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Olympic Gold, Silver and Bronze Medalist in Cross Country skiing for the USA

Matt Whitcomb began his career with the U.S. Ski Team back in 2006. Along the way, he appears to have developed a reputation as a team builder -- one who can be inclusive when it comes to embracing the many types of personalities the sport attracts. Currently, Matt is the head coach for the U.S. Cross Country Ski Team, and has coached at the past three Winter Olympics. Matt also enjoys coaching high school-age athletes to help them jump the gap from amateur to professional. His passions are people, and working with others to create high-performing teams.

Alex Jospe is an American cross country ski coach at Stratton Mountain School, with a background in a variety of endurance sports. She is an avid outdoorswoman and advocate for women's sports.

Kris Freeman is a retired professional American cross-country skier. He was a member of the U.S. Ski Team, along with his older brother Justin Freeman. He competed in the Winter Olympics for the first time in 2002. In March 2003, at the World Championships held in Val di Fiemme, Italy, Freeman placed fourth in the 15 Kilometer Classic. At the U-23 World Championships, he placed 1st in the 30 km classic race, skiing away from the field. He was again picked for the U.S. Olympic Team. After several seasons in which, by his own admission, his results did not live up to expectations and the diagnosis of severe compartment syndrome, Freeman duplicated his career best by placing fourth in the 15 km individual-start classic race at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2009 in Liberec, Czech Republic. Freeman represented the United States at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

Andrew "Andy" Newell is an American former cross-country skier. He began competing on international level in 2001 and debuted in the World Cup in the 2003–04 season. In 2020, Newell launched his online coaching platform Nordic Team Solutions and is currently the Bridger Ski Foundation Pro Team coach in Bozeman, Montana. He achieved his best individual finish at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships (5th in the sprint at the 2007 championships in Sapporo) and Winter Olympics (16th in the sprint at Turin in 2006). He earned his best Olympic finish (9th in the team sprint) in 2010. He founded the Organization Athletes For Action in 2013, an environmental organization focused on using professional athletes to bring attention to climate change. Newell retired after the 2019–20 season.

3 x Olympic cross-country ski racer for 🇺🇸. Also love to ride bikes, ski powder, and smother my daughter with kisses. 

Sophie Caldwell Hamilton grew up skiing in Peru, VT. She joined the West River Sports Club in 7th grade and attended Stratton Mountain School. After graduating from Dartmouth College, she joined SMS T2 and the US Ski Team. She competed in the 2014 Olympics and earned her first World Cup win last season. to fellow US cross-country teammate Simeon Hamilton.

JC Schoonmaker is a cross-country skier from Tahoe City, CA. They specialize in sprint, 15km, and team sprint events. They attended North Tahoe High School and graduated from the University of Alaska Anchorage in 2022. JC competed in the 2022 Winter Olympics, achieving 15th in the sprint freestyle, 66th in the 15km classic, and 9th in the team sprint classic. Other notable achievements include gold in the sprint freestyle at the 2022 U.S. Championships, 7th in the sprint classic and 9th in the sprint freestyle at the 2021 World Cup, 13th in the sprint classic at the 2020 World Junior Championships, and 14th in the sprint classic at the 2019 U.S. Championships.

This is different every single year. We actually dropped my hours in the Olympic year to help me do kind of a four-year super peak cycle. This year, it will be around 875 hours a year. However, the one thing I will tell, especially young skiers is it really-- the hours that you train is super individual. It will be different for every single athlete. It will probably be different every year of your life. And I think it's really important to make sure that it's quality hours. Don't just chase the number. Don't just chase bigger and bigger hours. Make sure that what you're doing in those hours is right for you and that you recover from it, because it's recovering from the hours of training, that is where the magic is going to happen. And that's where you're actually going to get faster and stronger.

The number of hours spent training each year is unique to each athlete and should be tailored specifically to their needs. Quality of training is more important than quantity, and it is important to make sure you are properly recovering from your training.

The Key to Training Success: Quality Hours Over Quantity

The number of hours I train in a year varies. In an Olympic year, we actually reduce my training hours to support a four-year super peak cycle. Currently, I train around 875 hours per year. However, it's important to note that training hours are highly individualized. They differ for each athlete and may even change from year to year. Quality of training is more important than simply chasing a higher number of hours. It's crucial to ensure that the training is right for you and that you prioritize proper recovery. The magic happens during the recovery phase, where you can become faster and stronger.

This is a great question. What is REDS? So REDS stands for Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport. And it is exactly what it sounds like. It is essentially a chronic mismatch between the energy that you're taking in, the food that you're eating, and your expenditure, which is what you need for your resting metabolic rate plus the workouts that you're doing. So sometimes, this happens intentionally, meaning it can overlap with an eating disorder. But it can absolutely be unintentional as well. And there are lots of pretty serious symptoms and repercussions for REDS. And so it's people getting sick a lot. It's people getting injured a lot, a lot of bone stress injuries. It's menstrual irregularity in women or people assigned female at birth. There are actually-- it's some erectile dysfunction in people assigned male at birth. It's GI issues. It's decreased strength and ability to adapt to your training and, also, depression. And so REDS is serious. It is actually very prevalent in the athletic community. There was actually a narrative review that says that up to 58% of athletes may be underfueling. So this is a big issue, and I'm happy to answer as many questions as you want about REDS. The good news is that it is treatable and it is something that you can overcome. So please hit me up with as many questions about REDS as possible.

REDS stands for Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport, and it is a chronic mismatch between energy intake and expenditure. It can have serious repercussions, including injury, GI issues, depression, and decreased strength. Fortunately, it is treatable.

Unveiling REDS: The Serious Impact of Energy Deficiency in Sport

REDS, which stands for Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport, is a condition characterized by a chronic mismatch between the energy intake from food and the energy expenditure required for resting metabolic rate and physical activity. It can occur both intentionally, often overlapping with eating disorders, or unintentionally. REDS has serious symptoms and repercussions, including frequent illness, increased risk of injuries and bone stress fractures, menstrual irregularities in individuals assigned female at birth, erectile dysfunction in individuals assigned male at birth, gastrointestinal issues, decreased strength and adaptability, and even depression.

This condition is prevalent in the athletic community, with studies suggesting that up to 58% of athletes may be underfueling. However, the good news is that REDS is treatable and can be overcome. If you have any further questions about REDS, feel free to ask.

Hey Michael. What is my single best piece of advice in life? I really like this quote that my mom shared with me years ago about basically if you have a committed heart, you're going to make something happen. Even if the conditions aren't perfect because often times in life, the timings never exactly right? You know, like, for example, at the Olympics, I had food poisoning 30 hours before the timing was not right? But if you really want something to happen, it's Worth committing your whole heart to it and committing everything you have and really going after it. So essentially if something is worth doing to you then go all in and really just commit to it because then, you know, that you've really tried and you've given it your absolute best shot and you don't have to wonder, you know, what, if I had tried this, what if I had just done it, you know, you know, I tried it. Here's what happened. And you get to live at peace with that answer. So, even if If it's not the outcome you wanted, you know that you gave yourself the best chance of success in whatever it is that you're going after. So yeah. Basically the advice I would give is if you if you want to commit to something commit with your full heart. Even if the timing isn't right and just see how far you can take it.

If you want to commit to something, commit with your full heart and see how far you can take it.

Commit with your whole heart, no matter the timing - advice for success

My single best advice in life is to have a committed heart. This quote, shared by my mom, has stuck with me over the years. It means that if you truly want something to happen, even if the conditions aren't perfect or the timing isn't right, it's worth committing your whole heart to it and giving it everything you have.

Life often presents imperfect circumstances, just like when I had food poisoning before the Olympics. But if something is truly worth doing to you, then go all in and commit to it wholeheartedly. By doing so, you can rest assured knowing that you've given it your absolute best effort. You won't have to wonder what if because you'll have tried and can live at peace with the outcome.

Even if the result isn't what you desired, you'll know that you gave yourself the best chance of success in pursuing what you truly wanted. So, my advice is to commit with your full heart, even if the timing isn't right, and see how far you can take it.

Go-to pre-race meal? Well, in Europe it's whatever you're given, or what you have available. But my go-tos are bananas, maybe a little less ripe than this overripe banana. I like bananas, they settle easily. The other thing I really like is just good old toast. Usually, you can find bread and just about any country we're traveling to. Personally, I know oatmeal is really popular, but for me, that doesn't sit well. And so, I think in the end, it's whatever sits well. And I've found toast, eggs, banana, honey sits super well. And if none of that is working, then I use my NEVERSECOND gels and sports drink to make sure that I'm getting enough calories for the day. But I think, in the end, whatever settles well and makes you feel good before the big race day.

My go-to pre-race meal is bananas, toast, eggs, honey, and NEVERSECOND gels and sports drink.

Winning Pre-Race Fuel: Bananas, Toast, and Finding What Sits Well!

My go-to pre-race meal? Well, in Europe, it's usually whatever is available or provided. But personally, I have a few favorites. Bananas are a top choice for me, preferably slightly less ripe than this overripe one. They settle easily and provide a good source of energy. Another go-to option is good old toast. Bread is usually easy to find no matter where we're traveling. Oatmeal is popular, but it doesn't sit well with me personally.

Ultimately, the key is finding what sits well with your stomach. For me, toast, eggs, banana, and honey work great. If none of those options are available or working, I rely on my NEVERSECOND gels and sports drink to ensure I'm getting enough calories for the day.

In the end, it's all about finding what settles well and makes you feel good before the big race day.

So, my strength training plan is written by to Shawna Schiller. She's amazing. She's an Incredible strength coach and high performance director for the US ski team. So we actually go in phases. So in the spring were building up and trying to make sure that I have all the strength that I need. Then we try to get the muscles. I have incredibly strong and right now we're trying to make them really Snappy and fast. I think that's sort of a high level overview of it, but um, so I warm up for about 30 minutes, it's either a spin bike or run. And then we do a little Dynamic warm-up. We make sure we hit my postural muscles, so a lot of band pulls that activate the muscles in between my shoulder blades to help pull my shoulders back and down. So I don't end up like this from all the cross-country skiing. I want my I want my muscles to be strong so my back can be straight and have good posture. So that's a little bit of the life strength that we do at the start. And then I have a lot of jumps that I I do right now and then we get into some heavier lifting. So right now I'm doing some isometric holds its really working on improving my tendon strength and overall joint health. As well. As then I'm doing some quarter squats. I also do a lot of things that are on one leg to work on balance and hip strength and core stability. I have some really fast pull-ups and Med ball slams for kind of that Snappy. Upper body strength, especially because cross-country skiers need a lot of that lot strength because we do so much of that pulling motion. And then I have a lot of core and a lot of it's very full body courts. Not just sitting on a mat doing sit-ups or crunches but it might be using a TRX. And so my whole body has to be engaged a lot of plank work. We might use bands for resistance and a lot of things where you're putting your body in a position where it needs to work to be. Well, as well.

My strength training plan is written by Shawna Schiller, an incredible coach and high performance director for the US ski team. It involves a warm-up, dynamic movements, isometric holds, quarter squats, one leg exercises, fast pull-ups, med ball slams, core work, and using TRX and bands for resistance. All of these exercises are designed to improve my joint health, tendon strength, balance, hip strength, core stability, upper body strength, and overall full body engagement.

What does your strength training plan consist of?

US Ski Team's Incredible Strength Training Plan: A High Performance Overview

My strength training plan is designed by Shawna Schiller, an incredible strength coach and high-performance director for the US ski team. The plan consists of different phases. In the spring, we focus on building up overall strength. Then, we work on making the muscles strong and snappy.

The training session starts with a 30-minute warm-up, either on a spin bike or through running. We also include a dynamic warm-up and exercises to activate my postural muscles, particularly the ones between my shoulder blades, to maintain good posture.

The training includes jumps, heavier lifting, isometric holds to improve tendon strength and joint health, quarter squats, single-leg exercises for balance, hip strength, and core stability. I also incorporate fast pull-ups and med ball slams to develop upper body strength, which is important for cross-country skiing.

Core work is a significant part of the training, focusing on engaging the entire body rather than just doing sit-ups or crunches. We use tools like TRX and resistance bands to challenge the body in different positions and ensure overall engagement.

Overall, the training plan is comprehensive, targeting different muscle groups and emphasizing full-body engagement for optimal performance.

Hey, so how do I handle being in so much pain during a race? This is like the mother of all questions for cross-country, skiing and Endurance Sports. And honestly, honestly, it's really mental because physically your body has its own limits, but your brain has its own idea of what it can do or not do. So the biggest thing is I come up with a mantra and a mental goal Before the Race, well, before the race starts of what am I going to say to myself? When the going gets really hard, What am I going to remind myself of? And usually it will be something like how do I want to feel the Finish? Because when I crossed that Finish Line at the end of the race, I want to be able to honestly look back and know that I could not have given more of myself and I'm the only one who's ever going to know but I'm going to also be my harshest critic, right? And so I want to look back and know without a shadow of a doubt. I left it all out there. I don't have to wonder what if I tried as hard as I could and I did. Back down. I went all in on this especially if it's a relay where my teammates career goals are on the line, not just mine. So that's one thing. And then the other thing I do is in the moment, I try to really break it down to being in the moment. So if your 5K into a 10k race and you're in a lot of pain, I don't worry about how am I going to get through the next 5K? I just think about right here, right now, how fast can I see up this hill? The pace that I think I can sustain and sometimes I literally break Down to 10 seconds. And I just count to ten over and over again because you can do 10 seconds of anything. And then I try to reset and ski the next 10 seconds as well. And efficiently as I can,

To handle being in a lot of pain during a race, I come up with a mantra and a mental goal before the race starts. During the race, I try to break it down to being in the moment and counting to ten over and over again.

How do you handle being in so much pain during a race?

Mastering Mental Toughness: Overcoming Pain in Endurance Sports

Handling intense pain during a race, especially in endurance sports like cross-country skiing, is primarily a mental challenge. While your body has its physical limits, your brain plays a crucial role in determining what you can push through. 

To cope with the pain, I develop a mantra and mental goal before the race begins. I remind myself of how I want to feel at the finish line. I strive to give my absolute best, leaving no doubt that I couldn't have given more. Being my own harshest critic, I want to know that I went all-in and didn't hold back, especially in team relays where my teammates' goals are at stake too.

In the midst of the race, I focus on being in the present moment. Instead of worrying about the remaining distance, I break it down into smaller increments. For example, if I'm 5 kilometers into a 10-kilometer race and experiencing significant pain, I don't think about how to get through the next 5 kilometers. Instead, I concentrate on the current moment and set a pace that I believe I can sustain. Sometimes, I even break it down to counting to ten repeatedly, focusing on each ten-second interval. This helps me reset and ski as efficiently as possible.

By employing these mental strategies, I can navigate the intense pain and push through the challenges of the race.