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Swix is proud to support the following athletes in their quest to achieve their dreams.
Athletes
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Kikkan Randall
Skiing has always been in my blood. I have an aunt and uncle that are former Olympians in cross-country and my Dad was involved in alpine racing. I made it on skis for the first time the day after my 1st birthday and my Olympic dream was born at age five. I have been chasing an Olympic medal ever since. In 1999 I joined the Gold 2002 program, now APUNSC, and began my competitive cross-country skiing career. Currently I mix skiing and studies at Alaska Pacific University. This will be my first season on the US Ski Team and I am very excited to race more consistently on the world cup circuit.
Hometown: Anchorage, AK
Club: APUNSC
Team: US Ski Team
Career Highlights:
5th 2006 World Cup Borlange, SWE
9th 2006 Winter Olympics
Five-time US Senior National Champion
Top Ranked US Woman 2006
www.kikkan.com
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Andrew Newell
I started cross country ski racing at a very young age and by the time I was
15 I knew that winning an olympic medal in xc skiing was my number one goal.
Attending the Stratton Mt. School prepared me in many ways for my quest as a
professional xc skier in search of gold. For the past 4 years I have been
training with the US Ski team and steadily increasing my training and world
cup experience. For me there is nothing more exciting than traveling around
the world and representing the US on the international racing scene. When I'm
not training I spend most of my time skateboarding, surfing, making ski
films (www.xskifilms.com), and trying to go big on the Fischer Jibskates.
Hometown: Shaftsbury, VT
Ski Club: Stratton
Team: US Ski Team
Career Highlights:
3rd Word Cup Chanchun China
4th World Cup Obertsdorf Ger.
16th Olympic Games 2006
8th overall World Cup Sprint points 2006
Ranked 4th in world on FIS Sprint Points List |
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Kris Freeman
I started skiing when I could walk. I grew up racing
and ski jumping with the local Andover Outing Club.
At nineteen I became the first junior since Bill Koch
to win a US National Championship. From that point on
I knew I wanted to be the best in the world. I have
skied on the US ski team for the past four years. In
that time I have won the U-23 world championship,
placed fourth in the world champioships, put up the
two best distance world cup results since Koch (5th
and 6th), and won five more National Titles. After
spending the majority of my time in Park City Utah the
past several years, I have returned to my home town of
Andover New Hampshire. I love living on the east
coast. The roads are laid out like ski trails which
makes for great rollerskiing, and there is a lake in
every town to cool off in. It is the perfect place
for me to pursue my dream of taking a medal in the
2010 Olypics in Vancouver.
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Chris Cook
I started in my first race when I was 3 years old, and proceeded to get dead last. However, as I was sleeping through the large awards ceremony, the overall winner of the day decided to give his enormous first place trophy to the youngest participant in the race, which turned out to be me. I walked up in front of everyone to get my first trophy and decided this is something I would like to continue to do. I have been a ski racer ever since. I skied for Northern Michigan University where I landed my first NCAA Title, continued to ski with the US Development team racing domestically and internationally, and this last year with the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation Program which helped me land my first US National Title in the freestyle Sprint. I am a 2006 Olympic team member and am currently a member of the US WC sprint team. My goals for the 2006-2007 season are to get into the sprint red group, and start advancing in the sprint heats on a regular basis.
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Leif Zimmerman
My journey began on October, 3rd 1983 in the little mountain town of Bozeman, Montana. I quickly developed a strong appreciation and love for the outdoors, so it was a natural fit for me to take-up cross country skiing. This will be my ninth year skiing and third season with the U.S. Ski Team. I�m really excited for the upcoming ski season and to striving for some great results-individually and as a nation-in 2010! Along with training, I also enjoy rock climbing, backpacking, road & mountain biking, and a little golf here and there. Hope to see you out on the trails!
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Steve Cook
After I lost my right leg below the knee in a 1988 farm accident, I decieded to see what a person with a prosthetic could accomplish. I took up rock climbing and mountain biking. I started mountain bike racing in 1990, switched to road racing in ‘93 and raced at the ‘96 Summer Paralympics in Atlanta (I was fifth in the Velodrome, seventh in the road race). At a local abled-bodied mountain bike race I met the head coach of the Nordic team. He encouraged me to try out for the team. After a considerable amount of time and effort, I am consistantly winning on the world stage.
Height: 5-10 (1.75m)
Weight: 150 (68kg)
Birth date: 7/11/68
Birthplace: Exeter, NH
Hometown: Salt Lake City
Career Highlights
06 Nominated for Espy
05/06 5km Skate Paralympic Champion
05/06 10km Classic Paralympic Champion
05/06 Paralympic Bronze 20km classic
05/06 World Cup Overall third place |
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Billy Demong
I grew up skiing in the Adirondack mountains
near Lake Placid, NY. After my first race when I was
5 and my first ski jump when I was 8, I became a boy
obsessed, and ever since I have been driven to excel
at Nordic Combined. After competing in the 1998
Olympics as a green 17 year old, I have been pursuing
the formula for success. Winning the World Junior
team event in 1999 and my first World Cup victory in
2002 fueled that fire. A near podium in the Olympics
in Salt Lake City cemented my determination. The
nordic sports are my passion; from the high energy and
excitement of World Cup, to serene and fufilling easy
skis out in the mountains and woods. In the summer I
spend time racing my bike and catching up with family
and friends playing in the outdoors, but I can't wait
to get on the road and into the heat of battle!
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Johnny Spillane
I have been competing on the World Cup tour for six years now and I
still love every minute of it. I think what I enjoy the most is the
competitve envirment that we are constantly surrounded by. I still
get nervouse before every competition, and the day I lose that will be
the day that I retire! I currently live and train in Park City, UT -
it has everything a Nordic Combined skier could ask for, a world class
ski jumping facility and great xc trails. This season my focus will be
on the World Championships in Sapporo. I thrive on the big events and
I cant wait for the opportunity to compete at the highest possible
level.
Hometown: Steamboat Springs
Club: Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club
Team: US Ski Team
Career Highlights:
World Champion 2003
Multiple World Cup Podiums including three podiums in three days in
Trondheim, Norway
World Junior Team champions
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Tazlina Mannix
I grew up in rural Alaska. My family�s home was a mile off the road system, and I began skiing to and from our cabin as soon as I could walk. Racing down our trail by headlamp on the way to the bus stop is where my ski dreams were born. After my first Junior Nationals I began training part-time with the Alaska Pacific University Ski Program, and in 2004 I moved from home to attend the APU Early Honors Program for high school seniors and to ski full-time with APUNSC. I�ve chosen to continue my education there, and I plan to graduate in the spring of 2008 with a degree in psychology. For now I enjoy balancing academics and school, but I also look forward to being able to dedicate myself entirely to skiing as the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver draw near.
Hometown: Talkeetna, AK
Current Residence: Anchorage, AK
Club: Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center
Team: US Ski Team
Career Highlights:
2005, 2006 Jr. World Championships Teams
10th 2006 Engadin Ski Marathon
10th 2006 US Nationals Freestyle Sprint
Multiple Junior National Podiums
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Morgan Arritola
Skiing was not something that I grew up with as a kid. When I was younger I did gymnastics, ran track, played soccer, along with a lot of other sports, but it wasn�t until my junior year in high school that I discovered Nordic skiing.
One of my friends on the soccer team had mentioned to me that I should come to a dry land training day with the cross-country team. She knew I liked to run and finally convinced me to go. I remember the first day being so hard and I was immediately hooked. I am not sure that Rick Kapala even formally asked me to be on the team; I think I just kept showing up. From the very beginning skiing was one of the biggest challenges I had ever met, and that is what I love. No matter how much you accomplish you are always presented with new mental and physical challenges that continue to keep you on your toes and working hard.
Every day I feel so lucky to have become a part of this unique sport. This is my first year as a member of the US Continental Cup Team, which has been great. I have spent a majority of my summer living and training in Park City, UT and I am looking forward to what lies a head, not only this winter but, in many of the winters to come.
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Casey Ward
My first ski event ever was for a nine-block parade two weeks before I was two years old. Everyone knew that I was destined for long distance racing at this point; I slept for the rest of that afternoon.
I raced for the University of Colorado on the 1998 and 1999 National Championship teams. When not racing, I�ve been a volunteer coach for Aspen Valley Ski Club, the club that guided me through my younger years of racing. As any elite skier would tell you, my goals are to race in the Olympics and medal. This dream is fuel for the long-term goal and my drive to get faster, but it is the joy of racing and skiing that is keeping me on my skis for all these years.
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