This concept is shamelessly stolen from these guys (Thanks, Colin!)Â and is decidedly in the “less serious” end of the spectrum. Â A potential victim is awarded one point every time you defeat them by fewer than ten seconds, two points if the race happens to be an Olympic or World Championship event. Â The same goes for […]
Tagged nemeses, petter northug, victims[Note: This article first appeared here.] Chris Grover recently mentioned a graph, “Every athlete who is being nominated to the U.S. Ski Team this year has something in common. Â They are on the path to winning a medal. This medal could from the World Cup, World Championship or Olympic Winter Games, but they are on […]
Tagged Age, Analysis, Distance, Sprint, US Skiing[Note: This article first appeared here.] Welcome back for the second half of my article looking at trends in performance by US skiers (as a group) on the international scene. Â Last time we looked at distance events, so now it’s time to turn to sprinting. Â Before we move on, if you haven’t read the first […]
Tagged Analysis, Sprint, trends, US Skiing[Note: This article first appeared here.] An endearing facet of cross country ski racing is the seasonal rhythm it introduces into our lives. Â Summer, fall and winter each hold unique rituals and landmarks of training, racing and recovery. Â Spring brings with it its own rituals, among them retrospection on the season just completed. Â Athletes around […]
Tagged Analysis, Distance, trends, US Skiing[Note: This article first appeared here.] Kris Freeman recently commented on his FasterSkier.com blog, “I am a serious contender for the most volatile and inconsistent skier on the world cup”, in reference to his disappointing races at the Vancouver Olympics. Every cross-country ski racer knows that you can’t always race at your best, all the […]
Tagged Analysis, Distance, variation, World Cup[Note: This article first appeared here.] The Italian legend Maurilio De Zolt and  Norwegian great Hilde Pedersen are excellent examples of elite cross country ski racers who continued to excel at the international level into their 40’s.  While continuing to compete on the World Cup circuit at that age may not be common, cross country […]
Tagged Age, Analysis, Distance, Sprint