USA Nordic Sport cuts Nordic Combined funding, local parents take action to save a piece of Steamboat heritage

USA Nordic Sport informed its Nordic Combined athletes last week that the organization will no longer fund the national team program or the partnership with the Norwegian national team.

This news became public late Wednesday evening.

In April, the USANS Board of Directors and Athletic Committee issued a directive to the ski jumping and Nordic Combined programs to raise at least $150,000 each by the end of May to continue the Norwegian partnership through the 2024–25 season.

The deadline was extended slightly earlier this month, but the goal was not met, prompting the USANS to cut funding to its Nordic Combined program while continuing to provide additional non-financial support, along with US Ski and Snowboard. The details of the additional non-financial support, however, are still unclear.

“We consider the programs to be successful, but since COVID, a lot of revenue for the sport has been lost, whether it’s from donors or sponsors, who have cut back significantly,” said Tom Bickner, USANS board chairman, at an April meeting. “This has put an extreme financial strain on the organization, and we’ve had to limit many of our activities and cut a lot of staff.”

The ski jumping program, on the other hand, managed to stay afloat after several major donors came forward who advanced enough money to maintain the program and the partnership with Norway.

Alexa Brabec, a 19-year-old member of the U.S. women’s national Nordic combined team from Steamboat Springs, was stunned to learn about the latest in a series of obstacles she has faced in the sport.

“It was very disappointing to hear that USA Nordic is no longer supporting Nordic Combined, but in response, I’ve really seen what a large and supportive community there is behind us outside of USA Nordic,” said Brabec. “Despite this devastating news, I’m still hopeful for this season and look forward to focusing on training and continuing to work toward my goals.”

The Norwegian partnership

In August 2022, USA Nordic Sport announced a historic partnership with Norway, the birthplace of Nordic skiing. The partnership provided access to training camps at world-class facilities in both countries and, more importantly, the opportunity to train under coaches from both countries, including wax technicians from Norway.

Just two years after the start of the collaboration, the new philosophy and improvements in equipment led to a winter full of personal bests throughout the Nordic Combined World Cup.

“The other nice thing about it, especially in an individual sport, is that you can feel kind of lonely when there are only two or three women traveling with you,” said Jill Brabec, Alexa’s mother. “The nice thing about the partnership is that you get to train and compete with the Norwegian women, who all happen to be fluent in English. You have teammates, positive reinforcement and training partners who encourage each other. It’s everything you need for a successful program.”

Much of America’s success this winter can be attributed to the success of the Nordic partnership. While the U.S. failed to make the podium at a Nordic Combined World Cup event this season, many of the athletes achieved personal bests.

Annika Malacinski of Steamboat was the top American overall in the World Cup this winter, finishing 14th. She finished in the top 10 three times and achieved a personal best of eighth place in Ramsau, Austria.

Alexa Brabec was similarly successful in the women’s event, winning Nordic Combined Athlete of the Year. She achieved her personal best World Cup finish of 10th in Seefeld, Austria, and 21st overall. She was also the first American to win a medal at the Nordic Combined Junior World Championships. Earlier this year, she topped the podium twice with two silver medals in Planica, Slovenia.

Niklas Malacinski and Grant Andrews, also athletes from Steamboat Springs, finished this season with personal bests, finishing 14th and 32nd, respectively. Niklas, along with Ben Loomis and Stephen Schumann, finished in the top 30 in the men’s Nordic Combined World Cup, a feat the United States has not accomplished in a decade.

New fundraising campaigns

A group of mothers couldn’t bear to see their children unsettled by the sport’s decline, so they formed a task force – which included local parents Jill Brabec and Steph Wilson – to address the problems.

The task force organizers are in the process of forming a nonprofit organization called Nordic Combined USA, which has already launched its website NordicCombinedUSA.org.The urgency of the matter stems from the desire to renew relations between the American Nordic Combined athletes and Norway before the start of the training season.

The website will be accepting donations soon. In the meantime, checks can be sent to: Nordic Combined USA, PO Box 771815, Steamboat Springs, CO 80477.

The nonprofit’s goal is to raise $500,000 by the end of the year to fund a full season in partnership with Norway, while also providing money for equipment and travel expenses. Wilson estimates that about $100,000 will be needed in the next few weeks to sign a contract with Norway and revive the partnership for a few months while fundraising efforts continue.

“This is a crucial moment for the sport,” said Jill Brabec.

On Wednesday, there will be a fundraiser at Howelsen Hill from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., where visitors will have the opportunity to tour Steamboat’s ski jump facility and have lunch with some of the country’s top Nordic athletes. The tour will be hosted by Steamboat Nordic combined athlete Ben Berend.

The fundraiser continues later in the afternoon with a cocktail reception and meet-and-greet with the athletes from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Steamboat Flyfisher.

Anyone interested in participating in the fundraising events should email [email protected]..

If fundraising goes as planned, Nordic Combined USA will return to the Task Force’s original mission of keeping the sport at the Olympics, generating awareness, gaining audiences and continuing to build outreach at the club level.

“We have met with Norway to talk about the next steps and they are very supportive,” Wilson said. “The reason the other countries are so committed is because at the end of this season the International Olympic Committee will be watching the sport and making a decision. This next winter is the most important winter for the future of the sport.”

A foggy future

In 2022, the International Olympic Committee announced it would not include women’s Nordic combined at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, sending shockwaves across the sport. Recently, the IOC reiterated its stance, saying the future of the men’s sport remains uncertain as it looks ahead to the 2030 Games.

This spring, the International Ski Federation presented a set of criteria by which the IOC will determine the fate of the sport.

The first objective is to see how many nations are performing at a high level at development level, with performances at World Junior Championships and Youth Olympic Games playing a role here.

The second objective is to find out how many nations are scoring World Cup points relatively consistently. The third objective, viewed from a broader perspective, is to collect data on the ratings and popularity of the sport around the world.

Without funding and access to coaches and equipment, Nordic Combined could be in trouble in the United States. If American interest in the sport wanes, it would be even easier for the IOC to eliminate the sport altogether.

The year 2024 will mark the 100th anniversary of the first Olympic Games in Chamonix, France. Nordic Combined was one of the original nine disciplines in which athletes competed at these Games.

A century later, Steamboat Springs is known for having produced more Olympic athletes than any other city in the country, and a large portion of those athletes were Nordic skiers.

The city has long been a stronghold of sport, beginning with Carl Howelsen, who shared his passion for Nordic skiing with the introduction of the Winter Carnival in February 1914.

Wilson said there is a place for Nordic Combined not only at the Olympics and on the world stage, but especially for young athletes growing up in Steamboat Springs who want to build on the successes of so many local greats before them.

“Sports are supposed to be pure,” Wilson said. “It’s a way for people to test their abilities, to see the depth of the world, to inspire others, and for kids to learn something and all those cool things. They might just throw a sport away because not enough people watch it. … Isn’t it appropriate in our world to support things just because of their heritage, their tradition and their impact on people? From an ideological perspective, I think that’s sad.”