2024/12 - Team History

This is a reprint from Jackson Hole Ski & Snowboard Dec-2024 Newsletter:

For years there have been six high school Nordic teams in the state of Wyoming--Jackson, Casper, Cody, Lander, Laramie, and Pinedale.  In the past few years there has been a growing presence from Sheridan, Wyoming, with that team hosting its first high school race this season.  For this December feature, Head Coach Falk Alicke graciously shared a little about the history and growth of the Sheridan High School Nordic Program:  

Skiing as a school sport in Sheridan originated at the junior high school.  Rebecca Attebury, who had previously skied on an Alaskan team, started the program with just one student.  Over the following 4 years the program grew substantially.  I joined them in 2021 as an assistant coach, and in 2022 the Sheridan High School agreed to add the sport to the school’s athletic program.  I ended up with the privilege to start the program at the high school as the head coach.  For the 2024-25 season there are 26 athletes in the program.

When we started in 2022 we had the best snow conditions for our sport imaginable.  We were able to groom the HS football practice field and other places in town, which allowed us to be on snow daily.  But last year we were never able to train in town.  For a few practices we went to Story, a town 35 minutes away, and trained in a local park; however, none of the places mentioned so far are sufficiently challenging for advanced skiers.  For this reason we travel, typically twice weekly, up into the Big Horns, and train at Sibley Lake or at Cutler Hill.  Those locations are at ~8000 ft of elevation.  The grooming is done by Black Mountain Nordic Club, a local non-profit organization.  Unfortunately, we don’t have the heavy snowcat type of equipment for grooming Nordic trails as Jackson and other towns in Wyoming have.  Our grooming equipment is pulled by snowmobiles.  This makes it difficult when we get a lot of new snow.  Our local trails are more narrow and bumpy than the pristine trails we find in Jackson, Casper, Pinedale, and Lander.  We hope Nordic skiing gains momentum in Sheridan, and results eventually in a trail system that is comparable to those places.

Two days each week the athletes rush out of school, which lets out at 3:35 p.m.  We drive up the mountain and get to the ski site around 4:50 p.m.  In December and early January this only leaves us with ~ 45minutes of daylight; we usually finish skiing using headlights.  On the other week days we cross-train, often by running and roller skiing.  To accumulate sufficient training hours we also utilize 2-3 early morning practice sessions, focusing on cardio machines, strength, and HIIT training.  

Sheridan falls within the HPN region.  In fact, I am a board member for High Plains Nordic.  Last year we had, for the first time, one athlete qualify for Junior Nationals.  It was an incredible experience.  I love taking athletes with me to qualifying races.  Last season we traveled to SOHO, Winter Park, and Jackson for qualifiers.

This year we will be hosting the very first HS race in Sheridan on January 10th and 11th.  In the past the middle school has hosted a few times.  We have been trying to outline a new race course, but the permitting has been an issue and we will most likely hold the race at Antelope Butte Mountain Recreational Area, located off Highway 14, about 90 minutes from Sheridan on the way to Greybull and Cody, on the west side of the Big Horns.  The closest lodging would be Bear Lodge and Elk View Inn, both near Burgess Junction.  Otherwise, teams and spectators could stay in Geybull, if they come from the west, or in Sheridan.

Please tell us about yourself, where you are from, how you got involved in Nordic skiing, how you got involved in Nordic coaching, how you got involved in the Sheridan Nordic program, and other relevant bits of Nordic information.

I grew up in a small town in East Germany under Russian occupation and a socialist dictatorship.  I was 17 when the wall between the East and the West collapsed, which became the most consequential, freedom-giving event of my life.  Back in East Germany school sports didn’t exist as they do here.  Exceptionally talented kids were identified from very early age and trained and lived in sport specific institutions funded federally.  All other kids simply had PE in school and maybe played soccer in a club.  I began running marathons in my twenties and switched to Ironman racing in my thirties.

Living in Boulder, CO a ski-passionate family introduced me to Nordic skiing.  I fell in love with the sport and the incredible aerobic benefit transferred into my triathlon racing the following season.  After starting my own family and moving to Texas, skiing had to take a back seat, but I never sold our ski equipment.  In 2014 we moved to Sheridan, and in 2021 my daughter, Kayley, considered joining the middle school ski team.  To get her and a few friends ready for the winter I conducted an 8-week CrossFit style class for them.  When the middle school coach found out about my skiing background and passion to coach, she asked me if I would consider helping as an assistant.  I tried to turn her down but, after joining a couple of practices, I had so much fun I could no longer tell her "no."  We would also have a handful of kids from the high school join our middle school training group as the high school did not have a program at the time.  These athletes would race on the Cody team, and I went with them to the state championship in Pinedale.  At this point it was clear that if the high school would adopt the Nordic program, I would absolute love to serve as their coach.  That next fall I finished my L100 course led by Will Wicherty.

From the beginning, Sara Kirol has been helping as an assistant coach.  Her daughter, Brynn, is an athlete in the program.  Sara has been incredible.  She works for the Forest Service and makes a lot of sacrifices to help the team.  Her athletic background is a collegiate volleyball player.  She is a true outdoorsman and knows the Big Horns incredibly well.  This season we gained another coach, Mikaela Moore.  She grew up in Sheridan, studied in Laramie, ran the local ski store there, and now works at EMIT Technologies in Sheridan, which is also my employer. 

Our team plans to race in Jackson on December 13th and 14th.  Most athletes will participate the high school race, while some will join the IMD qualifier.  I admire what Jackson has accomplished in Nordic skiing.  I have followed Junior Nationals closely over the past two seasons.  Jackson has one of the top three best ski teams in the nation.  I wish more of your club athletes would participate in high school racing.  It would benefit my high school athletes and the entire state.  As a coach, I am committed to excellence.  While I feel I am mastering the training and assessment of cardiovascular fitness well, I wish there was a way to tap into your team’s deep coaching knowledge to accelerate our learning on skiing technique.  Thank you for representing Wyoming so well, and good luck in continuing this tradition going forward.