Nordic Nation

Avid readers of FasterSkier know her as the voice of reason and evidence when it comes to reporting on all things doping in nordic sport. Chelsea Little, a force here at FasterSkier for eight years, is stepping down from her editor-at-large position. Based in Switzerland as she wraps up her Ph.D. in aquatic biology, Little took some time last week to talk about her tenure at FasterSkier and what her plans are for the future.

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Chelsea Little and Jessie Diggins in the Davos media mixed zone in 2016.

Little’s coverage also included non-doping related pieces and race reports from both cross-country and biathlon. Asked about some of the work she is most proud of, Little referenced a story on the connection between birth control pills and athletic performance. Here’s a link to that piece.

Chelsea Little interviewing Susan Dunklee after her silver medal at the 2017 IBU World Championships. (Photo Max Cobb)

Most recently, she drilled down into the nitty gritty details of the Sochi doping scandal and WADA’s subsequent investigations.

Chelsea Little skiing at Seiser Alm in Italy last February. (Courtesy photo)

Come along for the audio ride as we dive into the world of reporting with FasterSkier’s Chelsea Little.   

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Now 65, Alison Owen-Bradley was once the American skier to chase to the top of the podium in North America and on the highest tier of international cross-country ski racing. Long before Kikkan Randall, Jessie Diggins, Sophie Caldwell, and Sadie Bjornsen attracted a wave of attention to high-performance skiing with regular World Cup podiums and ultimately an Olympic gold, Owen-Bradley made the U.S. women’s nordic team relevant when considering podium and medal potential. (You may also remember her as Alison Kiesel, as she was married to the late U.S. Ski Team coach Rob Kiesel at one time.)

Heading out in bib #1: Alison Owen-Bradley at the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan. (Courtesy photo)

In this episode of Nordic Nation, in light of all the success of the U.S. Ski Team’s women’s side over the last eight years or so, and of course the icing on the cake with the Randall-Diggins PyeongChang gold, we wanted to take a step back and reflect on one of the original U.S. Ski Team’s building blocks: Owen-Bradley.

Alison Owen-Bradley (Courtesy photo)

We connected with her on June 4 while she was at home in Bozeman, Montana. And although you won’t find it in the International Ski Federation’s (FIS) database, Owen-Bradley won what many considered to be the first-ever women’s World Cup cross-country ski race. Her career highlights include a seventh overall on the World Cup and second place at Holmenkollen in Oslo, Norway

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Alison Owen-Bradley racing to first in the inaugural women’s World Cup event in 1978 in Telemark, Wisconsin. (Courtesy photo)

For about an hour here on Nordic Nation, we’ll get the privilege of learning more about the early years of women’s cross-country ski racing in the U.S. and about one of the sport’s real pioneers.  

The first U.S. women’s World Championship cross-country team on the way to Czechoslovakia in 1970. From left to right: coach Marty Hall, Coach, chaperone Gloria Chadwick, Trina Hosmer, Martha Rockwell, Barbara Britch, and Alison Owen. The U.S. team took four skiers as the relay at that time was a three-person format. (Courtesy photo)

(To subscribe to the Nordic Nation podcast channel, download the iTunes app. If you have iTunes, subscribe to Nordic Nation here.)

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Even in the way northern latitudes, there is no denying the earth’s 23.5-degree tilt on its axis and our relationship with the sun. Spring has sprung. In the spirit of holding onto winter just a little bit longer, we struck up a conversation with newly minted Olympian, Alaska Pacific University (APU) skier and Alaskan native, 27-year-old Tyler Kornfield.

Tyler Kornfield (tall skier on left) and Rosie Brennan (adult to right of Kornfield) during a Skiku on-snow session this spring. (Courtesy photo)

On the competition side of things, Kornfield set the domestic scene abuzz back in 2012. At U.S. nationals that year in Rumford, Maine, he won the classic sprint and placed third in the freestyle sprint. This past January at 2018 nationals in Anchorage, Kornfield skied to seconding the classic sprint and third in the skate sprint. The experienced skierâ€s most He also won the 30 k classic to cap off a stellar championships week.

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APU’s Tyler Kornfield celebrates after winning the men’s 30 k classic at U.S. nationals on Jan. 7 at Kincaid Park in Anchorage, Alaska.

But maybe, more importantly, Kornfield has helped bring cross-country skiing to rural Alaskan villages through Skiku. Kornfield is not alone in this endeavor: many skiers and coaches have volunteered their time to “to foster the health and recreational benefits of skiing, biathlon and running through sustainable programs across Alaska”.

All smiles. Olympian Tyler Kornfield (l) and Rosie Brennan (r) with a young Skiku skier. (Courtesy photo)

We spoke to Kornfield on May 3 to learn more about his commitment to Skiku and get the rundown on his year.

(To subscribe to the Nordic Nation podcast channel, download the iTunes app. If you have iTunes, subscribe to Nordic Nation here.)

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Post-PyeongChang, post-World Cup, it’s been a whirlwind tour for Jessie Diggins. Where hasn’t she been? As a recent Olympic gold medalist, her time and attention have been in high demand. Just a few of those commitments have involved the following: an appearance at the Minnesota State Capitol where she advocated for a Minneapolis World Champs. And just last Wednesday, April 25, Diggins was in Washington, D.C., on behalf of the Citizens’ Climate Lobby and Protect Our Winters (POW), lobbying members of Congress about the effects of climate change on winter snow sports.

Jessie Diggins (U.S. SKi Team) after placing fourth in the women’s 10 k classic mass start at Stage 6 of the 2018 Tour de Ski (TdS) in Val di Fiemme, Italy. She went on to finish the Tour in third overall to become the first non-European woman to finish in the top three of the TdS. (Photo: Salomon/NordicFocus)

Reflecting on her ski season, here’s the no-nonsense: Diggins simply crushed it. Lots of firsts. The Tour de Ski podium. The gold with Randall in the Olympic team sprint. Her second overall on the World Cup and third in the distance standings. More than $110,000 dollars in World Cup prize earnings alone. And all that face-time and the front-row seat as she led much of the Holmenkollen 30 k skate this year. You’ve got to love that midwestern chutzpah on the Oslo holy ground.

We reached Diggins on April 26 while she was sitting in a Boston park enjoying some spring sunshine. In this interview, we run the gamut of topics from how she’s using her new post-Olympic gold platform to her thoughts on an outstanding World Cup season.

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(To subscribe to the Nordic Nation podcast channel, download the iTunes app. If you have iTunes, subscribe to Nordic Nation here.)

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It’s the first of our “so long for now” episodes. In the code speak of sport, that means retirement. No North American nordic sport athlete has been as prolific blogging about their life as recently retired skier Noah Hoffman. He’s also been a willing participant on this podcast in the past, exploring the realities of making a go of it as an American on the World Cup. At 28, Hoffman enters a brave new world beyond cross-country skiing. In this episode, we discuss what’s next with Hoffman and of course, we dive into what he’s learned as a pro athlete. 

American Noah Hoffman racing in the 15 k freestyle at the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, where he finished 48th. (Photo: FlyingPointRoad)

We connected with Hoffman while he was in Cleveland on his first transcontinental road trip. For an athlete that has lived the life of training plans for as long as he can remember …. Hoffman’s future looks wide open. It should also be noted that the sport will have lost a kind and worthy personality. That is until Hoffman shows up some years from now and crushes some master’s race. 

American Noah Hoffman with his dad after finishing the Holmenkollen 50 k freestyle mass start in Oslo, Norway, on March 10 for the final race of his pro skiing career. (Photo: Liz Stephen)

(To subscribe to the Nordic Nation podcast channel, download the iTunes app. If you have iTunes, subscribe to Nordic Nation here.)

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In this episode of Nordic Nation, we talk with author Peggy Shinn. She recently wrote a book titled “World Class: The Making of the U.S. Women’s Cross-Country Ski Team”. The book was released before Shinn jetted off to PyeongChang, South Korea, to cover the Olympics in person. Not one to miss a good show, she was on hand to see the U.S. Ski Team come full circle as Jessie Diggins and Kikkan Randall won gold in the team sprint.

Peggy Shinn, author of the new book “World Class: The Making of the U.S. Women’s Cross-Country Ski Team” (Photo: Peggy Shinn collection)

Shinn’s book and what insights she gleaned during the writing process are our primary topics of discussion. From the roots of the women’s team when coaches Marty Hall and John Caldwell pulled the strings, to the modern World Cup where the U.S. women’s team has become a force, Shinn gives us a glimpse of how the women’s program went from deep grassroots to a medal contender.

Our interview with Shinn took place in the main press center in PyeongChang after three weeks in Korea. Admittedly, FasterSkier’s Gabby Naranja and I, as well as Shinn were feeling brain dead. So pardon any giddiness or digressions.

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The cover of Peggy Shinn’s new book World Class: The Making of the U.S. Women’s Cross-Country Ski Team. (Photo: Peggy Shinn collection)

FasterSkier will have a review of Shinn’s book in the near future. Thanks for reading and listening.

(To subscribe to the Nordic Nation podcast channel, download the iTunes app. If you have iTunes, subscribe to Nordic Nation here.)

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Bob Woodward. Not the journalist associated with Watergate, but the Bob Woodward, outdoor writer and journalist who was arguably the first to report on the international cross-country racing scene way back in the day. Our Bob Woodward goes by the name of “Woody”. And Woody had been living in Bend, Oregon, since 1978. In fact, Woody lives a few blocks away from me here in Bend.

Woody is a local’s local who also helped define outdoor-sports writing. Before the internet, before things like mountain biking, skiing and climbing were branded as lifestyles, Woody was covering adventure sport and passing on his observations to readers. Yes, Woody also covered nordic sport. From Oslo to races here in North America, Woody reported on the gear, the lycra and the personalities.

Finnish ski legend Juha Mieto (r) with outdoor writing legend Bob “Woody” Woodward (l) in Lahti, Finland, back in 1979. (Photo: Bob Woodward collection)

We met up with Woody on Dec. 1 of last year to discuss his writing career and what he learned along the way covering the nordic world. (Here’s a link to Woody’s piece on Juha Mieto.)

(To subscribe to the Nordic Nation podcast channel, download the iTunes app. If you have iTunes, subscribe to Nordic Nation here.)

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FasterSkier would like to thank Fischer Sport USA, Madshus USA, Concept2, Boulder Nordic Sport, and Swix Sport US for their generous support, which made this coverage possible.

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea — At the Olympics in PyeongChang, FasterSkier sat down with U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s longtime Vice President of Communications Tom Kelly. After starting with the organization back in 1986, Kelly will be stepping down a few months after the Olympics. Kelly, 65, is the nerve center to U.S. Ski Team’s media and communications outreach. Shepherding athletes through the mixed zone or writing up a press release about Lindsey Vonn’s (make that Jessie Diggins’s and Kikkan Randall’s) latest win — yes Kelly oversees all the sports at U.S. Ski and Snowboard — are just some of his responsibilities.

Long after the fans are gone, U.S. Ski & Snowboard communications director Tom Kelly soaking it all up after the U.S. women’s team, with Kikkan Randall and Jessie Diggins, won gold in the freestyle team sprint at the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. (Photo: FlyingPointRoad)

Kelly, who goes by “TK”, is a pro’s pro. (He also usually has a trademark hat on.) With to without the hat, TK has mastered the combination of respecting both the athletes’ needs and being an open communicator with the snow-sport community. In Part 1 of this two-part interview, Kelly discusses his early career and how the nature of his position with the U.S. Ski Team has evolved. For Part 2 on his contemporary experiences, click here. 

(To subscribe to the Nordic Nation podcast channel, download the iTunes app. If you have iTunes, subscribe to Nordic Nation here.)

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FasterSkier would like to thank Fischer Sport USA, Madshus USA, Concept2, Boulder Nordic Sport, and Swix Sport US for their generous support, which made this coverage possible.

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea — In this episode recorded at the Olympics, you’ll hear Part 2 of our conversation with one of the busiest people at the Games … Tom Kelly. Kelly is U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s longtime vice president of communications. After starting with the organization back in 1986, he will be stepping down a few months after the Olympics. Kelly, 65, is the nerve center to U.S. Ski Team’s media and communications outreach. Shepherding athletes through the mixed zone or writing up a press release about Jessie Diggins’s and Kikkan Randall’s latest win — yes Kelly oversees all the sports at U.S. Ski & Snowboard — are just some of his responsibilities.

Tom Kelly of U.S. Ski & Snowboard literally in the back of a bus in PyeongChang, South Korea.

Kelly, who goes by “TK”, is a pro’s pro. He’s mastered the combination of respecting both the athletes’ needs and being an open communicator with the snow sport community. Again, this is a two-part interview. Part 1 explores the early years of Kelly’s career; Part 2 explores his more contemporary experiences including this nugget: how he came to be known as “TK” and where his hallmark hat came from. Kelly also discusses the good work of The Speedy Foundation.

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The post Nordic Nation: U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s ‘TK’ in the House (Part 2) appeared first on FasterSkier.com.

FasterSkier would like to thank Fischer Sport USA, Madshus USA, Concept2, Boulder Nordic Sport, and Swix Sport US for their generous support, which made this coverage possible.

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea — In this episode of Nordic Nation, FasterSkier sat down with U.S. cross-country skier, Kikkan Randall — known by some as Kikkanimal — to discuss her fifth and final Winter Olympics, as well as what lays ahead for the Anchorage, Alaska native. 

On Wednesday evening earlier this week, Randall and teammate Jessie Diggins paired up to take the win in the team sprint, earning the U.S. women their first Olympic cross-country medal in gold.

Kikkan Randall racing during her leg of the women’s team sprint on Wednesday at the at the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. (Photo: FlyingPointRoad)

The day after her gold medal performance, Randall learned that she had been elected by her peers to serve on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes’ Commission. Consider, she’s also a mom.

Randall will serve an eight-year term as one of 20 representatives on the IOC Athletes’ Commission. Her primary role will be to represent the athletes’ viewpoint within the decision making bodies of the IOC. Randall has served as a leader within Fast And Female. She has also worked as an athlete representative in the International Ski Federation (FIS).

News also broke on Friday that her gold-medal team-sprint teammate Jessie Diggins was selected to carry the American flag for Team USA at the Closing Ceremony on Sunday.

Kikkan Randall (l) and Jessie Diggins after being awarded their gold medals from the freestyle team sprint at Thursday night’s Olympic medal ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea. (Photo: FlyingPointRoad)

We met up with Randall in the U.S. pop-up training room called ‘The Haven’. You may notice the recording has the ambient echo of a gym; a fitting setting for a conversation with an athlete as powerful as Randall. With her characteristic cotton-candy pink colored hair let down, Randall detailed to us her final Olympic moments and her future role with the IOC as an athlete rep.

(To subscribe to the Nordic Nation podcast channel, download the iTunes app. If you have iTunes, subscribe to Nordic Nation here.)

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