Cross Country Skiing

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

Olympian reveals the key to lifelong growth and improvement

What is the best advice you've ever received? I think for me, it's a friend of mine, Bob Jenkins, who is a soccer coach for the US. He told, I was asking questions once and he said he had a nice saying, which is, it's all practice until the World Cup. So I've tweaked that for my sport and say, it's all practice until the Olympics. And I think it's really good to have that thought process, not only in sport, but in life. If you keep open-minded, work hard, learn as much as you can, you'll continue to grow and you'll improve and get better and better.

The best advice I've ever received is "It's all practice until the Olympics." It reminds me to never stop learning and growing, no matter what I'm doing.

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The best advice I've ever received came from my friend Bob Jenkins, a soccer coach for the US. He shared a saying with me that has stuck with me: It's all practice until the World Cup. I've adapted it to my own sport and say, It's all practice until the Olympics. This mindset applies not just to sports, but also to life. By staying open-minded, working hard, and continuously learning, we can keep growing and improving ourselves.

What classic technique cues or tips should young racers work on to improve their speed and efficiency?

Unlocking Speed and Efficiency: Classic Technique Tips for Young Racers

What classic technique cues or tips should young racers work on to improve their speed and efficiency? Well you want to work on a quick kick, total weight shift, and forward body position. One of my favorite drills is called the running drill and you start running on your skis without using your poles and then you add your poles and you keep running and you should feel like you're about to fall forward and then you just start letting them glide and it helps you have a really quick kick for body position. Your total weight shift because you're just going boom boom boom on for each one and when you add in the glide you just feel like whoa that momentum just goes whoopie fast. My cues are that whoopie fast or pop and float. I think if you just kind of think you want to have that dynamic quick kick and then feel like you're floating out there it's going to help with your technique and efficiency.

To improve your speed and efficiency, work on a quick kick, total weight shift, and forward body position. Do running drills to practice these skills and think of having a whippy fast and floating feeling to encourage dynamic technique.

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To improve speed and efficiency, young racers should focus on three key techniques: a quick kick, total weight shift, and forward body position. A helpful drill for this is the running drill. Start by running on skis without using your poles, then gradually add in your poles while continuing to run. You should feel like you're about to fall forward. As you let them glide, you'll experience a quick and dynamic kick along with a sense of floating. My cues for this are whoopie fast or pop and float. By aiming for a dynamic quick kick and the feeling of floating, racers can enhance their technique and efficiency on the slopes.

Can you describe your version of a unicorn snow day? When glide/kick/weather/snow are all ideal.

Perfect snow day: Gliding through sparkling terrain and undulating tracks under blue skies.

So the question is, can you describe your version of a unicorn snow day when glide, kick, weather, snow are all ideal? Yeah, for me it's blue bird skies, little fresh snow, firm tracks but not too hard, sparkling snow, extra blue hard wax and views, something like this, where you just have perfect tracks and you're gliding along and undulating terrain, pretty fast but just fun where you can't hear your skis slapping or banging down or anything, just beautiful day out floating along in the snow, perfect for me.

On a perfect unicorn snow day, there would be bluebird skies, fresh powdery snow with firm tracks, sparkling snow, and extra blue hard wax. It would be perfect for gliding along undulating terrain without hearing the skis slapping or banging down.

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My version of a unicorn snow day is when everything aligns perfectly. It's a day with blue bird skies, a light dusting of fresh snow, and firm tracks that are not too hard. The snow sparkles under the sunlight, creating a magical atmosphere. I would use extra blue hard wax for optimal glide and kick.

On this ideal day, I would be skiing along undulating terrain, effortlessly gliding through the tracks. The speed would be just right, not too fast, but still enjoyable. The snow would be so perfect that I wouldn't hear my skis slapping or banging down. It would be a beautiful day, floating along in the snow, creating a sense of pure bliss. That's my version of a unicorn snow day.

Would you rather be competing back when you were, or today?

Sport has changed: Old days vs. modern competition

Would you rather be competing back when you were or today? I'm old enough so I can truly say the sport has changed quite a bit over the last 50 years. Back when I was competing, the trails were narrower, the grooming wasn't as good, there were more corners, more transitions, you were dancing along and the technique and how you skied all these transitions was really important. These days, with all the grooming and the wide trails, it's more like skiing on a road. I mean, it's just like, whoa, and it's fast and it's hard. So these days, your strength and your just base fitness are more important. Since I was never very strong and I didn't have a huge motor, I would have to say that I would rather be competing in the old days on the old conditions. It was more kind of interesting and fun and I think I would have done better at that.

I would have rather been competing back when I was because the trails were narrower and it was more interesting and fun, which I think I would have done better at.

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Would I rather be competing back when I was or today? Well, I must admit that the sport has undergone significant changes over the past 50 years. When I was competing, the trails were narrower, the grooming wasn't as good, and there were more corners and transitions. It required a certain finesse and technique to navigate these elements effectively.

Nowadays, with the wide trails and improved grooming, it's more like skiing on a road. It's fast, challenging, and demands strength and overall fitness. Unfortunately, I was never particularly strong, and I didn't possess a massive motor. Given these factors, I would have to say that I would prefer to be competing in the old days, with the old conditions. It was more interesting and fun, and I believe I would have performed better in that environment.

What characterized the period of your life where you experienced the most personal growth?

College in Mexico: A Transformative Lesson in Humility

So, the question is, what characterized the period of your life where you experienced the most terrible things? Um, I would have to say it was during college. I took a term and went down to Mexico. And I was from a small town, and I was before then, you know, and I thought everything in the town, everything that happened was so important. And I went down to Mexico, and I was at a market, and I was trying to get a good price on a leather jacket. And I went home and bragged to my host mother that I had gotten a really good price. And she kind of looked at me and said, oh, I kind of figure those people need the money more than I do, and if they ask for a reasonable price, I give it to them. And that made a huge impact on me because I realized that, you know, I was a snobby little kid, and there are people out there who had to really struggle to make a living and get food on the table. So that was a big growth point for me.

During college I had a transformative experience while in Mexico. Trying to get a good price on a leather jacket, my host mother reminded me that some people have to struggle to make a living and get food on the table, causing me to realize how snobby I had been.

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The period of my life where I experienced significant personal growth was during college. I had the opportunity to travel to Mexico for a term, which was eye-opening for me coming from a small town. Up until then, I thought everything in my town was of utmost importance. While at a market in Mexico, I was haggling for a good price on a leather jacket. Excitedly, I went home and shared with my host mother how great of a deal I got. However, her response changed my perspective entirely. She explained that those people selling the jackets often needed the money more than she did, so if they asked for a reasonable price, she would give it to them without haggling. This encounter made me realize how snobby and ignorant I had been. It opened my eyes to the struggles people face in making a living and providing for their families. This experience became a pivotal point in my personal growth journey.

What was the most rewarding experience of your coaching career?

Jesse Diggins' Olympic Gold: A Rewarding Coaching Triumph

So, my question is, what was the most rewarding experience of your coaching career? Oh boy, I've had so many great experiences, but this is actually a pretty easy one. My goal as a coach has always been to help each athlete figure out what they need to do to feel their best and ski their fastest at their biggest races. So when Jesse Diggins teamed with Keekin to win the Olympic gold, that was just an amazing experience. Full disclosure here, I am not Jesse's coach, but she is in our program, and our program prides itself on working together. We feel that if we all work together and help each other, we're all going to improve the most. And so, when someone from our program won a gold medal on the world's biggest stage by feeling great, having great tactics, skiing your heart out, it was like, just amazing. So that's my most rewarding experience.

My most rewarding experience was when Jesse Diggins won the Olympic gold with Keegan. As part of our program, we worked together to help each other improve and it was amazing to see someone from our program succeed on the world's biggest stage.

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The most rewarding experience of my coaching career was witnessing Jesse Diggins team up with Keekin to win the Olympic gold. While I am not Jesse's coach, she is part of our program, and we believe in working together to achieve the best results. Seeing someone from our program win a gold medal on the world's biggest stage, feeling great, employing great tactics, and skiing with all their heart was absolutely amazing. It was a truly rewarding experience for me.

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Sverre Caldwell, a graduate of The Putney School and Dartmouth College '77, joined the Stratton Mountain School (SMS) in 1980 as the Head Nordic Coach. Only the second Nordic Coach since the school opened in 1972, Caldwell has shaped this program into a nationally recognized leader in preparing athletes for all levels of competition. To date, he has coached at least 28 junior world team members, 17 national team members, and 12 Olympians and has had at least one World Junior Team member and one Junior National Champion for 14 straight years. The USSA recognized him as Coach of the Year in 2001, 2003, and 2009. The SMS program received the Roger Weston Award honoring the top girls and boys high school programs in 2008, 2009, and 2010. He has coached the US Olympic team (1988), US World Junior Championships (2000, 2002, 2010), and the New England Coach team to US Junior Olympics 14 times.