normal sprint session is about 15-20 sprints with about 3-5 min rest in between.

What motivated you to concentrate or excel in roller-skiing?
LSJ: I focus even more on the winter season, but I do both. The reason is that there is not so many Super Sprint events (100-200m), so I like to be able to compete. And in the summer I get to work on stuff for the winter.

What were your impressions of the roller-skiing scene in the USA?
LSJ: I like to look at rollerski and xc skiers as the same group, and I was definitely impressed with how many good young skiers there are in the States. I was at the USA U16 National camp in Lake Placid, and got to sprint with the girls and it was a lot of fun. Hopefully (and I believe) you’ll have a new Kikkan [Randall] or Jessie [Diggins] coming up soon.

How was the Celebrity Deathmatch against Andy Newell ?
LSJ: That was so much fun. I’ve always looked up to Newell as one of the best skiers in the world, and I used to watch film clips of him when I was younger. He has been a huge inspiration. He beat me in the agility race, and I got the win in the 100m, as expected.

We saw some skills / training videos that were impressive – is it similar in Norway?
LSJ: The agility course was so “cool”. We don’t have that in Norway, but I might bring the idea with me. I think it’s a good way for the kids (and pros) to train and practice the basic stuff – and it was a lot of fun at the same time. It was amazing to see how Newell and some of the younger boys and girls, went down that track.

What’s the biggest race you’ve competed in?
LSJ: I’ve been doing a lot of Super Sprints in the last few years. The one in Oslo in 2013 was pretty cool. It was live on TV with 10,000 spectators and a lot of world-class skiers. I also did a competiton in Östersund, Sweden last year that was pretty big. I’ve been competing in countries such as Sweden, Korea, Italy, France, Germany, Estonia, Finland and others, and I hope to do a competition in USA in this winter.

Do you get nervous before big competitions… and how do you handle it?
LSJ: I do during the days before. But come race-day I get my nerves in order and just think about doing the right thing. I focus my thoughts on the technical stuff, and about beating the other guys.

What’s coming up on your schedule?
LSJ: I am going to Sweden for an upcoming rollerski competition called the Alliansloppet – it’s the world’s largest, and is pretty cool. And then there’s a World Cup race in Italy in September, before I leave for a couple of training camps. The winter season kicks off around November 1st, so I’ve got to be ready.

Any other comments to add?
LSJ: Been such a great time in the US. I’ve got to thank NENSA, and Justin Beckwith for inviting me. I have had so much fun, and it has been cool to meet all those young skiers. I really wish the best for the US Ski Team. Hope to be back soon, and maybe for a Super Sprint on snow. That vould be awesome! Follow me on Instagram if you want to see what I am up to @Luddeyo.

Thanks for your time and all the best this coming season.
LSJ: Thanks

August 31, 2018 (Quebec City, QC) – Laval University’s Montmorency Forest, the world’s largest research and teaching forest, makes headlines once again this year with its famous Boreal Glide! Skiing begins here on October 26th, exclusive in Northeastern North America!

For the fifth year, our technical team has prepared thousands of cubic meters of artificial snow and stored it under tons of wood chips throughout the summer. Our artificial snow reserve, under production since February 2018, has been monitored and cared for daily by our maintenance team. Result: we will be able to cover a ski run of between 2 kilometres starting October 26! To maximize the quality of the snow and permit skiing until the arrival of natural snow, snow cannons will also contribute to snow production.

The Boreal Glide is now part of the Quebec City region’s winter destination activities, welcoming, in addition to cross-country ski lovers, hundreds of skiers from American and Canadian university programs and ski clubs of all caliber to prepare their season. Tracks are not only opened to athletes, but to enthusiasts of all calibres!

In order to take full advantage of the resources, our lodge can welcome 150 visitors and provides fireplace-equipped lounges, entertainment theatres, classrooms and a cafeteria serving a varied menu with a boreal flavour!

You can reserve now for your colleagues and yourself: info@foretmontmorency.ca or 418-656-2034.

August 24, 2018 (Aure, Norway) – Canada’s Alex Harvey followed up his second-place result on the opening day with a 5th place finish in the men’s 24km Classic mass start race at the 2018 Toppidrettsveka international Rollerski competition. The event held over three days with four races attracted a variety of talent including athletes from the FIS World Cup along with rollerski-specific racers.

The race was part of a month-long training camp for Harvey in Trondheim, Norway which included a visit to the Institute of Sport at the University of Oslo. “The goal was to challenge myself at every workout and get out of my comfort zone. Many of my teammates with experience who were better able to push me during workouts have retired. The Canadian team is made up of a new wave of young people in development. I had to look elsewhere for a higher level,” Harvey told La Presse.

Harvey was 37th in the 1.5 km sprint and did not advance. He wrapped up the event with a 10th-place finish in the 15km Pursuit. “There were more than 100 athletes on the start lines. I had never experienced that. At first, I skied a little tense because I was afraid of falling,” he added but adapted quickly. “We used this event as a block of intensity. Roller skiing is a lot less technical than cross-country skiing but the muscles work the same way and it keeps you fit – I’m happy with my results.”

Mass Start Classic – 24km

Women here.
Men here.

August 22, 2018 (Villach, Austria) – In the second of three Nordic Combined Summer Grand Prix events, the USA’s Ben Loomis finished 18th in the Gundersen NH HS98/10.0 Km competition at Villach in Austria. Summer GP events are the equivalent to winter World Cup races.Loomis, 20, from Eau Claire, WI, with the Flying Eagles Ski Club, leads his team of US Nordic Combined young guns, including Jasper Good and Jared Shumate, in personal best scores. Shumate had a career-best result at only the second Summer Grand Prix competition of his career while Villach marks the second event for Loomis and Good to both score Summer GP points – Good was 23rd and Shumate was 33rd.

“It’s great to see him consistently improving,” said USA Nordic Team Director, Clint Jones, regarding Loomis’ finish. “These events are a good barometer to see where we’re at as we approach the winter competition schedule. Ben has put a lot of focused energy into his training and for it to be paying off is exciting.”

August 21, 2018 – The long distance ski championship Visma Ski Classics consist of 12 events all around Europe. The tour continues to invest in making more female skiers joining Pro Teams and competing for the points. Upcoming season two new rules are implemented, firstly all Pro Teams must have skiers of both genders in order to get a Pro Team license to register in the Tour. Secondly, the tour removes the rule that skiers must finish within 20% of the winning time in order to get points.

In front of the upcoming Season IX Visma Ski Classics continue its focus to increase the amount of female athletes in the tour. 30 Pro Teams compete for Individual- and Pro Team points as well as the color bibs, each Pro Team may consist of 4-10 athletes. Previous season in total 232 Pro Team athletes where registered of which 179 where male and 53 female. The ambition is to narrow the gap between the genders.

“Long distance skiing is unique as a professional sport having male and female skiers in the same Pro Teams, on the same start lines, doing the same distances in combined TV productions. This fact is something we are very proud of but it also give the sport a lot of extra interest and excitement. Our female stars such as Swedish Britta Johansson Norgren, Czech Katerina Smutna, Polish Justyna Kowalczyk and Japanese Masako Ishida all are great role-models and idols in their home countries, increasing not only the interest in the Tour but our female stars are also important heroes for young girls starting to train cross country skiing in general instead of another sport or free time activity.” Says David Nilsson, CEO Ski Classics. He continues: “When we started to develop Visma Ski Classics about ten years ago there were only a handful of female skiers doing the events, and we are of course happy to se the strong increase to over 50, but we are not satisfied with that, we still can do more catalyse the interest from female skiers.

In the beginning we also introduced the same prize money to the winners of both genders, however the amount of male skiers getting prizemoney were more in order to be fair also towards the male skiers. Then we introduced that Pro Teams may calculate two male athletes and one female athlete in the Pro Team competition, even if the ratio between the genders on the start line  differed much more. Two seasons ago we introduced the green sprint bib also in the female competition. All color bibs; Yellow champion, Pink youth, Green Sprint and Lumber Jack patterned Climb being handed out for both male and female athletes.

Now we introduce a rule that all Pro Teams must consist of both male and female skiers in order to be able to receive a license to collect points in the tour, and becoming an official Pro Team in Visma Ski Classics. We now also delete a former rule stating that you need to finish within 20% of the winning time of the winner in your gender in order to collect Pro Team points, making it more interesting for the Pro Teams to invest in young female athletes.

It is for all of us working with Visma Ski Classics obvious and natural to work in order to increase the numbers of female athletes and decrease the gap between the amount of athletes from each gender. I truly believe that investing in the female competition will increase the interest in our product and inflate the relevance for as well our sponsor and media partners, but also for the partners of the Pro Teams and our Events.

I hence challenge all young female skiers to start training for long distance skiing, the Pro Teams to sign up more female athletes and the Events to do more to increase the interest for the female skiers on their start lines, after all we live in 2018…” David Nilsson CEO Visma Ski Classics

August 20, 2018 (Oberwiesenthal, GER) – American Tara Geraghty-Moats made history winning her first, and the USA’s first, women’s Nordic Combined event at the inaugural Summer Grand Prix in Oberwiesenthal, Germany on Aug. 19. Once a again Geraghty-Moats, 25, was the fasted skier and dominated the Gundersen, HS 106, 4.5 Km competition.

“I had never jumped here before or competed in Nordic Combined here before,” commented Geraghty-Moats, who claimed her second consecutive podium. “The second day I feel like everything came together. I felt much more on top of things on the ski jump and was rewarded with a little bit easier of a ski so I didn’t have to fight so hard to be on the podium.” From West Fairlee, VT, the talented Geraghty-Moats skis out of the New York Ski Education Foundation (NYSEF) Club.

Geraghty-Moats dominates, Rydzek sprints in Oberwiesenthal
FIS Nordic Combined Report

The Ladies’ event ended with a dominating win for yesterday’s second-placed American Tara Geraghty-Moats. In the men’s competition, Johannes Rydzek had to fight until the last metre to keep Austria’s Mario Seidl off his back.

Draw in the overall SGP rankings
Tara Geraghty-Moats took the win in the second Ladies’ Individual Gundersen event in Oberwiesenthal. The American showed her cross-country prowess after a good jump and ended her race one minute and 14 seconds ahead of Russia’s Stefaniya Nadymova. Jenny Nowak finished third again, +1:29.2 after the American.

The jumping event shook yesterday’s ranking up quite a bit with Germany’s Jenny Nowak taking a narrow lead over Geraghty-Moats (94.5 m) and Lisa Hirner (95 m), who shared the second intermediate position with 106.1 points each. This meant a four-second delay on Nowak, who had shown 96 metres (107.1 p.).

In the race, Geraghty-Moats was never in any real danger of losing the victory after she left Hirner, Nadymova and Nowak behind in the first lap of the race. The Russian and the German skied together for most of the second round but going out on the third lap, Nadymova emerged as the stronger roller-skier and put some distance between her and the local hero. Even though beaten, Nowak did not give up and finished the race just 15 seconds after Nadymova.

In the overall ranking, this meant a draw between Geragthy-Moats and Nadymova who both ended the short summer series with a victory and a second place. With 180 points each, the American and the Russian split the honours. Jenny Nowak ended the summer on rank three with a total of 120 points.

Close call in the men’s competition
Johannes Rydzek and Mario Seidl fought until the last metres but in the end, the German celebrated the first individual victory of the summer 2018. Only 0.3 seconds separated the German and the Austrian at the finish line. Local hero Eric Frenzel had the crowd roaring for his third place, +0:24 seconds behind his teammate.

Franz-Josef Rehrl repeated his amazing jumping performance of the previous day and had a narrow lead of 2 seconds going out in the track after landing at 99 metres (120.2 p.). Eric Frenzel followed suit and with a jump that was finally on the level the German superstar appreciated. He also jumped 99 metres and with only 0.1 points less, he also started two seconds after the leader.

In the race, a foursome consisting of Johannes Rydzek, Franz-Josef Rehrl, Mario Seidl and Eric Frenzel took charge of things right from the start and the group was only split up in the second half of the race when Franz-Josef Rehrl and Eric Frenzel slowly lost contact to Seidl and Rydzek.

The Austrian and the German, however, showed no signs of stopping and so a finish line sprint had to decide the winner. In the end, Rydzek was the stronger one, as was teammate Frenzel, who beat Franz-Josef Rehrl by a good ten seconds in the end.

The men’s Summer Grand Prix series continues in Villach with one event on Wednesday.

Women’s results here.
Men’s results here.

Women’s Standings here.

August 19, 2018 (Knyken, NOR) – Canada’s Alex Harvey was a very close second in the men’s Skiathlon Rollerski race, a mere 0.6 sec from victory on Day One, as the Toppidrettsveka 2018 got underway in Norway on Aug. 16. The 6-lap 27.5km  classic/skate race from Orkdal to Knyken was won by Roman Furger (Sui) with Simen Hegstad Krueger (Nor) in third. Other Canuck results included Evan Palmer-Charrette in 75th, Bob Thompson in 84th and Scott Hill finished 89th. Heidi Weng (Nor) won the women’s event.

Women’s results here.
Men’s results here.

August 18, 2018 (Oberwiesenthal, GER) – The USA’s Tara Geraghty-Moats, 25, landed second on the podium at the first-ever women’s Nordic Combined Summer Grand Prix held today in Oberwiesenthal, Germany. Geraghty-Moats, from West Fairlee, VT, was the fasted skier and closed within 1:10 to winner Stefaniya Nadymova from Russia, who won the Gundersen, HS 106, 4.5 Km event.

“It was a dream come true to finally be able to compete in women’s nordic combined on an international level,” said Geraghty-Moats about her placing. “I’m using this weekend to learn the level I have to be at to have success in combined. I made some mistakes today and learned a lot but I came away with a good result and having had a huge amount of fun competing with small but strong field.”

Nadymova and Seidl/Rehrl take Summer Grand Prix Victories
FIS Nordic Combined Report

Russia’s Stefaniya Nadymova added another first victory to her merit list and Franz-Josef Rehrl and Mario Seidl from Austria began their competition summer 2018 in the best of ways. While Nadymova stepped on top of the podium in the inaugural Ladies’ Nordic Combined summer event (she also won the first-ever Ladies’ Contentinal Cup overall ranking last winter), Seidl and Rehrl won the Team Sprint in Oberwiesenthal.

Nadymova stepped up her game on the jumping hill after having been beaten by young Austrian Lisa Hirner in the PCR yesterday. Today, Nadymova prevailed with 93.5 metres (102 p.) and gained an 8-second lead on Hirner, who landed at 97 metres (99.9 p.). Local hero Jenny Nowak claimed the intermediate third position with 93 metres and 97.8 metres. She had 17 seconds to make up on the track.

In the race, the Russian fought hard to retain her lead on the 4.5 km track and in the end, her persistence paid off. Even though Tara Geraghty-Moats stormed through the field, three seconds separated the Russian and the American at the finish line. With 11.11.4 minutes, Geraghty-Moats was the fasted skier on the track and closed a one minute and ten second gap to Nadymova.

Jenny Nowak delighted the audience with the third place and received frenetic applause by the numerous spectators when the crossed the finish line 50.3 seconds after Nadymova.

On the men’s side, the Japanese brother duo Akito and Yoshito Watabe delighted with two jumps of 98 and 99 metres and took the intermediate lead in the jumping part of the event with a total of 233.7 points. Franz-Josef Rehrl and Mario Seidl followed closely with a time disadvantage of only three seconds after showing 97 and 99.5 metres (232 p.). Terence Weber of Team Germany III showed the longest jump of the day with 101 metres and together with Manuel Faißt’s 97 metres, the German duo started ten second behind the Japanese leaders.

The race was the expected tight and action packed affair with a trio of teams leading the race for the first part until Akito Watabe suffered a broken pole and a gap opened up to Franz-Josef Rehrl and Terence Weber that also his brother Yoshito could not close on his laps anymore. While teams Austria I and Germany III stayed together until a fabulous last lap by Mario Seidl made the day for the Austrians.

Behind the two teams a large group batted for the places and ultimately, the brothers Watabe were swallowed by this large group. Johannes Rydzek finished best and put the  Skiclub Oberstdorf team together on rank three.

RESULTS
Official Results Ladies here.
Official Results Men here.

August 16, 2018 (Lake Placid, NY) – Check out this great video of the “Celebrity Duel” Super-Sprint between the fastest rollerskier in the world, Ludvig Sognen Jensen from Norway, and US sprint king and former national cross-country sprint champion, Andy Newell. The event was held at the U16 national training camp in Lake Placid, NY and kicked off NENSA’s rollerski tour and 2018 Bag Balm Rollerski Race Series – read more here.

August 15, 2018 (Fayston, Vermont) – NENSA’s 2018 Bag Balm App Gap Challenge held on on Aug. 11 was an absolute success with almost 120 finishers – doubling the 2017 field. Held in a Pursuit-style format, the racers tackled the steep slopes of Vermont’s toughest climb, beginning with skating and then transitioning to Classic style mid-race.

The women’s field battled the 5km course and during their skate leg it was a tight race between Caitlin Patterson (Craftsbury GRP) and Ida Sargent, with the top four only separated by nine seconds at the transition.

In the end it was Patterson who would smash the second half of the climb during the Classic leg, pulling out an advantage of 45 seconds over Sargent to take the overall win. Katherine Ogden (Dartmouth/SMS T) was third and Sophie Caldwell (SMS T2) finished 4th. Rena Swartz of GMVS demolished the Junior Women’s field winning by over a minute over second-placed Alexandra Lawson (Middlebury/CRAF) with Callie Young (Craftsbury Nordic) 3rd .

For the 7km men’s event, Kyle Bratrud of SMS T2 had the fastest skate leg and never looked back, finishing with a time of 25:44. Adam Martin (Craftsbury GRP) had the second best time, finishing just under a minute behind in 26:40. Lewis Nottonson (Middlebury) was third. Elliot Ketchel of GMVS took the Junior Men’s event over teammate Joshua Valentine with Craftsbury Nordic’s Finn Sweet in third. Joel Bradley of Ford Sayre won the men’s 30+ category.

Bratrud and Patterson each won $100 respectively for breaking the course record. NENSA thanks all the athletes, volunteers and sponsors who stepped up once again to make this event and the series a success.

The 5-stop 2018 Bag Balm Rollerski Race Series will continue on the Sept. 15-16 weekend with the NYSEF Challenge (3km prologue followed by 1.5km Sprint) and the legendary Climb to the Castle race on day two.

Senior athletes will also vying for a cash purse graciously provided by Marty and Kathy Hall. There are five races in the 2018 NENSA Rollerski Race Series. Athletes (senior only) will be ranked by their best 3 of 5 placements, with both male and female competitors vying $500 (1st), $300 (2nd), $200 (3rd). Juniors will receive recognition and prizes. The Marty Hall College Cup will be awarded to the college team that accumulates the most points over the course of the series – more on rules, prizing and awards here.

The Series wraps up this fall with the NENSA Elite Invitational at Trapp Family Lodge on Nov. 3 and features a $1,000 cash purse for the overall winners. Check out the interviews below with Patterson, Sargent, Caldwell and Simi Hamilton.

2018 Bag Balm Rollerski Race Series
Aug 11 – App Gap Challenge
Sept 15 – Lake Placid Doubleday
Sept 16 – Climb to the Castle
Oct 13 – NENSA Fall Rollerski Classic
Nov 3 – NENSA Elite Invitational

App Gap Challenge Results
By class here.
Overall here.
With both laps here.

2018 Bag Balm Rollerski Race Series registration and info here.

Caitlin Patterson Interview
https://reesebrown.smugmug.com/USST/Roller-Ski-Summer-2018/NENSA-App-Gap-81118/i-qm4m27r/A

Ida Sargent Interview
https://reesebrown.smugmug.com/USST/Roller-Ski-Summer-2018/NENSA-App-Gap-81118/i-QZ2FXN8/A

Sophie Caldwell Interview
https://reesebrown.smugmug.com/USST/Roller-Ski-Summer-2018/NENSA-App-Gap-81118/i-GVrSzgB/A

Simi Hamilton Interview
https://reesebrown.smugmug.com/USST/Roller-Ski-Summer-2018/NENSA-App-Gap-81118/i-jT67tPH/A

August 14, 2018 (Lake Placid, NY) – A celebrity match-up between the fastest rollerskier in the world, Ludvig Sognen Jensen from Norway, and former US national cross-country sprint champion, Andy Newell, was part of a successful summer kick-off rollerski tour for the New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) – more on new rollerski tour here.

Jensen arrived in Boston on August 6 to begin a full week of events that included a stop at the U16 national camp in Lake Placid, NY followed by the “Celebrity Deathmatch” against Newell. The challenge consisted of a 100-meter sprint race, known as a “Super-Sprint” event that has not yet been adopted by FIS, but has been growing dramatically in Europe. Jensen has been pioneering the discipline from the beginning when it was typically held as a “show” event. More recently, Super-Sprints have been attracting large crowds and sponsors due to its popular format. Jensen currently holds the world record at 11.03 seconds.

His challenger was American sprint star, Andy Newell, who has been racing since 2001 and is a four-time Olympian. Newell has been on the US national team for 14 years, has three FIS World Cup sprint podiums to his name, raced to 4th overall in the men’s Sprint Cup back in 2010 and achieved a career-best 5th at the FIS Nordic Worlds in 2007. He’s trying a new approach this season and will spend more time in the US working with Juniors and developing his new coaching business, Nordic Team Solutions, and will race at select World Cups with a focus on the World Championships – check out the interview below.

On August 8 the duo took to the start line for the Celebrity Deathmatch as Jensen powered off the gun to take the win in an explosive time of 11.69 with Newell crossing the line a mere 0.41 seconds behind.

A few U16’s also got to challenge the ‘fastest sprinter in the world’ with Quin Massey-Bireman winning the female division and Will Koch taking home the U16 men’s title, with a sub 13-second time.

Jensen continued his tour on August 10 setting up a NASTAR like course in Burlington, Vermont and was the guest of honour at the recent App Gap Challenge roller ski race (report and photos to follow).

Results here.

Check out this cool interview with and Andy Newell on his plans going forward and new approach to the 2018/19 season that lies ahead.

August 13, 2018 (Kremmling, CO) – Latigo Ranch, about 27.2km (17 miles) northwest of Kremmling in Colorado, has been ordered by the Grand County Sheriff’s Office to evacuate due to the raging Silver Creek Fire (near Gore Mountain in Routt National Forest) which has greatly increased in smoke coverage reports the Sky Hi News and the Steamboat Pilot Today. More that 200 crews are battling the fire that is threatening the popular cross-country skiing destination on Grand County Road 1911, just a little more than one mile away from the blaze. “We’re on high alert,” said Latigo owners Randy and Lisa George. The fire began July 19 and was caused by lightning according to reports – read more here and here.

August 12, 2018 (Sjusjøen, Norway) – The Norwegian Ski Association’s annual open Equinor International Junior Camp for Cross-Country Skiing is underway in Sjusjøen. Now in its eighth edition, the camp registered a participation record with a total of 186 athletes and coaches present from 20 nations, from Armenia to the USA.

 The programme of the camp comprises 2-phase training with roller skiing, running, strength training and agility sessions. Besides physical activity, young athletes will have an opportunity to meet Norway’s national team stars Ragnhild Haga and Johannes Høsflot Klæbo. Coaches can benefit from discussions and sharing of experience in evening seminar sessions. All participants live and eat together, staying in cabins in Sjusjsøen. An afternoon full of social activities is also part of the programme.

The aim of the camp is to give junior athletes from many nations knowledge about training, exchange experiences through exercise and compete together in a friendly way. For the coaches, the aim is to pass on knowledge about each nation’s training philosophies, development skills and to get to know each other.

“The goal of the camp is that nations will learn from each other and make each other better, and thus will contribute to the development of Cross-Country sport also outside the Nordic region,” says Brit Baldishol, who is responsible for development in Nordic skiing in the Norwegian Ski Association and has organised the training camp.

August 10, 2018 – This summer Biathlon Canada announced that Pavel Lantsov will support National Team Head Coach, Matthias Ahrens, in developing and leading their Senior National Team. Pavel is a well-rounded biathlon coach with particular expertise is shooting.

Originally from Chita, Russia, Pavel has 18 years overall coaching experience including the last 7 years with the Russian National Biathlon Team. Prior to that, he spent 9 years as a coach and instructor at a Biathlon Specific Sport School in Zabaykalsky Krai, Russia. His successes include training both women and men to Olympic, World Cup, World and European Championships medals. It is this knowledge of winning that he is excited to share with our athletes.

Pavel education includes a Master’s degree in Management and a Bachelors degree in Physical Training and Sport. As a leader in promoting clean sport, Biathlon Canada performed a review with WADA to confirm that Pavel has never been implicated or under investigation relating to athlete doping.

Pavel is married and hopes to bring his wife to beautiful Canmore in the new year. Pavel will start full-time with the National Team in July.

Biathlon Canada is also pleased to announce that Roddy Ward has taken up the newly created position of Long Term Athlete Development Director. This exciting new position will focus on creating and implementing well defined development pathways for athletes to progress from club level competitions through to the U20 and U24 National Teams and ultimately the Senior National Team. Roddy brings a wealth of experience as a Biathlon Canada Senior National Team Coach and High Performance Director to this role, and with Roddy working together with Jacquelin Akerman, our Coach and Athlete Development Manager, we anticipate a steady flow of strong and competitive athletes to emerge from this program.

With these new additions to our team and the expanded focus on developing our athlete pool, Biathlon Canada is excited and optimistic about the future of our sport.

August 06, 2018 (Rumford, Maine) – On July 27 a Celebration of the Life and tribute was held at Black Mountain Lodge for legendary Nordic ski pioneer, leader and icon, Wendell “Chummy” Broomhall, who passed away this past December.

Broomhall’s extraordinary life and amazing legacy for the sport he loved was extolled as his friend and Olympic announcer, sportscaster and commentator, Peter Graves, gave the eulogy at the event attended by several hundred guests who came to honour Chummy, the kind and passionate coach, innovator and mentor who touched so many during his lifetime.

Chisholm Ski Club Member/Volunteer and Chaplain, Doug Dunlap, served as the minister with Chummy’s grandchildren on hand to sing in his honor. A military honor guard recognized Chummy’s service to his country as a member of the 10th Mountain Division as friends and family reminisced about the life of this great man.

Broomhall’s career was captured in Graves article the “Amazing Legacy of Chummy Broomhall” in SkiTrax’s recent Spring edition and appears below as recognition of one of the truly great legends of the sport.

Amazing Legacy of Chummy Broomhall
Inspirational Pioneer and Leader

by Peter Graves

This past December, the amazing Chummy Broomhall celebrated his 98th birthday surrounded by family and friends. It was a special, loving time. Not many are given the gift of longevity, and he appreciated that he had lived a good, rich life. On Dec. 30, 2017, he passed away quietly and at peace.

Mention the name Chummy Broomhall and most Nordic folk might call him a legendary Olympian, coach, innovator and icon. Throughout his 98 years, he was all these things and more. I was first introduced to Chummy in the late 1960’s by my high-school coach Bucky Broomhall, his brother (the entire Broomhall family is a pleasure to know).

I visited Chummy again this past summer to interview him about his extraordinary life where he lived for a time at the Maine Veterans’ Home, a quiet and peaceful refuge in South Paris, Maine. His son Scott, a lifelong friend of mine, accompanied me. Time had marched on and Chummy’s skiing days were behind him, though he was still rather active last July, taking part in any social event on his calendar. This past summer, he was the oldest veteran there. And he was loved and respected by all.

His words and his kind eyes brought me back to an earlier time. In many ways, he was a high-profile personality, though not because he wanted to be. In fact, his quiet, self-sufficient manner suggested that he was such only in service to his love of Nordic skiing. He told me that cross-country skiing had given him so much that he always felt the need to give back in return. And during his long life, return the favour he did, and Nordic skiing is so much richer for it. His many lifelong accomplishments are simply too extraordinary to ignore.

Born Wendall Broomhall on Dec. 3, 1919 in Mexico, Maine, Chummy was the middle child of 15 siblings. He grew up on a farmstead, riding horses and learning the value of work, cleaning out horse stalls as a young child. In his youth, he worked hard as well, spending much of his time as a logger.

To the origin of his nickname, he revealed, “I was first called Chubby because I was a chubby kid, but as I thinned out, the kids changed it to Chummy.” To my mind, Chummy suited him perfectly.

When Uncle Sam called for men to enlist to fight the Nazis, Chummy was right there, along with his brother Slim. Chummy said he’d envisioned a military career as a pilot, but that dream was dashed due to poor eyesight in one eye. He joined the U.S. Army, as did Slim, and they headed to the new fighting outfit that specialized in winter warfare – the fabled 10th Mountain Division, located high in the Rockies at Cape Hale, Colo.

“It was,” as son Scott recalled, “the beginning of his love affair with winter and skiing.”

The brothers were both expert skiers and racers, so joining this particular outfit made plenty of sense. Chummy told me he wanted to be an ordinary soldier, but the fate would have none of that. He became one of the lead ski instructors for the unit. He and his brother played important roles in key campaigns, including in heavy fighting at Monte Cassino in Italy and on the Aleutian Islands in Alaskan territory.

One of several tough campaigns that Chummy took part in and clearly recalled was during the latter stages of World War Two, a 123-day siege against heavily fortified German troops deep in the mountain peaks and ridges around Monte Cassino. The series of four assaults by Allied troops commenced on Jan. 17, 1944. “Digging foxholes in that kind of terrain was simply out of the question; it was too rocky,” he noted.

After the war, Chummy returned home and married the love of his life, Lempi Torkko, in her hometown of Ashland, Wis. on Nov. 17, 1945, and theirs was a beautiful 60-year partnership filled with love and blessed with three children. Lempi passed away in May 2006.

Chummy was also a member of the US Ski Team from 1947-1954. He made the U.S. Olympic team in 1948 and again in 1952. At the 1948 Olympic Games, he was the only “special runner” included on the squad, with the remainder of the team comprised of Nordic-combined athletes. In Oslo, Norway in 1952, among his teammates were noted skiers John Burton, Tom Jacobs, Johnny Caldwell and George Hovland.

A lack of snow for the U.S.-hosted 1950 FIS World Nordic Championships in Lake Placid, N.Y. saw the event moved to Rumford, Maine on little notice. Snow-drenched Rumford came to the rescue, as it had done before, it being in a natural snowbelt. The opening ceremony for all events was conducted in Lake Placid, then athletes and coaches jumped into their vehicles and drove to Rumford for the Championships’ Feb. 3 start.

Though Chummy on was the National team for the event, he and the Rumford community proved indispensable. “It was the legendary things he did that really drew me to him,” said Andy Shepard, current president and CEO of the Outdoor Sport Institute. “I mean, what he did was simply unbelievable. Chummy rallied the Rumford community to take on this event in 1950, and he was on the National team at that time.

He took a lead role in organizing the event, laying out the course and recruiting volunteers to run the races. He even pre-ran the course to set in the track before putting on his own racing bib and competing. It’s hard for me to imagine any athlete doing more to compromise his own chance at success in a World Championships, but Chummy did it because he knew it would be good for his town. That’s what Chummy is made of, and why I’ve grown to love this man so much,” Shepard said last summer.

It proved to be a Rumford miracle. The timing crews relocated from Lake Placid to Rumford, but the rest of the team was organized locally. It was a moving example of a small town with a “can do” spirit under one man’s leadership. Some trails were cut only the week before in a backbreaking effort to have an 18-kilometre loop. The races began in front of the high school, with some of the track (no longer in existence) following the now-well-traveled Route 2.

There were four days of racing with nine nations attending and an estimated crowd of approximately 2,000 each day. As a small token of their appreciation, the Swedish team donated 50 pairs of racing skis to Rumford’s famed Chisholm Ski Club (one of the nation’s oldest ski clubs), which helped to energize its already growing youth program.

In the spring of 1959, the head of the 1960 Squaw Valley Olympic Winter Games, Alex Cushing, hired Chummy to serve as Chief of Events for cross-country and for the first-time Olympic appearance of biathlon. It was to be a two-year Californian gig. He gave up a good job at Hood Diary, as, once again, the Olympics served as a siren song enticing him westward.

There, he teamed up with a dear friend, Al Merrill, who was Dartmouth College’s ski coach. The two Maine natives proved instrumental in developing new trail-grooming technologies, used for the first time in cross-country skiing at the Olympic Games.

The courses were rolled with farm equipment, which proved a massive timesaver, enchanting the gathered European throng. By every measure, the Games were a huge success and put Squaw Valley on the map. Walt Disney’s creative expertise was reflected in his choreographing the opening ceremonies and IBM undertook the data-processing, all culminating in vast display of American ingenuity.

At Squaw Valley, famed Swedish champion Sixten Jernberg gave Chummy a pair of his skis, a deeply personal gift and a token of his friendship. Chummy was thrilled, but, sadly, the skis were later stolen. He still recalled these events many years on.

Merrill and Chummy’s collective imagination and Yankee practicality spurred some magical, innovative thinking that went on to change Nordic skiing. Chummy changed it by not only being an impactful organizer and athlete, but also by being a coach and mentor.

A graduate of Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colo. and a former All-American and Olympian in Nordic-combined, Jimmy Miller, also a native of Mexico, Maine, recalled that Chummy could communicate without saying much, and was, most of all, a nurturing coach. “Chummy always made you feel special. It didn’t matter how much talent you had. He taught us you never give up, no matter what happens in a race. I loved it when he said that it’s not your equipment that makes you fast, but your heart. He was always present in our lives, whether it was when making tracks and trails or through his excellent coaching.”

Miller was just one of legions of Chummy fans around the country. He noted that Chummy had unique qualities that are in short supply these days: “First, he mined the goodness and talent of people, and loved them like his own. He has the magical power to make you feel special. He had respect for the sport, and people had a respect for him that was legendary and universal. Athletes and people were just attracted to him. He also encouraged us to set lofty goals and go after them.”

In 1980, the Olympic Winter Games again came calling for Chummy’s vast expertise. Working alongside his friend Merrill, both previously battle-tested by the 1960 Olympic Winter Games, he was ready to do it all again. This time, Merrill was Chief of Race and Chummy served as Chief of Course, a swap of roles of their Squaw Valley days.

Once again, the pair inspired hundreds of dedicated volunteers. They also relied on innovation and snow-farming techniques, showing their ingenuity by having snow hauled from a huge pile at the biathlon centre to the cross-country-ski trails across the street and using manure spreaders to distribute it. The small village of Lake Placid again hosted the Winter Games, and the course crew did the near-impossible, making a world-class impression along the way.

In 1981, Chummy was inducted into the U.S. Ski Hall of Fame in recognition of his lifelong achievements in ski sport.

Chummy inspired generations to serve the sport he loved. He was generous too, over the years donating approximately 300 acres of land for the trail network at Maine’s Black Mountain. He loved his volunteers and treated each one like gold, and they would go to the ends of the earth and back for Chummy to make a race happen.

Another who knew Chummy well was Dan Warner, a longtime official and volunteer at Chummy’s famed Chisholm Ski Club. “Chummy was many things, but, above all, he was a mentor, and I was lucky enough to have him play a huge role in my younger years of becoming a race official. He did that for everyone,” Warner, a former International Ski Federation technical delegate and Olympic official, recalled. “He always told me to surround myself with great, talented people, and now, when folks ask why I officiate races, I say that Chummy did it for me, so I’m happy to do it for the skiers of today. Chummy motivated me to do my best.”

Even as recently as 2002, he was at it again, this time serving as an honorary volunteer at the Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. In 2003, Chummy was inducted into the Maine Ski Hall of Fame.

Again, the words of Miller, whose late brother Pat Miller, a former University of Utah head coach, also grew up alongside Chummy and shared a deep affection for him: “You know, Chummy had an OldWorld love of sport about him. He had the ‘it’ factor. He taught us all by example how you take care of, with love and attention, your family, your ski club and your friends. Chummy taught the world of skiing that, with love of the sport and care of mankind, anything is possible.”

No greater words are needed, no tribute more sincere, all for a man who played a major role in helping Nordic skiing grow and flourish. A true lion of winter sport has passed, and those who were touched by Chummy are among his greatest legacies. Those of us inspired by him will have that blessing forevermore.

August 06, 2018 (Ogden, Utah) — Salomon announces the appointment of Robert Lazzaroni as nordic regional commercial manager for the Americas, effective August 27, 2018. Lazzaroni, a 25-year industry veteran and most recently the nordic domestic program director for U.S. Ski & Snowboard, will direct Salomon’s nordic business in the United States, Canada and Latin America.

“Robert is a proven leader, with more than two decades of experience. His background includes leading major nordic brands as well as managing nordic skiing programs, including stints with U.S. Ski & Snowboard and Utah Olympic Park,” says Mike Adams, vice president of winter sports equipment at Amer Sports. “Robert’s track record is unrivaled. He brings a dynamic energy to Salomon in a new role that spans the continental markets, leading the commercial strategy in the Americas.”

During his three-year term with U.S. Ski & Snowboard, Lazzaroni played a key role in management of the 2017 FIS Nordic Junior World Championships in Utah and improved information sharing among the federation’s five regions, 100-plus clubs and 400-plus coaches. Lazzaroni previously served as nordic program manager at Utah Olympic Park, leading that organization to Club of the Year honors in 2015. A past member of the French ski team (1983-1988), competing in Nordic Combined, Lazzaroni filled a variety of roles in nordic product development, sales and marketing at The Rossignol Group between 1994 and 2011. He is also a former coach with the French ski federation and trustee of the National Ski Foundation. Lazzaroni holds a Master of Business Administration degree in International Business from the Ecole Supérieure des Affaires Grenoble.

In his new role, Lazzaroni will serve as the primary manager of Salomon’s nordic category in the Americas, working closely with sales, marketing, and commercial departments to implement commercial and financial goals. He will also serve as a key stakeholder in developing overall strategy with global brand management.

“With an athlete-driven product development process, best-in-class ski, boot, binding, pole program, and performance-focused value proposition, Salomon fills a unique position in the nordic market in North America,” says Lazzaroni. “Working closely with the U.S. and Canadian teams, we will seek opportunities for the brand to evolve its go-to-market experiences for consumers and wholesale partners.”

Lazzaroni lives in Park City, Utah, with his wife, Susan, and two daughters. In addition to his exploits on nordic, alpine and telemark skis, he is a mountain biker, road cyclist and hiker.

August 04, 2018 – One of NENSA’s finest traditions is the awarding of the John Caldwell Award.  This award annually recognizes a single individual, or entity, which embodies the spirit, dedication, innovation and pride in our Nordic community of the award’s famous namesake.   This year NENSA is thrilled to award this highest honor to Bob Haydock, a NENSA founding member, board member for the past 23 years, Bogburn Race creator, and a coach, among many other talents.

Bob, like John Caldwell himself, has quietly and selflessly dedicated himself to our beloved sport of cross country skiing.  Legend has it that Bob was JC’s inside man when the “revolution began” when NENSA was formed out of the remnants of the USSA Eastern Division back in the early 90’s. Bob went to all the “Eastern Junior Committee” meetings, and that’s where the idea for NENSA was born, and then started in 1995.  Bob was on the original NENSA Board of Directors, and he continues to be an active and vital member or our BOD today.  Bob set up the first web page for NENSA.  He also created the first system of displaying points and rankings, and scored the Zak Cup and Club contest.

Rob Bradlee, CSU juniors Head Coach, and fellow Board member says this of Bob:  “Bob has done it all.  He started as a racer, but quickly contributed his coaching, organizing, and logistics skills to help the sport in any way he could.  He coached BKL with a special emphasis on the joy of skiing and how to have fun with adventure skis.  He built a fantastic ski trail at his house in Vermont and learned to be an expert groomer.  He has worked from the start of NENSA to make it the best Nordic ski organization in the country with his computer skills and his business acumen.  Whenever there was a new idea for improving NENSA, it was usually Bob who did the actual hard work to make it real.”

Growing up, Bob and his brother and sisters used to ski from their parents’ cabin in Pomfret Vermont (Bogburn Hall) to Suicide Six.  They’d go on their alpine skis with the old bindings, and release the heels for the cross country trek.  Rumor has it that Bob also used to count the dashed highway lines on the family drive to Cape Cod… an early sign of his fascination with math and a possible inspiration for the app he developed to time interval start ski races.  This app has been used at the Eastern Mass Bill Koch (EMBK) sprints for many years.

Bob raced biathlon in Europe in the 1980’s and was on the scene when skating first emerged as a technique.  As a coach, told his young athletes stories of “no skate” zones, of skiers putting duct tape on their ski bases to cover kick wax so they could skate fast until the “no skate” hills where they’d rip off the tape and kick up.  He remembered having to watch out for tape lying near to or in the tracks to avoid getting them stuck on his skis.  In later years Bob excelled in all the NE ski marathons, and, ran a 2:37 marathon!

Bob was part of the group that formed EMBK after the various Bill Koch clubs in the local towns around Boston lost critical mass and were on the verge of extinction.  Jamie & Lisa Doucett and Rob Bradlee were also part of the EMBK founders’ group.  This same group took over Bob Fitzpatrick’s junior program in Boston and renamed it as CSU juniors in the 2001-2002 season.  Bob’s boys, Will and Ben, went through the EMBK and CSU juniors programs and on to collegiate racing.  He coached his own kids and followed them through both of those programs.  He then took a break before coming back to coach with EMBK again.  But when Bob came back – he came back BIG!  Bob was a beloved EMBK coach for years, just recently retiring again, after moving to Vermont.

At EMBK practices he would have the kids run time trials (they didn’t realize he was conditioning them) complete with bibs and timed results published from his own app.  He would also have the kids do relay races, with coaches participating.  He was famous for setting a relay at a specific number of laps and then when the kids thought they were done and ready to collapse, he would wait for the last team to cross the line and then holler out “there’s one more – you forgot the victory lap!”  The kids would all jump back into the mix and the finish would be tight.

Bob also developed the EMBK assistant coaches, giving them a night to lead practice every now and then.  Along with that he gave feedback in a way that left you wanting more feedback, as his former assistant coach for “Finland” Mark Doughty noted.  Mark went on to say, “I was incredibly fortunate to be paired with Bob as an assistant coach. He was the epitome of cool-headed. He wrangled the Finland kids and kept them motivated through low-snow seasons and our snowmaggedon season.  In that snowy year we went on many adventure skis around the entire Leo J Martin course with headlamps.  I requested to be his assistant every year until he left EMBK for Vermont.”

This story of Bob is not complete without the telling of the now ionic Bogburn Classic Race he started back in the winter of 1986, on a course that friend Jamie Doucett says “makes the current one look pretty tame”.  Bob has been proud to point out that past Bogburn winners include the likes of Andy Newell, Sophie Caldwell, Ida Sargent, Paddy Caldwell, Pat O’Brien and other USST folks.  A great pedigree indeed.  David Hosmer, also a founding and fellow Board member of NENSA says, “From one of NENSA’s oldest masters, I give my thanks to Bob for keeping the Bogburn on the schedule each year, a race and course I always enjoy.”

Mark Doughty sums it up well when he says, “Bob has been a role model for me as well as the kids he’s coached and their parents. He’s set an example of a life connected to the outdoors and to other people, of mentoring and helping the next generation find their way, and of sharing his time and life with others… Nordic skiing provides the context for all he’s done.”

Amen to that! NENSA would both like to congratulate and thank Bob for all his years of service to our organization and our sport.  We are in a better place as an organization because of Bob’s vision, hard work and love of the sport, and the good news is – he is still making a difference today!

August 03, 2018 (Calgary, AB) – Calgary 2026 has announced that Mary Moran will take on the role as CEO of the organization that hopes to secure the Winter Olympics once again for the city that hosted the 1988 Games reports CBC.ca. Moran, currently the president and CEO of Calgary Economic Development, will leave her position and begin her new role on Aug. 13. She is the first woman to head an Olympic bid in Canada – read more here.

August 02, 2018 (Norway) – Norwegian star, Therese Johaug, was back in the news winning the Lysebotn Opp 7.5 km FR race at the 2018 Blink Festival on Aug. 2, her first FIS event since her doping sanction ended.

Johaug set a new course record en route to beating Charlotte Kalla of Sweden in second at 1:47.5 behind followed by fellow Swede Ebba Anderson in third. “I was unlucky at first and broke a pole but in the end things went well,” said Johaug at the finish.

Canada’s Alex Harvey finished 10th in the men’s race followed by the USA’s Ian Torchia in 13th. Simen Hegstad Krüger led a Norwegian sweep with Hans Christer Holund in second and Simen Andreas Sveen in third.

Results

Ladies’ 7.5 km F

1. Therese Johaug IL Nansen 31:46,3
2. Charlotte Kalla SWE +01:47,5
3. Ebba Andersson SWE +01:51,4
4. Ragnhild Haga Åsen IL +02:21,6
5. Ingvild Flugstad Østberg Gjøvik Skiklubb +02:48,9
6. Teresa Stadlober AUT +03:05,7
7. Yulia Belorukova RUS +03:52,4
8. Kari Øyre Slind Oppdal IL +04:05,0
9. Elena Soboleva RUS +04:14,1
10. Yana Kirpichenko RUS +04:26,2

Full results HERE.

Men’s 7.5 km F

1. Simen Hegstad Krüger Lyn Ski 27:53,2
2. Hans Christer Holund Lyn Ski +00:03,9
3. Simen Andreas Sveen Ring IL +00:16,0
4. Vebjørn Turtveit Voss IL +00:51,7
5. Martin Johnsrud Sundby Røa IL +00:52,6
6. Clement Parisse FRA +01:12,4
7. Henrik L’Abée-Lund Engerdal SP.kl. +01:21,1
8. Adrien Backscheider FRA +01:24,7
9. Artem Maltsev RUS +01:31,4
10. Alex Harvey CAN +02:02,1

13. Ian Torchia USA +02:17,2

Full results HERE.

August 01, 2018 (Norway) – Canada’s Alex Harvey finished 14th in the men’s 6okm Classic rollerski race at the annual Blink Festival in Norway as Russia went 1-2 with Alexander Bolshunov taking the win over Sergey Ardashev in second with Norway’s Anders Mølmen Hoest in third. Kari Vikhagen Gjeitnes (Nor) won the women’s race over fellow Norge Astrid Øyre Slind in second with Poland’s Justyna Kowalczyk third. No Americans took part.

Results

Women

1. Kari Vikhagen Gjeitnes (Nor)  2:21:19.0
2. Astrid Øyre Slind (Nor) 33.9
3. Justyna Kowalczyk (Pol) 5: 55.4

Men

1. Alexander Bolshunov (Rus) 2:10:51.6
2. Sergey Ardashev (Rus) 5.9
3. Anders Mølmen Hoest (Nor) 7.7
4. Tord Asle Gjerdalen (Nor) 8.1
5. Øystein Pettersen (Nor) 8.3

14. Alex Harvey (Can) 1:19

Full results HERE.

July 30, 2018 (Norway) – The cross-country ski community was stunned with the sad news that Vancouver 2010 Olympic relay champion, Vibeke Skofterud, 38, from Norway, was tragically killed in a jet ski accident near Arendal in southern Norway this past weekend.

Skofterud and her watercraft were found by the Steensand rescue service in the morning of Sunday, July 29 near the island of St. Helena after she had been reported missing the night before. There is a ongoing investigation to provide details regarding the circumstances of her death according to reports.

Skofterud was member of the Norwegian national cross-country team, that won a gold medal in the relay at the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games in 2010. She won two gold medals, one silver and bronze at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships and earned World Cup podiums 15 times during her career.

SkiTrax joins the cross-country ski community in extending condolences to Skofterud’s family and friends.

With files from FIS XC.

July 29, 2018 (Park City, Utah) – The 20th annual Springer Tournee culminated with the 2018 US Ski Jumping & Nordic Combined Championships on a sunny morning in Park City this past weekend.

Canadian Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes was the top ski jumper in the men’s field. “Competition today was good. Kevin [Bickner] and I have been battling against each other for a few years now, and sometimes, like yesterday, he’s on top and sometimes I’m on top. We had a fair competition and far jumps and loads of fun,” said Boyd-Clowes about his victory. Bickner claimed the US title as the top American.

Fellow Canuck, Abigail Strate, was the top woman. “My competition went pretty well, I think the jumps were good, I just need to work on the second part of the flight, coming into landing so I can stick telemarks in more competitions and international competitions,” commented Strate.

Athletes move on to Europe next to complete their summer. Kevin Bickner spoke about his next steps and said, “I’m excited to go over to Courchevel and see how I compare to the rest of the world right now.” Nita Englund, the top American, won the US title.

Taylor Fletcher won the men’s Nordic Combined competition while Tara Gereghty-Moats was the top woman. In second was Ben Loomis who is already thinking about what’s ahead, “We’re coming off a good training this spring and summer and we’re all ready and looking forward to getting some more competitions under our belt,” said Loomis

Results (brief)

Men HS134
1. Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes (CAN)
2. Kevin Bickner (USA)
3. Casey Larson (USA)

US Men HS134
1. Kevin Bickner (USA)
2. Casey Larson (USA)
3. Decker Dean (USA)

Women HS134
1. Abigail Strate (CAN)
2. Nita Englund (USA)
3. Tara Gereghty-Moats (USA)

US Women HS134
1. Nita Englund (USA)
2. Tara Gereghty-Moats (USA)
3. Annika Belshaw (USA)

Men’s Nordic Combined
1. Taylor Fletcher (USA)
2. Ben Loomis (USA)
3. Jasper Good (USA)

Women’s Nordic Combined
1. Tara Gereghty-Moats (USA)
2. Alexa Brabeck (USA)
3. Tess Arnone (USA)

July 28, 2018 (Albuquerque, NM ) – According to an AP report the board of regents at the University of New Mexico recently voted to eliminate four sports teams including the men’s and women’s ski squads to address persistent budget problems. Along with men’s soccer and the beach volleyball program an estimated $1.148 million will be save annually. According to the report “The unanimous vote came after the board heard hours of testimony from coaches, players, alumni and community members about the importance of the programs. Some in the crowd responded with boos and heckles.” – read more here.

July 27, 2018 – Central Cross Country Skiing (CXC) will hold a series of weekend-long camps from August to December. Proceeds will go directly to support junior athletes from Central Region attending international events. Each camp will feature a celebrity guest coach and include: Olympian Ivan Babikov, three-time World Championship team member Tad Elliott, veteran CXC skier Matt Liebsch and rising U.S. Biathlon star Deedra Irwin.

The emphasis will be on technique with hands-on coaching and feedback during roller ski or
on-snow sessions.

All camps will be held in Cable, Wisconsin, taking advantage of the culture of the American Birkebeiner and the amazing roller ski terrain in the region.

Camps Schedule here.

Guest Coaches here.

July 26, 2018 – The Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) has two positions available and is now accepting applications for a Sport Science and Sport Medicine Advisor and a Podium Pathway Advisor. Please see full job descriptions and application instructions below

Paralympic Sport Science and Sport Medicine Advisor
This position is  made possible through a two–year partnership between CPC and OTP. The oversight of the partnership will be done through a CPC/OTP Joint Operational Framework, which includes a Management Group, Advisory Committee and individuals with direct oversight of the role.  The CPC/OTP Joint Operational Framework is in place to ensure alignment between the OTP Podium Pathway Strategy as well as ensuring full integration with the CPC Paralympic Performance and Pathway work inclusive of Athlete ID, Transfer and Classification. The Management group and the Advisory Committee will be comprised of OTP and CPC representatives.

More info here.

Paralympic Podium Pathway Advisor
The primary function of the Paralympic Podium Pathway Advisor is to work with Paralympic NSOs to guide the development of Podium Results Tracking/Winning styles of Play and Gold Medal Profiles using evidence-based indicators of podium potential performances.   The Paralympic Podium Pathway Advisor will also provide direction to NSOs regarding the use of sport analytics for the identification, transfer, and development of podium potential athletes. In collaboration with the rest of the Podium Pathway team at OTP and in consultation with CPC, the advisor would establish a sport road map and sport readiness level in order to work in the area of Podium Pathway.

More info here.

July 25, 2018 (Duluth, Minn) – Eager young athletes got together in Duluth, Minn. in mid-July for a weekend of fun, fitness and skill development at Central Cross Country Skiing’s (CXC) Igor Legacy Camps. The series of camps each summer are designed as entry level experiences for athletes 10-13 (U12 and U14 age groups). An enthusiastic group of 29 athletes spent the weekend at Duluth’s College of St. Scholastica.

“CXC’s Igor Camps are perfect as an introduction to cross-country ski racing for enthusiastic young athletes,” said CXC Coach Joe Hagenmiller. “It was our first time at the College of St. Scholastica for our camp and it was a great host site.”

The focus goals of the four 2018 Igor Camps are to promote growth and development of junior cross country skiers and to provide exposure to the fundamental building blocks required for successful cross country skiing, as well as summer training with teammates, and meeting new Nordic friends.

These focuses are enhanced by our coaching partners from either the local clubs and community or who are parents of camp participants. The Duluth Camp Staff was fantastic to work with. The CXC Staff of Bruce Manske, Karen Manske, Joe Haggenmiller and Amy Cichanowski were joined by Co-Head Coach Siiri Morse of Duluth’s Nordic North Stars program and Mary Bola of Anwatin Trail Kids. Other parent staff pitching in to coach were Amy Oken, Marc Beitz, Don Galloway, and Hao Peng.

Nearly 20 clubs from around the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Central Region had athletes at the camp. With a strong cross country presence in Duluth, local coaches were in abundance.

The Igor Legacy Camps, which are open to any athletes under 14, provide a platform for athletes to learn more about dry land training, get technique help from experienced coaches plus learn to integrate with others. The College of St. Scholastica provided easily accessible training, dorm living and a great college cafeteria for athletes to mingle during meal periods.

Another benefit of the Duluth location was close access to the Superior Hiking Hill for a half-day hike plus a picnic at Thompson Hill.

The series of four Igor Legacy Camps continued the following weekend at Mora, Minnesota. The series then heads to Ironwood, Mich. August 10-12. For more information on the CXC Igor Legacy Camps, visit here.

This is the fifth year of Igor Camps with support from CXC, Wisconsin Nordic Development Group and the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation, along with several Midwest cross country ski shops.

Participating Clubs

Minnesota
– Battle Creek MYSL
– Blake School Ski Team
– Duluth XC
– Ely Nordic Wolves
– Endurance United
– Giants Ridge MYSL
– Hiawatha Skiklubb MYSL
– Loppet Nordic Racing Anwatin Trail Kids
– Loppet Nordic Racing Wirth Trail Kids
– Math and Science Academy Ski Team
– Mesabi East/Virginia/Eveleth-Gilbert Nordic Ski Team
– Minneapolis Skiwerx
– MYSL Skiwerx
– Nordic North Stars
– St. Croix Valley Ski League

Wisconsin
– Chippewa Valley Nordic
– Lakeland Nordic Ski Team
– Spooner Ski Team

July 17, 2018 (Yukon) – Sports and recreation in the Yukon just received a fresh infusion of $1.4 million in funding from the Government of Yukon, in partnership with the Yukon Lottery Commission and Sport Canada, according to a recent announcement reported in the Whitehorse Daily Star.

Under the new governmental funding program, 28 sports groups and five special recreation groups will receive funding ranging from $7,500 to $113,000 via the Yukon Recreation Advisory Committee — funding that helps Yukon sport governing bodies and special recreation groups develop and deliver sport and recreation development projects.

Through Yukon Sport 4 Life, a project-based funding that supports enhanced sport development initiatives, 26 sport groups will receive grants ranging from $2,750 to $63,500.

In addition to organization and sport groups, a long list of individual athletes will also get funding ranging from $500 to $11,500.

“Yukon is home to one of the most vibrant sport and recreation communities in Canada,” said Minister of Community Services John Streicker in a press release. “Sport, recreation, and active living contribute to our quality of life, and help our communities flourish. Whether you’re starting soccer lessons, working towards an Olympic dream, or keeping things nimble with the ElderActive Recreation Association, this funding helps Yukoners in all walks of life, and of all abilities, to develop their skills, compete and have fun.”

In particular, the winter sport of cross-country skiing is set to receive $63,500 from the Yukon Sport 4 Life program and $113,000 from the Yukon Recreation Advisory Committee, which is the highest amount of any of the sport groups.

In the elite athlete funding program, for those competing at the highest levels of spot, again cross-country athletes lead the way with two people, Dahria Beatty and Graham Nishikawa, each set to receive a grant of $11,500. In addition, Nadia Moser (biathlon) will receive $8,500 and Jessica Frotten (Paralympics) will receive $11,500. As well, 32 athletes qualify for grants under the high performance program including nine cross-country skiers.

Local media report here.

July 15, 2018 – Cross-country skiing is an international sport, and with that in mind NENSA is very excited to announce that we are bringing Ludvig Sognen Jensen to New England for a week of high visibility rollerski events. Known to some by his social media handle @luddeyo, Jensen is the world’s fastest cross-country skier in the new discipline of supersprint racing.

His arrival in Boston on August 6th will kick off a week of events across the northeast including a stop at the U16 national camp in Lake Placid, NY where Ludvig will train with the U16s and face off head-to-head in a “celebrity deathmatch” sprint with Andy Newell on August 8th.

Luddeyo will then make at stop on the afternoon of August 10th to the Burlington VT waterfront to set a NASTAR like sprint course and time that athletes are welcome try to get as close to as they can!  He will also make a guest of honor appearance at our App Gap Challenge rollerski race in Fayston, Vermont on August 11. There will be autograph sessions at High Peaks Cyclery in Lake Placid on August 8, and at the SkiRack in Burlington, VT on August 10.

Ludvig’s agent Steffen Aabel tells us, “The absolutely [most fun] thing about working with Ludvig is to push our national sport forward with supersprint, where I can be witness to and support the pioneering work he puts down. Therefore it is incredibly cool to be able to announce that we together have created a collaboration that is part of developing sport on another continent.”

The announcement of Ludvig’s visit is part of NENSA’s push to fill a gap in the programming available to US skiers in the off season. Earlier this summer we announced our partnership with Swenor Rollerskis, as well as our continued collaboration with SWIX  in supporting our summer and fall NENSA Rollerski Race Series. This series will bring together elites, juniors, and masters to strengthen our ski community, and NENSA Competitive Director Justin Beckwith is also creating a bridge to Europe and international competition with the inclusion of Ludvig at the App Gap Challenge.

There will be five races in the 2018 NENSA Rollerski Race Series. Athletes will be ranked by their best 3 of 5 placements, with senior athletes vying for a cash purse graciously provided by Marty and Kathy Hall. (1st: $500, 2nd: $300, 3rd: $200)

The top skiers from pre-registration (lowest US Ski & Snowboard / FIS points) will race on NENSA’s matched sets of Swenor Rollerskis.  Depending on race formats skis will be provided to the top-ten or top-twenty skiers of each gender. For more information please visit here and for questions email justin@nensa.net and tom@nensa.net.

NENSA is the Community Olympic Development Program (CODP) for cross-country skiing in the East as well as the umbrella for most organized Nordic skiing events in the region. Cross-country skiing, as practiced by our youth skiers and families, is a lifetime activity firmly rooted in New England tradition. It is NENSA’s mission to sustain a vital and active skiing community in New England.

July 12, 2018 (Alaska) – Legendary American cross-country ski star, Kikkan Randall, 35, recently announced she’s undergoing treatments for breast cancer. The news follows the storybook ending to her stellar career that culminated with winning the USA’s first Olympic gold medal in cross-country skiing as she and Jessie Diggins won the Women’s Team Sprint at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics.

Randall shared the news on July 11 on social media and her website, saying, “The color pink has taken on a new chapter in my life as I was recently diagnosed with breast cancer,” adding that her “prognosis is good” and vowed to bring “tenacity, strength and energy toward this challenge.”

PyeongChang 2018 was Randall’s 5th Olympics and during her career she won three Sprint Cup globes, silver in the individual sprint at the 2009 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Liberec becoming the first American woman to win a medal in cross country skiing at Worlds. She followed up with another first with Diggins winning Nordic Worlds gold in 2013 in the team sprint.

Read her blog here.

July 09, 2018 (Wisconsin) – Check out these very cool videos of roller-ski agility training at that Central Regional Elite Group (REG) camp taking place in northern Wisconsin that USSA Development Coach Bryan Fish is overseeing…

July 08, 2018 (Hartsville, PEI) – Multi-decorated Paralympian, Mark Arendz of Hartsville, is one of three Islanders selected to receive Order of Prince Edward Island for 2018, the highest honour accorded to a citizen of the province reports the The Guardian.

Arendz joins Heather Cutcliffe of Augustine Cove and Irene Jewell of York, who were the three finalists selected from a total of 40 Islanders nominated to receive the award this year which recognizes those Islanders who have shown individual excellence or outstanding leadership in their community and in their chosen occupation or profession.

Arendz, who lost his arm in a farming accident at the age of 7, is an 8-time Paralympic medalist. During the 2018 Paralympic Games in Pyeongchang he achieved a Canadian single Paralympic Games record of winning six medals – five individual and one team relay medal – including biathlon gold, silver and bronze and his first cross-country medals. Arendz was also named Canada’s flag-bearer for the 2018 Paralympic Games closing ceremony.

Read the full article here.

July 07, 2018 (Toronto, ON) – The Senior Program Manager will apply their subject matter expertise and skilled program management to help promote CAAWS’ thought leadership on gender equity and sport, and to advance gender equity solutions within sport and physical activity organizations in Canada.

Post date: July 5, 2018
Application Deadline: July 31, 2018

June 28, 2018 – It all started with a dream & 9 popular skiing races. In 1978 the vision of Tony Wise (USA) became true, when the first Worldloppet season was planned at a meeting in Uppsala, Sweden. The following winter the 9 most important ski races were united to the Worldloppet league.

Now in 2018, 40 years later, the Worldloppet Skifederation unites 20 races from 20 different nations and 4 different continents. The dream of “skiing around the world” became true for over 110.000 skiers every year.

Epp Paal, the CEO of Worldloppet: “Is 40 years a long time? For many people who have been involved in Worldloppet races form the beginning, this time has passed in a glimpse. Maybe because it has been so interesting. For WL President Juha it took 37 years to become a master. This shows that WL is a democratic organization and there is room and time for everyone to accomplish their goals.”

During the Worldloppet40 jubilee week, the Federation for popular skiing was celebrating this 40th anniversary with stories, pictures, videos, etc. from the good old times on the different Social Media Channels. With the hashtag #worldloppet40 you can find all the historic content.

June 26, 2018 – This is a blog post I wasn’t ever sure I’d write. It can be scary to reveal the less glamorous parts of ourselves to others, the parts we’re sure that nobody will love. But it is precisely because of this that I knew I needed to write this post. It takes a different form of bravery to open up to others in the hopes of helping, but it’s the most important kind of bravery I hope to possess.

At the end of the day, dealing with an eating disorder is something that happened to me. It is not WHO I AM, and it does not define me. I am more complex than that.

On the flip side, winning the Olympics with my team is ALSO something that happened to me. But that moment does not define who I am. I am more complex than that.

The things I go through, both good and bad, do not define me. How I handle them and what I choose to do with my experiences will. I want to be known not for winning a medal, but for using it as a platform for things that I care about; climate change. Girls in sports. Raising our sport up and sharing it with more people to get them healthy and active. I want to be known not for going through an eating disorder, but for helping other women and men speak up when they need help and not feel judged for needing a friend to talk it through with.

These days, I literally cannot remember the last time I had to say “someone throw me a life preserver, here!” and that feels really good. Do I unconditionally love every single part of me, every day? No, don’t be ridiculous. I am always going to wish I had bigger biceps! But I appreciate and take care of my body for the ways that it is unique and fast and strong and beautiful, and I know that I will never look exactly like anyone else…and nobody else will look or feel or be exactly like me. And when you think about it, that’s pretty cool.

So Coaches, Parents, Teammates, Friends, Significant Others….what can we do to be helpful? Unfortunately, there’s not one universal easy approach or fix, but the best thing you can be is compassionate and understanding. For me, the best help was to be able to talk about it with my parents and never feel ashamed or judged or like a failure, but instead feel heard and know that they were always going to be there to support me in my journey to get healthy again. Educate yourself on what it really means to have an eating disorder, and try to think about it as if you were in someone else’s shoes.

For me, it was never about food or really even about getting skinny. It was about feeling like I had control over something in my hectic, fast-paced life, feeling like I could turn to using symptoms of my eating disorder to numb myself and not have to feel the emotions that I was feeling. So instead of someone saying “you look too skinny” or “are you struggling with eating”, I needed someone to say “are you stressed right now? What needs to happen so that you can have less anxiety and put less pressure on yourself right now?”.

 

Statistically speaking, at least 6% of you reading this right now are struggling with disordered eating in some way. So to those of you for whom it feels like the end of the world, I can say this: it can, and it does, get better. I know, because I lived it. It will take more courage than most anything else in your life, but you can get better. And it’s worth it.

At the end of the day, the athletes that make up the World Cup are a group of human beings, not robots. We feel, we struggle, we triumph, we make friendships and we work hard. There are the amazing sports moments that bring countries to their feet but there are also struggles and hard-fought battles to win confidence and trust in ourselves. These battles are the ones you don’t see on camera, but they’re the most important ones.

Let’s try to focus not on what our bodies look like, but rather what they can DO. Because they can take us to some pretty amazing places. Our bodies can run us up and over mountains, ski us through awe-inspiring trail systems, and take us on some pretty sweet bike tours. If we can respect and take care of the body we have, we can have an amazing time in life.

Love,
Jessie

June 25, 2018 – On June 25, 2004 legendary Canadian cross-country skier, Beckie Scott, was finally presented with the gold medal for her performance in the women’s Pursuit 5K/5K at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah.

On race day, Feb. 15, 2002, Scott was awarded the bronze which was upgraded to silver in October 2003 and finally elevated to gold in December 2004 as the two Russians ahead of her were disqualified for doping infractions and finally stripped of their medals after a 2-year battle by Scott and the Canadian Olympic Committee.

Scott became the first Canadian cross-country skier to medal at the Games and the first North American to win Olympic gold. She is also the only Olympian to win gold, silver and bronze medals in the same event.

As the current chair of WADA, Beckie Scott continues to champion clean sport for all athletes in all sports worldwide. SkiTrax joins the global cross-country ski community in paying tribute to Scott’s Olympic gold and her stellar efforts to eliminate doping and create a level playing field for all atheletes – read about the 2004 Olympic gold medal ceremony below.

Beckie Scott Celebrates Golden Moment on top of Olympic Podium
June 25, 2004 (Canmore, AB) – Hundreds of people came out to the Vancouver Art Gallery on Friday to see Beckie Scott finally receive her gold medal for the five-kilometre free pursuit at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City. Members of the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC), Cross Country Canada (CCC), the Canadian sport community including many athletes and Olympians, as well as cheering fans were on-hand to witness the historic day in Canadian sport.

“This is an exciting day and I am thrilled to be the first Canadian winter-sport athlete to receive a gold medal at home in Canada,” said Scott. “Today signifies the end of a really long journey, and is the culmination of some really strong efforts both on and off the snow. I am extremely appreciative of the ongoing support that I have received from the Canadian Olympic Committee, my teammates and the general public since we all celebrated Canada’s first-ever cross-country skiing medal together in Salt Lake City.”

“I could not be happier that this day has finally arrived,” said COC President Michael Chambers. “The Canadian Olympic Committee and its supporters have been working towards this for the past 28 months. It may be the longest gold medal race in history, but we won and we are thrilled to present Beckie with her well deserved and long overdue gold medal.”

Originally, two Russian skiers, Olga Danilova and Larissa Lazutina, had been awarded the gold and silver medals respectively in the five-kilometre free pursuit. Immediately after the Games, the COC filed an appeal on behalf of Scott in response to the fact that Danilova and Lazutina were expelled from the Games following a positive test result for a banned substance in their February 21, 2002 doping sample, but were permitted to retain their medals from earlier races including the five-kilometre pursuit race on February 15.

Subsequently, in June 2003, Scott was awarded the silver medal for the pursuit race when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stripped Lazutina of her 2002 Olympic results because of a positive sample taken prior to the Olympic Games, the results of which were only discovered after the Games. However, Danilova remained in possession of the gold medal. On September 9, 2003, the COC was finally able to present its appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), contending that any Olympian whose conduct justifies expulsion from the Olympic Games should lose all medals awarded at those Games. On December 18, 2003 the CAS ordered the IOC to award Scott the disputed gold medal.

The Court’s decision to award Scott gold makes her North America’s first cross-country Olympic champion.

“The fight against doping has been a team battle for all Canadians in sport,” said Léopold Nadeau, President of Cross Country Canada. “Today the journey is over as we celebrate not only a gold medal for Beckie Scott, but the first Winter Olympic gold medal ever presented in our country to a Canadian athlete. Cross Country Canada is hopeful this is the beginning of a bright future that will be filled with many more Olympic gold medal celebrations for national team athletes as we all strive to achieve our collective goal of becoming number one at the 2010 Games.”

June 25, 2018 (Ottawa, ON) – The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) Session voted today to unanimously approve the candidature of Calgary as a potential host of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games 2026. Securing the endorsement of Session is a required step for the COC, according to its governance, and a strong signal to the international community of Calgary’s momentum.

“This represents a very important and positive next step towards Calgary’s candidature for 2026,” said Tricia Smith, president of the Canadian Olympic Committee. “I want to thank the Session members for their confidence. We will continue to work with all the relevant stakeholders to build momentum to ensure an inspiring and responsible Olympic Bid.”

The members of COC Session which makes this decision consist of a representative of each National Sport Federation (NSF) governing a sport on the official programs of the Olympic Summer and Olympic Winter Games; the IOC Members in Canada; the members of the Athletes’ Commission Executive and the COC Board Members.

“I want to thank all of the members in Canada’s winter and summer sport community for their vote of confidence that will allow all of us to move forward” said Scott Hutcheson, chair of Calgary 2026. “We have much work ahead of us, but this is a positive step forward on the road to preparing Calgary to bid for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games 2026. Together, we will work on behalf of the community to deliver a transparent and dynamic bid that should present tremendous benefits for all Canadians. ”

Public engagement about the potential bid will take place in the coming months. The next steps in the process include the announcement of candidate cities during the IOC Session in Buenos Aires and a plebiscite anticipated to take place later this year. The election of the host city for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games 2026 will be made during the IOC Session in September 2019.

June 24, 2018 (Lake Placid, NY) – ORDA (Olympic Regional Development Authority) recently passed a resolution that will create a partnership with FISU (International Sports University Federation) for Lake Placid to host the Winter Universiade in 2023.

The Winter Universiade, also known as the Winter World University Games, is an 11-day international event expected to attract more than 2,500 college athletes from 52 countries in sports such as hockey, figure skating, snowboarding, skiing and curling. In April, the state committed $62.5 million in its 2018-19 budget to upgrade ORDA facilities reports Adirondack Daily Enterprise – read more here.