BRADFORD, Vt. – March 4, 2021 – World Cup Supply, Inc. (WCS) is pleased to announce the first recipient of a Berlack/Astle Award for 2021 is Gray Flanagan of West Burke, Vt. Gray is currently a post-grad student at Green Mountain Valley School (GMVS) and graduated from Burke Mountain Academy (BMA) in 2020. Gray joins the previous award winners who all possess the skiing talent and positive personal attributes that both Ronnie and Bryce embodied.

Prior to this year, the Berlack/Astle Award was given to one male and one female U16 athlete based on completed applications and recommendations. For 2021, the structure of the Award and the selection process has been changed in a way we that believe will have a more significant impact for the recipients both now and in the future.

WCS will set aside $5,000 annually for the Berlack/Astle Award Fund. The Fund awards grants as needed and available to athletes from either the Eastern or Western/Inter-Mountain Regions who are recommended by U.S. Ski and Snowboard staff from those two regions. The athletes recommended for the grants will have been invited to a U.S. Ski and Snowboard camp or National Development Group (NDG) project and need financial assistance to attend the camp or project. We are confident this approach will have the direct impact we are looking for by helping talented athletes participate in growth opportunities they otherwise would not be able to attend.

Flanagan was recommended to us by Eastern Region staff as a promising alpine athlete who had an opportunity to travel to Europe this spring for a U.S. Ski and Snowboard NDG competition project lasting several weeks. The $2,000 award will allow Flanagan to attend the project by directly funding expenses related to the trip. During the project, Gray will be racing against European talent in 4 different countries with a small group of Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athletes and three coaches. Among the group of coaches is Rich Smith, Eastern Region Coach, who commented: “It’s always exciting to watch Gray race. He is a fearless competitor in search of speed and charges the fall line. Hard work, grit, and integrity are just a few of the many positive traits Gray possesses. He will be an outstanding role model for future recipients of this prestigious award.”

WCS reached out to Flanagan to inform him of the news just a few days prior to leaving for the project: “I am honored to be receiving the Ronnie Berlack/Bryce Astle Award for 2021 and look forward to representing them in my upcoming races”.

Brad Williams of WCS added “we are thrilled to be able to help talented athletes like Gray who are deep into the U.S. Ski Team program, to have access to the types of travel, training, and racing they need as they work so hard to get to the next level. Like our previous award recipients, we’ll be watching Gray closely and wishing nothing but the best for him both on and off the hill.”

Learn more at www.berlackastleaward.com. 

World Cup Supply, Inc has been a partner of ski racing for 30 years and the sport of skiing for 30 years. For more info please contact:  bwilliams@worldcupsupply.com

Release courtesy of World Cup Supply, Inc.

On another warm, spring-like day in Oberstdorf, Germany, at the 2021 FIS Nordic Ski World Championships, Scott Patterson led the Davis U.S. Cross Country Team, finishing 27th in the men’s 15k individual start freestyle.

Norway swept the podium with Hans Christer Holund taking his second career World Championships title, with countrymen Simen Hegstad Krueger taking the silver, and Harald Oestberg Amundsen the bronze. Simi Hamilton was 31st for the U.S., followed by David Norris in 34th and Gus Schumacher 51st.

“It was a tough race,” Patterson said. “I started out pretty strong skiing where I wanted to be, but the conditions started to deteriorate on laps two and three and I definitely suffered because of that and bled a lot of time. (Holund) started 30 seconds behind me and just blew by me, definitely wasn’t quite what I wanted, but there are still some good signs for later this week, so I’m looking forward to the (men’s 4x10K) relay and the 50k Sunday - there is a lot more racing.”

With overnight temperatures remaining above freezing, the course conditions deteriorated as the race progressed, leaving some sections soft and sugary, while other shaded areas remained hard and fast. “The course on those last couple of laps was getting softer and softer and wetter and wetter,” Hamilton said. “But the flats were still skiing well...it was hard-packed and you could find fast snow.”

Faced with the challenging snow conditions, once again the U.S. Cross Country Tech crew nailed the ski prep for Wednesday’s race after struggling a bit during last week’s classic sprint and skiathlon events. “My skis were amazing,” Hamilton said. “They felt fast the whole time and our techs did a really awesome job waxing today.”

Prior to Wednesday’s race, the athletes had a limited window to preview the course, but the conditions changed dramatically after the first athlete left the start. “Before there was any traffic on those corners, they skied really well,” Hamilton said. “It was tacky, you could step them all, but then after 65 people start in front of you, and like 180 laps worth of traffic, they were getting really, really soft. So you had to be on your toes. But, it’s fun. You have to expect the unexpected when you come into those things later on in the race, it’s a bummer to not be able to really recover at all, but it’s exciting - it’s a ski race!”

Starting 58th, Norris made the most of the conditions, charging on portions of the course where he could find the time, and trying not to lose time on other portions. “Not exactly what I wanted. But, not a disaster by any means...I fought through it and did my best,” he said. “On the first lap, I was able to find firmer tracks and pick lines that we still holding up and fast, but by the second and third lap every uphill was deep from side to side..by the end, it was all broke down and deep slush.”

Up next at the World Championships is the women’s 4x5k relay Thursday. Starting for the U.S. Team is Hailey Swirbul, Sadie Maubet Bjornsen, Rosie Brennan, and Jessie Diggins. The race will be broadcast live on the Olympic Channel, and streamed live on NBC’s Peacock platform.

RESULTS
Men’s 15k individual start freestyle

HOW TO WATCH
Thursday, March 4
7:15 a.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Women’s 4x5k relay - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Broadcast Olympic Channel, Streaming Olympic Channel and Peacock

Friday, March 5
7:30 a.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Men’s 4x10k relay - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Broadcast Olympic Channel, Streaming Olympic Channel and Peacock
11:30 p.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Men’s 4x10k relay - same-day broadcast, Oberstdorf, GER, Broadcast NBCSN

Saturday, March 6
6:30 a.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Women’s 30k classic mass start - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
10:00 a.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Women’s 30k classic mass start - same-day broadcast, Oberstdorf, GER, Broadcast Olympic Channel

Sunday, March 7
7:00 a.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Men’s 50k classic mass start - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
9:00 a.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Men’s 50k classic mass start - same-day broadcast, Oberstdorf, GER, Broadcast Olympic Channel

Though Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete, Olympian, and FIS Ski World Cup winner Ryan Cochran-Siegle is sidelined with injury, he's staying optimistic about the upcoming Olympic year, and recently caught up with the Boston Globe's John Powers for a status update and to talk about the Cochran family's legacy. 

Cochran-Siegle, who grabbed his first World Cup podium this season in Val Gardena, Italy, with a second-place in downhill, followed that up with a World Cup victory in super-G at Bormio, Italy, 10 days later. He was looking strong and fast in training and on downhill day at the Hahnenkamm in Kitzbuehel, Austria, before crashing into the net and sustaining a "minor neck fracture."

RCS, as he’s known on the slopes, was supposed to be in Italy last month as the top American men’s speed racer at the biennial Alpine world championships in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. But one untimely slip and a scary crash in Kitzbuehel, Austria, in January left Ryan Cochran-Siegle with a minor cervical fracture and abruptly ended the best season of his decade-long career on the US ski team.

“In a way, it seems like I left a lot on the table,” said the 28-year-old from Starksboro, Vt., whose Super G victory in Bormio and second-place finish in the Val Gardena downhill set him up for potential podium finishes in both events at Cortina. “But you can’t have too many regrets. I was skiing well, and that’s what I need to focus on.”

Cochran-Siegle, who competed in four events at the last Winter Olympics, is gunning for another shot at next year’s Beijing Games and another opportunity to add to the legacy of the country’s First Family of Alpine skiing, which goes back for more than half a century.

Ryan’s mother Barbara Ann won the slalom at the 1972 Olympics in Sapporo, Japan, where her brother Bob and sister Marilyn each competed in three events, and sister Lindy raced at the 1976 Games in Innsbruck. Their children continued the star-spangled tradition. Jimmy Cochran competed in the 2006 and 2010 Olympics, and Tim, Robby, and Jessica Kelley and Roger Brown all raced on the national team.

 

In the interview, his cousin Jimmy Cochran speaks of Ryan's natural ability for skiing and his desire to practice and focus on the journey rather than the results—an approach his mother instilled in her children. 

“He was practicing his starts out on the snowbank,” he said. “It was pitch black and he had skied all day. There was never a doubt that Ryan was going to ski until the lifts close.”

“He’s like a dog that’s meant to run,” observed Jimmy, who runs Cochran’s Ski Area. “Ryan was meant to be a ski racer. That’s what he’s always wanted to do. It’s built into the fabric of his being.”

Cochran-Siegle is recovering nicely and has been enjoying time with his family and girlfriend at home in Vermont. He's hungry for more, and will undoubtedly be one to watch in the 2021-22 season en route to the Beijing 2022 Olympics. On his journey, he'll remember the advice his mother gave him when he left for his lat Olympics in Korea “Enjoy the moment. Have fun with it." As Powers wrote, "Six decades later, that remains the Cochran Way."

Read the Full Article at BostonGlobe.com.

U.S. Freestyle Ski Team athlete Jesse Andringa is recovering from surgery to correct a season-ending ankle injury he sustained on Feb. 5.

Andringa suffered a gnarly crash during the preliminary rounds of what was a battle-ground Dual Mogul World Cup at the 2021 Intermountain Healthcare Freestyle International at Deer Valley Resort, skiing into a bottom air jump on one foot. Unfortunately, Andringa will sit out the remainder of the 2021 season and will be unable to compete in what would have been his first World Championships appearance this March in Kazakhstan.

Andringa is no stranger to the rehab process and has a positive outlook for his three-month recovery timeline. “I’ve done this a couple of times before,” Andringa reflected. “This is my fourth season-ending injury, my third surgery. Luckily none have been too terrible. I’m pretty callused up on what it does to me mentally.”

School will keep Andringa relatively busy over the next few months, as will learning the piano. “I’m trying to continue to play the piano, but it’s been uncomfortable trying to position my leg. So I play for 10 minutes at a time and do that about five times a day. It’s not the best way to learn the piano but better than nothing.”

Andringa is beginning his rehab process at home in Colorado with his family. He is optimistic to return to training by mid-May or early June. He is thankful to his teammates; coaches Matt Gnoza, Riley Campbell, Josh Bullock, and Chuck Williams; Dr. David Goltz; Hans Gardner; Dr. Alex Cohen; friends and family; as well as his fans, for their support during this time off-snow. Follow along Jesse’s journey back to training via his Instagram. 

Jessie Diggins finished just off the podium in fourth to lead four of her Davis U.S. Cross Country Team teammates into the top 23 in Tuesday’s individual start 10k freestyle at the FIS Nordic Ski World Championships in Oberstdorf, Germany.

On a warm day with ample sunshine, little wind, and temperature approaching 60 degrees, racers were treated to two salted 5k loops that despite the warm sunshine, remained fast and firm for the 88 starters. 

“It’s no secret that I really struggle and these are not my temperatures, I’m more of a Minnesota winter athlete,” said Diggins, who was just 5.1 seconds off the podium on a course that featured numerous climbs baked by the warm sunshine. 

“My goal for today was to be the person who just gives the most,” she added. “I’ve been visualizing this course for weeks and I have practiced in my mind how I wanted to ski it, and I went out there and just skied hard, and I’m so proud of that because it is the only thing you can control. I never gave up, I kept pushing, even when I felt like I was going to fold in half and pass out.”

Fortunately, the course conditions did hold firm, which provided Sadie Maubet Bjornsen an opportunity to grind her way up the power climbs for an 11th-place finish. “The snow was really good, I was impressed,” Maubet Bjornsen said. “On a (hot day) like this...I’m really stoked that they salted (the course), and it made it a little bit more like ski racing. Granted, it was not the kind of firm snow that I love, but it could have been so much worse.”

Norway’s Therese Johaug took the gold by 54 seconds over Sweden’s Frida Karlsson in second and Sweden’s Ebba Andersson in third at 1:06.9 off the gold-medal pace. Rosie Brennan was 17th, and Sophia Laukli—racing in her first World Championships—was 23rd.

“I was very happy with how it went, it felt good,” Laukli said following her race in which she sported a sleeveless race suit and aimed to better her 25th-place result from Saturday’s skiathlon. “I definitely have not raced in this heat for quite a while, so that was kind of a shocker, but I felt good.”

Brennan crushed the first 5k loop but admitted that she felt pretty gassed down the stretch. “It was tough,” she said. “I started really well and things were going fine, and then, I don’t know, slowly the wheels came off and I didn’t have the body or the brain that I had hoped for, so it was just kind of a brutal battle to the end.”

Brennan has proved many times this season that a quick start followed by settling into her pace has led to some great results. “On a good day, I could have held it," she said. "I did plan to go out relatively hard and maybe it was just a little much with the heat and the body that I have right now, but it was a solid 5k, so hopefully, I can turn it around for the 5k in the (team) relay.”

Up next, the men’s will compete in an individual start 15k freestyle Wednesday with Scott Patterson, David Norris, Simi Hamilton, and Gus Schumacher starting for the U.S. Team. Thursday, the women’s 4x5k team relay takes center stage, followed by the men’s 4x10k relay Friday.

RESULTS
Women’s individual start freestyle 10k

HOW TO WATCH
Wednesday, March 3
7:15 a.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Men’s 15k freestyle - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock

Thursday, March 4
7:15 a.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Women’s 4x5k relay - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock

Friday, March 5
7:15 a.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Men’s 4x7.5k relay - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock

Saturday, March 6
6:30 a.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Women’s 30k classic mass start - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock

Sunday, March 7
7:00 a.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Men’s 50k classic mass start - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock

U.S. Ski & Snowboard has named 35 athletes to the U.S. Freeski and Snowboard World Championship Teams.

American freeskiers and riders are ready to throw down on home soil at the Aspen 2021 FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships, featuring the Visa Big Air presented by Land Rover, at Buttermilk in Aspen, Colo. March 10-16. This is the first time that a nation has hosted consecutive FIS World Championships following the 2019 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle, and Freeski World Championships held in Utah.

“It’s great to be able to host back-to-back World Championships on home soil,” said U.S. Snowboard & Freeski Director Jeremy Forster. “The depth and talent across slopestyle, halfpipe, and big air for both sports is second to none and should make for an exciting event for those tuning in all over the globe. The 2020-21 competition season has had no shortage of challenges, so we are beyond grateful to Aspen Snowmass, FIS, and the greater Aspen community for the opportunity to host the world’s top riders at an iconic venue.”

The snowboarders will field 18 riders, 14 of whom have World Championship experience. Olympic gold medalist Chloe Kim will be defending her title from 2019. Kim hasn’t skipped a beat following her hiatus from competition during the 2019-20 season to pursue an education at Princeton University. She’s taken home the gold at both events she has entered this season, including the Laax Open World Cup and X Games Aspen 2021. Seven-time Crystal Globe Winner Chris Corning will also be defending his title in slopestyle from 2019.

The U.S. Snowboard World Championship Team also includes 2018 Olympic slopestyle gold medalists Red Gerard and Jamie Anderson. Anderson has been on a tear this season winning the Laax Open and two gold medals at X Games Aspen. Fellow X Games Aspen 2021 double-gold medalist Dusty Henricksen will make his World Championship debut as he looks to add to his rapidly growing list of accolades. 

“I’m so stoked to be heading back out to Aspen for more competitions,” said Henricksen. “I have never ridden at such a crazy fun venue and I can’t wait to get back. I am extremely stoked to be competing in my first world championships and I’m super excited to see what goes down.”

The freeskiers will make their way to Aspen with no shortage of talent. The team includes 17 athletes, 13 of whom have World Championships experience. Back-to-back FIS World Champion Aaron Blunck will be aiming for the three-peat supported by an impressive cast including two-time Olympic medalist Nick Goepper, double-Olympic gold medalist David Wise, and Olympic bronze medalist Brita Sigourney. We also can’t forget hometown favorite and two-time X Games gold medalist Alex Ferreira, who has historically performed very well in the Buttermilk superpipe.

A friendly face will also return to the competition scene in Aspen. Maggie Voisin will rejoin her fellow Americans for the first time this season following her second ACL surgery in two years. Voisin is familiar with returning to competition at Buttermilk. Last season, Voisin displayed incredible resilience earning bronze in X Games Aspen slopestyle in her first competition back from surgery.

2021 U.S. Snowboard and Freeski World Championship Teams
(Name, Hometown, Club, USASA Series, Birthdate, World Champs Teams)

SNOWBOARD
Halfpipe
Men

• Taylor Gold - (Steamboat Springs, Colo.; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; Rocky Mountain Series; 11/17/93; 2011, 2013)
• Chase Josey - (Hailey, Idaho; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation; Big Mountain West Series; 3/31/95; 2015, 2019)
• Chase Blackwell- (Longmont, Colo.; Jim Smith Club; Rocky Mountain Series; 2/27/99; 2017, 2019)
• Toby Miller - (Truckee, Calif; Tahoe Select Snowboard Team; North Tahoe Series; 2/14/00; 2017, 2019)**
• Joey Okesson - (Southbury, Conn.; Okemo Mountain School; Southern Vermont Series; 8/23/02)*

Women

• Chloe Kim - (Torrance, Calif.; Mammoth Mountain Snowboard Team; Unbound Series; 4/23/00; 2019)
• Maddie Mastro - (Wrightwood, Calif.; Mammoth Mountain Snowboard Team; Unbound Series; 2/22/00; 2017, 2019)
• Tessa Maud - (Carlsbad, Calif.; Mammoth Mountain Snowboard Team; Unbound Series; 10/10/03; 2019)
• Zoe Kalapos (Avon, Colo.; Ski and Snowboard Club Vail; Rocky Mountain Series; 4/17/97; 2017)
• Alexandria Simsovits - (Calabasas, Calif.; Mammoth Mountain Snowboard Team; Unbound Series; 9/30/04)*

Slopestyle/Big Air
Men

• Chris Corning - (Silverthorne, Colo.; Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club; Rocky Mountain Series; 9/7/99; 2017, 2019)
• Red Gerard - (Silverthorne, Colo.; Rocky Mountain Series; 6/29/00; 2019)
• Dusty Henricksen - (Mammoth Lakes, Calif; Mammoth Mountain Snowboard Team; Unbound Series; 2/2/03)*
• Judd Henkes - (La Jolla, Calif.; Mammoth Mountain Snowboard Team; Unbound Series; 4/3/01; 2017, 2019)
• Lyon Farrell - (La Jolla, Calif.; Mammoth Mountain Snowboard Team; Unbound Series; 4/3/01; 2015, 2017, 2019)

Women

• Jamie Anderson - (S. Lake Tahoe, Calif.; South Tahoe Series; 9/13/90; 2019)
• Julia Marino - (Westport, Conn.; Southern Vermont Series; 9/11/97; 2015, 2019)
• Hailey Langland - (San Clemente, Calif.; Tahoe Select Snowboard Team; Tahoe Series; 8/2/00; 2019)
• Ty Schnorrbusch - (Monroe Township, N.J.; Tru Snowboarding, Rocky Mountain Series 5/15/02)*

FREESKI
Halfpipe
Men

• Aaron Blunck - (Crested Butte, Colo.; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; Rocky Mountain Series; 4/12/96; 2013, 2017, 2019)
• Birk Irving - (Winter Park, Colo.; Winter Park Freeride Team; Rocky Mountain Series; 7/26/99; 2017, 2019)
• David Wise - (Reno, Nev.; 6/30/90; 2009, 2011, 2013, 2017, 2019)
• Lyman Currier - (Boulder, Colo.; Winter Park Freeski Team; Rocky Mountain Series; 8/28/94)*
• Alex Ferreira - (Aspen, Colo.; Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club; Aspen/Snowmass Series; 8/14/94; 2019)

Women

• Brita Sigourney - (Carmel, Calif.; Intermountain Series; 1/17/90; 2011, 2017, 2019)
• Devin Logan - (West Dover, Vt.; Mount Snow Academy; Southern Vermont Series; 2/17/93; 2011, 2017)
• Abigale Hansen - (June Lake, Calif.; Mammoth Mountain Freeski Team; Unbound Series; 5/26/98; 2019)
• Hanna Faulhaber - (Carbondale, Colo.; Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club; Rocky Mountain Series; 9/04/04)*

Slopestyle/Big Air
Men

• Mac Forehand - (Winhall, Vt.; Stratton Mountain School; Southern Vermont Series; 8/4/01; 2019)
• Colby Stevenson - (Park City, Utah; Park City Ski and Snowboard; Big Mountain West Series; 10/3/97; 2015)
• Nick Goepper - (Lawrenceburg, Ind.; Cork Technologies and Consulting; Rocky Mountain Series; 3/14/94; 2013, 2019)
• Alex Hall - (Salt Lake City, Utah; Park City Ski and Snowboard; Big Mountain West Series; 9/21/98; 2017, 2019)

Women

• Caroline Claire - (Manchester Center, Vt.; Stratton Mountain School; Southern Vermont Series; 2/2/00; 2019)**
• Marin Hamill - (Park City, Utah; Park City Ski and Snowboard; Big Mountain West Series; 4/5/01)*
• Rell Harwood - (Park City, Utah; Park City Ski and Snowboard; Big Mountain West Series; 6/1/01)*
• Maggie Voisin - (Whitefish, Mont.; Park City Ski and Snowboard; Big Mountain West Series; 12/14/98; 2017, 2019)
• Darian Stevens - (Missoula, Mont.; Missoula Freestyle Ski Team; 10/29/96; 2017)

*Denotes first World Championships team
**Sidelined with injury, but met team criteria

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EST

Friday, March 12
11:30 a.m. FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships - Snowboard Slopestyle - LIVE, Aspen, Colo., Broadcast Olympic Channel, Streaming Peacock
3:00 p.m. FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships - Freeski Halfpipe - LIVE, Aspen, Colo., Broadcast Olympic Channel, Streaming Peacock 

Saturday, March 13   
11:30 a.m. FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships - Freeski Slopestyle - LIVE, Aspen, Colo., Streaming Peacock
12:00 p.m. FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships - Snowboard Slopestyle - next-day broadcast, Aspen, Colo., Broadcast NBC
1:00 p.m. FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships - Freeski Slopestyle - same-day broadcast, Aspen, Colo., Broadcast Olympic Channel
3:00 p.m. FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships - Snowboard Halfpipe - LIVE, Aspen, Colo., Broadcast Olympic Channel, Streaming Peacock

Sunday, March 14
12:00 a.m. FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships - Freeski Halfpipe - next-day broadcast, Aspen, Colo., Broadcast NBCSN
12:00 p.m. FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships - Snowboard Halfpipe - next-day broadcast, Aspen, Colo., Broadcast NBC

Tuesday, March 16
12:00 p.m. FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships - Freeski Big Air - LIVE, Aspen, Colo., Broadcast NBCSN, Streaming Peacock
1:30 p.m. FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships - Freeski Slopestyle - delayed broadcast, Aspen, Colo., Broadcast NBCSN
3:30 p.m. FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships - Snowboard Big Air - LIVE, Aspen, Colo., Broadcast NBCSN, Streaming Peacock

Sunday, April 11
2:00 p.m. World Freestyle Championships Event Recap, Aspen, Colorado, Broadcast NBCSN

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Andrew Gauthier
Marketing & Communications Director | Freeski & Snowboard Press Officer
andrew.gauthier@usskiandsnowboard.org 

MEDIA ACCREDITATION
 

FOLLOW
Instagram - @ussnowboardteam
Instagram - @usfreeskiteam
Facebook - @usskiandsnowboard
 

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Sporting relay socks and facepaint, Sadie Maubet Bjornsen and Rosie Brennan sprinted for fifth place in the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships freestyle team sprint in Oberstdorf, Germany.

The day started out icy with the semifinals, but the finals were warm, sunny, and sloppy, keeping all skiers on their toes. Maubet Bjornsen and Brennan kept it close in the finals, staying in the lead pack throughout the race and maintaining fourth place going into the final leg. But Maubet Bjornsen was stepped on by a competitor the second-to-last climb, causing her to go down for a second and got her out of the draft. “I didn’t quite find the gear to come back to it, which is a bummer because my skis are incredible,” said Maubet Bjornsen, who won a medal in the 2017 World Championships team sprint. “If I would have been with those girls at the top of the climb, it could have been a medal day, but like Rosie said, you can’t count on that.”

The two women were still ecstatic about the result and having the opportunity to race together. They both call Alaska home, training in Anchorage with Alaska Pacific University, and have been friends for a long time. “It’s been quite literally a career-long dream to do a team sprint with Sadie,” said Brennan. “She’s been a best friend and training partner for the entire of my professional career, so I was just so happy and excited to even get this opportunity. I know we are capable of more on any given day, but that’s ski racing. You go out there and give it your all and some days you win and some days you don’t. It was honestly a really special day for me and I’m really happy to be here right now.”

Maubet Bjornsen reiterated Brennan’s statement. “I think it’s pretty cool that my No. 1 training buddy and I were in a fight for a medal,” she said. “If you had asked us that when we were 14 years old beating on each other, we would have laughed at you. If we brought our 14-year-old selves here, we’d be pretty darn proud.”

Sweden took the gold medal in the women’s team sprint, with Switzerland second and Slovenia third.

Simi Hamilton and Gus Schumacher made up the men’s team and were skiing fast in the sprint semifinals, but missed an exchange and did not qualify for the finals. And while they were disappointed in the overall result, there was something more special at play: a seasoned veteran in his last World Championships passing the torch to a talented rookie.

“We’re clicking—not just Gus and me—but the whole men’s team, in a way that I don’t think I’ve ever seen this men’s team click before,” said Hamilton. “All that contributes to feeling prepared and psyched for a race like this. We did everything we could.”

Hamilton has been on the Davis U.S. Cross Country Ski Team for 10 years, making his World Cup debut in 2010. He has raced in three Olympics, five World Championships and has podiumed in multiple World Cups. With young talented athletes like Schumacher, JC Schoonmaker, Ben Ogden, and others coming up on the team and nailing results, Simi says he wants to let these men shine and help to mentor them into winning medals in the future.

“Obviously I wanted to ski with Gus in that final and possibly win that elusive medal at World Champs,” continued Hamilton. “But it’s just as important for me to feel like what I did today to get on to this team and being able to race with Gus is going to contribute to him being able to win medals in the future with this group of guys coming up. To me, that’s just as important as me potentially winning a medal. I’m still so grateful and humbled to be part of this team and be able to race with Gus and train with him, as well as the other guys.”

In his first career World Championships, 20-year-old Schumacher was equally honored to race with Hamilton. "It was amazing to ski with Simi," he said. "I felt a lot of pressure because it’s his last World Champs and his last team sprint and we knew that we had a lot of potential. I was really proud to have this start and give it my all."

Norway won the men’s team sprint, with Finland in second and the Russian Ski Federation taking the bronze.

The women next race the 10k skate on Tuesday at the World Championships, with the men racing the 15k skate on Wednesday.

RESULTS
Women’s World Championships team sprint
Men’s World Championships team sprint

HOW TO WATCH
All Times EST

Sunday, Feb. 28
10:30 a.m. FIS World Nordic Championships Men's and Women's Team Sprint Finals - same-day broadcast, Oberstdorf, GER, Broadcast Olympic Channel
11:00 a.m. FIS World Ski Jumping Championships Mixed Team HS106 - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
10:00 p.m. FIS World Ski Jumping Championships Mixed Team HS106 - same-day broadcast, Oberstdorf, GER, Broadcast Olympic Channel

Tuesday, March 2
7:15 a.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Women’s 10k freestyle - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Broadcast Olympic Channel
7:15 a.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Women’s 10k freestyle - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
1:00 p.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Women’s 10k freestyle - same-day broadcast, Oberstdorf, GER, Broadcast NBCSN

Wednesday, March 3
7:15 a.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Men’s 15k freestyle - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
11:15 a.m. FIS World Ski Jumping Championships Women’s HS137 - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock

Thursday, March 4
7:00 a.m. FIS World Nordic Combined Championships Men’s HS137 - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
7:15 a.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Women’s 4x5k relay - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
9:15 a.m. FIS World Nordic Combined Championships Men’s 10k - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock

Friday, March 5
7:15 a.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Men’s 4x7.5k relay - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
11:00 a.m. FIS World Ski Jumping Championships Men’s HS137 - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock

Saturday, March 6
4:00 a.m. FIS World Nordic Combined Championships Men’s HS137 team sprint - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
6:30 a.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Women’s 30k classic mass start - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
9:00 a.m. FIS World Nordic Combined Championships Men’s 2x7.5k team event - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
11:00 a.m. FIS World Ski Jumping Championships Men’s Team HS137 - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock

Sunday, March 7
7:00 a.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Men’s 50k classic mass start - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock

Under the sunshine on a perfectly-prepared track at Val di Fassa, Italy, Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Breezy Johnson had a career-best FIS Ski World Cup super-G result, landing in 10th. 

After struggling throughout the season, Italy’s Federica Brignone—the 2020 World Cup Overall winner—skied like she had nothing to lose, winning her first World Cup of the season by a whopping .59 second margin. Switzerland’s Lara Gut, who had won all four super-G World Cup races as well as the World Championships super-G coming into Sunday, finished second. Swiss teammate Corinne Suter was third, .72 seconds off Brignone’s pace. 

Johnson, whose previous best super-G result was 16th in Lake Louise, Canada in 2016, was thrilled with the top-10 result and her progression in the discipline. “I have been working really hard in super-G...it’s the event I want to improve at a lot, it’s the event I respect the most, but I also think it’s the hardest event,” Johnson said. “I’m starting to feel it click since Garmisch, basically, and it’s been getting better and better—that kind of race feeling in the racecourses, which is hard because when you train it’s not quite the same as the racecourses.”  

Johnson, in part, credits the Land Rover U.S. Ski Team’s time spent training on the slope at San Pellegrino for her success. “Actually being able to train in San Pellegrino during the years - even last year, too - was so nice because it’s a much better training hill, and it lets you prepare a little more. I’m feeling better, and obviously running 2, I was pretty nervous because honestly in super-G bib 1 and 2 are kind of the forerunners A and B real-time. I wasn’t sure how everything was going to run, but I wanted to commit to my plan and arc things clean, even if I was a little bit rounder in some places. I think I did that pretty well, and I was happy.” 

Sunday’s race was unfortunately rife with several long course holds due to horrific crashes, particularly by Norway’s Kajsa Vickhoff Lie and Austria’s Rosina Schneeberger, who were both airlifted by helicopter from the mountain. U.S. Ski and Snowboard extend our thoughts and best wishes to both. “I hope everyone who crashed today is OK, and things aren’t as bad as they seem,” Johnson commented. “I hope I can race super-G one more time at the Finals because it would be fun to get one more in.”

With her second-place result, Gut locked in the super-G Crystal Globe with 445 points. Gut also extended her lead on Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova in the race to the overall title, with 1,147 points to Vlhova’s 1040 points. Heading into next weekend’s tech series in Jasna, Slovakia, Gut is the favorite in giant slalom, having won the giant slalom world title in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, and placing fourth and second, respectively, in the last two World Cup giant slaloms. Vlhova’s giant slalom results have been off the mark by her standards, with 10th- and 12th-place finishes in the previous two World Cup races, and 12th at World Championships. Of course, Vlhova has four opportunities left on the calendar in slalom, but Gut has ample opportunities in giant slalom, super-G, and downhill to hold her own. It will be a race right to the finish, and it will certainly keep fans on the edge of their seats. 

Bella Wright and Tricia Mangan also started for the Americans, but both DNFed. They are thankfully OK. 

Up next for the women is a tech series at Jasna, Slovakia, with a giant slalom on Saturday, March 6th, followed by slalom on Sunday, March 7th. 

STANDINGS
Overall 
Super-G

RESULTS
Women’s super-G

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST

Sunday, Feb. 28
2:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Super-G - same-day broadcast, Val di Fassa, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN

Gyda Westvold Hansen led a Norwegian sweep in the debut of women’s nordic combined at the FIS Nordic Ski World Championships Saturday in Oberstdorf. Tara Geraghty-Moats (W. Fairlee, Vt.) was fifth, skiing the fastest 5k cross country leg but unable to overcome a large deficit from the jump earlier in the day.

Three other Americans joined Geraghty-Moats in the historic debut including Annika Malacinski 23rd, Alexa Brabec 26th, and Tess Arnone 28th (all Steamboat Springs, Colo.).

The event, which was televised around the world, marked the first time women had competed at the World Championships. It was a vital stepping stone towards hopeful future Olympic inclusion. At the women’s debut World Cup event in December, Geraghty-Moats picked up the victory.

Norway put on a strong showing in the morning jumping round on the HS106m hill with Mari Leinan Lund soaring 107.0 meters to take the lead. Westvold Hansen was second in the jump but passed her teammate early in the 5k cross country and never faltered over the two 2.5k laps in an empty stadium at Oberstdorf.

Geraghty-Moats jumped only 85.0 meters, putting her 18th – two minutes, 13 seconds behind the leader going into the cross country finale. Geraghty-Moats charged out of the start and immediately started passing, closing the gap and moving up to fifth at the finish. In just a 13 minute race she closed the gap by over a full minute, but still not enough to challenge for medals.

“I came in fifth place in the world today,” said Geraghty-Moats.  “Maybe it wasn’t my best day but there’s no way I can’t be happy about that. It was the first-ever World Championships for women and many more chances to fight for the medals.”

Westvold Hansen, who has been one of the top challengers to Geraghty-Moats the past few seasons on the Continental Cup, was proud of her victory. “It’s been an exciting day and I’m happy with my performance. It’s a dream come true!”

Much as the USA’s women’s ski jumpers were a part of forging the history of gender equality in that sport, the four U.S. women who competed in Oberstdorf carried a special pride with them in Saturday’s nordic combined race.

“It feels so cool to be a part of history,” said Malacinski. “I just can’t wait until 50 years from now and I get to tell these stories over again.”

Malacinski felt it was one of her best races of the season and will bring positive reflections in the future. “The memories I’ve made with my teammates and just the whole venue – it’s so amazing how well put together it is.”

Brabec was also happy with her race and being a part of history.  “The race went really for me today – I’m really pumped,” she said. “I tried to ignore the pressure and get into my own vibe and just went for it. It’s amazing and it’s been really fun to be a part of history.”

Arnone, too, took a lot away from the historical moment. “It makes me feel really proud that I’m a part of it. I’ve been a part of a lot of firsts the last few years and that’s pretty cool.”

Much of the burden over the past few seasons had been placed on Geraghty-Moats’ shoulders as the veteran leader of the sport who had dominated its early days in the Continental Cup and was a vocal proponent of moving the sport forward.

“I definitely didn’t do it singlehandedly,” she said. “I’m just really honored to be here. I hope that the legacy I leave in the sport will help the sport continue to grow. It’s amazing what a lot of people can do if we work together to move sport and gender equality forward.”

Scott Patterson was 14th and Jessie Diggins 15th to lead the way for the Davis U.S. Cross Country Ski Team in the skiathlon, the second event of the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Oberstdorf, Germany, Saturday.

It was an exciting race with Therese Johaug of Norway taking her fifth World Championship title in the event by a 30-second margin, even with a fall early on in the classic portion of the race. Frida Karlsson and Ebba Andersson of Sweden took silver and bronze. It was a sprint to the finish for the men, with Alexander Bolshunov of the Russian Ski Federation winning his first World Championships gold medal and Norwegians Simen Hegstead Krueger and Hans Christer Holund taking silver and bronze.

With cloudy weather cooling down the summer-like temperatures in Germany, Diggins put together a solid effort in both the classic and skate portions to finish 15th—her best skiathlon result at a World Championships. Young Sophia Laukli, a member of the Davis U.S. Cross Country Ski Team Development Team and the Middlebury College NCAA ski team, raced her first World Championships to 25th place. Laukli won a Junior World Championships medal in the relay in 2020 and just made her World Cup debut in Lahti, Finland, in January.

“I definitely felt like the energy was there,” said Laukli. “It was a fun course for me—lots of hills and climbing. I was a little dreading some of the bigger climbs, but it definitely worked to my advantage. I felt pretty good, so that was awesome.”

Katharine Ogden finished 32nd and Hailey Swirbul 37th.

On the men’s side, Patterson looked strong and fast to nail a top-15 finish—his best individual World Champs finish in his career. “I’m psyched with that,” he said. “It’s the first race of World Champs—I haven’t raced in a month. I felt good. I’m looking forward to some more racing. Without a pack, the 15k skate next could be better. I felt strong out there. I’m really excited for this week coming up.”

Right behind Patterson was David Norris, who put up a good chase in the skate portion of the race to snag 17th place. “The first 3k of the skate I was still suffering from the final effort in the classic and then all of a sudden my legs got under me and I felt pretty free,” he said. “It was the best I felt all season skating. That was awesome.”

Rounding out the U.S. men, Hunter Wonders was 31st and Ben Ogden was 45th.

Next up, the U.S. will contend for medals in the team sprint on Sunday.

RESULTS
Women’s World Championships skiathlon
Men’s World Championships skiathlon

HOW TO WATCH
All Times EST

Saturday, Feb. 27
9:00 p.m. FIS World Nordic Combined Championships Women’s HS106 and 5k - same-day broadcast, Oberstdorf, GER, Broadcast Olympic Channel
10:00 p.m. FIS World Ski Jumping Championships Men’s HS106 - same-day broadcast, Oberstdorf, GER, Olympic Channel

Sunday, Feb. 28
4:00 a.m. FIS World Nordic Combined Championships Men’s HS106 team event - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Men and Women’s Team Sprint Finals - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
8:00 a.m. FIS World Nordic Combined Championships Men’s HS106 team event - same-day broadcast, Oberstdorf, GER, Olympic Channel
9:00 a.m. FIS World Nordic Combined Championships Men’s 4x5k team event - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Broadcast Olympic Channel
9:00 a.m. FIS World Nordic Combined Championships Men’s 4x5k team event - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
10:30 a.m. FIS World Nordic Championships Men's and Women's Team Sprint Finals - same-day broadcast, Oberstdorf, GER, Broadcast Olympic Channel
11:00 a.m. FIS World Ski Jumping Championships Mixed Team HS106 - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
10:00 p.m. FIS World Ski Jumping Championships Mixed Team HS106 - same-day broadcast, Oberstdorf, GER, Broadcast Olympic Channel

Tuesday, March 2
7:15 a.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Women’s 10k freestyle - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Broadcast Olympic Channel
7:15 a.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Women’s 10k freestyle - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
1:00 p.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Women’s 10k freestyle - same-day broadcast, Oberstdorf, GER, Broadcast NBCSN

Wednesday, March 3
7:15 a.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Men’s 15k freestyle - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
11:15 a.m. FIS World Ski Jumping Championships Women’s HS137 - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock

Thursday, March 4
7:00 a.m. FIS World Nordic Combined Championships Men’s HS137 - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
7:15 a.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Women’s 4x5k relay - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
9:15 a.m. FIS World Nordic Combined Championships Men’s 10k - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock

Friday, March 5
7:15 a.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Men’s 4x7.5k relay - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
11:00 a.m. FIS World Ski Jumping Championships Men’s HS137 - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock

Saturday, March 6
4:00 a.m. FIS World Nordic Combined Championships Men’s HS137 team sprint - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
6:30 a.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Women’s 30k classic mass start - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
9:00 a.m. FIS World Nordic Combined Championships Men’s 2x7.5k team event - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
11:00 a.m. FIS World Ski Jumping Championships Men’s Team HS137 - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock

Sunday, March 7
7:00 a.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Men’s 50k classic mass start - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock