U.S. Ski & Snowboard Cancels All Remaining Domestic Events, Including XC Junior Nationals

Due to the recently enacted European travel restrictions, and ongoing concerns in the United States and Canada regarding the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), U.S. Ski & Snowboard is cancelling all remaining U.S. domestic events, and working to return all U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes back to the United States. In addition, Alpine Canada, and Nordiq Canada have cancelled events to coincide with U.S. Ski & Snowboard.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard is also cancelling all sanctioned and scheduled events beginning Monday, March 16. This includes all club-level events for all disciplines and any unnecessary gatherings, including banquets, awards and end of season presentations, etc. Expect further updates on future events, including U.S. Ski & Snowboard Congress.

At this time, U.S. Ski & Snowboard sanctioned events through Monday, March 16, will continue as scheduled, or as determined by local organizing committees, or local health and government officials that such events should be cancelled.

Individual participants of each event will be contacted by either the local organizing committees, clubs, or U.S. Ski & Snowboard regarding refunds of event entry fees.

The following major U.S. and Canadian events have been cancelled:

In addition, the following events are currently taking place, and will continue as scheduled pending local health and government officials:

  • U.S. Junior Moguls Nationals, Winter Park, Colo.; March 11-16

  • U.S. Freestyle Aerial Championships, Bristol Mountain, NY; March 14

  • U.S. Junior Cross Country Championships, Soda Springs, Calif.; through March 14

The health and safety of athletes and staff is the primary concern of U.S. Ski & Snowboard and we are monitoring the current outbreak COVID-19 closely. We remain in close contact with the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as well as our local health authorities here in Utah for guidance and instruction.

For the latest updates, please CLICK HERE, this page will be updated as new information becomes available.

JN Organizing Committee Statement on Coronavirus

Hello athletes, coaches, parents, volunteers, and spectators,

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Concerns about the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak continue to rise. As the host of the 2020 Junior National Cross Country Ski Championships, we understand you may be concerned about the effect(s) this outbreak could have on the participants, coaches, volunteers, and spectators. At Auburn Ski Club (ASC), we are committed to taking the necessary steps to help prevent the spread of this virus at our event site, and we will need your help!

US Ski and Snowboard has recommended the 2020 JN Organizing Committee take the necessary steps to minimize potential virus exposure to the athletes, coaches, community, volunteers and one another. After evaluating our non-race events, and potential exposures such as the opening ceremony, indoor awards, and banquet, we have made the decision to revise our previously scheduled events.

Please visit our website here for the revised non-race event schedule.

Due to the limited amount of indoor space at the race venue and very tight athlete space, we are asking spectators to stay outside of the race venue buildings, and coaches to shuttle their athletes to and from the venue as time and resources permit.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) believes that the risk of acquiring the virus is low, and with flu season in full swing, it is important to understand the risks and symptoms. Protection and prevention against the COVID-19 (coronavirus) is much like preventing transmission of the seasonal flu. We ask that athletes, coaches, spectators, and volunteers take the necessary steps to help prevent transmission:

  • Stay away from public areas and others if you are sick

  • Avoid close contact with anyone who is sick

  • Cover your cough, sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue away in the trash

  • Avoid touching your eyes, ears, nose, and mouth

  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces

  • Avoid sharing dishes, glasses, bedding and other household items if you’re sick

  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds

Awareness and preparedness are key; therefore, we urge you to follow the recommendations set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Included on the CDC website is a current risk assessment that asserts "the immediate health risk from COVID-19 is considered low."

Also included on the CDC website is educational information about COVID-19 and recommendations to protect yourself and our community including:

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Sincerely,

Valli Murnane

Chair, 2020 XC Skiing Junior National Championships

12'' of Fresh Powder and Counting

Finally, something different to report. 12" of snow overnight and still snowing. Snow should taper off by early afternoon. The surface will be fresh corduroy, temperature 24. Northeast winds will pick late in the day. The Black Hole and Crater Lake are off the grooming schedule as we focus on the JN competition courses. Check out the Groomer’s View page for pictures and the ASC Trail Report for ongoing updates.

The Sonics team made the most of a beautiful day pre-storm Saturday by skiing up to Crater Lake.

A view of the snow this morning from the cab of the ASC Piston Bully.

A view of the snow this morning from the cab of the ASC Piston Bully.

Snowpack Holding Steady

The 2020 XC Junior Nationals organizing committee is excited to welcome you all to ASC Training Center for JN’s.  On the eve of JN’s we want to give you snow conditions update as you prepare to travel. The season started with a series of big storms typical of our 7,000ft elevation on Donner Summit.  All signs pointed to another record snowpack for the 2020 JN’s.  

““There is four feet of coverage on the courses and snow waiting to be farmed.” -ASC Training Center Executive Director Bill Clark”

Since “normal” winters are not “normal” anymore, it’s not surprising the storms just stopped in January. News reports you may read about Northern California experiencing the driest February on record and a 50% of average snowpack are all true.  But fear not, we are nowhere near the record snow drought during the 2015 JN’s. Summer trail improvements and those early storms have set JN’s up well. You won’t see 30’ snowbanks or a wall of snow off the Training Center deck, but there is four feet of coverage on the courses and snow waiting to be farmed.   Our advice is to pack the flip-flops and sunscreen for the California Sun and storm gear just in case Donner Summit winter returns.   If you’re a weather geek (aren’t we all?) and need more info, go to the Tahoe Daily Snow or The California Weather Blog. Safe travels.

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Meet an Athlete

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Hannah Halvorsen

  • Age 21

  • From Truckee, CA

  • 4th-year US National Development Ski Team member

  • Junior World Championships Medalist

  • Known for sprinting and smiling :)

When I went to my first Nordic Junior Nationals (often called JNs), I didn’t have a goal. I didn’t go in with huge expectations. I was 15 at the time and I hadn’t been training all summer dreaming of this amazing national level race that would make all of the hours of training and hard work worth it. I remember that I was excited to go because I was getting to travel to a different state with a bunch of my friends and I liked ski racing, so that would be fun too. My first JNs was in Fairbanks, AK and I was a first year U16. I had fun and learned a lot. For example, I fell down in the prelim of the sprint because I was too cold. When I got on the plane to leave I was even more fired up about racing than I had been on the plane getting there. I left Fairbanks knowing I could do better with some more practice now that I knew what I needed to work on. For me, I think it takes doing something first before I can make a goal because I want to see what it is I am making a goal about. And now I had a goal, I wanted to win a sprint race at JNs.

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My second JNs was in Stowe, VT and I felt like this was my year. I had been focused on every way I could improve through the long summer training months. I had worked hard all year to be as ready as I could for this week. I had been to Finland for the U18 trip, which is an international competition among the best skiers under 18 years of age in Scandinavia, earlier that season and I felt like I had gained the experience I needed to win this sprint. But I didn’t win, I was 4th. I had trained all year for this and I had actually done better the year before where I had been 3rd. I remember learning a valuable lesson that day. I learned that I could control what I did and work on becoming the best skier I could, but I had no say over how other people improved. The reality was I had had a great race and the three girls who beat me had just been faster than me that day. I left JNs in Stowe even more self-reflective than that first year. I was going to figure out what I needed to do to be fast enough to win the JNs sprint. Next year, in 2015, would be in my hometown, Truckee, CA. What a perfect year for me to win with all my friends and family there to cheer me on.

I worked on improving that whole next year and I made a lot of big strides. I had been 5th in the sprint at Senior Nationals, the highest-level competition in the United States among skiers of any age. I made the U18 trip again and even got a podium there. I felt confident that this was my year to win a JNs sprint. I had put in the work, hadn’t I? Didn’t I deserve it? But that year in Truckee I didn’t win the sprint. I was 2nd. And again I didn’t have any excuses. The girl who won was just faster than me and I had tried my best but I couldn’t beat her. The truth was I had had a really good race. 

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The next year was my fourth and last JNs in Cable WI, and I won the sprint. I guess you could call it a happy ending, but I think there are a lot of lessons in this journey that now I realize are more important to me than winning that sprint. When you win, you feel happy for that day and then its on to the next race. But when you learn something about yourself or about life you can hold on to it forever. I’ve learned a lot of life lessons through skiing at JNs that I am more grateful for than any race result. I’ve learned to never give up, to be patient, to give high fives and say good job when a competitor beats me, to try again, that its not all about winning, to work hard, and to believe in myself. Most of the hours I spent training and dreaming about JNs were in my hometown of Truckee, so the fact that JNs is taking place in Truckee again makes it all the more meaningful to me. I have been skiing since I was two and have been on the US National team for the last four years and racing internationally for the last six years, and Truckee is still my favorite place to ski. I am grateful for how many people supported me during my four years of racing at JNs and it’s those people that make it so special to me that JNs are in my hometown.

America’s Top Young Nordic Skiers to Compete in Truckee-Tahoe for National Titles in the 2020 U.S. Ski & Snowboard Junior Cross Country National Championships

  • Largest junior XC competition in US will crown Junior National Champions in 4 events

  • More than 1,000 athletes, coaches, volunteers, and spectators expected

  • Races held March 9-14 at the ASC Training Center on Donner Summit

  • Opening Ceremonies March 8 at Squaw Valley

January 27, 2020 (SODA SPRINGS, Calif.) -- More than 400 of the country’s elite cross-country skiers and future Olympic hopefuls ages 14-19 will gather here in March to compete in the 2020 U.S. Ski & Snowboard Junior XC National Championships. Races will be held Monday, March 9 through Saturday, March 14th at the ASC Training Center (ASCTC) on Donner Summit, following opening ceremonies March 8 at Squaw Valley Resort, site of the 1960 Winter Olympics.

“Competing in the Junior National Championships is the pinnacle of success for all of these athletes,” said Organizing Committee chair Valli Murnane. “For a handful, it is the beginning of a journey to international and Olympic competition.”

Racers from 10 divisions will be vying for Junior National Champion titles in four events: Individual Classic on Monday, March 9; Freestyle Sprint on Wednesday, March 11; Individual Skate on Friday, March 13; and Classic Relay on Saturday, March 14. There are three racing divisions per gender: U20 (ages 18-19), U18 (ages 16-17) and U16 (ages 14-15). The top finisher in each division will be crowned Junior National Champion. The top team will win the Alaska Cup.

Organizers are working to fill 200 volunteer positions. To sign up and for a detailed schedule, course maps and other event information, visit www.xcjuniornationals2020.com.

About the Course

ASC Training Center is the West Coast’s premier Nordic Ski, Biathlon, Snowboard, and Alpine Ski venue with more than 25km of groomed competition snow high in the rugged Sierra Nevada mountains. Known for its challenging course, record snowfall and picturesque location, ASCTC previously hosted Junior Nationals in 1971, 2005, 2009 and 2015. For more information, visit www.asctrainingcenter.org.

Livestream

All race events will be video recorded and broadcast. For livestream viewing information and race day livestream links, visit https://usskiandsnowboard.org/xcountrylive.

Electronic Press Kit

For high-resolution photos, logos and other media files, visit http://bit.ly/JN2020

Contact

Cuyler Mayer, ASC Training Center: cuyler@asctrainingcenter.org / 530-426-3313

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