Bjørnstad, Kruuser Rejoin U.S. Cross Country Team Staff
The U.S. Cross Country Team welcomes two familiar faces back to the support staff for the 2019-20 season. Per-Erik Bjørnstad and Karel Kruuser bring a wealth of technical ski preparation knowledge and skill to the team.
“We are very excited to have both these guys come back on with the team,” said U.S. Cross Country Team Head Coach Chris Grover.
Bjørnstad, who lives in Norway, worked for U.S. Cross Country team during the 2006-07 season. Since then he has been a steady presence on the Norwegian service team, working for some big names, and teaching the younger techs the meaning of the post-World Cup race cool-down ski.
Kruuser is from Estonia and assisted the U.S. team during the early part of the World Cup last season, specifically providing service for Rosie Brennan (Park City, Utah), and he has experience working with Estonian biathlon, cross country, and most recently with the SAS & TG Hütten Team FIS Marathon Team.
Bjørnstad and Kruuser will begin working with the team prior to the opening event of the 2019-20 FIS Cross Country World Cup kickoff in Ruka, Finland, Nov. 29 through Dec. 1.
Rosie Brennan
Born and raised in Park City, Utah, Rosie is a four-time U.S. champion, 2018 and 2022 Olympian, and ranked in the top-10 in the world for cross country skiing.
Rosie is one of the strongest and most dominant athletes on the World Cup circuit. As she enters her 10th year on the national team, she has over 225+ World Cup starts, 12 podiums and two victories, most recently landing on the podium in the Drammen City Sprint in Drammen, Norway. Even though she only started skiing when she was 14, her later-than-typical start never hindered her from finding success on the world stage.