As the BSF Pro Team approaches the season, we thought we would take some time to share with our followers our individual and team goals for this coming season. Below you can learn about each of our goals, and what we have done this summer and fall to try and achieve them. With the first race of the season 18 days away, we are adding the final touches to our training and making the most out of each day. We continue to work hard to achieve our goals, and we thank you for your interest and support in us! This will truly be a great season for the BSF Pro Team.

Hannah Rudd: 

I like to go into each season with a variety of goals; some small, some big, some results based and some process oriented. This year my biggest goal is to qualify for a World Cup. I’ve had this goal in my mind for the past few years but am finally feeling like it is really within reach which is super exciting and motivating! Some other result-based goals include consistent super tour podiums along with podiuming at Senior Nationals. Some of my daily, process-oriented goals include improving my power and speed for sprinting and becoming more efficient in my climbing technique. A few of my other process goals include maintaining a good sleep schedule to stay healthy, to learn my ski fleet and improve my ski-picking abilities, and most importantly, having lots of fun.

Mariah Bredal:

I think my biggest goal this season is to race faster than I did last year. There are a lot of strong females on the supertour circuit, and now after spending all last season competing with them, I hope I can continue to improve my results! I think I will feel a little more comfortable with knowing how the season will flow, with having last year under my belt.

This summer and fall I have trained a lot more hours than last year, and trained more nordic specifically! This means that I have roller skied much more than I ever have in the summer, as I tend to mostly run and bike. I know that this focus in my off-season training will pay off this year. I have also kept up with specific strength during the summer and fall. 

Sarah Goble:

My performance goal for the 22-23 season is to earn World Cup starts. In order to accomplish this goal, I have spent this summer and fall working on my technique. Skiing as efficiently as possible while also working on my transitions will help best prepare me to move well once racing on snow. Another way I have been working towards this goal is focused training. I like to figure out what the purpose of the training week is and then focus on the key workouts within that week. For example, if it is an intensity week I try to best prepare myself for the interval days and not get too wrapped up in how many hours I work out that week. I believe accomplishing these process goals will help me have a successful season and work towards my performance goal of skiing on the World Cup.

Finn O’Connell:

This season I have set some very big goals for myself. I believe in myself, my coach, and my teammates to help me achieve them. This season, I was to be the top US finisher at the World Cup Tour de Ski. I also want to be the top US finisher in the 15k skate race at the 2023 World Ski Championships. I have no prior World Cup starts, but I firmly believe I can be the best American distance skier. That is why my goals are focused around other US skiers, because I do not know how I will stack up with the international skiers. 

The past two years I have focused strongly on my sprinting because I know this is how I will qualify for the Tour de Ski. I need to be strong at both sprinting and distance skiing. I have focused on building strength and working on my technique everyday! I watch videos before most sessions and try to find one thing to work on for the session. In order to achieve my goals, I also focus on my mental fitness. The only way to begin to achieve my goals is to have fun, so this in itself a goal of mine. I can easily get in my head if I am just sitting around, so I try to change things up. I like playing pool downtown, learning to swing dance, as well as reading and working in my garage! 

Reid Goble:

This is my second year on the BSF Pro Team and I am really excited about our upcoming season. With my first year of professional racing under my belt I have insight into the supertour circuit and feel ready to crush it this season! I have many goals this year, but my number one goal is to always have fun and enjoy ski racing no matter how my season goes. Beyond this, I have some more concrete goals including being in the top three for supertours, getting a podium at nationals, and ultimately qualifying for a World Cup.

One of the main areas I need improvement on is my technique. This summer and fall I have been working a lot with my amazing coach Andy and have been learning from my wonderful teammate’s as well. Another area I have improved on is fueling properly while I am exercising, rather than only bringing water out every workout. With these improvements and a few others, I am feeling very fit and positive about the upcoming season. I have never felt so close to achieving my goals!

Simon Zink:

This season, my primary focus is to transfer and continue to refine the development of specific movement patterns within my spine, scapula, and core, that I have been working on into my skiing. Together with a physical therapist I have been doing daily mobility, targeted strength, and neuromuscular control exercises to change how I move fundamentally through these areas, in order to produce more power with my body, develop more strength, and ultimately be a better athlete. These changes will hopefully not only improve my skiing results, but make me a more consistent and balanced cross country skier, able to compete at a high level in not only freestyle and distance skiing, but in the classic technique and sprinting discipline as well. With this in mind, I'd like to be in the top 10 in every supertour race as well as senior nationals, battling it out and competing for those podium spots. I believe, with the continued consistent training and strength/movement pattern work I am doing, this goal is attainable and well within myself. 

Graham Houtsma:

My goals for this season are: get a world cup start, become a better classic distance and sprinter, and fix my V1 in skate. The way I’ve been working towards this over this past summer and fall is by increasing the number of hours I’m training this year and by being more strict with staying between 2 and 4 millmols during threshold intervals, and understanding that I need to do intervals by myself sometimes. As for my technique improvements, I’ve spent more time with Andy doing video review after interval sessions and looking at what I need to change as well as little cues to think about while I'm skiing; this has been for both my classic and skate technique. To improve my classic sprinting ability, I’ve spent more time this year training and skiing behind Logan and trying to emulate what he’s doing in my own skiing.

Logan Diekmann:

Logan will share his goals and an in depth pre World Cup blog in the coming days.

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