The following press release was recently received from the National Nordic Foundation. You can find additional details and information about this summer’s speakers series here.
The National Nordic Foundation (NNF) is announcing a new virtual summer speaker series, and invites skiers, coaches, and supporters from across the country to attend our first offering with American distance running record holder Grant Fisher this Thursday at 5 p.m. Eastern time.
The Summer Speaker Series features a diverse set of experts in all aspects of nordic skiing and endurance sport performance. U.S. Ski Team strength specialist Tschana Schiller, Team Aker Dæhlie Coach Hans Kristian Stadheim, and BSF Pro Team Head Coach Andy Newell round out our offerings alongside Fisher in June, with full details on each talk below.
Each talk in our Speaker Series is free to attend, with a recommended donation going directly to NNF to support our Pillar Projects this summer and beyond. This is a crucial fundraiser for our summer athlete development camps, so if you are financially secure, NNF asks that you please consider a donation. Each presentation will be limited to the first 300 registrants. A recording will be made available only to those who have registered prior to the event. Donation and registration for Grant Fisher’s talk this Thursday can be found here.
The NNF Summer Speaker Series serves a dual purpose in benefiting the American ski community: offering an exceptional sport education opportunity while helping power the grassroots movement to bring the latest ideas in training and developmental philosophy to U.S. skiing’s program. By doing so virtually, NNF is committed to making the latest knowledge in endurance sport and skiing training accessible to all those parties interested in pushing our sport, and community, forward.
NNF Summer Speaker Series Offerings
Thursday, June 6th, 5 p.m. Eastern: A Conversation with American Distance Running Great Grant Fisher
Grant Fisher is a Canadian-born American professional distance runner who currently holds the American national records for the 5,000m (12:46.96) and 10,000m (26:33.84), both set in a breakout 2022 outdoor track season. NNF is especially fortunate to hold this interview-style conversation with Grant immediately prior to his departure for the American Olympic trials for the 2024 Paris games! Grant’s current residency in Park City, Utah, home of U.S. Ski & Snowboard, has led to incredible informal opportunities for U.S. Ski Team athletes to learn from their peer in running, and we’re excited to bring that collaboration to the entirety of the U.S. ski community in this talk!
Thursday, June 13, 7 p.m. Eastern: Strength Training with Veteran U.S. Ski Team XC Strength Coach Tschana Schiller
Tschana Schiller serves as the Director of Sport Science for Action and Endurance Sports at U.S. Ski & Snowboard. She has led the U.S. cross country ski team’s strength training for a decade, and been a crucial component in implementing progressive strength development in U.S. skiing. Her NNF talk will include a two-part, interactive session: (1) a 30-minute classroom-based layout to strength training theory, and (2) an on-floor demonstration of strength technique for exercises both cutting edge and time-tested.
Wednesday, June 19, 2 p.m. Eastern: V2, Doublepole, and Striding Technique with Team Aker Dæhlie Coach Hans Kristian Stadheim
Hans Kristian Stadheim is a longtime friend and partner of the U.S. Ski Team through his time as an endurance performance researcher in his native Norway, and role as Great Britain Ski Team’s Head Performance Coach. His current role is as a coach for the innovative Team Aker Dæhlie in Norway, where he works with current U.S. Ski Team athlete Sophia Laukli. In his NNF talk, he will demonstrate contemporary developments in technique and training being discussed in Norway.
Friday, June 28, 7 p.m. Eastern: Race Day Execution with BSF Pro Team Coach, Former U.S. Ski Team Athlete, and Three-Time World Cup Podium Finisher Andy Newell
Andy Newell is a former 16-year member of the U.S. Ski Team, and four-time American Olympian. After one of the most successful careers in American skiing history, Newell has parlayed his experience and attitude as a student of the sport into a successful coaching career with the Bozeman, Montana-based Bridger Ski Foundation Pro Team. His NNF presentation will discuss critical pillars that make up a typical race day, including warm-up strategies, visualization practices, and his specialty, the execution of sprint heat race tactics.
