Nordic Nation

In this episode, we’ve got Chad Salmela and Kikkan Randall on to discuss the experience of calling the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games, live from a booth in Stamford, CT. The duo worked as cross country analysts, alongside long-time NBC play-by-play announcer Steve Schlanger. While Chad is a veteran in the role, this was Kikkan’s first Olympics inside the booth. 

During this conversation, Kikkan and Chad field a variety of questions on their experience – everything from staying fresh while calling races in the middle of the night for two weeks straight, to maintaining professional composure while watching your former teammates and long-time friends win Olympic medals - or come up short - and even, why are you suddenly pronouncing the Norwegian distance champion’s name “You-haug”? 

Full of insights and laughs, this conversation was a treat, and it’s clear that both Chad and Kikkan are deeply invested in growing and serving the cross country ski community in the US.

Thanks for listening, and thanks to this week’s podcast sponsors Boulder Nordic Sport and New Moon Ski & Bike. 

In this episode, we have Sydney Palmer-Leger, Sophia Laukli, and Novie McCabe. Each is a member of the U.S. Cross Country team, and they are also all teammates at the University of Utah (UU), where they are coached by Miles Havlick and Fredrik Landstedt. 

Laukli and McCabe were recently named to the 2022 Olympic Team and are soon headed to Beijing, while Palmer-Leger will race in the RMISA collegiate circuit for the next few weeks before flying to Norway for the FIS Junior World Championships in Lygna. Laukli and McCabe were named to the FIS U23 World Championships, but declined their spots due to scheduling conflicts between the Olympics and the NCAA championships, which will be hosted by UU in early March.

Each already accomplished in her own right, these women discuss their experiences so far as they set their sights on long-term goals for what they hope will be long careers in the sport. 

While each had strong performances as they progressed through high school, the trio perhaps first made their names more widely known in March 2020 when they earned a silver medal in the women’s 4 x 3.3-kilometer relay at the FIS Junior World Ski Championships in Oberwiesenthal, Germany with fourth teammate Kendall Kramer. This historic result improved on the 2017 bronze medal earned by a team of Julia Kern, Hannah Halvorsen, Hailey Swirbul and Katherine Ogden – not too shabby. 

The day before the relay, Laukli had taken 5th in the 15k mass start freestyle, a top individual result which she repeated in February 2021 by taking 5th in the 10k freestyle at U23s in Vuokatti, Finland. McCabe also has two top-10 finishes at World Juniors/U23s; she was 10th in the 15k classic in 2019, and 9th in the 15k free in 2020. Currently 19-years-old, this is Palmer-Leger’s final year racing at World Juniors, and she expresses her hope for peak performances during these events. (Due to positive test results on the team and subsequent quarantines for close-contacts, Palmer-Leger and McCabe were unable to compete in the 2021 World Junior Championships.)

Going further back, McCabe is the daughter of two-time Olympian Laura McCabe (‘94 and ‘98) who maintained a competitive career after having Novie and her younger sister, Dashe. Bringing Novie along both for training and to sessions she was coaching instilled a love of the sport in her daughter from infancy. Growing up in the Methow with her mother and close family friend Leslie Hall, a three time Olympian (‘88, ‘92, and ‘94), as her coaches and mentors fostered both her passion for cross country skiing and her talent, eventually leading her onto the World Cup and soon to the Olympics. (For more on the McCabe family, read this beautiful piece on integrating family into the lifestyle of a competitive skier and coach written by Laura McCabe for Enjoy Winter.) 

Laukli also grew up in a family with deep roots in the sport; her father is originally from Norway and raced for the University of Colorado Boulder, though she grew up in Yarmouth, Maine. With dual citizenship and family connections in Norway, Laukli has had the opportunity to train and race overseas, including some FIS and Norwegian National Championship racing in January, 2021 where Laukli finished 13th in the 15k skiathlon and 16th in the 10k freestyle. These results earned her World Cup starts, allowing her a whirlwind of international racing in the 2021 season which she had not foreseen when facing season cancellation and tight COVID-19 restrictions through the fall 2020 semester at Middlebury College. (Laukli transferred to UU in Fall 2021.)

Perhaps their most noteworthy result this season, Laukli and McCabe were fifth and seventh, respectively, in the final stage of the Tour de Ski, the infamous hill climb up the Alpe Cermis. 

Originally from Park City, UT, Palmer-Leger was also raised in an active family, enjoying the myriad of outdoor activities available in the Park City region as a kid. Eventually, two sports moved to the forefront of Palmer-Leger’s focus: cross-country skiing and mountain biking. She found success in both through high school, earning five national titles in mountain biking before deciding to focus solely on her skiing. After racing period 1 on the World Cup, Palmer-Leger headed back to Utah to race at the U.S. Cross Country Championships, where she was third in the freestyle sprint, 7th in the 20k mass start freestyle, and 6th in the 10k interval start classic; she was the top collegiate athlete in each race. 

Thanks for listening. 

In this episode, we have Jake Adicoff and Sam Wood, calling in from Lillehammer as the duo races as athlete and guide at the Para World Championships. Jake is a visually impaired athlete from Sun Valley who grew up racing with the SVSEF cross country program and now trains with the Gold Team. He has raced at both the 2014 Paralympics in Sochi, and the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang, where he won a silver medal in the 10k classic, as well as placed 4th in the classic sprint and 5th in the 20k free. 

Meanwhile, Sam is also a member of the SVSEF Gold Team, balancing his own training and race goals with his support of Jake this season. Sam finished in the top-10 twice in the opening SuperTour weekends this season, and was in the Top-25 in both distance races at the U.S. Cross Country Championships in Soldier Hollow. (Jake also raced, independently, at U.S. Nationals 

While it has included career best results, this year of racing was not originally in Jake’s plans. He retired from professional skiing in 2018, heading to San Francisco to work as an engineer for Uber, having graduated from Bowdoin College that spring with a degree in Mathematics and Computer Science. When the pandemic hit, he began to work remotely from his parents’ house in Sun Valley (thinking it would be just for two weeks – remember that?) and ended up “casually” hopping into training with his friends on the Gold Team. With a few nudges from US Para Nordic and teammates like Sam, Jake began to realize he was still passionate about ski racing and quite fit again, and he began to set goals for the upcoming 2022 Paralympics. 

At the time of the call on Friday January 21st, Jake had already earned a World Championship gold medal in the 10k classic on Sunday the 16th, and a bronze medal in the 15k skate on Tuesday the 18th. The morning after the call, the pair raced to second place in the 1.5k classic sprint. Three races, three medals. This week made it clear that Jake is in top form and will be a medal contender in Beijing. 

In this conversation, we get into the dynamic of the athlete-guide partnership, as well as how being long-time friends and teammates has contributed to their success racing as a pair this season.

To follow along with Jake’s racing this season, you can find race recaps with athlete quotes on the US Paralympics Nordic Skiing tab on the Team USA website, or follow the team on Facebook and Instagram.

A quick heads up on the audio, you’ll notice a bit of crackling and some poor connection toward the end of the podcast. Thanks for listening. 

In this episode, we have Matt Whitcomb back to debrief the 2021/22 Tour de Ski, including highs and lows, overcoming setbacks, and managing a circulating head cold. We also discuss the cancellation of the Les Rousses World Cup, covid safety in a critical window before the Olympics, and the racing happening in Soldier Hollow during the 2022 US Cross Country Championships. 

You can find athlete interviews from throughout the Tour de Ski in our race coverage at FasterSkier.com.

Thanks for listening. 

In this episode, we have Ben Ogden, Gus Schumacher, and JC Schoonmaker, members of the new generation of American men who have found success at the junior level internationally, and are now transitioning onto the World Cup as athletes to follow. In this conversation, we explore this transition from a variety of angles, along with goal setting, team dynamics, and navigating the challenges of competing for very limited and selective Olympic spots without compromising the friendship and culture the team has developed. 

For those unfamiliar with these athletes before they became a presence on the World Cup, each athlete is 21-years-old. Both Schumacher and Ogden were members of the World Junior relay team that won back to back gold medals in 2019 and 2020, building upon their silver medal performance in 2018. Both athletes also have top-10 results at World Juniors, with Schumacher winning the 10k Classic, the first gold medal at World Juniors for American men. Ogden earned two Top-10 results in 2020, with Schoonmaker finishing just outside the top-10 in 13th during the freestyle sprint. 

Each has taken slightly different paths in their transition from junior to senior level racing. Ogden stayed close to his hometown of Landgrove, VT by enrolling full time at the University of Vermont. Schoonmaker also went the NCAA route, but traveled much further, from his home of Tahoe City, CA to the University of Alaska Anchorage. Schumacher opted to prioritize skiing, choosing part-time college in Anchorage while sticking with his junior coach Jan Buron, with whom he’d made steady progress. 

As Devon Kershaw has explained many times on his podcast, success at World Juniors does not directly correlate with success on the World Cup. The trajectory is often non-linear, with exceptions like Johannes Høsflot Klæbo and Alexander Bolshunov who immediately began dominating the World Cup circuit upon arrival. The task of making this transition is coupled with pressure and attention as American ski fans closely monitor, and perhaps critique, these men as they attempt to build upon the results of leaders who came before them, to carry the stars and stripes to results that consistently mirror those of the women’s program. 

While it remains to be seen what kind of results these men will have in their senior racing careers, it is evident from the laughter throughout this conversation that they are enjoying the ride. Separate from skiing, as individuals, these men are academically motivated, supportive of their teammates, and genuinely charismatic, making them easy to root for regardless of World Cup or Olympic outcomes. 

Related Reading:

The Phenom Next Door: A January, 2019 Interview with Gus Schumacher

2020 World Juniors Relay Gold Medal (Photo Series)

2020 World Juniors 10k Classic: Gus Schumacher 1st, Ben Ogden 9th, Luke Jager 10th

2020 World Juniors Freestyle Sprint: Ben Ogden 6th, Gus Schumacher 7th, JC Schoonmaker 13th

In this episode, we have U.S. Ski Team members Hannah Halvorsen and Hailey Swirbul along with development team coach Kate Barton. The original idea behind the conversation was to discuss a variety of challenges female athletes of all levels experience during their careers based on an infographic posted by the organization Voice in Sport, found in our show notes. 

As the conversation evolved, it became clear that this conversation will resonate with athletes of all genders, ages, and level of competition. Yes -- being one of the fittest women in the world and getting to travel the world is a wonderful privilege that many of us might fantasize about, however, we often only see the highlight reel. From social media to pressure, and “balance” to competition between teammates, these women shared powerful insights into their lives as athletes and coaches at the highest level of our sport. Hopefully, this perspective helps listeners recognize and support the whole person inside the lycra, on days where the pieces come together on the World Cup, the days they fall short of the goal, and all the days in between.

Some related reading that is discussed:

Hannah Halvorsen With a New Plan (details her story of being struck by a car and early recovery; find a follow up story here)

I Don’t Have a Six Pack, But a Car Hit Me and I Survived by Hannah Halvorsen

Hailey Swirbul’s Instagram Post on Mental Health and Letter to Her Younger Self

Brave Enough by Jessie Diggins (Reviewed on FS here, with more on her recovery and advocacy here.)

In this episode, we have Tara Geraghty-Moats, a trailblazer in women’s nordic combined who made the switch this season to biathlon. As we discuss in this conversation, women’s nordic combined could be put on display as an example of gender inequity in sport. Despite the fact that men have competed in nordic combined at the Olympics since the first Winter Games in 1924 and the FIS has organized a men’s World Cup season since 1983, the women’s counterpart is still not included in the Olympics and only saw its first World Cup season last year. 

The original 2020-2021 World Cup schedule included four venues, plus the World Championships in Oberstdorf, Germany, but due to COVID cancellations, only one event took place. As Tara won this event in Ramsau, Austria, she was later named the overall World Cup winner and took home the first ever women’s World Cup crystal globe. 

While she has goals remaining in nordic combined, Tara feels the move to biathlon was the right one, which you’ll hear about conversation. Tara also discusses her background in winter sports, the state of women’s nordic combined in the U.S., what her training and travel looked like during the transition, and her goals for the upcoming season.

Thanks for listening.

In this episode, we have Jim Galanes to discuss some guiding training principles for masters athletes. If you enjoy the endurance athlete lifestyle, or are juggling a career and family, but still enjoy trying to get fitter and faster as in this fickle sport, this interview has plenty of exercise physiology insight to chew on. 

Galanes may need no introduction -- he’s been a noteworthy member of the cross country ski community for more than four decades now.  He is a three time Olympian, first in the 1976 Innsbruck Olympics where he competed in nordic combined,  then again in the 1980 Lake Placid Games and the 1984 Sarajevo Games competing in cross country. 

After retiring from his athletic career, he spent six years as a coach of the national team, followed by a few years with the program at Stratton Mountain School. He then moved to Anchorage to start and coach the now-thriving APU program. Originally from Brattleboro, VT, Jim now lives in Frisco, CO where he coaches online and in-person through his business EPOC Performance Training. On his coaching platform, Galanes regularly weighs in on the latest research or trends in exercise science, and provides examples from his athletes and self-experimentation into the effectiveness of his training programs, making it clear that his finger remains ever on the pulse of best practices in endurance training.

Traveling through the decades and development of professional cross country skiing is a fascinating topic in its own right, and Galanes has been there to see it all. If you’d like to learn more about this history, his time as an athlete, and the interplay between global events and life on the World Cup circuit, Galanes did an in-depth interview on these topics with Toko US Brand Manager Ian Harvey on his podcast, which can be found here or on Apple Podcasts. 

Quick reminder: This episode is brought to you by the Alberta World Cup. To all masters skiers out there, the Rocky Mountains of Canada and the Masters World Cup 2022 are calling.  This coming March, masters skiers from around the world will come together in Canmore, Alberta to celebrate a shared passion for cross country skiing.  This event will be a great opportunity to race in Canmore at the world renowned Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial Park.

Go to MWC2022.COM for details.  There you can find COVID Plan information, and airline and rental car promotions. If you register before Dec 31st, you’ll also get a free pair of commemorative socks.

Thanks for listening. 

In this episode, we connect with US Ski Team Head Coach Matt Whitcomb following the US Ski Team and National Training Group camp in Park City. Whitcomb answers a variety of questions to provide insight into the upcoming season leading up to the 2022 Beijing Olympics. 

A couple of notes: 

Firstly, you’ll notice some crackling in the audio on our end. We’re working out the kinks. Thanks for your patience. 

Also, if your interest has been piqued, FasterSkier has an upcoming article providing a deeper look into the pace project that Whitcomb discusses here. 

Time Stamps:

• (0:35) A look into the National Team camp in Park City; gender balance with coaching staff
• (9:45) Tiger Shaw’s departure from U.S. Ski & Snowboard, with Sophie Goldschmidt moving into his role. 
• (13:30) Whitcomb’s cross country road trip and seeing various junior club programs
• (15:30) The generational shift happening on the U.S. Ski Team following several notable retirements, and its implications for leadership and team dynamics
• (19:30) Outlook for the men’s program as the crop of athletes successful at the junior level moves into the Olympic season
• (25:00) Altitude training camps leading into Beijing: the when, where, and why.
• (30:15) Olympic team selection and athlete quotas
• (35:00) Season planning: decisions around competing at the Tour de Ski and other World Cup weekends
• (40:30) Managing athlete and personal wellbeing and holistic health, in the wake of Simone Biles decision to withdraw from the Tokyo Olympics
• (52:00) What to say to Matt Whitcomb of 2010
• (54:30) NNF Fundraising Campaign: Drive for 25
  
  

In this episode, we discuss the topic of maternal mental health with Holly Brooks and Calisa Kastning. On Mother’s Day, the partners announced the launch of their passion project, Moms Matter Now with the aim of supporting and empowering women as they transition into motherhood. 

For those unfamiliar with these names, Brooks is a two-time Olympian and U.S. Ski Team alumn who became a licensed professional counselor after retiring from professional skiing in 2016. After struggling with infertility as a result of RED-S, Brooks successfully conceived and became the mom to twins, born in August, 2017. Kastning moved to Anchorage from Montana ten years ago, just a few weeks before the birth of her first of three children. She and her husband, Andrew, were led to Alaska by the job as head coach of University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA), which Andrew ultimately accepted. Kastning is now the executive director of Skiku, a nonprofit which brings cross country skiing to children in remote towns in the far reaches of the Last Frontier. 

As we discuss, there is so much more to this topic than clinical postpartum depression and anxiety. The transition to motherhood is a time in many women’s lives where it is common to experience feelings of identity loss, isolation, resentment, body frustration, and sadness, despite also feeling excited and happy to be a new parent. Brooks explains that endurance athletes are perhaps especially primed for these feelings. 

Through the Moms Matter Now platform and the online courses they are building, they hope to provide women with the tools to prepare for the emotional and psychological changes they might experience surrounding pregnancy and into motherhood, and to empower each participant to prioritize their own well-being in order to be the mother, partner, athlete, employee, and more, that she wants to be. 

To follow Moms Matter Now, you can subscribe to email updates via their website, momsmatternow.com or follow them on Facebook and Instagram @momsmatternow. If this conversation resonates with you, you can also support Moms Matter Now by becoming a startup booster. Donations can also be made through Venmo with the handle @momsmatternow. Thanks for listening.