NCCSEF

Volume 1, Issue 1 Volum e 4 , I s s u e 1

December 1995 December 1998

U.S. Ski Team Revamps, Looks Toward Brighter Future

The U.S. Ski team is looking to put last year behind it and build toward 2002. After last years disappointing Olympic results, there was a shake up in Park City this summer from the top down. Head Coach Gorden Lange resigned in May and has not been replaced. Swede Christer Skog, whose official title is trainer, is as close to a head coach as the team has right now - a structure he likes. The title of trainer allows me to focus on just that, the athletes training, Skog commented. Other head coach duties are being covered by the ski team staff. Skog is the former head coach of Sweden and Australia. The Ski Team has also structured a new athlete development pipeline which designates specific benchmarks which must be achieved before skiers can be named to the team. As a result, the 1998-99 U.S. Nordic Team is one of the smallest in recent memory. There will be increased focus on development (a National Development Group has already been named), the World Junior squad size was increased to five (subject to coachs discretion) and a J1 Scandinavian Trip was announced. Two-time Olympian Marcus Nash of Maine, who added two more U.S. titles to his resume this past season, and Alaskas Rob Whitney, who posted the best American cross-country result at the World Junior Championships in more than two decades, headline the U.S. Team. Nash was the only U.S. skier to collect World Cup points last season. Whitney, only 19, was eighth in the 30K skate race at World Juniors, the best U.S. performance since Bill Koch was third in the European Junior Championships in 1974. Also named to the mens squad were Ski Team veterans John Bauer, Justin Wadsworth and Pat Weaver. The women are led by youngsters Amy Crawford and Wendy Wagner, with veteran Nina Kemppel lending some experience to the squad. UVM grads Laura Wilson and Kerrin Petty were also named, but Wilson is noncommittal about 99 and Petty decided to retire. There is hope that this group will make an impact at the World Championships and on the World Cup this year. Kemppel is healthy again, and looks to return to the form that had her ranked in the Worlds top 30 in 1996. Word out of Park City is that Wadsworth and Nash are expected to score World Cup points and Whitney is the best of a good group of juniors that will be pushing for a spot on the ski team. Marcus has been making big steps every season and he's closing in on the (world) leaders, said Program Director Luke Bodensteiner . Rob's going to split his time between working with his peer group and focusing on getting a medal at World Juniors, and gaining some experience with older skiers. He's on a different program from the other development group juniors although he'll spend (some) time with his peers. With regard to the entire team, Bodensteiner is optimistic. This team has some pretty good breadth, between the
(U.S. Ski Team Preview continued on page 15)

Former World Junior Champs Win World Cup

Per Elofsson of Sweden outskied Olympic champion Bjorn Daehlie of Norway and Czech veteran Katerina Neumannova edged Stefania Belmondo of Italy by a half-second Saturday to win the opening events of the Buderus Cross-Country World Cup season. Elofsson, starting right behind Daehlie, won the men's 10K freestyle race in 23:48.5. Daehlie, who is looking to reduce his racing this season, was 15.5 seconds off the pace and Finland's Sai Repo took third place in the field of 91 skiers with a time of 24:32.5. Elofsson led the Swedes to an upset victory in the relay on Sunday. He anchored the team and outsprinted Norways Tor Arne Hetland for the victory. The two-time World Junior champion is at the fore-front of a Swedish revival as the team appears ready to return to the form that won the 84 and 88 Olympic relays. Neumannova covered the 5K course in 13:24.6, with Belmondo the runner-up in 13:25.1. Russian Nina Gavriljuk was third. In the women's relay Russia won, followed by Norway. Anfisa Retzova, the hero of the 80s, was on the winning team.

Inside This Issue

Journal From The Glacier Junior and College Previews A Year In A Norwegian Ski School 3 4 - 11 12

National Cross - Country Ski Competitor

Letter from the Executive Director

The National Cross - Country Ski Competitor is published five times per year and copyrighted by the National Cross-Country Ski Education Foundation, All rights reserved. 1751 Stanford Ave., St. Paul, MN. (651)698-1908 Phone(651)698-1891 Fax Reid@NCCSEF.ORG Editors - Jessica and Reid Lutter

Welcome John Lindstrom

NCCSEF Board of Directors Reid Lutter - Executive Director Cami Cardeneli - Director Rick Kapala - Director John Lindstrom - Director Contributing Writers

John Lindstrom, a longtime member of the Nordic ski community, joined the NCCSEF board at the November meeting. John has been on the FIS Lowlanders Championship board for many years. He has helped the U.S. Ski Team establish their endowment, and was part of the group that got the Birkie and World Cup started in the 70s. John is going to help the NCCSEF spearhead our drive to raise one million dollars for the NCCSEF endowment by the year 2000. The endowment fund was created to ensure the long-term existence of the National Cross-Country Ski Foundation. The fund will be professionally managed, and will give contributors the ability to donate tax free gifts or name the NCCSEF as a charitable trust recipient. The NCCSEF endowment drive kicked off with a mailing to the American Birkebeiner list this fall. The response has been very positive. So far nearly $8,000 has been raised for the endowment, nearly 100 new members have signed up and untold numbers of videos and calendars have been sold. FUTURE FUND GRANTS FOR 1998-99 The NCCSEF has awarded grants for the 1999 World Junior Championships and the 1999 Senior Nationals/World Junior Tryouts. Juniors who qualified for the Senior Nationals grant based on the 1999 year-end points list are eligible to receive funds up to $500 for travel to Rumford, ME. Athletes who have qualified will be notified by mail in the next two weeks with information regarding their grant. The points list can be viewed on the NCCSEF web site at www.NCCSEF.ORG. Athletes who qualify for the 1999 World Junior Championships, but do not receive funding from the U.S. Ski Team, will be awarded a $750 grant from the NCCSEF. Athletes will receive their grant application with their World Juniors information packet after the team is named at tryouts. GIVE A CROSS-COUNTRY SKI GIFT IN 1998 A NCCSEF calendar, ski video or gift membership are great holiday gifts! There are still some calendars available, and we have a huge selection of videos to choose from. Check out the NCCSEF product insert for more information. Calendar sales continue to be strong. Over 4100 have already been sold. With these sales, along with revenue from the sale of videos, the Future Fund should surpass the $40,000 mark this winter. We need your help to keep the ball rolling. Spread the word this holiday season with a NCCSEF gift!! We now accept Visa and Mastercard for all purchases, memberships and donations!! Once again a special thanks to our contributing writers. These folks volunteer their time and energy to bring you an insiders perspective from each region. Without their eloquent prose there would be no National Cross-Country Ski Competitor. THANK YOU WRITERS!!

Ed Finnerty Chris Grover Katie Gould Chris Hall Barb Jones Stephanie Kind Ed Kohler Reid Lutter Jessica Smith Thanks to our calendar sponsors

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National Cross - Country Ski Competitor

Summer Skiing - A Juniors Journal from the Glacier

By: Kris Freeman Eagle Glacier Camp, Anchorage, Alaska (8/16-8/22) Sunday (8/16) Due to yesterday's delayed flight I was stranded in the Detroit airport en route to Anchorage. I spent the night curled up in a nest of airline blankets and pillows at terminal HI 1. When I woke I boarded my plane and flew the rest of the way to Anchorage. I arrived around 1:OO PM Miles Minson (The U.S. Ski Teams Development Coach) and Rebecca Quinn were at the airport to meet me. As we were driving to our lodgings, Miles told me that we would fly to the glacier tomorrow. We were supposed to have flown up yesterday, but because of my delayed flights I missed a day of skiing. Monday (8/17) I slept long and deeply last night. I looked over at the bed next to me to see Miles. He told me it was time to get going. Rebecca, Miles, and I were on the road by 8:30 AM. The sky was clear, which meant that we would probably get to fly to the glacier instead of hike up. I have heard some pretty scary stories about scaling the 5500ft mountain that Eagle glacier rests on. I was thankful for the good weather. On the way to the private airport that would fly us, we picked up Dylan Prosser, Lars Flora and Sarah, who was hired to be our cook. The pilot at the airport said it would take two trips to get the six of us and all of our gear up the mountain. The two girls flew up first. Then Miles, Lars, Dylan and I piled into the plane. The flight was fantastic. The sky was clear and the views were incredible as we ascended up though mountain peaks and clouds. The plane we were in was equipped with skis so that it could take off and land on snow. We landed right on the glacier. Next I was led up to the mountain house that would be my home for the coming week. Inside I met the other seven skiers that were attending this camp. They were coaches Jim Galanes and Krister Skoog along with National Ski Team members Wendy Wagner, Nina Kemmpel, Amy Crawford, John Bauer, and Rob Whitney. That afternoon I went for my first on-snow ski in three months. It felt just like home (New Hampshire) despite the weather which had deteriorated since my arrival - it was foggy and snowing. I skied with Lars Flora for two hours before Miles said Id skied long enough for the first day. Tuesday (8/18) I woke up this morning and looked out the window. I could not believe how beautiful the view was. I could see snow topped mountains descending into green valleys, which eventually led to the ocean. I walked downstairs and ate breakfast before heading outside for a skate session. There wasn't a cloud in the sky as I skied on the ten kilometer loop around the bowllike glacier that Jim had groomed for us. I got my rhythm and balance back today. It always takes me a few training sessions to feel comfortable after I make the switch from roller skis to snow. I skied for two hours by myself, focusing on technique. After eating lunch and taking a nap, I went out to the glacier with my classic skis. The track was hard and fast - a little purple klister and I was on my way. I skied with Rob and Miles. Miles gave me frequent suggestions on how to improve my technique. He said that my main problem was that my hips were too far back. After dinner Nina bet me one dollar that I couldn't do thirty pull-ups on the new bar that Rob had put up in the TV room. I'm now one dollar richer. Wednesday (8/19) We did a body correlation strength test this morning. The test was done on an up hill that took approximately two minutes to climb. We skied up it three times at maximum effort. The first time we skated up with no poles. The second time we double poled, and the third time we skated up normally. The coaches timed us and took our heart rates at the top. My results were good. My heart rate was the same every time and I was strong with each technique. After the test I climbed up one of the steeper hills with Rob and Lars. Then we tele-turned down and ate lunch. We classic skied again this afternoon. I was tired from the test so I came in after an hour and a half. Nina and Jim gave me a hard time for quitting early. But I know when my body has had enough, so I ignored the pair and took a nap. When I woke up I watched some video of myself skiing. My hips are too far back in both techniques. Thursday (8/20) It was very foggy this morning so skiing was delayed until 10:00 AM. We attempted to classic ski but the snow was impossible to wax for. I did a 1:30 double pole workout on my skating skis. Most of the time I followed John Bauer who was cruising. I was usually in level two while I followed him but occasionally I popped up to level three. After skiing I went inside and did an abdominal workout with Rob who had given up on skiing early and spent the entire morning doing calisthenics. In the afternoon it was so foggy that I couldn't see ten feet in any direction. To accommodate for this, Miles set up orange cones along a 2K trail that we skied back and forth on. John, Wendy, and I were the only people who felt like skiing in these conditions. Again, I followed John most of the time and ended up skiing in the "garbage zone" between levels two and three for the majority of the ski. However, I did pick up some technique ideas.
(Glacier Journal continued on page 16)

National Cross - Country Ski Competitor

NCAA Preview Utah, CU, UVM Will Battle for the Title (Again)
By Barb Jones and Jessica Smith The 1999 Eastern Carnival season should have an entirely different face this year - Weve gained some and weve lost some. Key players of the men's circuit who have graduated this year are 4time NCAA champion Thorrod Bakken, scrappy challenger Chad Guise (who has handed Thorrod his only carnival loss), and the terrible Bates trio of Justin Freeman, David Chamberlain and Christian Oberle. Needless to say, it will be tough to draw so many spectators without these head-turners. Everyone is wondering who will grab the spotlight this year. Will it shine on new blood or those whove been lurking in the shadows? Let's take a look at the team standouts. Despite the loss of Guise, Middlebury remains strong with the likes of All-American Andrew Johnson, NCAA veteran Will Rawstron, and up-and-coming Justin Beckwith . They will do battle for prominence in the east with UVM. Vermont is led by Norwegian rivals Sindre Burok (All-American), and NCAA qualifier Ruben Anderson. Joining them are junior Dave Stewart and their new freshman Sean "smooth as silk" Gallagher. There is also rumor of a new Norwegian secret weapon ... we'll keep you posted. Let's not discount the Dartmouth men who return NCAA qualifiers Scott McArt and Stephen Donahue, both of whom are hungry for All-American bids. Dartmouth captain Paul Stone will also return from an unexpected year-long sabbatical due to back surgery. Freshman Matt Cleveland will be hot on his teammates' heels. UNH also looks tough, returning their full varsity squad. Colin Manhood leads the pack, followed closely by Chris Wolski and Tim Woodbury. Bates, as was mentioned, will be rebuilding this year along with Sain Lawrence which graduated their top six from last year. The word on the men's circuit is: watch out for those biathletes as they are of a fickle nature and are liable to jump into the competition at any moment. Dartmouth top-ten carnival skier Nils Arvold, who opted to travel with the World Junior biathlon team last year, may be a contender for the Dartmouth cross-country squad this year. UNH will benefit from the help of biathlete Andy Fischer and SLUs Eric Tremble (U.S. Biathlon B Team member) may be that teams diamond in the rough. Middlebury will reap the benefits of having the grandfather of the circuit, former U.S. Biathlon team member Chad Salmela. Unlike the men's circuit, the old guard will return for another season on the womens side. Only two top-10 easterners graduated last season, UVM's Hege Vethe, and Middlebury's Emily Boyle. UVM's roster is still impressive, led by Vermont's own Tessa Benoit (otherwise known as the Vermonster), and those nifty Norwegians Carolina Mjoen (All-American) and Anette Nilssen. While UVM looks good, they'll have their hands full, for Dartmouth boasts a roster filled with American talent. Dartmouth didnt loose a single skier to graduation and NCAA AllAmericans Jessica Smith, Barb Jones, and Abi Holt, along with All-East skier Chris Shaner, are taking no prisoners. With 10 new freshmen including junior standouts Mirte Mallory, Kate Pearson, Erin Quinn-Hurst, and native Sara Donahue, Dartmouth is the deepest women's team in the nation. Their B team could win carnivals! Dont overlook the Middlebury women, however. While Emily Boyle has graduated, Susan Angst, Anna Kulmatiski and Lara Dumond remain some of the strongest classic skiers in the East. Freshman hope Hilary Patzer also promises to fortify this fearsome force. UNH, with 3-time NCAA qualifier Coreen "Superstar" Woodbury, Arika Poulin, and skating phenom Sara Russell will contend for carnival titles ... if they can only figure out which of their headbands are the luckiest. Now throw in Williams skiers Sylvia Enlund and Helena Johnson, Bates' Maggie Shaner and Katie Parker, and SLU's Liz Hollenbach, and you've got the ingredients for one exciting weekend after another. Western skiers watch out! The Easterners will be ready to race in rainy Rumford. Green Bay & Northern Michigan Still Dominate Midwest By: Eddie Kohler The University of Wisconsin, Green Bay team continued it's rise in the central region last season, sending the maximu m team of three men and three women to nationals while taking both regional titles. However, Northern Michigan University is back on track and ready to rebuild their regional dominance of the early nineties. Northern Michigan's head coach, Sten Fjeldheim is starting his second year with the Wolfpack after returning from a stint as Development Coach for the U.S. National Team. He says he's happy to be back coaching at the college level, which allows him to spend more time with his family and do what he does best. After a great year of recruiting, together with the tremendous improvements in his current athletes, the future looks bright for NMU. They return 1998 NCAA qualifiers Jesse Downs, Abigail Larson, and Kerri Nelson, as well as Sara Ga lbraith and Cory Wubbles, who finished in the top ten at regional championships last year. This alone would make for a strong season, but when you add Matt Weir (6th at 1998 World Junior Trials/National Development Group), Chris Cook (Wisconsin state champion), and Heidi Reinhart (World junior skier/National Development Group) to the mix, you can truly appreciate how strong Northern Michigan is going to be this year. The University of Wisconsin, Green Bay has suffered the loss of its long-time coach Butch Reimer. Reimer left the team he built into a powerhouse to focus on softball. Mike Klein, UWGreen Bay's cross-country running coach will attempt to fill Butchs substantial shoes. He has added Bryan Fish, a two time NCAA qualifier from UW -Green Bay as assistant coach.
(NCAA Continued on page 5)

National Cross - Country Ski Competitor

NCAA Preview
(NCAA Continued from page 4)

Fish, along with Jaime Mueller and Adam Swank have reached the limit of their racing eligibility, which opens the door for some younger members of the team. Josh Tesch has put in his strongest summer of training to date with an increase in volume and specificity, and hopes to break into the top ten in his third appearance at NCAA Championships this season . He will get help in the team competition from Andy Weddle, Ben Deneen, and Jeremy Roseth. The womens team will be led by junior Laura Anderson and sophomore Theo Hunt who are on track for their best seasons ever. Sophomores Denise Whitten and Carly Watson will also make a significant contribution to the team competition this season.

last year of eligibility. Theyd really like to get in there and win. Returning to help the charge for another national title are AllAmerican Pat Casey and Hoken Schronberg. Colorado lost two of their NCAA skiers, but also return AllAmerican Ove-Erik Tronvoll. Americans Eric Meyer, Kasey Ward and Dan Weinbreger hope to add a little home cooking to the Colorado stew, but they will have to get by newly imported Jurgen Aukland from Norway and Magnus Eriksson of Sweden. Its scary how fast these guys are going, American hopeful Eric Meyer remarked. We all have a shot at making NCAAs, it will just come down to the last two western races.

Denver Universitys team will be led by German Krill Kretzschamar St. Olaf's women were very strong last season and return the ma- and should be in the mix as well. Western State is in a rebuilding jority of their deep women's team. 1998 NCAA Nationals competi- phase, but they did land top American recruit Kris Dudley. He tor Sara Kueffer is back for her senior year and is looking for some could have an immediate impact on the western college scene. strong results in Maine this spring. Megan Mackie will miss this Anchorage lost ageless Frode Lillefjell but will be a contender again this season, even though American star Rob Whitney has season due to an exchange trip to India. While shes gone, Margie Tilman and freshman Sonja Bostrom from St Paul Central taken a leave from the squad. Nevada is starting to look like Sun will continue to push the Oles toward the top of the region. The Valley West, as Mike Lloyd joins his brother and other SVSEF alums on that squad. This team could be what Western State was addition of U.S. Olympic Biathlete Andy Erickson could make a in years past, a strong team anchored by American skiers. huge impact on St. Olafs men's team. If things go right for him this season, however, Erickson may spend the majority of the ski On the womens side, Utah took a hit with the graduation of season in Europe competing in biathlon events, which could cost NCAA classic runner-up Kristin Tjelle. They return the trio of him a trip to NCAA's. Hailey Wappet, Kristina Joder and Steine Hellerude, and add Norwegians Lene Pederson and Marit Husby. Joder is recovering nicely from ACL surgery this spring. Colorado lost double NCAA champion Line Selnes and All-American Leane Luhta to graduation, but they return first team All-American Unni Odegard as well as Americans Ali Dienes and Xan Courville. New skiers from around the world will make them one of the top teams again this year. Anchorage lost former NCAA champ Doris Hausleitner, but will remain competitive again this season. Western state returns Carleton College's top men are on the verge of doing some damErin Hamilton to lead their womens team, as she goes for a top age in the region. Owen Hanley, Zack Handler and Greg Rhodes ten NCAA finish this year. Western State lost a key player when are all back and have put in solid training in preparation for the former World Junior Skier Morgan Hogue asked to be released upcoming season. Michigan Tech returns Sara Riter and Ben from her scholarship. The freshman is rumored to be headed to Lund, both looking to improve on last year's performances. Lynd- NMU. University of Nevada-Reno is quietly putting together a sey Pierce and Calisa Schoweiler will make an immediate impact for pretty good squad, anchored by new recruit Heidi Phoeling, a faSt. Cloud State University this season after transferring from UW- vorite for the World Junior team in 1999. Green Bay. St. Mary's men's skiers had some strong running seasons which may hint at a strong season ahead from them as well. The U.S. Ski Team has made an appeal to schools to spend their scholarships on Americans. It is reported, unfortunately, that a Utah Looks to Return to the Top, Colorado has Other Plans majority of college coaches look to Europe for their talent. While the addition of schools like UN-Reno means more Americans are Last March the Utes lost their national title to Colorado by two earning scholarships, there are still too few opportunities for and a half points. Their Nordic team had a good meet, but felt American juniors. Results from past NCAAs prove that Americheated after just missing individual national championships as cans ski just as fast, it just seems they take a little more time to well. The good news for the Utes is that five of their six NCAA develop. skiers return this season. The mens team will again be led by the Kollerud twins Rune and Frode, each of whom had a second and third in last years NCAAs. Rune and Frode are pretty hungry for an individual title, head coach Kevin Sweeney remarked. They have been denied the past couple of years, and this is their The University of Alaska, Fairbanks will have its work cut out for it this season with the strength of Northern Michigan and UWGreen Bay. The third place regional men's team returns all of its members, including NCAA qualifier Morton Daehlie and World Junior alternate Dave Arvey. They have also added two new Minnesotan's to their roster, Jon Johnson of North St. Paul , and Greg Jurek of Proctor.

National Cross - Country Ski Competitor

Alaska Preview Colony, East Favored For the State Titles; JO Team Aims to Bring the Alaska Cup Home
By Stephanie Kind Talk of Colonization and the work ethic of the East hasn't been this great since the Puritans first inhabited Massachusetts. These days in Alaska, the Colony Knights boys team and the East High girls have established a domain that is intimidating to would-be challengers. Both teams feature members fresh off fall victories at the state cross-country running championships. The Knights are led by returning state skimeister Eric Strabel, who posted a top-2 showing at the October running championships in Soldotna. He was shadowed by fourth-place finisher and teammate Ryan Quinn. The senior-junior duo is likely to lead the Knights this ski season and, despite the loss of Corie Langham who moved to Mexico, count on a solid supporting cast. Top-10 finisher John Heimerl and senior Mike Backus lend promising veteran support. Charis Gullickson and Darcy Dugan both back) and Chugiak (led by JO skier Jessica Kinnevan). Outside of the Anchorage area, watch for competition from Fairbanks sophomore Mishelle Norris, of Lathrop; and a handful of skiers from the Kenai Peninsula. The Junior Olympics return to Kinkaid Park in Anchorage this March, where Alaska will try to regain the team championship trophy, the Alaska Cup. The Cup, which resided in Alaska for eight years from 1988-1995, has been conspicuously absent since the 95 championships in Fairbanks. However, with a slew of returning medalists, and home course advantage, the odds are the cup will once again summer in its familiar Last Frontier surroundings in 1999.

The Alaska team will have quite a ringer in Rob Whitney if he is not in Europe this spring. Whitney, the nineteen-year old from Anchorage, is on the U.S. Ski Team this year and is shooting for a I'm extremely impressed with the work ethic this year," Colony place on the podium at World Juniors and a spot on the 99 World coach Ed Strabel said. That work ethic required traveling to the Championship team. Last season he spent early March on the World Cup circuit. If he is in town this March, he may choose to high country at Hatcher Pass up to three times a week to find ski one final JOs on his home course to help the home team to snow well into November. victory. It sure would be a great experience for all the young kids Hard work has long been a hallmark of Dimond High squads, but at the meet to see Whitney and New Hampshire skier Kris Freethe 1998 runners-up will have to overcome the loss of graduate man duke it out for the older junior honors. Dylan Prosser (2nd place overall at state). Senior Nate NorThe Besh Cup series, which is the qualifying series for Junior mandin could step up to lead the Lynx. Service continues to Olympics, starts January 2 in Anchorage, Alaska. have the greatest depth among Alaska teams and has two impressive veterans in former JII skiers Ben Crawford (10th last season) and Zach Hill (12th). The young talent among Alaska girls will undoubtedly mature this season. East, which lost its 1997 state title to the Service High girls in 1998, could potentially be poised to make a comeback in '99. Diana Johnson and Kikkan Randall, both JO skiers who led the Thunderbirds last season, return along with Rachael Samuelson (16th at state) and former Service skier and JI standout Caitlin Yarborough. It is yet to be seen how a broken collar bone, suffered in a summer bicycling accident, will affect Randall. If she races with the intensity she showed in upsetting Dimond's Darcy Dugan to win in the final meters of the state running championships, she will be tough. It's highly unlikely, however, the defending champion Cougars will relinquish their claim easily to Randall's team or anyone else's. Service returns 1998 Skimeister Tara Hamilton to pace a team that perennially blossoms into a force by late February. As Strabel noted, "Service boys and girls are always real tough." Other teams routinely in the mix include Dimond (with veterans

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National Cross - Country Ski Competitor

Western Preview Intermountain/Northern Looks for Repeat in Anchorage RMD is Ready for its Shot at the Title
By Chris Hall The Intermountain/Northern and Rocky Mountain divisions have increased expectations as the racing season begins for these small but powerful teams. The I/N team is hoping to show the ski community that last year was not a fluke and this year's team also has the talent for a good showing in the team competition. RMD, with impressive team results the past two years, has the confidence that they too can ski with the big guns. With JN's in Anchorage this year, both teams realize that they must work even harder this year to continue the success of years past. The big root is out there, the only question is: who is going to grab it first? Intermountain/Northern boasts a strong field of J2 girls led by Park City's Meghan Beck, who posted two top-five finishes last year in McCall. Not far behind is Bozeman's Kristina Trygstad, who added a 5th place in the skate race, and Sun Valley's Ashley Wells, a top-twenty skier in both races. Adding JN experience to this group is Claire Anderson from Whitefish, Molly Hunker from Lander, Kelley Sinnott from Sun Valley and Erin Forsythe from Park City. Casper's Jannelle Kinner is another skier who looks solid coming into the season. The talent level is high in this core group of girls which may lead to some exciting results this year. In the J2 boys class, things seem to be a little more wide open. Returning JN qualifiers include the "Dream Team" of Bryce Turzian and Andrew Slough from Sun Valley. McCall's Spencer Lawley and Whitefish's Ben Ruffato will challenge Turzian and Slough for the top spots in this class. Other skiers looking to move into JN qualifying spots this year are Sun Va lley's Jason Willingham, Ryan Parnes and Eric Hamlin, McCall's Jamie Everett and Jesse Murphy, Casper's James Cirlan and Nick Brubaker and Boise's Andy Martin. It remains to be seen if this group can recapture the magic of last year's domination at JN's. Moving up to the J1 girls class this year are Park City's Whitney Thompson and Sun Valley's Kristin Hanggi, who hope to add to their already impressive results resumes. Joining them are returning JN team members Jennifer Kinner from Casper, Jenny Bressler from Jackson and Brooke Murphy from McCall. Also moving up to the J1 class and looking to qualify for a trip up north are Casper's Brooke Ummphlett and Sun Valley's Crystal Ward and Josie Bradford. Combined with these tough girls are OJ's Mollie "Grandma" Holt from Sun Valley and Jane Marshall from Boise. These two veterans will be counted upon to provide leadership for many of the younger girls. The competition among the J1 boys clas will be intense. It will most likely be a dog fight among many skiers. Second year J1 Zack Simons from Park City should be top dog, but there is a strong pack just behind him which includes his teammate Dan Chudliegh and Sun Valley skiers Jedd Young, Jess "Diesel" Kiesel and Chaddy Cleveland. Other skiers hoping to mix it up in this dog eat dog class are Sun Valley's Matt "In The" Stevenson, Park City's Jay McIntyre, Casper's Jefferey Bean, Brad Dayton, Kurt Tyler and Casey Fagerquist, Jackson's Ben Morley, and Bozeman's Jeremey "I Only Lip-synch" Hanson. These skiers are all accustomed to a high level of success and all stand to benefit from the positive competitiveness within the group. Leading the Rocky Mountain division into the 98/99 year is 1998 World Jr. team member and National Jr. skier of the year Rebecca Quinn. Skiing out of Crested Butte, Quinn has an excellent chance to lead the US Jr. squad to some top results in both national and international competition. Another OJ girl expected to ski well this year is Durango's Carmen Small. In the J1 class, headliners include CRMS's Melody Scheefer and Steamboat's Brooke Rygg. RMD also has a young but experienced group of J2 girls which could turn some heads this season. Boulder's Kelly Hughes, CRMS's Madde Mancini and Crested Butte's Chantal Dussault all placed within the top fifteen at JN's last year and look to improve upon those results. Pacing the RMD boys this year will be Kris Dudley, the silver medalist in the OJ skate race in McCall. Dudley and CRMS skier August Teague look to be strong skiers for the division. Up and coming J1's who will make an impression this year are Steamboat's Mark Iverson and Dan Keenan along with Crested Butte's Andrew Kastning. This group will join returning JN qualifiers Danny Klatt from Durango and Kastning's teammate Andy Shepard. The J1s appear to be the toughest class in RMD this year. According to a few coaches in RMD, the J2 boys field appears to be "wide open this year. Grab a root, boys.

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National Cross - Country Ski Competitor

Pacific Preview Is it Finally Boom Time for the Pacific Region?

By: Chris Grover Far West Divi sion For many of the California and Nevada natives that comprise the Far West region, the summer and fall of 1998 has been an opportunity for training breakthroughs. Far West Junior Olympic coach Glen Jobe reports that the juniors in the division have had one of the most productive summers in recent memory. Paramount to this productivity has been big attendance numbers at three junior camps this summer and a renewed commitment to high-level racing and training amongst the athletes. The summer training period kicked off with an on-snow training camp at the Auburn Ski Club in June. Thirty Far West athletes took advantage of late season Sierra snows and a chance to ski with US Ski Team member and Olympian Marcus Nash. Summer dry-land camps in Mammoth in July, and in Truckee in August boasted similar numbers of committed athletes. This renewed interest in year-round training, coupled with large numbers of younger skiers becoming involved in the sport, characterize what Glen Jobe calls a great time to be involved with junior skiing in the region. The division will once again be led by Truckee skier Jenny Rassuchine who shined at last seasons Junior Nationals with a 10th in the classic event and a 5th in the skating competition. Jenny has had a great summer of training and has committed to attending the World Junior Trials in Rumford this January. As a freshman at the University of Nevada, Reno, she may or may not ski in Anchorage as an OJ, depending on her college racing involvement. Other promising Far West females include Junior National veterans Annie Sphor and Emily Robins of Tahoe City, CA. Coach Jobe also reports the arrival of a very promising group of first-year J2 ladies, that includes Laura Sphor and Rory Bosio of Tahoe City, as well as Margaux Joffe of the Auburn Ski Club. On the mens side, Far West will be looking for leadership from their Junior National Veterans. These skiers include Ian Case, Zach Violett, and Dana Mossman of the Auburn Ski Club, as well as Scott Hill of Tahoe City. They will be joined by first-year J2 and Truckee skier Nick Sterling, a standout as a J3. The Far West division is getting the season started on the right foot by taking fifteen of their skiers to a week-long training camp in West Yellowstone, Montana. These skiers will join the defending Alaska Cup champion Intermountain / Northern division in their annual fall training camp. The division will also be sending 15 of their top athletes to an Intermountain / Northern JOQ in Boise this January. The first Junior Olympic Qualifier for the Far West division will be January 10th at the Auburn Ski Club. Pacific Northwest Division After some promising Junior National results last season, and a solid summer of training, the athletes of Washington, Oregon, and northern Idaho look primed for a great 1999 race season. Preparation for this years competition began with some great summer training camp opportunities that included an onsnow camp in Bend in June, and a dry-land camp with Olymp ians Laura McCabe, Leslie Thompson, and John Aalberg in the Methow Valley in August. The highlight of the summer, however, had to be the dry-land camp at Nat Browns ranch in Princeton, B.C. in July that featured Olympian Jim Galanes and World Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist Thomas Wassberg of Sweden. Thomas, Jim, and Nat imparted many great lessons to the athletes there, including: the importance of proper forest management, how to keep from striding during classic rollerski workouts, and how to avoid running into bears at the garbage dump. In all, it was a summer that left many PNSA athletes fired-up and looking forward to the racing season. This year, the PNSA division will be looking for leadership from an experienced group of Junior National veterans. In the Older Junior category, Winthrops Heidi Rhinehart is a good bet to once again represent the U.S. at World Juniors in Austria. With a gold medal in the classic race and a bronze in the skate event, she established herself as one of the top juniors in the country last season. Currently attending Northern Michigan University, Heidi may choose to ski at NCAAs and we may or may not see her in Anchorage. Other Older Juniors that will be attending the trials include McCall silver-medalist Erin Quinn-Hurst of Spokane, currently at Dartmouth, and Haines, Oregons Brenna Knowles, currently finishing up a strong cross-country running season at St. Lawrence University. Like Heidi, we may or may not see Erin and Brenna at the Junior Olympics, depending on their college schedules. The boys Older Junior field should be led by Leavenworths Torin Koos, last years prologue winner and a medalist in the J1 15K classic event. Torin is spending this fall and winter in Norway, training with the Varden club where he has greatly increased his hours and his commitment to ski racing. Although he will spend most of the winter racing in Norway, he should be back to the states in time for the Junior Nationals. Torin may be joined by former teammate Beau Terharr, now studying and skiing at Denver University, and Bends Adam Becker, who is currently recovering from a long summer of skateboarding. The J1 girls field should once again be led by MBSEF mem(Continued on page 11)

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Eastern Preview New England Looking to Take the Cup Home in March Mid - Atlantic Aims for JO Relay Victories
By Katie Gould For New England its not quite time to put away those roller skis. Unfortunately, the East was not blessed with an early snow fall as it was in 1997. With less than a month to go before the first Junior National qualifier, everyones gearing up for the season, despite being surrounded on all sides by green grass. Eastern coaches and athletes are looking to this season with high aspirations and indeed, the field which lacked the most depth in McCall last year, may be the one to pose the greatest threat this season. The OJ women have gained a strong contingent of racers who are sure to make their mark. After training all fall with the Dartmouth ski team, Mirte Mallory, who finished fifth in the classic race at Junior Nationals, Sara Donahue (thirteenth in the classic event), and Erin Morrissey are ready for a season of success. Joining the big green ladies on the collegiate circuit is Jen Dalley. She finished thirteenth in the freestyle event in McCall and has graduated from Burke Moutain Academy to go onto Middlebury Colllege. We should be expecting some great results from Kate Whitcomb, who is completing her senior year at Stratton Mountain School and Lindsey Molyneux, who is taking a post graduate year there as well. Rounding out this powerhouse group of racers are Caitlin Compton, who finished seventh in the freestyle race in Idaho, along with Daisy Pierce and Taylor Donaghy. The OJ men were certainly well represented in McCall last year, and the East is hoping to do the same with the group they bring to Alaska. The talent of top racers Justin Beckwith (sixth in classic, seventh in freestyle), Dave Stewart (fourth in skate, eighth in classic), and Hans Hanson (eleventh in classic, fifteenth in freestyle) will be tough to match. However, the machine Kris Freeman who won both the J1 mens races in Idaho is a good candidate for that. Also stepping up to the OJ scene, Sean Ga llagher (sixth in freestyle) is training at UVM this fall. Matt Holland, Cole Caswell and Eamon Donovan are a few to look out for as they enter the OJ field. The question is, now that Matt Cleveland (third in freestyle) has joined the ranks of the Dartmouth Ski team, will he ski for the East at Nationals? Leading the J1 men in his second year is Ethan Foster, who placed ninth in the classic race and eighth in the classic event in McCall and has been named to the junior elite team. Helping him out will be Colin Rogers and Brayton Osgood, both who are also second year J1 racers. Also moving up to the J1 level are Andy Hunter, Andrew Newell and Micheal Schutlz, all of whom proved their talent as JIIs and should have no problem doing the same as J1s. Although the J1 women lost numerous racers, they have gained standout JII woman, Margaret Maher. Maher won the 5K freestyle race and placed second in the 5K classic event at Junior Nationals last year. She is sure to be a solid addition to this field. Joining Maher as first year J1 racers are Eileen Carey (eighth in freestyle) and Sarah Torkelson (seventh in classic). Second year J1 racer, Gretchen Black (eleventh in classic) will also be a strong contender in the J1 field. The big unknown in the East this season is the JII womens field. Tyne Pike Sprenger and Corina Hamel are two racers who gave the eastern women a tough fight last season as JIIIs. These girls will be the ones to watch out for this season. As the grass continues to stay green, the juniors continue to crave the falling snow. Alaska may seem far away right now, but these racers are hungry for some competition. Mid-Atlantic By: Ed Finnerty A talented group of Mid-Atlantic skiers turned in some of the districts most encouraging results in recent memory at last seasons Junior Nationals in McCall. With this experience under their belts, there is reason for optimism as the Mid-A skiers head into the upcoming season with the goal of bringing home even more medals from Anchorage. Perhaps the strongest group of skiers will be the J1 boys. Tom Temple of Clifton Park, Lowell Bailey of Lake Placid and Tim Weston of Fairport will renew their season-long battle for dominance in this talented and deep class. At McCall, this trio joined forces to bring home a relay bronze, finishing a mere tenth of a second out of 2nd place. Hot on the heels of the big guns, however, will be Tim Burke of Paul Smiths who finis hed fourth in the JII skate race at the 98 JOs and Mark Pepper Old Forge. The J1 Girls are led by Kate Underwood of Johntown who has bypassed college scholarship offers in field hockey to focus on her skiing. Katie captured the New York State High School Championship in 98 and looks ready to make a major step forward at Junior Nationals. Right behind her, however, will be rising star Berley Leach of Old Forge (she leads a legion of talented girls emerging from the Old Forge program) and Briget Loud of Lake Placid who captured a 6th in the JII classic race at McCall. Erin Graham will be Coach Bernie Gardners top skier coming into the season out of a strong Honeoye Falls -Lima High School Team.

10 National Cross - Count ry Ski Competitor

Central Preview Great Lakes JIIs Move up a Class, Midwest Will Fight for Another Alaska Cup Title in Anchorage
By: Ed Kohler Michigan The sophomore sensations from the Copper Country Ski Club in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan are all a year older, a year stronger, and a year faster. Sara Salo and Samantha Ex are spending Thanksgiving week at Giant's Ridge to practice up on their biathlon skills. Salo returns this season to defend her classical state championship title, while Ex will try to recapture the success of her freshman year when she took the Michigan state title. Eeva Pregitzer, last year's overall champion at the state meet also returns as a junior. The Copper Country girls round out their team with Emily Klemp, who finished 5th at last year's state meet. Traverse City offers the closest competition for Copper Country, and Marquette should be strong as well under the guidance of coach Joey Haggenmiller. Sam Graci of Traverse City is back for his senior season to defend his come-from-behind state championship win over Trevin Cole of Charlevoix and Erich Zeigler of Marquette. However the youth of Ziegler, Sam's brother Joey, and last year's 6th place finisher David Hilden of Bothwell Middle School could work to their advantage, allowing them to make huge gains in the off season. Any of these boys could have a shot at the state championships with a good season of training and the right wax at Suicide Bowl this spring. In the team competition, with Marquette returning its top three skiers (Ziegler, and the Graci brothers), they should be the team to beat once again this season. Traverse City and Charlevoix will try to build some momentum throughout the season to dethrone the defending champions, but they will have their work cut out for them. Wisconsin Wisconsin's skiing queen of 97 and 98, Aniya Deitz, returns to go for her third gold this season as a junior from Fifield, Wisconsin. If history tells us anything about her chances of repeating, it looks like the rest of the state will once again be racing for second. Last season she took the two day (5K/5K) pursuit meet by 1:33 over Anne Fait of Wausau West High School and Jordan Seethaler of Kettle Moraine High School. Another Fait sister by he name of Mary Jo is coming up through the ranks. She will help Wausau West defend their team title once again. Deitz has continued training with Kevin Brockman through the Community Olympic Development Program to improve her skills while focusing on the national competition. She will be competing in the World Junior Trials this season in Rumford, ME, and has a solid chance of qualifying for the team. She would be the first skier from Wisconsin to compete at the World Juniors since Kurt Wulff of Minoqua competed in 1994. On the boy's side, state champion Chris Cook of Rhinelander High School, has graduated and is now skiing for Northern Michigan University. Last year's third place finisher, Seth Behrends of Drummond has also graduated as well as fifth place finisher Ian Karl of Lakeland. This should open the door for some hungry underclassmen that are working hard and are ready for some break through years. Josh North of Kettle Morraine finished second last season and returns as the favorite. However, he will have a lot of young skiers chasing him. Tyler Odden of Spooner, Josh Korn of Eau Claire, and Chris Cook's younger brother Bryan all have legitimate shots at taking the pursuit title this February. Another skier to watch is Aadrian Ostrander from Hayward, Wisconsin. He could be one of the Midwest's top JIIs this season along with fellow Wisconsinite, Bryan Cook. Minnesota Giant's Ridge was the place to be over the week of Thanksgiving. It was one of the only places with skiable snow in the entire Midwest, which brought together some of the regions, as well as the countrys, fastest juniors for a great week of training. The National Development Group was in town to work with Miles Minson, who flew in from Fairbanks, Alaska where hed been coaching the U.S. Ski Team. Shyer Scalded brought the Stratton Mountain Schools group over for two weeks of on-snow training. The Community Olympic Development Program was holding a camp, as well as the Shaky Ski club, Minnesota Biathlon, and many other high school programs. The emphasis of all the camps was on volume and technique, as the skiers prepared for the start of the race season. Minnesota's state high school meet is a one day affair, which has meant that athletes have had to choose whether to compete in the individual skate or the classic race at state. This year, a pursuit race has been added to the schedule, so athletes will now choose between racing in the classic race, the skate race, or the pursuit, allowing the potential for three different skiers to win State Championship titles. The Duluth East Greyhounds left Giant's Ridge last February with two individual State Championship titles, and two team State Championship titles ... and they did it with a team comprised mostly of sophomores. The question is, how will the new format at State affect this team? Most people believe, they still have the formula and dont plan on sharing it. Both
( Central Preview continued on page 11)

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11

P acific & Midwest conti n(Pacific Preview continued from page 8) ber Abby McAllister of Bend. Abby is coming off a summer that included her first rollerskiing experiences (and first road rash experiences as well), and another successful fall of crosscountry running. As a senior and a second-year J1, she will be looking to improve upon her medal finish in the womens 10K classic event and silver in the relay at McCall. Another strong J1 candidate is Methow Valleys Emily Chenel who is coming off a great summer of dry-land training, and some road-rash of her own. Abby and Emily will be joined by Elli Becker (currently training in Mora, Sweden), Jessica Smith-Blockley, Alyssa Greer, Casey Collins of Bend, Christin Vallor and Holly Brooks of the Kongsberger Ski Club along with Emilys teammate Tara Gregg. The J1 men will be led by Bends Josh Smullin (also currently training with a program in Mora, Sweden). After a tough 1998 season which included breaking his back in late summer, Josh has finally had a solid summer and fall of training. He will be looking to qualify for a trip back to Europe this January at the World Junior Trials in Rumford. He also hopes to improve on a top 5 finish at JOs as the championship moves to Anchorage this season. Josh will be backed up by the Inland Empire Nordic Clubs Marshall Greene who has just come off a very impressive cross-country running season that included earning a trip to the Foot Locker Nationals in California in December. Josh and Marshall will be joined by Winthrops Bill Jatef, Evan Soderquist, Blaine Houk, Solomon Woras, Leavenworths Ryan Valaas and Brian Newhall of Libby, MT. The JII womens field is marked by a host of fast new prospective JO challengers. From Leavenworth comes first-year JIIs Kristina Owen (16th at Washington State XC running champ ionships as a freshman), Laura Valaas, and Kari Koos. This trio of Leavenworth ladies will be joined by Spokanes Meredith Hyslop, whos had her best summer of training to date. On the JII boys side, a few McCall veterans will be leading a gaggle of new recruits. The leadership includes the Inland Empire Nordic Clubs Colin Quinn-Hurst (also finishing a successful XC running season), MBSEFs Isaiah Super Sophomore Burkhart, Leavenworths Evil Sam McKinstry, and LaGrandes Josh Axelrod. Hoping to challenge these veterans will be Tarn Heath and Tyler Farrar of Leavenworth, Matt Halloran of Spokane, Luke Oliver, Sam Naney, and twins Chad and Brian Gregg - all of Methow Valley.

(Central Preview continued from page 10)

of Duluth East's individual State Champions from last season, Andre Watt and Rachet Daw, are back to defend their titles, and plenty of their teammates will be back to put their team on pace for an epic dynasty. Duluth East has tapped into the successful girls cross country running team , which has produced six consecutive state team titles. The Stillwater girls team has a strong and talented group of skiers including last year's classical state champion Shelby Strong who, besides skiing, has been one of the state's top swimmers and golfers. Ingrid Overchuk, one of the state's fastest runners will also contribute substantially. They will need help from some of the younger girls on the team in order to give the Duluth East girls a run for their money. Roseville's Kristen Fairman is on track for a great season and, if

things go right for her, she will likely miss the state meet in order to attend World Juniors. She is one of about seven Midwest girls who have a good shot of making the World Junior Team this season. Forest Lake's Billy Lee returns in this, his senior year to defend his classic title. When asked about his goals for this year's meet, however, winning a team title was his main goal. His younger brother Bobby is extremely fired up, and is consumed with his goal of winning a gold medal. On the first Saturday of the 10-day Thanksgiving camp, he put in six hours of training and finished with a quick ski up the Giant's Ridge downhill area ... which he subsequently bombed with a friend in the dark (just in time to make curfew). Everyone look out for Bobby!

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12 National Cross - Country Ski Competitor

Journey to Norway - a Year at Meraker Ski Gymnas

By: Torin Koos Many years ago, the pages of Nordic Update had excellent stories on the Swedish ski heroes Gunde Svan and Thomas Wassberg, before they were international stars. Their always fascinating (and sometimes a little crazy) stories centered around dreaming big, training hard and the general life in a ski gymnas. These stories left me with a desire to live in Scandinavia and see what it takes to ski fast. Last year, Gil Lund, a ski aficionado from Seattle, Washington, asked if I was interested in attending school at a ski gymnas in Meraker, Norway. His brother lived in a town nearby and several other Americans in recent years had had successful, if somewhat different, experiences while in Meraker, Norway. In mid-August, while at the prestigious McCabeThompson summer ski camp in Winthrop, Washington, I learned that I had an opportunity to live in Scandinavia and attend the Meraker Ski Gymnas. Within a week I was on a plane and on my way to Norway. first-ever ski race went into the record books as an intense contest of strength and stamina. Kilometer after kilometer the king and young lad matched each other stride-for-stride, as the spectators cheered wildly for the king and the young lad. "Heja, gull er ditt" and "kom igjen, deg er beste" could be heard faintly above the hopeful, frenzied cheering. Coming up the final climb to Lillehammer, the kilometers showed on their faces. That's when it happened. Almost imperceptibly, the Kings smooth classic stride began to look ragged and, while he tried, he couldn't match the young lads sudden burst of speed. The spectators were in pandemonium, their cheering turning into more of a shrieking, cow bell clonging frenzy. The young lad pulled off the upset victory in spectacular fashion.

The town that has become my home is Meraker, Norway. It is a small, isolated, town of 2500 people located in east-central Norway, bordering Sweden. The local mountains give way to a valley that runs to the fjords of Trondheim and are visually striking, if not so grand as those found back in the pacific Northwest. Sporting traditions and the outdoor lifestyle run deep in small, isolated Norwegian towns like Meraker. At nightfall, families are The locals speak with a very special dialect not found outside out cutting and stacking firewood for the cool winter that awaits. the region, which makes learning the Norwegian language even more challenging. The Meraker Vidergaende Skole - Ski Gymnas The same families can be found miles out in the Norwegian was founded in 1980. Before that time, the youth of Meraker had woods on several-day hunting trips for the national treasures to go to school away from home or get a job at the dying Silicon freshly caught hare and reeper. Last week an eighty-year-old Meraker man was celebrating fifty years of hunting and the Nor- factory. wegian newspapers ran his weekly orienteering results. On ocLife at the ski gymnas, except for homework, is excellent. We casion, Scandinavia's best in the small sports can be seen on have a three-hour class for ski training on Tuesday, Wednesday national television. and Thursday. On Monday and Thursday nights there is an optional styrke (strength) training workout as well. Aside from Futball (soccer) is the most popular and televised sport in Norway but skiing is still the gem of Norways crown, as the locals the weekly intramural competition, from 15 kilometer skate time trials, rollerski triathlons to orienteering races, the rest of the will tell you with a twinkle in their eye. Cross country skiing traces its roots back four thousand years to the northern reaches training is on our own. Once every month we go over our results of Scandinavia known as Samiland. The land there is known for and set goals with a ski trainer. The skiers themselves have the its magnificent lakes, streams and fjords in the summertime and flexibility and take responsibility for designing their own systematic training plan - and have a little fun with it. finds itself blanketed in unending miles of deep snow half the year. As a result, travel for the native, nomadic Sami people is In Norway, students have several choices in schooling. One can extremely difficult, to say the least. They found using birch sticks enabled them to maneuver around the northern tundra and attend the regular high school, an all-sport school or specialized sporting schools like a ski gymnas. Within each school there are make a bounty off the highly desirable native reindeer. even more choices, such as taking sport science classes or math Since its humble beginnings, skis have enjoyed an irreplaceable and physics. part of Norwegian history and culture. Quite possibly the first ski competition took place in 1033. The King of Norway at that time, King Olav I, was an outdoors-man whose sporting exploits were known throughout Norway. Great stories of his sportsmanship were passed from the white capped mountains to the sea, from rocky fjords to forests. The king himself, after seeing the countrys finest, would openly proclaim that no one could match his speed or style on skis. On hearing that a young lad had called him on his claim, the King challenged him to a race. The course stretched 55 kilometers from Roros to Lillehammer. That Outside of school, most of my time is spent with the Norwegian and Swede I live with in the converted barn that is my new home. Thomas Thomasli , the Norwegian, comes from Mo i Rana in the north. He is an Elvis Presley fanatic, karaoke extraordinaire and is prone to festing a bit too much. I spend the majority of my time with my Swedish friend, Sonny Bohlin, riding bikes and stopping by the houses of other people we know and talking trash about the Norwegians. Sonny and I also have this unwrit( Norway Journal continued on page 13)

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(Norway Journal continued from page 12)

13

A Journey to Norway ... continued

It is interesting to talk, hang out and train with Hans Martin because he always has something to say and he is more dedicated to skiing than I have been. He is that mythical skier-biathleteathlete that strikes fear in American racers, but in the end he is no different from any talented, well trained, very tough athlete from anywere else. "A champion is something one has been or can become, not what someone is." - Bjorn Daehlie (stolen by Hans Martin). Sonny and I headed back to school to finish out the eventful night with a strength training workout. We were soon invited over to another house, however, to watch TV. There we watched the 16 and 17-year-old skiers of Meraker do intervals on water-drenched grass fields, as the NRK (Norway's national television) broadcast the strange event. Wednesday Outside this morning as I race to make it to training on time, Im reminded of a classic Alfred Hitchcock movie with the darkness just beginning to fade away as the rain comes pattering down. Already I find myself longing to be by a fire, drinking blueberry soup and learning a little norsk. Today our workout is a classic rollerski followed by technique training. For a little over an hour we rollerski five laps at a good pace on the five kilometer loop. I concentrate on skiing like Norwegian legend Oddvar Bra. My technique is still in need of refinement giving me incentive to do the dryland technique drills with renewed vigor. The rest of the school day is much the same as Tuesday and, surprisingly, the Rosenborg Ball Klub, Trondheims very successful soccer team isn't playing this Wednesday. Thursday This morning is the Meraker Orienteering Championship. By 8:30 AM, the skiers, high school students and some teachers are out in the wet woods. This counts as one of the schools weekly competitions and, as I jog a little before the start with the skier Arvc from Trondheim, I'm not quite sure what to think about orienteering. Earlier while training out in the mountain woods, it had struck me as amazing that the locals could find their way back to the town of Meraker. Within minutes I find out first-hand that it is quite possible to get lost even with the aid of map and compass, as I tried to maneuver through the woods to five designated check-in points. In the end, I wasn't even close to being named the vidergaende mester, finishing 14 minutes behind the winner. I was, however, the house champion. Once again Sonne and I head back to the styrke hall for the nights strength training workout. We finish out the night with Arnold Schwartzeneger in Eraser. Friday

ten agreement: he helps me learn the language, a mixture of svensk and norsk, and on occasion, he does extremely well in English. In the end, I characterize the people of Norway and the country itself as tough, beautiful and steeped in tradition. My time in Norway has definitely given me a new definition of skiing fast and enhanced my perception of what it will take to be the best. This is an insight to the weekly happenings in Meraker, Norway in early November. Monday My week gets off to the subtle but distinctive sounds of Sonny getting ready for school in the morning. For Thomas and I, however, school doesn't start until 11:30 AM. I find this a good time to finish a letter, catch some more sleep or put in a little training. Today Im doing the latter - a mountain run on a road by my house up Gamle Stordals Vei - and thanks to my slightly improving norsk, I now know that means "Old Big Valley Road." Much of the training here takes place on these old trails covered in tittabaer bushes, fjellbjenk and rocks, with muddy swamps to cross. After my run, I head to school early and put in some time trying to figure out what is going on in physics class. The traditional time for dinner in Norway is early, so after school its middagsmattime. The Norwegian meal of lutefisk with potatoes, leftsa, whole grain rolls, and goat cheese for dessert is now accompanied with such "American" meals as pizza and Pringles, or Coney Island Style Hot Dogs and Coca Cola. Later at the school it is Swix night, where we pick up the new ski smorvoks, racing poles and clothes for this upcoming season. Afterwards, about ten of us head to the strength training room for maximuml strength training. As always, the music is blasting. Tonight we listen to the new tunes of Beastie Boys while Thomas Thomasli amazes all by bench pressing 120 kilos. Tuesday The first three hours of school today focus on ski training and today, like most Tuesdays, is interval day. The ski bounding intervals alternate from three to four minutes on a trail leading up to Funn Fjell Mountain, the largest snow-crested peak in Meraker. I do my intervals with Arild Moen who comes from the nearby town of Stordal, which is also the where American Olympian John Aalberg was raised. I have a very full day remaining with two hours of classes for Norsk, physics and math. After school, while checking my email, Hans Martin came by and we talked for a while. Hans Martin had just gotten back from an eleven-day training camp in Oslo with the Junior National team.

14 National Cross - Country Ski Competitor

A Journey to Norway
(Norway Journal continued from page 13)

Early Season Results

BUDERUS CROSS COUNTRY WORLD CUP Muonio, FIN Men's 10K - Skate 11/28/98 1) Per Elofsson SWE 2) Bjorn Daehlie NOR 3) Sami Repo FIN 4) Mathias Fredriksson SWE 5) Jari Isometsae FIN 6) Magnus Ingesson SWE 7) Martin Koukal CZE 8) Sergei Krianin RUS 9) Tor Arne Hetland NOR 10)Mitsuo Horigome JAP 11)Alexei Prokurorov RUS 12)Mika Myllylae FIN 13)Stephan Kunz LIE 14)Kristen Skjeldal NOR 15)Christian Hoffmann 24:58.4 16) Fabio Maj 24:59.1 17) Ivan Batory 25:00.2 18) Maurizio Pozzi ITA 19) Anders Bergstrom 25:01.5 20) Mikhail Botwinov AUT 21) Niklas Jonsson SWE 22) W. Aschwanden 25:07.3 23) Ole Bjorndalen 25:07.6 24) Andreas Schluter GER 25) Martin Bajcicak SVK Morgan Gouansson SWE 27) Thomas Alsgaard 25:10.2 28) Vitaliy Denisov 25:11.3 Alexandr Sannikov BLR 30) Pietro Piller-Cottrer ITA Women's 5K - Skate 1) Katerna Neumanova 13:24.6 2) Stefania Belmondo ITA 3) Nina Gavriljuk RUS 4) Olga Danilova RUS 5) Anfisa Reztsova RUS 6) Kristina Smigun EST 7) Antonina Ordina SWE 8) Larissa Lazhutina RUS 9) Julia Tchepalova RUS 10)Irina Taranenko UKR 11)Elin Nilsen NOR 12)Bente Martinsen NOR 13)Maria Theurl AUS 14)Brigitte Albrecht SUI 15)Irina Skladneva RUS 16) Katrin Smigun EST 17) Anita Moen NOR 18) Sigrid Wille GER 19) Gabriella Paruzzi ITA 20) Olga Moskalenko RUS 21) Natalia Masalkina RUS 22) Katerina Hanusova CZE 23) Marina Lazskaja RUS 24) Sabina Valbusa ITA 25) V. Shevchenko UKR 26) Guri Knotten NOR 27) Satu Salonen FIN 28) Constanze Blum GER 29) Riikka Sirvio FIN 30) Manuela Henkel GER (Anders Berstrom, Magnus Ingesson, Mathias Frediksson, Per Elofsson) 2) Norway 1 1.40.31 3) Italy 1 1.42.09 4) Sweden 2 1.42.52 5) Italy 2 1.43.04 6) Austria 2 1.43.17 7) Switzerland 1.43.18 8) Russia 2 1.43.20 9) Finland 1 1.43.53 10) Russia 1 1.44.05 11) Norway 2 1.44.11 12) Austria 1 1.44.43 13) Belarus 1.45.26 14) Japan 1.46.27 15) Finland 2 1.46.59 16) SWE-SUI-ITA 1.47.13 17) Finland 3 1.47.58 18) Kazakhstan 1.49.51 19) Finland 5 1.52.37 Womens 4 x 5K Skate Relay 11/29/98 1) Russia 1 55.37 (Olga Danilova, Anfisa Retzova, Larissa Lasutina, Nina Gavriljuk) 2) Italy 1 56.36 3) Norway 1 56.56 4) Russia 2 57.23 5) Estonia 58.16 6) Germany 58.32 7) Sweden 1 59.00 8) Norway 2 59.00 9) Finland 1 59.04 10) Finland 2 59.06 11) Ukraine 59.07 12) Switzerland 59.08 13) Japan 59.16 14) Russia 3 59.17 15) Italy 2 1.00.32 16) Belarus 1.01.25 17) Finland 3 1.02.02 NDG Timetrial, Giant's Ridge, MN CZE 13:25.1 13:28.3 13:32.9 13:36.4 13:49.8 13:51.5 13:54.2 13:56.7 13:57.6 14:00.1 14:02.2 14:04.5 14:11.8 14:14.9 14:15.4 14:16.4 14:18.3 14:20.9 14:21.4 14:22.3 14:22.4 14:22.6 14:25.5 14:25.7 14:32.2 14:33.1 14:33.5 14:35.8 14:37.7 Men 9K - Skate 11/27/98 1) Kris Freeman NDG 2) Ethan Foster NDG 3) Andre Watt MW 4) Matt Weir NDG 5) Colin Rodgers NDG 6) Matt Schadow MW 7) Tom Wisdow NE 8) Chris Sachs MW 9) Billy Lee MW 10) Nikolai Aniken MW

After sleeping to a very fine ten oclock this morning, I find the mountains have been dusted with snow and sparkle against the cool, cloudless sky. The last time I saw of Thomasli he was packing up to leave and go back home for the weekend. At school I found out we will have a math test, laden with derivatives and limits, on Monday. At 5:30 PM, after talking to my family back home in Leavenworth and eating a pizza dinner, Sonny and I find ourselves back at the school for a night workout. Svein Tore, an excellent trainer at the school, gave a talk about the importance of periodization, variation of time and intensity in training. Next weeks school competition is to be an uphill rolleski race-if we're not skiing on the real thing yet! Tonight an aerobics and strength workout is scheduled. Before the start, however, a game of indoor soccer breaks out and there's pride at stake as the Trondheim athletes, plus an American, take on the best of the rest of Norway. Its not even a contest though as the Trondheim team dominates the game with an unstoppable firepower . Then aerobics start and a group of seventy are doing their best Jane Fonda, swinging and singing along to the best of the 70s dance hits. Saturday Early Saturday morning we set off for a two-day, one-night training camp in Storlien, Sweden. After loading up our gear in a bus, we head out on rollerskis to double pole the twenty-five kilometers of steep, unrelenting uphill road to Sweden. Within the first kilometer we know we are in for an adventure. The cool night left the asphalt glistening with ice, which eventually turned into a snowbound Swedish paradise. This was a welcome sight and made this a day not soon forgotten! The journey from Meraker to the Norwegian/Swedish border was incredibly important during World War II. From 1940 to 1945, the small towns bordering Sweden, like Meraker, would take countrymen in risk of persecution from the city and hide them in houses. Later the fleeing countrymen would take trails to freedom that were known only to a few. Five kilometers from Meraker the Swenor rollerski I was using locked up, but thankfully Sven Tore vas driving by, and took me back to my house to pick up my tried and true Pro Skis. Svein Tore and I had a very enlightening conversation about his years as a junior skier on the national team , the 1993 World Junior Championships he competed in with Anders Eide (Meraker allumni) and Thomas Aalsgard, and winning the relay. After checking out the big city of Storlien, it was time a for the afternoon training. The workout was a series of three, four, and five minute ski walking intervals up a black diamond alpine run in a foot of snow!

23:48.5 24:04.0 24:32.5 24:33.3 24:39.9 24:40.3 24:45.2 24:47.7 24:49.1 24:51.1 24:52.9 24:53.0 24:56.2 24:58.2 AUS ITA SVK 25:01.3 SWE 25:05.5 25:05.6 SUI NOR 25:07.8 25:08.7 25:08.7 NOR RUS 25:11.3 25:11.9

22:56 23:33 23:41 23:51 23:57 24:31 24:34 24:45 24:50 25:19

Women 6K -Skate 11/27/98 1) Aniya Deitz MW 16:27 2) Kate Whitcomb NE 16:36 3) Abby Larson GL 16:40 4) Heidi Reinhart NDG 16:56 5) Kristen Fairman NDG 17:15 6) L Molyneux NE 17:52 7) Maria Stewart NE 18:21 8) Olivia Ester MW 18:36 9) Lindsey Weir MW 18:41 10) Gretchen Black NE 18:50 YOKO FIS Contential Cup Series Fairbanks, AK Men's 10K - Skate 11/7/98 1) Justin Wadsworth Bend, Ore. 30:14.5 2) Marcus Nash Fryeburg, Maine 30:42.9 3) Carl Swenson N. Conway, N.H. 30:46.0 4) Cory Smith Salt Lake City 31:09.8 5) Patrick Weaver Lenox, Mass. 31:13.2 6) Scott Loomis Park City, Utah 31:20.0 7) Robin McKeever Canada 31:25.0 8) Rob Whitney Anchorage, AK 31:30.4 9) Philip Bowen Norhtfield, Minn 31:53.0 10) John Bauer Champlin, Minn. 32:05.7 -

Mens 4 x 10K Skate Relay - 11/29/98 1) Sweden 1 1.40.30

National Cross - Country Ski Competitor

15

U.S. Ski Team Update

(U.S. Ski Team Preview continued from page 1) veterans and the younger skiers like Rob and Amy and Wendy, who are coming along quickly. Unfortunately, early season races in Alaska were wiped off of the FIS calendar due to lack of snow cover. A race was held in Fairbanks on November 7, but there was only one inch of snow, so the technical delegate declared it was not a FIS race. Justin Wadsworth and Nina Kemppel were the top Americans. After Fairbanks, Wadsworth, Nash and Kemppel headed over to Europe to get ready for the early season World Cup races. The rest of the U.S. team will head to Canada and Spokane for two weekends of FIS Continental Cup races starting December 11th. Pat Weaver had a bout with Lymes Disease this summer, but seems to have bounced back and will be ready to go in December. According to ski team sources, Amy Crawford, however, will most likely sit out the entire season as she tries to get healthy. The focus on national development from the ski team level is a welcome change. The National Development Group (NDG) was named in May. Ethan Foster, Kris Freeman, Dylan Prosser, Colin Rodgers, Dave Stewart, Matt Weier, and Rob Whitney make up the mens group. Kristin Fairman, Hillary Patzer, Kate Pearson, Heidi Poehling, Rebecca Quinn, Heidi Rhinehart, and Mirte Mallory were named to the womens group. U.S. coach Miles Minson held four camps throughout the summer and fall for the NDG; three on-snow opportunities and one dry-land camp. The focus of the NDG is continued international success from U.S. juniors. These athletes will be the ones to beat at the World Junior Trials in January. Freeman, Prosser, Weier, Whitney, Poehling, Rhinehart and Fairman will get their first chance to see if their summer training has paid off at the Canmore races. Visa came through with a sponsorship of the NDG that enabled coach Minson to bring them to Canada. Well get a good chance to see how our kids are skiing, Minson said of the Canada trip. The Canmore races are Canadas World Junior Tryouts, so they will be going for it. If our kids are with them, its a good early season sign. A J1 trip to Scandinavian was added to the calendar as yet another development vehicle. J1s who are in the top 10 on the final World Junior Tryout points list will have the option of traveling to Sweden for a series of races in February. These races include all the Swede, Norweigan, Finn and other juniors who just missed going to World Juniors. It will provide the U.S. skiers with their first opportunity to experience internationallevel competition. The trip to Scandinavia as well as the World Junior Team will be supported by NCCSEF Future Fund Grants. The World Nordic Ski Championships will be held February 1828 in Ramsau, Austria. The World Junior Championships are scheduled for February 3-7 in Saalfelden, Austria.

USSA CROSS COUNTRY ATHLETE DEVELOPMENT PIPELINE MODEL

PEAK PERFORMANCE
Master Skills Performance Criteria Olympic Games & World Cup/Championships Ages 18-30+ STAGE 5 National & International Competitions Ages 15 & up

Procession Athletic and Competition Skills

STAGE 4 Junior Olympics (Regional) - Begin Specialization Ages 15-19 STAGE 3 Regional Inter-Club Competitions All Disciplines Ages 13-15

Acquire Athletic Skills

STAGE 2 Local Inter-Club Competitions All Disciplines Ages 10-12 STAGE 1 Begin to Ski/Instruction Ages 6-8-20

Family/Community-Based/Parks and Recreation Ski Areas, Ski Schools, Interdisciplinary Participation

USSA Club System

U.S. Ski Team

AGE-BASED COMPETENCIES AND COMPETITION LADDERS

16 National Cross - Country Ski Competitor

(Glacier Journal continued from page 3)

Friday (8/21) It was still foggy today but it was clear enough that we could utilize five kilometers of trail. I was in the middle of an average skate ski with Lars when Jim stopped me and pointed out that the reason my hips are always back when I skate is that I push off of my heals. When I began to push off of the balls of my feet, I immediately noticed that I was more on top of my skis which made them glide longer and stall less during push-off. In the afternoon I classic skied again and spent nearly the entire time doing drills with Miles. My hips are finally where they're supposed to be but it is an uncomfortable position. I'm sure I'll get used to it though. I played poker with Miles, Lars, and Nieman the maintenance man tonight. I made twenty bucks. Unfortunately fifteen of it came from Lars on credit and I know he'll never pay up. He'll just start whining about how he paid for everything for me while we were in Italy. He is under the false impression that I owe him money.

Saturday (8/22) Jim decided that we should fly out today because a five day storm was coming and if we waited any longer we would probably be stuck up there. The plane needs perfect weather. We got to ski for two hours this morning. I skated around the loop five or six times and couldn't help but get sentimental because I knew I wasn't going to get ski again for ten weeks. We flew out around noon and then I went to Rob's house where I'm going to stay for a few nights before heading back home to New Hampshire. Kris Freeman is one of the top juniors in the U.S. He was on the 1998 World Junior team that received a NCCSEF Future Fund grant and also he also received a Future Fund grant to travel to the Eagle Glacier camp. Through your memberships and donations we are able to award Future Fund grants.

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In The Next issue

World Cup, Senior Nationals Preview, Early season JOQs and Continental Cups