Ep 40: What It's Like to Miss an Olympic Team w/ Alayna Sonnesyn

What actually makes a successful ski program?In this episode, I sit down with SMS T2 Program Director and coach Colin Rodgers to talk about athlete development, coaching philosophy, and the long-term process of building strong ski communities. Colin has coached at some of the top programs in the country, including SVSEF, GMVS, and now SMS T2, working with athletes ranging from juniors to World Cup skiers.But this conversation goes beyond training plans and race results. We talk about what it takes to create an environment where athletes genuinely want to show up, how to support the whole person, not just the athlete, and why joy, culture, and community are critical ingredients in long-term success.We also dive into youth development, burnout, parent involvement, identifying future elite athletes, and what Colin believes separates programs that consistently develop great skiers from those that struggle to sustain success.Whether you’re a coach, athlete, parent, or ski fan, this episode offers a thoughtful look into what really helps people thrive in endurance sport.

On this episode, we switch the roles and I am interviewed about my experience this past winter, through my pursuit to qualify for the Winter Olympic Games. I share a lot in this conversation. My goal is to share the journey, acknowledge the self-ambition and belief I allowed myself to feel, to encourage others to set their big, scary goal, and to chase it with a full heart. In this season reflection, we dive into the training and preparation that started years ago, the travel and racing strategies, and the mid-season decision-making that carried me to be in a position where I had a pretty good shot at making the team. Through the highs and lows of an Olympic bid, I feel fortunate to have had the opportunities to pursue this path. Despite not accomplishing my childhood dreams, I have been surrounded by so much love and support from the ski community. I hope it can feel the love I give back to it. 

On this episode, I welcome Julia Kern, reflecting on her performances at the Olympic Games this past season. Julia placed 6th in the Classic Individual sprint and 5th in the Skate team Sprint with Jessie Diggins. We discuss the build-up to the Olympics, the nerves, excitement, and preparation. We break down the day of the individual sprint race: strategy and tactics, ski performance, and self-talk. We also dive into the skate team sprint and what the race meant to Julia, racing with Jessie in this iconic event. 

Jake Adicoff is fresh off winning 4 Gold Medals at the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games in Milano Cortina (+1 Gold from Beijing 2022)! Jake is a U.S. Paralympic cross-country skier and one of the most dominant athletes in the sport today. Jake is visually impaired and competes alongside his guides, Reid Goble and Peter Wolter, two elite skiers who help him navigate the course at race speed, communicating constantly and working in total sync. Together, this team just delivered an extraordinary performance at the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games. Jake came in with a bold goal: to win four gold medals. Over the course of the week, that’s exactly what he did. It was a defining moment in his career and a testament not just to his talent, but to the trust, communication, and connection between all three of them.Jake’s journey to this point has been years in the making; from growing up skiing in Sun Valley, to competing at Bowdoin College, to finding his path in Paralympic sport and building a world-class partnership with his guides.In this episode, we talk about that journey, what it’s really like to race as a team, the highs and challenges of the Paralympic stage, and the deeper meaning behind Jake’s experience as an openly gay athlete competing at the highest level. 

Ben is coming off an incredible Winter Olympic Games in Italy where he won two silver medals in the individual sprint and the team sprint, with teammate, Gus Schumacher. Both results were historic. The individual sprint medal was the first Olympic medal for a U.S. man in cross-country skiing in fifty years, since fellow Vermonter Bill Koch won silver at the 1976 Winter Olympics.For decades, Koch’s medal stood as a symbol of what might be possible for American men in a sport long dominated by Scandinavia. And fittingly, Ben’s story is deeply connected to that history. He grew up just a few miles from Koch in southern Vermont, skiing in the same community and even spending countless hours as a kid skiing jumps and terrain in Koch’s backyard training playground.Fast-forward to February 10th in Val di Fiemme, Italy — and suddenly that history came full circle. Ben put together the race of his career, skiing aggressively but with remarkable composure through the rounds before battling for silver in the Olympic final. An epic day in itself, Ben returned just a few days later with teammate, Gus, to compete in the team sprint event. And yet again, both athletes showed up composed, full of life, and ready to fight for a medal. It was a close race til the very end and the two guys walked away with a set of silver medals.Today, I chat with Ben about both races. We discuss the journey that led him there, what it was like growing up in the shadow of Bill Koch’s legacy, some behind the scenes with his ski technician, Eli Brown, and some of the moments and perspectives you maybe haven’t heard yet.

Gear West presents this elite-athlete panel coming to you LIVE from the Birkie Expo hosted by me, Alayna Sonnesyn. Featuring David Norris, Jessica Yeaton, Reid Goble and Anna-Maria Dietze. We dive into fueling strategies, racing tactics, training preparation, and the love and joy of skiing the American Birkebeiner. How do we race to win the Birkie? What keeps us coming back for more? Listen to find out! 

On this episode of Extra Blue I welcome Development Coach for the US Ski Team, Greta Anderson. Over the past several years, Greta has been quietly shaping the future of US cross-country skiing. She works with the national team staff to support junior athletes, oversee camps, guide World Juniors and U23 athletes, and help strengthen the pipeline from grassroots skiing all the way to the World Cup.A former Alaska Winter Stars skier and APU athlete turned coach, Greta has spent her career working across club programs, World Juniors trips, and national team development roles. She’s known for her belief that happy people race fast and that development is about building the whole person, not just the athlete.In this episode, we talk about what it really takes to develop world-class skiers in the U.S., what success looks like at 12, 16, and 23 years old, trends she’s seeing in the pipeline, and where she hopes U.S. skiing is headed in the next five years.

Jack Young’s path to the top of U.S. cross-country skiing hasn’t been linear — and that’s exactly what makes this conversation so powerful.From growing up as a multi-sport athlete to fully committing to skiing, Jack reflects on the decisions, sacrifices, and mindset shifts that shaped his rise from college racing at Colby to the World Cup circuit. This episode was actually recorded over a year ago but there are some great takeaways from Jack that are relevant today. We talk about breakthrough moments, including a career-defining sprint result in Davos last year, and the quieter, harder moments that don’t always make headlines — navigating disappointment, managing expectations, and learning how to stay grounded when the goals are big and the outcomes aren’t guaranteed.This episode is about progress over perfection, trusting the process, and redefining success when the finish line keeps moving. Jack was recently selected for Team USA for the Winter Olympic Games. Congratulations, Jack! However, he also found out he might not have a start in any of the races. In this episode, Jack shares what he's been going through recently and how he's been dealing with these polarizing emotions. Whether you’re an athlete chasing a dream or someone learning how to stay patient through uncertainty, Jack’s perspective is honest, thoughtful, and deeply relatable.

On this episode I welcome Luci Anderson! Luci is a U.S. biathlete from Golden Valley, Minnesota, and a lifelong skier who grew up racing in the Midwest before going on to ski for the University of New Hampshire. After graduating in 2024, Luci found herself at a crossroads, unsure if she was ready to walk away from competitive skiing, but also curious about what else might be possible.That curiosity led her to try biathlon, a sport she’d always been intrigued by, but had never actually trained for. Within a year of picking up a rifle for the first time, Luci went from U.S. Biathlon development camps to racing on the IBU Cup, the World Cup, and even the World Championships, all in her debut season. For those who aren’t familiar with the biathlon world, the IBU cup circuit is essentially a step just below World Cup. It is still incredibly competitive and has athletes from all nations racing. It’s something that the Biathlon world has that the cross country circuit does not, to help support the development of athletes in the sport.In this episode, we talk about taking risks, learning something completely new under pressure, and what it’s like to live between two sports. Because Luci is ALSO racing Cross country world cups!! I think Luci’s story reminds us that sometimes the most exciting paths are the ones you don’t plan for.

Today’s episode is about what it means to grow, evolve, and keep skiing at the center of it all, even as life adds new roles, new priorities, and new finish lines.I’m joined by two incredible women who embody that balance: Erika Flowers and Annie Van Fossan. Both Erika and Annie are former professional cross-country skiers, both competed on the collegiate EISA circuit and then for the SMS T2 ski team. Both have gone on to pursue leadership positions in their careers, become mothers, and continue to keep skiing close to their hearts. In our conversation, we talk about the transition from racing professionally to building fulfilling careers, the lessons skiing instilled that now guide their leadership and motherhood, and the evolving definition of “having it all.”Both Erika and Annie recently became mothers. And both have spoken beautifully about the tension and joy of this season; loving their children deeply while also honoring the other parts of themselves: the athlete, the professional, the dreamer.Most of all, we reflect on how skiing, whether it’s racing, coaching, officiating, or simply gliding through the woods, continues to shape who they are and how they move through the world.I hope you enjoy this episode of Extra Blue with Erika and Annie!Link to NNF: https://nationalnordicfoundation.networkforgood.com/projects/256302-d25-xc-2025