Cross-Country Program Director Chris Grover: Looking Back and Planning Ahead

05/26/22 • 73 min

In this episode, we have U.S. Ski & Snowboard cross-country program director Chris Grover on to discuss the tumultuous last two years of navigating the pandemic, including the many ways in which it created strain for the team, particularly as Omicron variant surged during the months leading into the 2022 Beijing Olympics. It’s been a hard two years, but this conversation extends well beyond the impacts of the pandemic. We also discuss equal distance racing, the 2022-23 roster for the U.S.Ski Team, which features a number of talented young men, team selection for World Cup, World Championship, and a new gender equity initiative proposed to the FIS by US Ski & Snowboard which incentives nations to invest in developing women ski technicians and utilizing them at World Cup events.

This proposal was recently accepted by the FIS cross country committee, and should it be officially accepted at FIS council meetings, it would mean a new set of course bibs would be available beginning next season only to female techs. Therefore, a country could increase the size of its service staff by investing in the development of women techs and utilizing these women at World Cups.

Thanks for listening and thanks to Boulder Nordic Sport for their support of this podcast.

Thanks for listening and thanks to Boulder Nordic Sport for their support of this podcast.

Previous Episode

Jessie Diggins: Eating Disorder Awareness, Media, and Why What to Say Matters

Heading into the Olympics in February, Jessie Diggins received more media attention than ever before, landing on the cover of Sports Illustrated and having her profile featured on major news outlets like the New York Times. There was an entire category for her career highlights on the Olympic cross country ski tab on NBC’s Peacock streaming platform.

From all of the coverage focused on Diggins surrounding the Games, one comment in particular received attention and push back from the athlete community. The line in a February 8th story in the NY Times suggested that Diggins looked “like a sprite in her racing suit,” comparing her body to her competitors’ who had “massive shoulders and thighs.” It was seen as inaccurate, inappropriate, and potentially harmful to those reading it.

To discuss the topic of body comments in sports journalism and why they might be harmful in the broader scope of athlete mental health, the Nordic Nation podcast recently hosted a discussion among the panel of Rosie Brennan, Corrine Malcolm, Brian Metzler, and Nat Herz, who span the breadth of athlete and media representative. Following the conversation, FasterSkier received feedback that the topic had already been given enough attention, and it remained clear that there was not unanimous understanding of why commenting on athletes’ bodies was deemed problematic.

Seeking to add clarity to this side of the story, along with her own perspective as someone who has experienced an eating disorder and since become an advocate for awareness and support in that realm, Diggins reached out to FasterSkier asking to add her voice to the conversation. To be clear, neither Diggins nor FasterSkier aims to “cancel” NY Times author Matthew Futterman, nor to attack the NY Times for running the comment. The purpose of this discussion was to consider how a comment on an athlete’s body might be triggering to a reader who is primed to fall into the eating disorder trap, and how writers, parents, coaches, and teachers can be mindful of the impact and importance of what they say.

Diggins also reflects on the 2021/2022 race season and what was an historic string of Olympic appearances. She discusses the success of the US Ski Team as a whole, in particular, the younger generation of athletes like Novie McCabe, Sophia Laukli, Ben Ogden, JC Schoonmaker, and Gus Schumacher, who have transitioned onto the World Cup over the last two seasons and earned spots on the 2022 Olympic Team.

Thanks for listening.

Additional Resources and Related Reading & Listening:

WithAll Foundation and the What to Say Campaign. As discussed in the episode, Diggins and Gus Schumacher participated in a live discussion with this organization on March 31st titled “What America’s Top Athletes Know About Health & Performance”, which can be viewed here.

The Emily Program: A leader in eating disorder treatment and outreach, and partner of Diggins'

Nordic Nation Podcast: A Discussion on the Media’s Portrayal of Endurance Athletes with Rosie Brennan, Corrine Malcolm, Brian Metzler, and Nat Herz

Nordic Nation Podcast: Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) and the Climate in High Performance Skiing

Brave Enough by Jessie Diggins (Reviewed on FS here, with more on her recovery a...

Next Episode

Greta Anderson’s 2021-2022 U.S. Ski & Snowboard Development Program Year in Review

Last June, U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced the hiring of Greta Anderson as Development Team Coach, supporting Cross Country Program Manager Bryan Fish in “all aspects of leadership and logistics surrounding the U.S. Development Pathway, including National Training Group camps, U.S. Nationals and Junior/U23 World Championships, Europa Cup, select SuperTour and other national-level competitions, as well as working on Coaches’ Education and Certification.” (Read an in-depth interview with Anderson following the announcement here.)

As she described it, joining the U.S. Ski Team staff during an Olympic year while the COVID-19 pandemic raged on was a bit of “trial by fire”. Nonetheless, Anderson thrived in her new role, approaching the position with humility and open-mindedness as she learned the ropes. With a holistic view of athlete development, which emphasizes the importance of creating an environment where the athlete can be both happy and supported, Anderson had the opportunity to support athletes from the U16 to U23 level across the spectrum of international and domestic clubs and races. She played key roles during the 2022 FIS Junior/U23 World Ski Championships in Lygna, Norway, and had her first experience as the primary trip leader during the Opa Cup Finals pre-camp and competitions in Sappada, Italy.

In this conversation, you’ll hear more about Anderson’s contributions to the development program thus far, and she shares insights into the philosophy, projects, and initiatives the U.S. Ski & Snowboard staff are working on to continue the growth and support of athletes ascending the pathways from junior to senior racing. We also discuss standout performances of the World U23/Junior Championships, and some of the athletes who have been recently named to the 2022-23 U.S. Cross Country Team.

Thanks for listening, and thanks to Boulder Nordic Sport for supporting this podcast.