Since women’s cross country skiing was added to the Olympic Winter Games in 1952, a passionate group of 50 American women have been named to Olympic teams since the U.S. began fielding teams in 1972. Those women have come together under the banner of U.S. Nordic Olympic Women (US NOW) to begin recognizing the stars of today with a new award. The Inga Award draws on noted cross country skiing heritage dating back to the 13th century.

The Inga Award is named in honor of Inga Varteig, the legendary mother of the Norwegian child prince Haakon IV who was carried to safety on cross country skis by Birkebeiner soldiers, known for their birch bark leggings, during a civil war in the winter of 1205-06. The first Inga Award was presented to Rosie Brennan (Park City, Utah/Alaska Pacific University Nordic Center) during the FIS World Cup Finals in Quebec City to close out the 2019 season. Brennan was honored during a reunion of women’s Olympians.

Brennan had a career-best season coming back from a bout with mononucleosis that wreaked havoc with her a year earlier. She was a unanimous selection, being cited for her diligent and patient efforts working back from illness, showing courage, fortitude, grit, determination and raw talent to achieve an extremely high level of success on the international ski racing circuit this season.

“This is extremely special to me,” said an emotional Brennan. “This group is incredibly accomplished and has been through so much.To be recognized by them is incredibly meaningful to me - it means much more than any race result could mean.”

What’s really cool is starting a plan to get this group together and recognizing the great history we have in women’s skiing. A lot of it has been this perseverance spirit. Marty Hall came up with this idea of the Inga Award and presented it to Alison a year ago. We thought this should be a revolving tradition.

“As we thought about performances this year we right away honed in on Rosie,” said recently-retired Olympic champion Kikkan Randall (Anchorage). “Rosie bounced back from frustration last year - having to change the way she came into the season not being on the national team, having to find support. “She really came through with some fantastic performances. That really embodies the Inga Award.”

The legend of the Birkebeiners is well known across the sport of cross country skiing. The rescue of the child prince is re-created each year with the Birkebeiner Rennet between Lillehammer and Rena, Norway, and was the inspiration for American visionary Tony Wise when he started the American Birkebeiner in 1973.

Legend has it that the child prince was the son of Inga Varteig and King Haakon III, who died before the child’s birth. During a brutal civil war between Bagler and Birkebeiner factions for control of Norway, Inga showed the courage and grit to entrust her baby boy to a group of Birkebeiner soldiers and to ski along with them during a brutal winter from Lillehammer over the mountains to safety. He went on to become one of Norway’s most beloved kings.

The concept of the award came from Olympian Alison Owen Bradley, who won the very first FIS Cross Country World Cup in December, 1978. She presented a photograph of Inga from Varteig to U.S. Cross Country Ski Team coach Marty Hall to celebrate his induction into the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame in April, 2018.

“Marty played an enormous role in getting U.S. nordic women racing in international events and onto training programs that would make it possible to compete with the best women in the world,” said Bradley. “The Inga Award represents the spirit and grit that our coach instilled in us.”Hall was the U.S. head coach in the mid-70s, playing a significant role in the birth of the FIS World Cup and increased prominence for U.S. women on the international circuit.

Hall, his wife Kathy and Bradley established the basis of an award to continue honoring U.S. Nordic Olympic Women with the presentation of an Inga photograph, and monetary gift, each year. “Alison and the entire group of U.S. nordic women in the 70s were inspirational,” said Hall. “This award will be a great way to bring together generations of skiers who keep that spirit alive.”

Owen Bradley, a native of Wenatchee, Wash., made history winning a FIS World Cup in December, 1978 at the Telemark Ski Area in northern Wisconsin. Kikkan Randall (Anchorage) opened new doors winning three season-long World Cup sprint titles. Randall combined with Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.) to win Olympic gold in 2018. In the past decade, the depth of the U.S. women’s program has expanded dramatically, with today’s female stars very cognizant of their nordic roots dating back to the 1970s.

“I think it’s so awesome that we can finally be able to more publicly recognize that women’s cross country skiing didn’t just pop up out of nowhere,” said Olympic champion Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.). “All of these women paved the way for us. Their hard work and perseverance are why we get to be here today. Rosie winning the Inga Award is so well deserved.”

Around 30 of the 50 Olympians attended the first reunion, where they watched current stars like Diggins and Sadie Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.). Leading into the 2018 Olympics, U.S. coach Matt Whitcomb organized a project where current team athletes reached out to those of the past to develop a sense of history. So for the current team, it was an opportunity to get face-to-face with their own heroes of the past.
 

U.S. NORDIC OLYMPIC WOMEN

Listing of all U.S. women who have competed in Olympic Winter Games

• Morgan Arritola, 2010, Bend, Ore./Ketchum, Ida., Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation
• Leslie Bancroft-Krichko, 1980, 1988, Paris, Maine, Oxford Hills High School/Univ. of Vermont
• Tessa Benoit, 2002, South Pomfret, Vt., Mansfield Nordic Club/Univ. of Vermont
• Sadie Bjornsen, 2014, 2018, Winthrop, Wash., Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center
• Rosie Brennan, 2018, Park City, Utah, Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center
• Barbara Britch, 1972, Anchorage, Nordic Ski Club of Anchorage
• Holly Brooks, 2010, 2014, Redmond, Wash., Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center
• Ingrid Butts, 1992, 1994, Denver, Crested Butte Nordic Council
• Sophie Caldwell, 2014, 2018, Peru, Vt., Stratton Mountain School
• Caitlin Compton Gregg, 2010, Duxbury, Vt.
• Dorcas DenHartog-Wonsavage, 1988, 1992, 1994, Hanover, N.H., Ford Sayre Ski Club
• Jessie Diggins, 2014, 2018, Afton, Minn., Stillwater High School/Stratton Mountain School
• Rebecca Dussault, 2006, Gunnison, Colo.
• Nancy Fiddler, 1988, 1992, Schenectady, N.Y., Bates College
• Sue Forbes, 1992, Fairbanks, Alaska
• Rosie Frankowski, 2018, Minneapolis, Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center
• Betsy Haines, 1980, Anchorage, Nordic Ski Club of Anchorage
• Twila Hinkle, 1976, Denver, Summit Nordic Ski Club
• Jana Hlavaty, 1976, Keystone, Colo.
• Trina Hosmer, 1972, Watertown, N.Y., Kongsberg Ski Club
• Kristina Joder, 2002, Springfield, Vt., Mansfield Nordic Club
• Barb Jones, 2002, Stillwater, Minn., St. Paul Central/Dartmouth College
• Nina Kemppel, 1992, 1994, 1998, 2002, Anchorage,  Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center
• Suzanne King, 1994, 1998, Bend, Ore.
• Sarah Konrad, 2006, Hanover, N.H., Dartmouth College
• Abby Larson, 2006, Saint Paul, Minn.
• Susan Long, 1984, Mountain Lakes, N.J., Stratton Mountain School/Middlebury College
• Margie Mahoney, 1972, 1976, Anchorage, Nordic Ski Club of Anchorage
• Laura McCabe, 1994, 1998, Bozeman, Montana
• Kelly Milligan, 1984, Livingston, Montana
• Alison Owen, 1972, 1980, Wenatchee, Wash.
• Caitlin Patterson, 2018, McCall, Ida., Univ. of Vermont / Craftsbury Green Racing Project
• Beth Paxson, 1980, Burlington, Vt.
• Aelin Peterson , 2002, Unalakleet, Alaska, Nordic Ski Club of Fairbanks
• Karen Petty, 1994, 1998, Townshend, Vt.
• Terry Porter, 1976, Cambridge, Mass.
• Judy Rabinowitz, 1984, Fairbanks, Alaska, Harvard University
• Kikkan Randall, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, Anchorage, Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center
• Martha Rockwell, 1972, 1976, Putney, Vt., Putney Ski Club
• Patricia Ross, 1984, Middlebury, Vt., Univ. of New Hampshire
• Ida Sargent, 2014, 2018, Barton, Vt., Craftsbury Green
• Liz Stephen, 2010, 2014, 2018, East Montpelier, Vt., Burke Mountain Academy
• Leslie Thompson, 1988, 1992, 1994, Stowe, Vt., Stratton Mountain School/Dartmouth College
• Lynn von der Heide-Spencer-Galanes, 1976, 1980, 1984, Anchorage, Nordic Ski Club of Anchorage
• Wendy Wagner, 2002, 2006, Park City, Utah, Western State College
• Lindsey Weier, 2006, Saint Paul, Minn., Minneapolis Ski Club
• Brenda White, 1992, Burlington, Vt., Univ. of Vermont
• Lindsay Williams, 2006, Saint Paul, Minn., Northern Michigan University
• Laura Wilson, 1994, 1998, Montpelier, Vt., Sun Valley Ski Club/University of Vermont
• Betsy Youngman, 1988, 1992 , Cleveland, Ohio, Bowdoin College
   

Ryan Cochran-Siegle (Starksboro, Vt.) won his seventh U.S. title, and Keely Cashman (Strawberry, Calif.) won her first, each taking giant slalom victories at the Toyota U.S. Alpine Championships at New Hampshire’s Waterville Valley Resort.

Racing under bright sunshine on a hard, fast track, Cashman took a 0.23-second first-run lead over Tricia Mangan (Derby, N.Y), and .80-second lead over the red-hot Nina O’Brien, who was shooting for her fifth-consecutive U.S. Alpine Championships victory after winning the super-G and alpine combined at Sugarloaf, Maine, and the parallel, and slalom events at Waterville earlier in the week.

“I just relaxed and skied my best,” Cashman said of her first-run approach. “I knew that if I put down a solid run, I’d be in the top five, so I just tried to do it, and I made it happen.”

Meanwhile, O’Brien wasn’t done yet. She came out attacking, posting the fastest second-run time to put the pressure on Mangan and Cashman. Mangan was the first to take a shot, but came up short, leaving Cashman to put a stop to O’Brien’s win streak. With the warm sunshine beating down on Waterville’s World Cup course, Cashman carved through the fast, salted layers to post the second-fastest time and edge O’Brien for the victory. O’Brien settled for second, and Mangan rounded out the podium in third.

“It’s always been a huge goal of mine (to win a U.S. title),” Cashman said. “I remember when (the U.S. Alpine Championships) came to Squaw when I was a U14, and I remember watching everyone, and now to be sitting on top of the podium really means a lot. it’s a good stepping stone, and this will really slingshot me into next season, so I’m really happy about it.”

Cashman was also the top junior finisher with Lisa Olsson of Sweden in second, and Claire Thomas (Salt Lake City, Utah) in third.

In the men’s race, Cochran-Siegle, who didn’t start the parallel or slalom events over the weekend at Waterville after winning both the downhill and super-G title last week at Sugarloaf, turned a .16-second first-run deficit to Brian McLaughlin (Topsfield, Mass.) into a .37-second margin of victory after posting the fastest second-run time.

McLaughlin finished second, with 2018 U.S. giant slalom champion Tommy Ford (Bend, Ore.) rounding out the podium in third. Tim Gavett (Waitsfield, Vt.) was the top junior finisher, as Andrew Miller (Park City, Utah) was second and Bridger Gile (Aspen, Colo.) was third.

Tuesday GS victory was the seventh U.S. Alpine Championship win of his career, dating back to his downhill title in 2012.

In the battle for the Tom Garner Region's Cup, the Eastern Region won with 3,436 points. West was second with 2,063, and Rocky/Central was third with 1,088. This is the 30th year of the Tom Garner Region's Cup and over the past 30 years, the West has won 21 times, Rocky/Central 5, and East 4. The Region's Cup was re-named after Tom Garner, a former Rocky/Central Director, who was committed to athletic excellence and providing athletes with opportunities to succeed and develop as competitors and people. Tom’s son Ian is a member of our U.S. Ski Team men’s coaching staff. 

RESULTS
Men’s giant slalom
Women’s giant slalom

PARK CITY, Utah - Live Like Sam and the Sam Jackenthal Fund has partnered with U.S. Ski & Snowboard with the shared objective of providing young athletes with the tools to succeed in sports and life with a sense of gratitude.

The Sam Jackenthal Fund of Park City Community Foundation and LiveLikeSam.org was founded by Ron Jackenthal, the father of the late Sam Jackenthal, a Park City, Utah, local and young man of strong character and values who was also a budding and promising world-class athlete. The 16-year-old freeskiing champion passed away in 2015 from injuries suffered in a training accident in Australia. Since Sam’s passing, Live Like Sam has specified a clear set of core principles (CARE) which support the following services: creating curriculum and an education platform with training modules, fostering a network of community service partnerships, as well as establishing funding for merit and need-based scholarships.

“I am really excited about U.S. Ski & Snowboard supporting LiveLikeSam.org,” said Julie Glusker, Director of Athlete Career and Education at U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “The mission of Live Like Sam parallels our own organizational mission, ‘to lead, encourage, and support athletes in achieving excellence by empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers, and fans.’”

“Our whole athlete development philosophy at the national team level must have a solid underpinning as young and developing athletes navigate their individual pathways, and Live Like Sam can provide a relevant, meaningful, principled foundation for this process,” added Glusker. “Steeping athlete progression in the Live Like Sam core principles of community, athletics, responsibility, and education (CARE) will ensure that developing athletes grow into capable, caring, and compassionate competitors. Athletes at all levels can appreciate, relate to, and benefit from the lessons of LiveLikeSam.org."

“U.S. Ski & Snowboard's whole athlete development model and mission will benefit from the meaningful foundation of Live Like Sam programs,” said Ron Jackenthal. “As young athletes individually develop in life and in sport, they will thrive athletically and emotionally from the LiveLikeSam.org mission and lessons. I see Live Like Sam as being highly complementary to a performance-based organization. We are focused on whole person development as well as whole athlete development and helping athletes build character on and off the podium. The U.S. Ski & Snowboard values of excellence, passion, integrity, community, team, grit, fun, and safety all align with and complement the Live Like Sam CARE principles.”

The partnership is a natural fit for both organizations as U.S. Ski & Snowboard will provide Live Like Sam a nationwide distribution platform from which to promote its mission, curriculum and philanthropy. Live Like Sam will provide U.S. Ski & Snowboard its curriculum based on CARE principles.

Live Like Sam, although relatively new, has already started making significant contributions to the winter sports community. Since 2017, the Sam Jackenthal Fund has raised more than $125,000 to support more 100 total awards. Additionally, in just a few months since expanding the organization, Live Like Sam brought on 25 community partners. Some of these partners include the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation, Ski Utah, Park City Mountain Resort, Deer Valley, Woodward, USASA Big Mountain West, and Utah’s own Youth Sports Alliance, Park City Education Foundation, Christian Center of Park City, the Park City Community Foundation, and many more.

In classic Sam Jackenthal fashion, U.S. Ski & Snowboard and Live Like Sam will move forward together with a go-big-or-go-home approach as well as embracing Sam’s coined phrase and philosophy of “Just Jackenthal it!” in their commitment to sport and, more importantly, the community he loved.

“When I think about what Sam would want, I realize he wants us all to go out and live large, be there for others, and be integrated into the community,” said Jackenthal. “That thought has been a big inspiration for me through this loss - and I can now share Sam’s legacy!”

#JoinTheMovement and sign up at www.livelikesam.org and follow @LiveLikeSam.org on Facebook and Twitter as well as @Just.Jackenthal.It and #LiveLikeSam on Instagram. In addition, please consider donating and promoting Live Like Sam to your community and social media network.

About U.S. Ski & Snowboard
U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, based in Park City, Utah. Tracing its roots directly back to 1905, the organization represents nearly 200 elite skiers and snowboarders in 2019, competing in seven teams; alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, snowboard, nordic combined and ski jumping. In addition to the elite teams, U.S. Ski & Snowboard also provides leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders across the USA, encouraging and supporting them in achieving excellence. By empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers and fans, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to the progression of its sports, athlete success and the value of team. For more information, visit www.usskiandsnowboard.org.

About Live Like Sam
Live Like Sam wants every young athlete to be able to develop the confidence and utilize the tools necessary to excel in life – as an athlete and as a person. Fueled by the Sam Jackenthal Fund, Live Like Sam empowers the positive personal development of young athletes through educational programs and services, community-based partnerships, and merit and need-based scholarships. For more information, visit www.livelikesam.org.
 

Sadie Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.) finished 11th overall Sunday in the FIS Cross Country World Cup Finals mini-tour in Quebec City, Canada, following her 13th-place finish in the 10k pursuit. Two American’s skied to top-five finishes in the final stage with Simi Hamilton (Aspen, Co.) in third and Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.) in fourth.

“I was really happy with today, I maybe started out a little aggressive just trying to close the gap and paid for it on lap two,” said Bjornsen. “On the last lap...I was able to hold off the group behind. It is nice to end the season with a good race and complete the season close to the top 10.”

“That was a really fun way to end the season,” said Diggins, who finished 14th overall in the three-day event. “Skating is always so fun because you can go as hard as you want to go and it was really fun to have the tools I needed to be able to use what energy my body had. Very satisfying.”

Finishing her World Cup career at the Quebec City Finals was Ida Sargent (Craftsbury, Vt.).  “Today was really special to have so many people cheering my name and to have all my teammates in the finish area was just so amazing.”

The women’s overall was won by Stina Nilsson of Sweden, with Therese Johaug of Norway in second and Ingvild Flugstad Oetsberg, also of Norway, in third.

Erik Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.) was the top U.S. finisher 20th in the three-day mini tour.

“It was an interesting course with a little wind and relatively flat compares to some of the world cups, so it was important to be skiing with a group of guys,” said Bjornsen. “I could see there were some guys skiing fast from behind, so I knew time of day was not going to be great, so tried to play it tactically. My 20th today was my best tour finish, so it was pretty exciting way to finish the season.”

“It was really fun and fast skiing and my skis were awesome,” said Hamilton. “You never really know how a pursuit will go because so much of it depends on the people you are with.  With the wind today, it was so good to be in someone’s draft and starting in the front of my group I was guaranteed to be skiing with people.”

Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo was the overall winner, followed by local favorite Alex Harvey of Canada and Alexander Bloshunov of Russia in third.

The World Cup season is now over, but many athletes will head to the SuperTour Finals starting Friday in Presque Isle, Maine.

RESULTS
Men’s pursuit
Men’s Winner of the Day
Men’s Tour Final
Women’s pursuit
Women’s Winner of the Day
Women’s Tour Final

Nina O’Brien (San Francisco, Calif.) and Luke Winters (Gresham, Ore.) are both on a late-season hot streak after winning slalom titles at the 2019 Toyota U.S. Alpine Championships Sunday at New Hampshire’s Waterville Valley Resort.

O’Brien won her fourth-consecutive U.S. title by taking Sunday’s victory under warm sunshine on Waterville’s World Cup Course, and Winters won his second title to back up his alpine combined win Thursday at Maine’s Sugarloaf Mountain.

“I didn’t expect really to win that combined because I hadn’t trained much super-G, but I’ve been training slalom all year, so I knew I had an advantage in the slalom, and then to come here and do this, get two wins after never winning a national title before, is pretty fun,” Winters said.

But it wasn’t easy. Taking a slim .07-second lead over Sandy Vietze (Warren, Vt.) in the first run, a slight bobbly midway down the rutted second run almost cost Winters a shot at the title. But he dug deep into his bag of rut-skiing experience to pull out the victory.

“It was pretty rough out there,” Winters said. “It’s a good thing I grew up at Mount Hood Ski Bowl and skied the wet, salted, rutty snow growing up. So when it’s like that, it tends to help me.”

Garrett Driller (Tahoe City, Calif.), Saturday’s parallel slalom champion, finished second, with Vietze rounding out the podium in third. Jimmy Krupka (Waitsfield, Vt.) was the top junior finisher, followed by Jett Seymour (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) in second and Tim Garrett in third.

In the women’s slalom, O’Brien proved unbeatable once again, winning for the fourth time in the 2019 U.S. Alpine Championships following victories in parallel slalom, super-G and alpine combined. O’Brien now has seven U.S. titles to her credit, and she made it look easy Sunday, taking a 1.45-second advantage over Paula Moltzan (Burlington, Vt.) into the second run.

“I knew I had a good lead, so I didn’t need to reach for some crazy speed that I’ve never skied before, but at the same time, all these girls they are pushing, they are hammering, so I couldn’t go easy (in the second run) by any means,” O’Brien said. “So I just had to ski solid and make clean good turns.”

As the defending U.S. slalom champion though, O’Brien did admit that the butterflies were fluttering at the start. “I was feeling nervous at the top and I was like ‘OK, just think about the skiing’ and it’s working out, so I’m happy,” she said.

Moltzan held on for second, as Tricia Mangan (Derby, N.Y.) was third. Keely Cashman (Strawberry, Calif.) was the top junior, followed by Emma Hall (Avon, Colo.) in second and Caroline Jones (Edwards, Colo.) in third.

The 2019 U.S. Alpine Championships continue Monday at Waterville Valley with women’s giant slalom. O’Brien, the 2015 giant slalom champion, is excited for one final race of the season before heading back to the classroom for the spring semester at Dartmouth College on Tuesday.

“I think I’m going to just sort of keep the same mindset (I had for slalom) and not worry about it,” she said of trying to make it five-straight U.S. Alpine Championship victories. “I feel good about my GS, so we’ll see what happens, but hopefully it will be fun.”

RESULTS
Men’s slalom
Women’s slalom
 

Different venue, and a totally different first-time championship event, but the same outcome for Nina O’Brien (San Francisco, Calif.) as she won her third-consecutive Toyota U.S. Alpine Championships title in parallel slalom at New Hampshire’s Waterville Valley Resort Saturday.

Fresh off her super-G and alpine combined titles earlier this week at Maine’s Sugarloaf Mountain, O’Brien was hot from the start in Saturday’s race, posting the second-fastest qualifying time, and then easily moving through the opening rounds and into the semifinals and finals where she defeated Canada’s Stephanie Currie for the victory.

“I’ve had a few good ones lately,” she said referring to her past few days of racing. “I’ve actually never won a parallel before, so this was a good day for me. Certainly a long day, but I think it was fun for everyone racing and watching.”

Currie, who also competes for nearby Dartmouth College, settled for second as Alice Merryweather, who won the U.S. Championships downhill title on Tuesday, rounded out the podium in third.

On the men’s side, World Pro Ski Tour experience proved to be the deciding factor as the top three all recently competed in pro events that featured the parallel slalom format.

“The World Pro Tour definitely gave a little added experience, knowing how to come out of the start gate, and how scary it is to have someone right next to you going down the course,” noted winner Garrett Driller (Tahoe City, Calif.).

Driller, who won his first U.S. title, qualified third and advanced through the event to face off against Tucker Marshall (Pittsfield, Vt.) in the finals. However, Marshall injured his back two gates from the finish in his semi-final victory and was unable to start the finals.

“We have matched up a couple of times on the Pro Tour, and we have gone back and forth in winning runs,” Driller said. “He was really hoping to get in there on the finals with me. He made it there, but his back went out and it was a bummer that he didn’t get to do the final race against me.”

“The day started out really good,” said Marshall, who qualified 11th. “I was feeling really good on my skis...but about two gates from the finish (in his semifinal run against Alex Leever), I slide into a rut and compressed my back...and kind of limped into the finish and into the final,” said Marshall said, who sat out the first run of the finals, but did attempt to start the second to no avail as the pain was too great.

Lever (Vail, Colo.) defeated recently crowned U.S. alpine combined champion Luke Winters (Gresham, Ore.) for third.

The parallel slalom format has proven a huge success on the FIS World Cup with city events in Sweden, Norway, and Russia over the past few seasons. Introduced to the U.S. Alpine Championships program this year, the athletes and the fans embraced the head-to-head format that filled the day with aggressive racing.

“I love this format,” Marshall said. “It’s making a comeback...with younger generations getting into it. There are more races. We had one NorAm this year where I was on the podium again, so I like the event and I can only imagine it’s going to get bigger and bigger.”

Up next, the men and women compete in slalom Sunday at Waterville where O’Brien is the defending champion and will be shooting for her seventh career U.S. title to continue her outstanding season where she also won the overall NorAm, slalom, giant slalom and super-G titles.

“I feel like I’ve found some consistency in my skiing this year, and I was happy to see that show up in my speed races as well,”  O’Brien said. “So I’m hoping to close off the season here in Waterville on another good note.”

RESULTS
Men’s parallel slalom
Women's parallel slalom
 

Sadie Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.) and Erik Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.) both led the U.S. Ski Team in 18th Saturday in the FIS Cross Country World Cup Finals classic distance Quebec City, Canada.  

In the women’s 10k, Bjornsen lost her kick early in the race competing in difficult snow conditions, but fought hard to not lose too much time to the leaders in front of huge crowds screaming encouragement to the racers. Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.) was the second U.S. skier in 29th after a fall in the second lap.

“It was tricky out there, a little frustrating but the whole crowd and scene was fun,” said Sadie Bjornsen. “I feel amazing right now in my skiing and unfortunate we didn’t have much kick out there. Tomorrow should be fun and hopefully I have not lost too much time to those front girls, so I can try to ski with them because I am feeling incredible right now and would love to end the season with good distance race.”

“Today was not a very good race for me, it was a good effort, but in the race I had no kick,” said Diggins. “I caught a rut out there and fell but got up and fought hard to stay in the race.”

The women’s race was won by Stina Nilsson of Sweden, with Therese Johaug of Norway in second and Ingvild Flugstad Oetsberg, also of Norway, in third.

In the men’s 15k, Erik Bjornsen skied with the lead group for the first lap taking the lead for a short time. Simi Hamilton was the second U.S. finisher in 39th.

“I am happy with my result,” said Erik Bjornsen. “It was fun today, it may have been the first time I was leading a World Cup. I found a gap and just went for it and it felt easy to be in the lead for a bit.”

“I didn’t know what to expect as I have not done a distance classic race since Lillehammer,” said Hamilton. “It was nice to have a good start position. The poling was by far the hardest part today, the poling trenches were so rotten. It is awesome being here with the home crowd.”

Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo won the race, followed by local favorite Alex Harvey of Canada and Didrik Toenseth of Norway in third.

The World Cup Finals conclude Sunday with a men and women’s pursuit.

RESULTS
Men’s 15k
Women’s 10k

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
*Same-day broadcast
**Next-day broadcast

Sunday, March 24
9:30 a.m. - Women’s 10k pursuit - Quebec City, CAN - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
10:45 a.m. - Men’s 15k pursuit - Quebec City, CAN - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
4:00 p.m. - Women’s 10k pursuit - Quebec City, CAN - Olympic Channel-TV*

All streams are available via desktop (NBCSports.com/Live, NBCSports.com/Gold and OlympicChannel.com) as well as mobile, tablet and connected television platforms. The NBC Sports app, NBC Sports Gold app and Olympic Channel app are available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV and Amazon Fire. Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass.

Sadie Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.) battled through a semifinal mishap and soft snow conditions to finish sixth in the FIS Cross Country World Cup Finals freestyle sprint Friday in Quebec City, Canada.  

Bjornsen was the fastest U.S. qualifier in fourth, followed by birthday girl Sophie Caldwell (Peru, Vt.) in seventh and Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.) in 15th. In the semifinals, Bjornsen was held up after Diggins and Sweden’s Charlotte Kalla crashed. But she was able to recover and take one of the lucky loser positions to advance to the finals.

“It looked like Jessie and Kalla collided and my skies were stuck under them, so I had to just stand there and really hope they got up fast,” Bjornsen said. “It was a huge surge to get back on the group. In the finals, I was definitely feeling that effort and just barely had anything left.”

Sweden swept the podium with Stina Nilsson winning the race, Maja Dahlqvist in second, and Jonna Sundling in third.

“Believe it or not I really love these conditions,” said Bjornsen. “It is what I train on all summer, so I have a lot of practice, but it was very soft.”

“It was really tough conditions out there and really hard on the legs,” said Caldwell. “I was really exhausted after the semi-finals, but the quarters felt good.”

Two U.S. men qualified for the heats with Simi Hamilton (Aspen, Co.) in 11th, and Logan Hanneman (Fairbanks, Alaska) in 29th.

“I’m definitely satisfied with how today went, but also a bit frustrated for sure,” said Hamilton. “I’ve been feeling really good as of late and I’ve had some good successes sprinting here in Quebec before, and it’s always so incredible to race in front of a giant home crowd with tons of family, friends, and North American supporters out there. But the conditions were really tough for me today. The course broke down so much throughout the day, and I always struggle when it’s even remotely soft and slow.”

Hanneman crashed in the same spot on the first turn as Diggins and Kalla and did not advance. The men’s race was won Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo of Norway, followed by Federico Pellegrino with Sindre Bjoernestad Skar completing the podium.

The World Cup Finals continues Saturday with mass starts in the men’s 15k classic and a women’s 10k classic.   

RESULTS
Men’s sprint
Women’s sprint

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
*Same-day broadcast

Saturday, March 23
9:15 a.m. - Women’s 10k mass start - Quebec City, CAN - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
11:00 a.m. - Men’s 15k mass start - Quebec City, CAN - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
5:00 p.m. - Women’s 10k mass start - Quebec City, CAN - Olympic Channel-TV*

Sunday, March 24
9:30 a.m. - Women’s 10k pursuit - Quebec City, CAN - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
10:45 a.m. - Men’s 15k pursuit - Quebec City, CAN - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
4:00 p.m. - Women’s 10k pursuit - Quebec City, CAN - Olympic Channel-TV*

The fifth and final FIS Freeski World Cup slopestyle of the season is coming to Silvaplana, Switzerland, March 29-30  and U.S. Freeski Rookie Team member Mac Forehand (Winhall, Vt.) is gunning to close out his season with the overall title.

“It feels crazy to be in the running for the crystal globe,” said Forehand. “I would have never thought I would be on the podium at any event his year. If I could take home the globe this season it would be an honor, although I’m not trying to set any expectations going into the final event. I’ve never been to Silvaplana before and I’m excited to see the creative course they build year after year.“

Forehand has had quite the year earning his first-ever World Cup podium with a second-place finish in Stubai, Austria, to kick-off the slopestyle season in November. In addition, he earned his first-ever World Cup victory at the Mammoth Mountain, California, World Cup just a couple weeks ago. Forehand will be coming in hot off his Mammoth win as the World Cup slopestyle leader.

Forehand is not the only U.S. Ski & Snowboard athlete looking to close out his season on a high note. 2019 X Games gold medalist and U.S. Freeski Pro Team member Alex Hall (Salt Lake City, Utah) has also had an impressive season. In addition to his X Games slopestyle victory and second-place finish at Dew Tour slopestyle, Hall collected two additional World Cup podiums and is sitting sixth in the slopestyle cup standings. In addition, Hall, who raised in Switzerland, will be looking to defend the top spot of the podium from the 2018 Silvaplana World Cup where his creative approach blossomed on the very unique course in Switzerland.

Joining Forehand and Hall on course in Switzerland are a batch of Olympic medalists including Joss Christensen (Park City, Utah), Nick Goepper (Lawrenceburg, Ind.) and Gus Kenworthy (Telluride, Colo.). In addition, U.S. Freeski Pro Team member Colby Stevenson (Park City, Utah) and Americans Ryan Stevenson (Washington, N.J.) and Kiernan Fagan (Brownfield, Maine) are set to compete. Fagan has podiumed at the only two World Cups he has entered this season. He will be looking to continue that perfect record at the final stop of the season.

For the Women, U.S. Freeski Pro Team member Caroline Claire (Manchester Center, Vt.) and U.S. Rookie Team members Marin Hamill (Park City, Utah) and Rell Harwood (Park City, Utah) are ready to compete. Claire has had a strong season and is currently sitting in tenth-place in the slopestyle cup standings. She will look to close out her season with her first podium since the Cardrona, New Zealand World Cup big air in September.

"I have not competed in Silvaplana before, so I'm very excited to see how this course plays out," said Claire. "The World Cups in Silvaplana over the last few seasons have gone off, so I’m hyped to see what everyone can do on this creative course. Also, it would mean so much to grab a podium at this last event. This season has not really panned out as I would have hoped, so to come full circle from a podium at the first world cup of the season in New Zealand and then to find success in Silvaplana would be awesome."

The 2018/19 FIS World Cup season has been full of excitement, milestones, and world class competition. Be sure to tune in as members of the U.S. Freeski Team drop in to close out their season on a positive note and hopefully crown a slopestyle FIS World Cup Champion.

CUP STANDINGS
Men’s freeski slopestyle
Women's freeski slopestyle

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
*Same-day broadcast

FREESKI
Saturday, March 30.
8:00 a.m. - FIS Freeski Slopestyle World Cup - Silvaplana, Switzerland - NBC Sports Gold
11:00 a.m. - FIS Freeski Slopestyle World Cup - Silvaplana, Switzerland - Olympic Channel-TV*
 

Nina O’Brien (San Francisco, Calif.) added two more U.S. Alpine Championship titles to her resume, winning both the super-G and the alpine combined at the Toyota U.S. Alpine Championships at Wednesday and Thursday Sugarloaf, Maine.

The reigning super-G National Champion, Ryan Cochran-Siegle, (Starksboro, Vt.) also added another U.S. title in super-G Wednesday, to go along with the downhill title he won on Tuesday. In the men’s alpine combined, Luke Winters (Gresham, Ore.) won his first U.S. title after placing 11th in the super-G portion of the combined on Wednesday and winning the slalom portion of the combined Thursday.

On another day of back-to-back races Wednesday, O’Brien finished second in the morning NorAm Cup super-G, then dialed in her line for the second race, which counted as both a NorAm Cup event and U.S. Alpine Championship race.

“I had a small mistake at the bottom of my (first run),” O’Brien said. “So I was a little bit more prepared coming into the National Championship run and knew what I wanted to clean up down there, and I did that, so that was awesome.”

On Thursday, she won the slalom portion of the alpine combined to wrap up the title.

“Nationals are always a high-level competition, but everyone is really friendly and it’s really fun,” she said.

O’Brien, who exploded onto the scene at the 2018 U.S. Alpine Championships with victories in slalom, giant slalom, and super-G, also added the overall NorAm Cup, slalom, giant slalom, and super-G titles to her resume following three days of downhill, super-G and slalom competition at Sugarloaf. She is also one of the favorites when the Toyota U.S. Alpine Championships resume with tech events at New Hampshire’s Waterville Valley Resort this weekend, having scored her first slalom and giant slalom points on the FIS Ski World Cup circuit this season.

Up next, the Toyota U.S. Alpine Championships head south to New Hampshire’s Waterville Valley Resort for parallel slalom Saturday, slalom Sunday, women’s giant slalom Monday and men’s giant slalom Tuesday.

RESULTS
Men’s U.S. Alpine Championships super-G
Women’s U.S. Alpine Championships super-G
Men’s U.S. Alpine Championships alpine combined
Women’s U.S. Alpine Championships alpine combined

EVENT SCHEDULE
March 23    Parallel Slalom (National Championships) - Waterville Valley Resort, N.H
March 24    Slalom (National Championships) - Waterville Valley Resort, N.H.
March 25    Women’s Giant Slalom (National Championships) - Waterville Valley Resort, N.H.
March 26    Men’s Giant Slalom (National Championships) - Waterville Valley Resort, N.H.