U.S. Ski & Snowboard is holding its annual Cross Country National Coaches’ Symposium at the end of this week, according to a recent announcement from USSS. The symposium will be held via Zoom. The registration cost is $50.
Day one of the symposium, starting at 9:30 a.m. (Central Time) this Friday, has a generally medical theme, with presentations on injuries, strength training, cold-weather airway issues, and relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S). Current Great Britain coach Hans Kristian Stadheim will also speak to the differences between coaching the British and Norwegian national teams.
Day two starts at 11 a.m. Central Time on Saturday. The first panel is 90 minutes’ worth of lessons from Johan Olsson — yes, that Johan Olsson, the one who won World Champs gold in Val di Fiemme by skiing solo for the final 30 kilometers of the 50km classic mass start in a career-defining performance. Olsson has worked as a coach in his retirement from pro skiing. He will be followed by U.S. development coaches Bryan Fish and Greta Anderson, who will speak to the American development philosophy and pathway.
The final presentation on Saturday is from Jason Cork, officially known as USST World Cup Coach but also since 2010 as Jessie Diggins’s coach. Cork will speak to Diggins’s peaking and performance plan for Beijing and training history more broadly.
The registration link is here. “The Symposium will count towards eight Continuing Education Credits for U.S. Ski and Snowboard coaches and is open to any interested individuals, not only cross-country coaches,” said USST Cross Country Program Director Chris Grover in a recent press release.
You may find the full agenda and speakers’ bios here.
— Gavin Kentch
