Another rambling dissertation on a bunch of random topics!
- Early snow in Leadville
- Don Quinn is to skiing what Dick Vitale is to college basketball
- How Jessie Diggins made her way into a date night conversation with my wife....and what you can learn from it....
- Clips, clips and more audio clips
- Breaking news on random ski podcasts?
- Russia takes
- Different definitions of pragmatism - US development
Growing up in a family of skiers to a legendary Minnesota high school ski coach, Erin Moening has "loved Nordic skiing right from the start."
After capturing three top-5 finishes at the state meet, Moening continued her career at Northern Michigan. She worked as a wax tech at NMU at the end of her time under Sten Fjeldheim and developed a passion for coaching.
After experiences as a coach/wax tech with the U.S. Ski Team and stints at Team Birkie and elsewhere, the full-time software engineer and coach is passionate about capitalizing on the cross-country ski energy pulsing through our country right now by providing resources for coaches and opportunities for athletes.
At her website, MoeningTheTracks.com, she writes:
American Nordic skiing is experiencing an all-time high. We now boast Olympic Champions, World Champions, World Cup Medalists, and Junior World Champions. On the World Cup circuit, American coaches and wax technicians are at the top of their fields, continually improving each year. However, few in the U.S. possess this level of expertise and experience.
With actual World Cup coaching and waxing experience being rare, it’s incredibly difficult to gain elite coaching opportunities in the U.S.. Resources are limited, and finding high-quality ones is even more challenging. My goal with MoeningTheTracks (pronounced Man-ning) is to promote a culture of information sharing and knowledge transfer in the ski community, specifically in the Midwest.
On today's show, we chatted about her recent coaching conference, meeting athletes where they're at, the intersection of club/high school ski competition, trends in the sport at various competitive levels, father-daughter athlete dynamics and more. Plus, we gave Erin a chance to share some of her own World Cup hot takes for the 2025-2026 year.
Visit MoeningTheTracks.com
Bearskin Lodge coaching conference - March 20-22
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The results page from the Junior World champs women’s 5K interval start classic on Jan. 30 2018 in Goms, Switzerland has names current World Cup fans will surely recognize.
In fifth is Kristine Stavaas Skistad. A couple places back, Frida Karlsson, Moa Lundgren, Mathilde Myhrvold and Hedda Oestberg Amundsen.
The silver medalist that day: Hailey Swirbul.
After collecting an individual skiathlon bronze a couple days later, Swirbul went on to make 2 World Champs teams, an Olympic squad and claim a World Cup podium. Then, before she was even 25, she was out of skiing.
Now, more than two years after her last start in Lahti on March 26, 2023, Swirbul is back.
In this conversation, we dive into the story behind her comeback, the pathway back to an Olympics, what she’s learned while away and her opinion on why all too often, skiers leave the sport early. Plus, a Keegan Swirbul update for the cycling dorks out there.
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The Minnesota-born skier joins to talk about her start in the sport, her career at Colby College, US Ski Team Trail to Gold Fellowships, coaching philosophy and more!
We recorded this conversation back on July 4 but I forgot my producing stuff when I went back to Minnesota for vacation!
MSU head coach Adam St. Pierre joined to chat about a recent Facebook thread which came out of Jim Galanes' Fasterskier op-eds on U16 Junior Nationals and development. Both St. Pierre and Galanes have been on our show and we appreciate their willingness to share their opinions and ideas.
Enjoy!
We break down everything from ...
- the 2025 Birkie Classic
- how to go from NCAA All-American to a Ski Classics pro
- DP technique
- intersection of scientific research and ski content creation
- SKIMO
- Which Americans would be good ski classic athletes (actually, JK, we kept that stuff off the record)
You won't want to miss this show!
Last month, we brought on Spud Nordic ski coach Eric Wicklund to chat about how he makes things work in Moorhead.
Inspired by that conversation, we decided we needed to hear more about how the team started.
Today's guest is Tom Dooher, who coached cross-country and track and field at Moorhead High before starting the Nordic team in the fall of 2014. We picked his brain on how he built a program capable of sustained success, navigated challenges and built a culture where every athlete matters and relationships are what really matter.
Enjoy!
Moorhead High School Nordic competitive history
Girls
State Qualifiers Pursuit
Celine Kjernsval (2016)
Sofie Overturf (2017,2018) (2)
Kate Ludwig (2017,2018) (2)
Abbie Ishaug (2020*, 2023)
Kennedy Olson (2020*,2022,2023) (3)
Octavia Nerguson (2020*)
Olivia Watson (2020*)
Siri Overturf (2020*, 2022) (2)
Jamie Raske (2020*, 2022) (2)
Ava Nelson (2020*)
Jacki Johnson (2025)
Addy Stordahl (2025)
*Denotes team qualifiers
State Sprint Relay Qualifiers
Jamie Raske & Siri Overturf (2022)
Abbie Ishaug & Jackie Johnson (2023) (Fifth place finish)
Chloe Pesek & Izzy Kupitz (2024)
Team Section Championships
Girls - 1st (2020)
Individual Section Champions
Abbie Ishaug (2020)
State Team Finishes
Pursuit - 12th (2020)
State Relay Finalists
Abbie Ishaug and Jackie Johnson - Sprints - 5th (2022)
All State
Abbie Ishaug 17th (2020)
Northstar Conference
Team Champions (5) (2018, 2020, 2023, 2024, 2025)
Boys
State Qualifiers Pursuit
Isaac Wicklund (2018)
Jack Lee (2018, 2019)
Max Rogers (2022)
Zaine Braaten (2022, 2023 - all-state) (2)
Logan Olson (2024, 2025*) (2)
Wes Brouillard (2025*)
Eli Schlichting (2025*)
Ian Schimmelpfennig (2025*)
Barrett Hicks (2025*)
*Denotes team qualifiers
State Sprint Relay Qualifiers
Tavan Schlichting & Jack Holston*
Best Team Finish at Sections
Boys - 2nd (2025)
Individual Section Champions
N/A
State Team Finishes
Pursuit / Relay - 9th (2025)
State Relay Finalists
N/A (Best finish - 17th (2025))
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We take the 4Cs: cquestions, comments, concerns AND compliments at sederskier@gmail.com.
Keep on striving.
Keep on skiing.
Joining us on the show today is Steamboat Springs WinterSports Club head U20/U18/U16 cross-country ski coach Josh Smullin!
Show notes:
start - 20 min: SederSkier fitness update/Double UP Winter Park race report/ Mt. Massive trail run
20:00 - end: Josh Smullin!
Smullin's illustrious ski career spans top-level junior national showings, a 4-year career at CU and numerous SuperTour and American Ski Marathon Series podiums and wins as a member of Team Rossignol. The father of two holds degrees in kinesiology and sports psychology and was an assistant coach at the University of Utah before landing at SSWSC, where he has guided countless athletes to junior, college and international successes.
Josh is has also been the de facto KING of Colorado loppet ski racing for the better part of almost two decades. Let's just say, if he shows up at the starting line, the rest of the field is fighting it out for second.
If there is anyone who can speak to the state of xc skiing and development — and share a fun race story or two — it's Josh. We picked his brain on his upbringing, philosophy, opinions on the current JN/U16 "controversy"/conversation and more....and we already thought of 100 more questions we probably should have asked!!
Nonetheless, we hope you enjoy the show!
Our supporters:
EnjoyWinter
We take the 4Cs: cquestions, comments, concerns AND compliments at sederskier@gmail.com.
Keep on striving.
Keep on skiing.
Joining us on the show today is Steamboat Springs WinterSports Club head U20/U18/U16 crosscoach Josh Smullin
19:38 - start of interview
We have a great show for you today!
Kyle Steitz joins to talk about how he launched and grew the Poudre School District high school ski team from the ground up.
Growing up in Steamboat Springs as the son of the USA Nordic Combined head coach, Stietz was on skis from the time he could walk. By the time he was offered a DI scholarship, however, he was beyond burnt out.
Find out how starting up a team in Fort Collins — which receives 10 days or less of snow a winter — in 2018 reignited his passion for the sport. Hear how he navigated challenges to develop his first state champion, how he’s taken lessons from his youth and applied them to coaching today’s generation and how every season’s eager group of young athletes surprise him in the best of ways.
If you're an athlete or coach at any level, you've got to listen to this conversation!
Just some show notes:
Beginning: SederSkier health update
19:38 - start of interview
We've been talking to coaches across the country on 'how they make things work,' in terms of running a high school or club cross-country ski team. If you are or know a coach who is navigating unique challenges and would be a valuable guest for this series, reach out at sederskier@gmail.com.
Alayna Sonnesyn hops on to talk about a whole variety of interesting topics, from Trondheim to training, her ski and running journeys — dealing with pressure, successes and failures in high school, college and professionally in both — and what brought her to Team Birkie last year.
Enjoy!
Our supporters:
EnjoyWinter
We take the 4Cs: cquestions, comments, concerns AND compliments at sederskier@gmail.com.
Keep on striving.
Keep on skiing.
Just 10 years after the team was formed, Moorhead High School qualified its first boys team for the Minnesota Nordic Ski State Championships this past February.
Head coach Eric Wicklund joins the show to discuss how he makes things work at a school more known for hockey in a town that is flat and frigid all winter and hot, windy and humid all summer.
We dive into the daily challenges of directing training, managing equipment, teaching technique and inspiring passion in a place where weather, culture and other factors aren't always conducive to growing the sport.
This was a really fun conversation with many powerful messages for athletes, coaches and master-blasters alike!
Enjoy!
Our supporters:
EnjoyWinter
Atomic
Sporthill
We take the 4Cs: cquestions, comments, concerns AND compliments at sederskier@gmail.com.
Keep on striving.
Keep on skiing.
A little fever/cold terrorism, but we show up to give you instant takes from day 1 of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Congress on May 13 anyway.
Kate Oldham got the U.S. cross-country skiing community's attention with her 10k individual start national title at Kincaid Park earlier this year. The Roaring Fork native wasn't done, however. The MSU senior competed at World Cups, the world championships in Trondheim, NCAAs and Super Tour Finals before calling it a year. And what a year it was.
Hear more about what was behind the 4.0 student's breakout season as well as her development, dreams (which might involve horses, not skis) and secret talent (kayaking?)....Kate also tells us what club she'll be skiing for in 2025-2026.
Our supporters:
EnjoyWinter
We take the 4Cs: cquestions, comments, concerns AND compliments at sederskier@gmail.com.
Keep on striving.
Keep on skiing.
Team Birkie is a Midwest-based professional cross country ski team formed through a collaboration between the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation, The Loppet Foundation, and Central Cross Country Skiing (CXC). With athletes competing at the FIS World Cup, U.S. SuperTour, and regional marathon levels, the team is dedicated to advancing skiing in the Central Region. With its home base in Minneapolis, MN, Team Birkie promotes partnership and community engagement, striving to set higher standards in the sport and inspire the next generation of Nordic skiers.
Register for Summer College program
Learn more about the team roster
Our supporters:
EnjoyWinter
We take the 4Cs: cquestions, comments, concerns AND compliments at sederskier@gmail.com.
Keep on striving.
Keep on skiing.
SederSkier Congress session: 'How to talk for 120 minutes straight' with Ryan Sederquist....
- start: Teaching jobs making other jobs easy, Fargo weather makes everywhere amazing -
- 4:00 Pikes Peak EXTREME TRIATHLON - 4:00
- 5:00: TPNC grooming report - 5:00
- 6:30: Crazy Craigslist item/Matt Carpenter discussion - 6:30
- 12:30: Jantaloppet suggestions - 12:30
- 19:30: argument for the afternoon mocha health benefits rant
- 22:30 - indoctrinating kids with the afternoon mocha
- 26:00 - Jordan B. Peterson convo - progress > related to exercise science studies
- 37:00 - the Magic is in the Man
- 39:02 - bad harmony
- 39:33 - Anthony Edwards rant
- 56:00 - Brian Smith: The Christian Athlete/Steve Magness - Win the Inside Game
- 1:07 - Funny Fishscale story involving me and Bryan Fish
- 1:13 - SederSkier Congress made up sessions
- 1:18 - Treadmill update
- 1:19 - Body image testimony/suggestion/email
We are delighted to welcome one of our favorite U.S. athletes, JC Schoonmaker, to The SederSkier Podcast for the first time!
The APU star and 2022 Olympian chatted about the 2024-2025 season, world champs, ski classics, super tour finals, scouting sprint courses , Klaebo, the LA Lakers and so, so much more!
Want to support the SederSkier? Go HERE
Montana State University Nordic ski coach Adam St. Pierre, who is also the sport coordinator for U.S. Ski and Snowboard, hops on the show to discuss the upcoming ski congress. We let you know which sessions you should probably tune into and also philosophize on a few related topics.
U.S. Ski and Snowboard cross-country home - subscribe to the newsletter
To reach Adam with U.S. Ski and Snowboard-related topics/questions: adam.stpierre@usskiandsnowboard.org
A lot of news to get to here at GripWax Nation headquarters!
Plus, we have a jam-packed weekend:
Friday - Adam St. Pierre previews the U.S. Ski and Snowboard congress
Saturday - we sit down with JC Schoonmaker
....And.....it's my birthday on April 5!
We recap an exciting Lahti World Cup and discuss some fan emails on the Russians.
We'll have more shows coming recapping the world champs and the World Cup season as a whole.
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