Hopes for a Skinny Ski Gold
 The Vancouver Winter Olympics have arrived. Four years of training, preparing and waiting are over. Nordic ski enthusiasts once again hope to see an American skier standing on a medal podium. Some members of the team like Kris Freeman or Billy Demong are well known but others have their own stories to tell.
Cross Country Skier introduces the members of the cross country, Nordic combined and biathlon teams. Complete biographies can be found at www.usskiteam.com or www.TeamUSA.org/Biathlon.
Kris Freeman, Andover, NH, 29
Kris Freeman, the first Olympic endurance athlete to compete with Type 1 diabetes, has posted the best U.S. cross country distance results since Bill Koch. Freeman is the first American to be a member of the “Red Group” the top 30 athletes on the World Cup circuit. Freeman races in equipment from Fischer, Alpina and Swix. Follow his quest for an Olympic medal at www.krisfreeman.net
Torin Koos, Leavenworth, WA, 29
Koos made his World Cup debut in 2001 and finished 12th in the sprint. He’s the first American cross country skier racer to focus on sprint events. He races in
Rossignol, Rudy Project and Exel equipment.
Andy Newell, Shaftsbury, VT, 25
Vancouver is Newell’s second Olympic games. At the 2009 World Championships in Liberec Newell was 12th in the freestyle sprint and helped his American teammates finish 13th in the 4X5 relay. He finished the World Cup season finishing ninth during World Cup finals in Stockholm. He races with equipment from Fischer, Salomon, Rudy Project and Swix.
Kikkan Randall, Anchorage, AK, 27
In 2009 she became the first U.S. woman to ever win a World Championship silver medal in the freestyle sprint. She races with equipment from Fischer, Salomon, Rudy Project and Swix. Follow her Vancouver Olympic experiences at www.kikkan.com
James Southam, Anchorage, AK, 31
James Southam won his first ski race when he was 25 years old. He’s been one of the top American distance racers. Southam was a member of the Olympic team in Turin and has competed in the last three World Championships.
Southam uses equipment from Atomic, Swix poles and Rudy Project. Read about his story at www.Jamessoutham.com
Morgan Arritola, Ketchum, ID, 23
Arritola finished fifth in the pursuit race at U23 World Championships in France.
She competes with equipment from Fischer, Alpina, Rudy Project and Swix.
Caitlin Compton, Minneapolis, MN, 29
Compton has spent the last 5 years been racing on the USSA SuperTour circuit and World Cup events to prepare for the Vancouver Olympics. She competes with equipment from Salomon, Swix, Toko. Follow here Olympic experiences at
www.Caitlincompton.com
Liz Stephen, Montpelier, VT, 22
Stephen finished the 2009 season with dual national titles in the classic sprint and the 30K classic. She races with Rossignol, Rudy Project and One Way equipment.
Nordic Combined
Billy Demong, Todd Lodwick and Johnny Spillane have a combined 13 appearances in Winter Olympic competitions.
Their recent performances in last year’s World Championships offer hope that the United States will finally capture an Olympic medal in Nordic combined.
Billy Demong, Vermontville, NY, 25
In 2009 Demong captured 10 World Cup podium finishes for third in the overall standings, matching his '08 result. As the Olympics approach Demong added a World Cup win and fourth place finish to his competition resume. Demong races with equipment from Atomic, Rass, UVEX and Swix.
Todd Lodwick, Steamboat Springs, CO, 34
Lodwick will tie a U.S. Winter Olympic record by appearing in his fifth Games. Returning from retirement, Lodwick became a two-time World Champion in 2009. Lodwick skis and jumps with equipment from Atomic, Jalas, UVEX and Swix.
Johnny Spillane, Steamboat Springs, CO, 30
Spillane was part of a Junior World Championships gold-medal team and became the first American Nordic skier to win a gold medal at the Olympics or World Championships in 2003 with the world sprint title. He competes with equipment from Atomic, Rass, Win Air, UVEX and Swix.
Brett Camerota, Park City, UT, 25
In 2009, Camerota competed the World Championship team in the Gundersen event. He competes with equipment from Elan, Rass, Madshus, Win-Air, UVEX and Swix.
Taylor Fletcher, Steamboat Springs, CO, 19
Fletcher had an impressive 2009 season with racing in several World Cup events and a top 15 finish at World Juniors. He skis and jumps with equipment from Atomic, Rass, UVEX, Rudy Project and Leki.
US Biathlon
Lowell Bailey; Lake Placid, NY, 29
Bailey shoots left-handed, just one of few southpaws on the World Cup circuit. His best finish in the Olympic 20k event was 27th. Bailey uses Atomic skis, adidas uniform and Exel poles. Follow his Olympic adventures at www.LowellBailey.com
Tim Burke; Paul Smiths, NY, 28
In 2009 season Burke finished 25th in the final World Cup standings.
In competition Burke used Rossignol skis and boots and poles from Exel. His personal website is www.timburke.us
Jay Hakkinen; Kasilof, AK, 33
Hakkinen is a four-time Olympian and finished 13th in his first Olympic 15k mass start event. His 1997 World Junior Biathlon Sprint Champion is the first and only Biathlon World Champion from the United States. Hakkinen competes with equipment from adidas, Rossignol
and Exel.
Wynn Roberts; Battle Lake, MN, 22
Roberts was the top cyclocross junior in the Midwest when he started cross-country skiing and biathlon as a way of keeping in shape for biking.
Roberts is competing in his first Olympics. Roberts competes in equipment from Madshus and Exel.
Jeremy Teela; Heber City, UT, 34
Teela finished 14th in the 2002 Olympic Individual competition. That’s the second best American finish ever. Teela was also on the 2002 and 2006 Olympic teams.
Teela competes in equipment from adidas and Atomic.
Lanny Barnes, Durango, Colorado, 28
At the 2006 Olympic Winter Games 2006 Barnes finished 65th in the 15K Individual and 15th in the second leg of the relay. Her twin sister, Tracy is also a member of the US biathlon team. Barnes competes in Atomic skis and boots.
Haley Johnson; Lake Placid, N., 29
Johnson was named to the U.S. Biathlon team in 2007. She lives and trains at the Lake Placid Olympic Training Center. Johnson competes with equipment from Rossignol and Exel.
Laura Spector; Lenox, MA, 23
In 2005 Spector qualified for her first Junior World Championships in Kontiolahti, Finland. Spector uses Madshus and Exel equipment in competition.
Sara Studebaker; Boise, ID, 26
Studebaker was the overall North American Cup Champion in 2008
Follow her personal Olympic adventure at www.sarastudebaker.blogspot.com. She competes in Rossignol skis and boots.
Ski Jumpers
Nick Alexander, Lebanon, NH, 21
In 2009, Alexander competed in his first World Cup event in Willingen, Germany.
Alexander uses equipment from Fischer, Rass, Uvex and S. Cool. Follow his Vancouver Winter Olympic experiences at www.Nickalexander.us
Anders Johnson, Park City, UT, 20
At his first Olympics in 2006, Johnson was just 16 years old. He started ski jumping when he was three years old. Johnson is a seven-time World Junior Team member and won the U.S. title in 2008 and 2009. Competes with equipment from Fisher, Rass, Uvex and Winair.
Peter Frenette, Saranac Lake, NY, 17
Frenette comes from a family of skiers and starting jumping when he was six years old. At 11, he competed in his first Junior Olympics. He has been selected to be a member of the 2010 Junior World Championship Team.
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With 13 trips to the Olympics between them, 2010 U.S. Olympic Nordic Combined Team members Billy Demong, Todd Lodwick and Johnny Spillane are far from star struck at these Games in Vancouver. More so than ever, they're the stars. 
The last weekend of January 2010, I was fortunate enough to ski in the Noquemanon Ski Marathon in Marquette, Michigan. If you have not yet had the opportunity to ski this race, and you have a propensity for long ski races, you should put this event on your calendar for next season. The terrain, excellent snow, technical and demanding trails, and the one-of-a-kind U.P. scenery all combine to create a memorable weekend. 
Kris Freeman, a member of the United States cross country ski team, has a story unmatched in Olympic competition history. Freeman, 28, is the first athlete with Type 1 diabetes to compete in an Olympic endurance event.
Nikolai Anikin, a three-time Olympic medalist for the Soviet Union and then a coach in the U.S. for 20 years, died of cancer November 14, 2009, in Duluth, Minnesota. One of his prize pupils was John Bauer, who won all four races at the U.S. Nationals in 1996 and skied in the 2002 Olympics. Bauer wrote an article for Cross Country Skier two years ago, which 
By Lou Dzierzak
From the elite racer to the beginning five year-old, and everyone in between, balance can make the difference between skiing that is fun and skiing that is a chore. Along with core strength, technique training and mental visualization, improving balance is one of the essential skills for a cross country skier. 
Tamarack Lodge, nestled in the Inyo National Forest of the Mammoth Lakes area of California’s Eastern Sierras, offers up a charming combination of history and natural beauty resulting in a delightful setting for cross country skiing. 
Every season, equipment manufacturers roll out their latest and greatest new gear.Cross Country Skier annually brings you a preview of the newest line-up of skis, boots, poles, waxes and accessories. We have the scoop on new developments in design and technology – in bases, flexes, cores, foot lasts, binding interfaces, materials and cosmetics. So if you are a techo-weenie gear geek,
No snow where you are? 
Don't miss a single issue of Cross Country Skier this season. Four great issues for one low price. Read about racing, destinations, training, and a variety of columns for both the recreational and competitive skier. 
