It has been an incredible two weeks for USA Nordic Sport, and we would love to catch you up on what we have been doing! Last week, USANS was in Lake Placid for an all team training camp, which was capped off by a visit to our partner at Paul Smith’s College. After that, the team then headed to New York City to visit our partner NYU Langone Health to go through a series of testing, as well as attending an inaugural NYC fundraiser for the team. For the in-depth recap, please read below, and we look forward to the competition season ahead! Thank you for your continued support of our organization.
Lake Placid Training Camp
During day one of the Lake Placid training camp, members of the Nordic Combined team were able to get on the road for training, and the Ski Jumping team was able to try out the new ski jumps at the Olympic Ski Jumping Complex. Carrying on to day two, it started with the unveiling and ribbon cutting of the new ski jumps at the Olympic Ski Jumping Complex to members of the media, in which speeches were made by Executive Director Bill Demong, and Lake Placid native Nina Lussi. The Nordic Combined team joined the Ski Jumping team at the new hills, as both teams had a great training session. The Nordic Combined team was then able to make a trip over to the Mt. Van Hoevenberg Olympic Sports Complex, training and testing out the new Nordic trails.
“It was amazing to finish the summer training season with a full team camp at the new venues in Lake Placid. After seeing it all come together they are certainly some of the best in the world. Huge thanks to the state of New York and the Olympic regional development authority for creating a world class facility utilizing these historic venues,” said Executive Director Bill Demong.
A huge thank you to the Olympic Regional Development Authority and the town of Lake Placid for hosting us, we cannot wait to be back for on Olympic Trials December 24th and 25th!
Paul Smith’s College Team Visit
Capping off the Lake Placid training camp the team made a trip out to Paul Smith’s College. The day started with a speech from Executive Director Billy Demong on the importance of the renewed partnership with Paul Smith’s. This was followed by a tour of the PSC campus and facilities for USA Nordic athletes, as well as a tour of the incredible new Nordic Trails on campus.
“We want to thank Paul Smith’s for giving us a tour of their beautiful campus. What they have done so far with their Nordic Trails is awesome, and we look forward to the further improvements that are planned. We are very excited to utilize these facilities with our athletes,” said Sport Director Jed Hinkley.
Thank you to Paul Smith’s College for hosting us and for giving us a tour of your beautiful campus!
NYU Langone Health Team Visit
After the conclusion of the training camp in Lake Placid, the team then headed to New York City to visit our partner NYU Langone Health! Athletes had the opportunity to visit NYU Langone’s Physical & Occupational Therapy facility, where they spent three days doing various testing. Athletes tested and trained with NYU Langone’s Sports Health experts, completing Nutrition Sessions, along with VO2 & Lactate and Sparta testing!
“It was really great to do another visit to the NYU Langone facilities. Since this was the second trip there, we had a baseline of measurements to compare too and got to see our progress from the beginning of the summer until now. We were working with the same doctors on both trips, it felt like they knew us and that made the environment for testing really friendly. It’s really helpful to get a gauge of where our fitness is at right before we head off to Europe to start competing. It was reassuring to see improvements and that boosted my confidence in the training that we’re doing. Thank you to the NYU Langone staff, especially Heather, Kate, and Nicole for running our tests and making the trip to Lake Placid,” said Men’s Nordic Combined team member Jared Shumate.
Thank you to NYU Langone Health for hosting us, and we are extremely excited for our next visit!
Olympic Send Off Fundraiser
To cap off the team’s trip to New York City, USA Nordic Sport then hosted an Olympic Send Off Fundraiser. This exclusive fundraising event was generously hosted by Egon Zehnder, who we would like to thank for allowing us to use their office space for this event. Athletes, coaches and staff would also like to thank all of our friends and supporters for their continuous support and contributions to USANS.
“We have a really big year ahead of us and it means a lot to bring the whole team and so many of our supporters together. Us athletes have dedicated our lives to this, but that’s not enough to realize an Olympic dream. It takes a lot of money and a lot of support, so we’re so grateful for Egon Zehnder for hosting the event and to everyone who donated,” said Women’s Ski Jumping team member Logan Sankey.
For those who were unable to attend the event please donate here. For more information or if you wish to donate off-line, please email: ellie@usanordic.org
