January 07, 2013 (Soldier Hollow, UT) – APU’s Sadie Bjornsen (USA) and Stratton Mountain’s Sophie Caldwell (USA) were 1st and 3rd, respectively, at the U.S. National Championship’s 20 km CL women’s race. Both women are headed next to the World Cup in the Czech Republic. Each spoke about their race, competing with each other and working the course together, and expectations at the Liberec World Cup. Bjornsen also talks about competing with her brother while growing up.

Torin Koos (USA) won his first US National Title in a distance race, his second US title of the week and eighth National gold. Koos spoke about the 30km CL race at Soldier Hollow, his history of athletics at the University of Utah, his friends from school, his first World Cup, and the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics as part of his affection for Utah. Koos also sees the sport of Nordic ski racing maturing in North America.

January 03, 2013 (Soldier Hollow, UT) – Here are some more great photos from the 2013 U.S. XC Ski Classic Sprint competitions at Soldier Hollow on January 2nd. Jennie Bender won the women’s crown, while Torin Koos snapped up the title in the men’s race. The 2013 U.S. Cross Country Ski Championships run Jan. 2, 4, 6 and 8. Day 1 report and results HERE.

November 28, 2012 – Wow, that sure was an awesome way to start off the World Cup season!!! Not that I expect every weekend to be as wildly exciting with multiple historical US podium results, but geez that was cool. Our Women’s 4x5km relay placed 3rd, which was the first time ever in US History that we’ve had a podium relay finish! Here are two YouTube videos of the race:

http://youtu.be/aG8V001cMR4

I first want to say a big THANK YOU! to everyone for all the kind words, emails, tweets and more that have come flooding in, and a thanks to all those who have been supporting us US Women every step of the way. It sucks that the podium isn’t big enough to put everyone involved onto it, because there’s a whole lot more than four racers that made the day happen. The ENTIRE team includes the teammates cheering, coaches, wax techs, and friends and family and fans back home. So thanks to everyone!

Here’s the race story from the day!

I was super nervous beforehand because with the results from the previous day, it was clear that the team was in shape and ready to rock, and there are only 3 relays this year, so this was our only shot for a while at making our goal of having a team on the podium.

Then, as I was warming up, I saw the racers go by and turned to Matt, a full-blown panic attack seconds away. I’d just seen Liz in second and was like “OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!” I was hyperventilating. Even though I was trying to convince myself that this was going to be just another 5km skate race, I couldn’t ignore the fact that our team was higher up than we’d ever been and the extremely hard work of my teammates was about to be put into my hands.

In the tag zone, I looked over at Marit and said “No big deal… no pressure… aaaaaagh!” and she gave me a little smile that basically said “Good luck, sweetheart”.

So when Liz tagged me, I might have gone out a little hot. And by might have, I mean that I definitely did. I had so much adrenaline pumping that I didn’t feel anything till the top of the first hill, and then it hit me. I just kept trying to stay within sight of Marit, and I was so focused on keeping every second I could that I wasn’t even aware of team Sweden, Finland and Norway 2 coming in hot behind me.

When Kalla (Sweden) passed me, I tried to hang on but was going full throttle and didn’t want to hit the wall completely halfway through the race, so I had to let her go, which was tough. But when Kristoffersen (Norway 2) passed me, I did hang on, just barely, because I knew I usually have good kick at the end of a race and there was maybe a chance.

Liz and Ida and the rest of the team were screaming from the side of the course, but two things stood out to me. Ida was sprinting alongside me yelling like I’d never heard her yell before, and Liz frantically screamed “C’mon Jess, you have to believe you CAN DO THIS! BELIEVE IT!!!”

So when we got within .5km of the finish, I had this flashback to the last relay I raced, in Nove Mesto, where I waited too long to start sprinting and Kalla beat me to the line. I didn’t want to make the same mistake, and decided to make a move before the s-turn to the stadium, sliding ahead of Kristoffersen right before the first corner.

We rounded the stadium corner and started sprinting down the home stretch, and I saw Kristoffersen’s skis come into view, but the only thing I could think was No. Not. Happening. I can’t screw this up now! I think in those final hundred meters I dug deeper than I have in a long, long time.

I crossed the line only .5 seconds ahead, and made this half-yelling-half-screaming-mostely-I’m-in-so-much-pain-right-now noise, and collapsed. The next 2 minutes I was in a haze but I felt my teammates piled on top of me, and then it sunk in and we all realized what had just happened.

There were cameras going off everywhere, but we were huddled in this little circle, crying and laughing and going through this wild flood of emotions (and probably endorphins too, I’ll admit)!

The feeling we all got, standing on the podium having reached a major goal that we all set down on paper earlier this year, was incredible. For me at least, it makes me want to train hard and work even harder to keep these kinds of feelings coming – there’s two more steps on that podium to climb, after all!

I thought it was so cool that all these athletes from other teams were coming up to us and congratulating us on the day – they were psyched for us! Every one of them remembers what it felt like their first time on the podium so they knew what we were going through when we were all huddled together crying 🙂

That night I had such a hard time getting to sleep (gee, I wonder why?) I just kept replaying that final sprint in my mind and hearing Liz and Ida scream “BELIEVE!”. I think I’m going to be hearing that for a while.

October 19, 2012 (Predazzo, Italy) – With a strong summer of preparation behind, the U.S. Nordic Combined Ski Team has its sights set on the 2013 World Championships and the Olympics in Sochi just a year away. A talented squad of 10 athletes, including three newcomers, was officially named during a final pre-season tune-up camp on the World Championship jumps in Italy following a camp at the Center of Excellence in Utah. A-Teamers Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY), Todd Lodwick (Steamboat Springs, CO) and Johnny Spillane (Steamboat Springs, CO) together account for a dozen Olympic and World Championship medals, along with Bryan Fletcher’s (Steamboat Springs, CO) stunning season-ending victory in the King’s Cup at Holmenkollen in Norway.

Highlights
– The U.S. Nordic Combined Ski Team named 10 athletes to its 2012-13 squad led by Olympic medalists Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY), Todd Lodwick (Steamboat Springs, CO) and Johnny Spillane (Steamboat Springs, CO) and King’s Cup winner Bryan Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, CO).
– Together, Demong, Lodwick and Spillane account for a dozen Olympic and World Championship medals.
– Bryan Fletcher established himself as a major contender last season, steadily building up to a breakthrough win in the final World Cup at Holmenkollen, taking the prestigious King’s Cup.
– Three newcomers were added to the B Team including Adam Loomis (Eau Claire, WI), Erik Lynch (Steamboat Springs, CO) and Michael Ward (Aspen, CO).
– The FIS World Cup season opens Nov. 24-25 on the Olympic venue in Lillehammer, Norway.
– The FIS Nordic Ski World Championships return to Val di Fiemme, Italy Feb. 20-Mar. 3, the site of Spillane’s breakthrough World Championship gold 10 years ago.
– Five Team athletes are enrolled in the U.S. Ski Team’s partnership program with Westminster College in Salt Lake City including Brett Denney, Bryan Fletcher, Taylor Fletcher, Nick Hendrickson and Adam Loomis.
– Following a successful camp at the USSA Center of Excellence, Utah Olympic Park and Soldier Hollow in Utah, the Team was in Predazzo, Italy for a final tune-up on the World Championship jumps in Val di Fiemme.

Quotes
Billy Demong, Olympic champion
This is a team with great depth – never in history have we had ten nordic combined guys who are so close. The first time trial of the year I was seventh but not even a minute back in a race 25 minutes long. We’ve had different guys take the lead over the course of the summer to push the team in training but especially Bryan (Fletcher) who has continued to be a yardstick on the jump hill, while his brother (Taylor Fletcher) is the toughest on the cross country side.

I am still following the roadmap I laid out after Vancouver. After a year almost off followed by a season of increased training and focus where I managed to get back on the podium, I am continuing to ramp it up mentally and physically.

I am certainly looking forward to World Championships this season. Val di Fiemme is a venue where I’ve had personal success and our team has made history with Johnny’s (Spillane) crown in 2003 and Todd and my one-two finish in 2010.

I feel that the team is much more competitive than in the past and looking forward to its continued growth and success. It’s exciting to see that our continued effort to work together is yielding amazing dividends and that making our world cup team is becoming an increasingly challenging endeavor.

Bryan Fletcher, Holmenkollen King’s Cup champion
Coming off last season with a win definitely kick started some momentum heading into training this summer. The most exciting thing is the momentum hasn’t worn off. Our team has picked up that momentum and is working hard to keep the ball rolling through the next season – hopefully helping all of us take that next step both individually and as a team.

This season is definitely important for many reasons, the most prominent reason being World Championships. Athletes particularly value this World Champs because it is the biggest event that precedes the Olympics. On the whole scale however this season is important because it’s a great chance to improve before the Olympics. There is a lot of experience that can be gained and a chance to put yourself in a great position results wise before the Olympic year.

Obviously a medal at World Championships would create some great momentum heading into next season. If nothing less this season signifies the countdown toward the Olympics, which I think every athlete gets a little giddy thinking about the next two years!

Dave Jarrett, Head Coach
Everyone has done a good job preparing for the season and we are psyched to start with strong A and B Teams. We have two important seasons coming up with World Championships and Olympics. We want to execute this year so that we have confidence going into the Olympic season.

The mix of youth and experience is good and the competition among teammates is making everyone better and keeping everyone honest.  Bryan (Fletcher), Taylor (Fletcher), Todd (Lodwick), and Johnny (Spillane) have had a solid summer of training among the A-Team. Billy (Demong) is still working on equipment issues but we expect him to running on all cylinders soon.  Nick Hendrickson, Adam Loomis and Michael Ward have taken a huge step this summer from the B-Team.

2013 U.S. Nordic Combined Ski Team
Name, Hometown, Club (Skis (jumping/cross country), Boots (jumping/cross country), Bindings, Eyewear, Poles) Date of Birth
* Indicates Olympian
**Indicates Westminster College student

A Team
– Billy Demong, Vermontville, NY, New York Ski Education Foundation (Fluege/Atomic, Rass/Atomic, Atomic, Uvex, Swix) 3/29/80 *
– Bryan Fletcher, Steamboat Springs, CO, Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club (Elan/Madshus, Rass/Madshus, Rottefella, Uvex, Madshus) 6/27/86 **
– Taylor Fletcher, Steamboat Springs, CO, Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club (Fluege/Atomic, Rass/Atomic, Atomic, Uvex/Rudy Project, Swix) 5/11/90 * **
– Todd Lodwick, Steamboat Springs, CO, Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club (Elan/Madshus, Rass/Madshus, Madshus, TBD, Swix) 11/21/76 *
– Johnny Spillane, Steamboat Springs, CO, Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club (Fluege/Atomic, Rass/Atomic, Atomic, Uvex, One Way) 11/24/80 *

B Team
– Brett Denney, Steamboat Springs, CO, Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club (Elan/Madshus, Rass/Alpina, Rotefella, Uvex/Rudy Project, Swix) 2/26/90 **
– Nick Hendrickson, Park City, UT, Park City Nordic Ski Club (Elan/Madshus, Rass/Alpina, Rottefella, Uvex/Rudy Project, Swix) 6/20/91 **
– Adam Loomis, Eau Claire, WI, Eau Claire Flying Eagles Ski Club (Fluege/Madshus, Rass/Madshus, Rottefella, Uvex/Rudy Project, Madshus) **
– Erik Lynch, Steamboat Springs, UT, Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club (Fischer/Madshus, Rass/Madshus, Rottefella, Uvex, Madshus)
– Michael Ward, Aspen, CO, Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club (Fischer/Madshus, Rass/Madshus, Rottefella, Uvex, Swix)

Coaching Staff
– Dave Jarrett, Head Coach
– Chris Gilbertson, World Cup Jumping Coach
– Greg Poirer, Continental Cup Coach/Development Coach

World Cup Service Team
– Andrej Jezeršek
– Matjaz Dobrovoljc

Official Nordic Combined Suppliers
– Uniforms
– Bjørn Dæhlie

Equipment
– Alpina
– Atomic
– Bolle
– Briko
– Fischer
– Madshus
– Oakley
– OneWay
– POC
– Rossignol
– Rudy Project
– Salomon
– Swix

Wax, Tools and Training Devices
– Bosu
– Dominator
– Holmenkol
– Kenwood Radios
– Sun Valley Ski Tools
– Swix
– Toko
– Tools4boards
– Wintersteiger
– World Cup Supply

February 14, 2012 – US Best – Sunday’s relay effort by the US women has to be one of the top racing days in the history of Women’s Cross Country skiing in the US – if not the top day. It opened a huge gateway into the future. There were many reasons for this relay to be a bomb of the year rather than an effort that would have everyone over here cheering in their offices, breakfast nooks, cars, and where ever they were watching this effort on their computers.

For starters Kikkan Randall, the team’s best skier, sat out another race. On top of that the four ladies on the team had skied a very hard 15km CL WC the day before, Holly Brooks (the starter) is still wearing her wrist splint (now and then) and doesn’t have a bunch of races under her belt the last few weeks and didn’t finish the classic race the day before. Ida, the 4th lady in the pecking order, was replacing Kikkan the leader – BUT – on race day they came to the start line dressed in their striped USA red, white and blue socks over their uniforms and painted red and blue USA’s on their faces to lay down four of the best performances in their careers landing the best-ever USA relay result – 5th place.

Not only missing 4th place by a second, but being less then a minute behind Norway who won – that is something to talk about. QUESTION: What does the future hold – it’s exciting for everyone – and kudos to the coaches and the skiers for their dedication to having such an aggressive approach to building the relay team’s going forward – here we come Sochi! They now have quality and depth in taking this direction that they decided on in the summer months. Sounds like a plan!

Now North of The Border – You have just the opposite direction being taken by the Ladies program in Canada. As I wrote last week the women never made it to Rybinsk and now moving forward (or backward) from there only Perianne [Jones] was in Nove Mesto, while Chandra had to go home for a family emergency and Dasha, the lone member of the newly formed “senior team”, was in Seefeld with her boyfriend for training and an Austrian Alps holiday. It’s been two weeks and only one of the three ladies has raced once in that period – not an international scope in focus that I can see.

Here are some of the numbers that will show you the disparity between the US and the Candian women’s program when it comes to racing starts from the beginning of the season in Sjusjoen, Norway to Nove Mesto, CZE.

Canadian Ladies:
– Dasha – 15 races
– Perianne – 17
– Chandra – 17 (emergency trip home)

US Ladies:
– Jessie – 24
– Kikkan – 35
– Holly – 34 (broken wrist)
– Liz – 33
– Ida – 25
– Sadie – 19 (off the circuit a couple of weeks ago)

I don’t place the blame on the Canadian girls, but on the coaching staff, mainly [Justin] Wadsworth and [Eric] DeNys as they work with the ladies and chart the course for the year. But mainly it’s the coaches direction and expertise that is counted on here for going in the right direction. You say I’m not being fair, what about the Men’s program? They’ve been pounding the circuit since Sjusjoen in mid-November, so why not the Ladies? It’s a program that is not building towards Sochi.

I can remember watching Devon [Kershaw] fighting his way through season’s 5-6 years ago and getting beaten down but going back for more the next year… and look at him now.

The Canadian Ladies are racing about 1.4 races per week (mostly sprints) which is not enough to be in racing shape. This plan has way too many breaks – the training should have been done in the summer. I think this was the way of the 90s, the old North American way, not the new dedicated “we will be in Europe all winter way” adopted supposedly by both team this year. Sorry Canadian Ladies – you got the short straw this year.

Can any of the Canadian Ladies make it to Falun for the WCup finals…? Not likely – Chandra has a chance, but it is slipping away fast. Time for this program to change gears – real fast.

Talk To You Next Time,
Marty