With snow on the ground, the cross-country race season is just around the corner. Summer and

fall dry land training are in the books, and the local junior skiers are starting to log their early

season kilometers. The winter season for Mammoth Nordic Competition and Development

teams kicks off with a Junior National Qualifier on December 17-18. The Mammoth High School

and Middle School teams begin their competition season in January.

Behind all of this activity are the Mammoth Nordic and High School and Middle School coaches.

Here is a quick introduction to the trainers, technicians, planners, waxers, and entertainers who

work with our local cross-country juniors.

Head Coach Ben Higgins, originally from New Hampshire, is going into his fourth year coaching

in Mammoth. Higgins leads the Mammoth Nordic (club) summer and fall programs, which

includes roller skiing, running, strength training, and high Sierra hikes. In the winter, Higgins

manages the practice schedule and coaches at all high school, middle school, and Junior

National qualifiers. He will also attend USSS National Championships in Houghton, MI in

January and USSS Junior Nationals in Fairbanks, AK, where he hopes some of our Mammoth

racers will be competing.

Higgins is assisted by a new Mammoth coach, Laurel Fiddler. Fiddler grew up cross-country

skiing at Tamarack and is a veteran of the Gliders, Ski PE, Middle School, and High School

teams. After high school and 6 years competing at Junior Nationals, Fiddler raced in the eastern

circuit of Division I skiing for Bates College. She most recently was Head Coach at Gould

Academy in Maine.

Heading up the Middle School team is Kathi Kirkeby. Kirkeby will be heading into her seventh

season coaching, and like Fiddler, grew up skiing in Mammoth. Kirkeby, a kindergarten teacher

at Mammoth Elementary, is an alumni of the Mammoth High School Nordic Ski Team and has

competed in the Junior Nationals.

Jeff Byberg will once again fill the position of Mammoth High School coach. He is heading into

his fifth season with the Mammoth Huskies. Byberg, along with Higgins led the high school

boy’s team to a State Championship win last season, and is looking for a repeat again this

season. Byberg gets the “nice coach” award with his infectious smile and sense of humor.

Rounding out the coaching team is perennial Mammoth coach, Nancy Fiddler. Fiddler has been

sharing her love of skiing and experience as a 14 time National Champion and 2 time Olympian

since 1993, when she founded the first Mammoth Nordic teams. Fiddler anchors the versatile

and seasoned staff during the winter season. She also serves as the official leader of the

popular team summer adventures in the mountains. While Fiddler knows that not every kid she

coaches will make it to the World Cup, she hopes to create life-long skiers.

For information about learning more or joining the team, contact Coach Ben Higgins

mammothnordicracing@gmail.com

This past week 5 Mammoth cross country skiers traveled to Minneapolis, Minnesota for the 2022 Junior National Cross Country Skiing Championship. The skiers qualified for the trip by racing and performing at 5 regional races this winter, and along with skiers from the Lake Tahoe area, represented the Far West Division (clubs and schools from California and Nevada). Junior Nationals is the high point of the season for the athletes, who trained all summer, fall, and winter to compete against 9 other divisions from across the country.

It was the first Junior Nationals to be held in two years, with all five Mammoth skiers making their debuts. Cabot Godoy, Dane Karch, Davin Wolter, and Jack Leonard all raced in the Male Under 16 category, and Ella Walker competed in the Under 16 Female division.

Four hundred and thirty racers in three age groups, participated in 4 races across 6 days on world class trails at the Theodore Wirth Park. Competitors faced cold weather and demanding courses all week, with the race temperatures often in the single digits. Mammoth athletes embraced the challenges with extra layers, face tape and glitter and enjoyed the annual chance to race shoulder to shoulder with the best skiers from across the country.

After the ups and downs of the week, Mammoth and Far West placed second in the small division team category and seventh in the overall standings. The Mammoth nordic athletes represented well in the tough competition, scoring points for Far West, and gaining invaluable experience that will provide motivation for the next cycle of training beginning in June.

Mammoth athletes results summary: 

Skate Distance:

U16 Male 5km:                      U16 Female 5km:

Dane Karch- 16th                   Ella Walker- 55th

Cabot Godoy- 22nd

Davin Wolter- 73rd

Jack Leonard- 75th

Classic Sprint:

U16 Male 1.3km:                 U16 Female 5km:

Cabot Godoy- 22nd              Ella Walker- 66th

Dane Karch- 48th

Davin Wolter- 56th

Jack Leonard- 76th

Classic Mass Start:

U16 Male 5km:                   U16 Female 5km:

Dane Karch- 17th                Ella Walker- 69th

Cabot Godoy- 44th

Davin Wolter- 73rd

Jack Leonard-74th

Skate Mixed Relay:

U16 4x 3km:

Far West 1 (Dane Karch, Cabot Godoy)- 21st

Mixed 1 (Jack Leonard)- 34th 

Far West 2 (Davin Wolter, Ella Walker)- 35th

Full results can be found at superiortiming.com.