Anchorage’s Nina Kemppel was a true trailblazer in every sense of the word, changing the landscape for American cross-country skiing in the 1990s and 2000s. Back in the day the United States racers rarely cracked the top 30 of World Cup races. But Kemppel changed that when she became the first woman in years to… Read more »
Colorado School of Mines wrestler Noah Ottum and University of Alaska Fairbanks skier Tristan Sayre were named co-winners of the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame’s Athlete of the Week honor. Both were named to the highly competitive Academic All-America team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). The NCAA D2 duo were standouts… Read more »
Garvee Tobin of Service High School excelled as a Nordic skier for the Cougars. She placed fifth overall at the 2020 state ski championships — her third consecutive Top 5 finish — as the Cougars won the state title. Three times she was named the team’s Most Valuable Girls Skier and she captained the squad… Read more »
The 100 Miles in May Bonus Challenge this April came at a perfect time to motivate Amy Reed in Anchorage and the Bjornstad family in northern Norway. “I was so excited to have a goal to work towards in April when it seemed like the world was shutting down and all the races were canceled… Read more »
Kendall Kramer, the top Alaskan junior female Nordic skier in recent memory, has committed to ski and run at her hometown University of Alaska Fairbanks beginning in the fall of 2020. Kramer has won 14 high school state championships in skiing and running at West Valley High School. She is also a member of the… Read more »
The Anchorage skier Gus Schumacher won his first Senior National Championship title in his debut national championship race. Just 19 years old, the Service High School grad won the men’s 1.5-kilometer freestyle sprint in 3:02.95 against a deep field that included several Olympians. Gus followed this spectacular effort with a 2nd place finish in the… Read more »
Two Anchorage skiers each won two medals in the first two days of the U.S. Cross Country Ski Championship in Houghton, Michigan. Gus Schumacher of Alaska Winter Stars racked up a gold and silver while Caitlin Patterson of the US Ski Team picked up a silver and bronze. Schumacher, of Service High fame, claimed first… Read more »
From the World Cup in Europe to the SuperTour in North America to the upcoming World Youth Olympic Games, Alaska skiers are striding strong. With one race remaining in Period 1 of the World Cup, Sadie Maubet Bjornsen of Alaska Pacific University is ranked fourth in the overall standings after finishing ninth on Dec. 15… Read more »
Sixteen-year-old Kendall Kramer of Fairbanks is set to make her World Cup debut this weekend in Quebec City and may be the youngest American Nordic skier ever at that level. “I think I’m definitely the youngest at this World Cup,” Kramer said by phone Wednesday from Quebec City, which is hosting the three-race World Cup… Read more »
One month after her final cancer radiation treatment, Kikkan Randall of Anchorage conquered the 50K American Birkebeiner. The Birkie is the largest cross-country ski event in the country, with this year’s long-distance races attracting more than 5,500 participants last weekend in Hayward, Wisconsin. Randall is royalty in the ski world – a five-time Olympian and… Read more »
