The following press release was recently received from the National Nordic Foundation. It is the official position of Nordic Insights that, as I wrote last November during the Drive for 25, “NNF is good, and you should give them money.”
The National Nordic Foundation expresses its gratitude to the entire ski community for the sustained support that helped make the 2022-23 ski season a success for American athletes at home and on the world stage.
From those at the grassroots of the sport, and to those chasing World Championships and podiums, American skiers are working together. This winter was a testament to that, as more skiers, from more places in our community, reached higher goals than ever before. That relies upon an approach which empowers the creative and dynamic individuals in the ski community to bring their talents to the fore. It relies on our supporters. The generous donors who made our annual Drive for 25 the most successful ever, the coaches and athletes who lent their time, energy, and talents to chasing dreams at ski races around the world, and the people driving NNF and its partners.
The never-before-seen results from American juniors on the world stage, competition that showed the robust investment in club skiing, and top-level success were all outward signs of a commitment from the US skiing to lifting up the dreams of American skiers and creating sustainable success. This ski season was another special one, and NNF is proud to have been powered by the community of supporters that made it so.
Highlights from the 2022/2023 Ski Season
Most Successful Drive for 25 in NNF History
NNF’s most important fundraiser annually, the Drive for 25 marks a special moment of on the eve of the first World Cup where skiers and supporters from across the United States pool their resources towards success in the season to come. Fueled by 2 extremely generous matching grants worth $100,000, and over 1000 individual donors, this season’s Drive for 25 was the most successful in NNF history. A total of $310,000 was raised over the course of just one week, setting up NNF to fund our Pillar Projects throughout the winter, and to devote funds to creating sustainable programs that will make an impact far beyond this season.
U18 Nordic Nations’ Cup Team Achieves Historic Results
The original NNF-funded development trip, the U18 Nordic Nations’ Cup introduces the junior skiers in the country to international racing. Held in Jyvaskyla, Finland in February, this year’s U18 Nordic Nations’ delegation provided a compelling case for the bright future of US skiing. Highlighted by a thrilling win in the Team Relay event by the Boys team of Tabor Greenberg, Fin Bailey, and Benjamin Barbier, the trip provided a glimpse into the depth of talent present in the youngest generation of American skiers and demonstrated the heart driving American skiing forward.
NNF Cup Returns to SuperTour, University of Utah Wins
The NNF Cup, celebrating club excellence in American skiing, was re-introduced this season with a $3,000 cash prize awarded for the first time ever. A pitched battle which saw the University of Utah awarded the title on after the last weekend of SuperTour action demonstrated the growing strength of club skiing within the United States, and the continued strength and depth of the SuperTour field.
[read more: Annika Martell: From Williams to the World Cup, via the Trail to Gold Fellowship]
Trail to Gold Fellowship Debuts, Sees Five Coaches Introduced to World Cup
The result of a partnership between NNF, the Women Ski Coaches’ Association, and the US Olympic Women’s Book Project that published Trail to Gold: the Journey of 53 Women Skiers, NNF funded the inaugural class of Trail to Gold Fellows, five female coaches who completed an internship with the U.S. Ski Team on the World Cup. The T2G Fellows became an integral and dynamic addition to the U.S. Ski Team World Cup coaching staff throughout the season, while revenue from our new guest lecture series will go towards making the T2G Fellowship a regular part of NNF programming next season, and beyond.
NNF images from the 2022/2023 season may be found here.
