The following posts will attempt to introduce you to what we envision as Methow Olympic Development. What we are, who we are, why we are. Already in the past few weeks thousands of calories have been burnt in conversation and countless lines of email sent in the development of the Valley's first elite-level program. And we haven't even begun our first official training year! It's an exciting time and we look forward to involving all those who want to help see us attain our goals! And so we begin:
What is MOD?
The Methow Olympic Development team was formed in early 2009 out of existing coach-athlete relationships based in the Methow Valley of Washington State. Scott Johnston has been working in close contact with Sadie and Erik Bjornsen for several years since their time as high school students on the Methow Valley Junior Team. Scott began coaching Sam Naney in the winter of 2007/08 after Sam requested help to recover from a self-incurred bout of serious overtraining that season. All three athletes have been closely aligned to Scott’s unique and holistic training approach and have seen dramatic results.
Why MOD?
Because of the low profile of Nordic skiing in the United States, there is an ever-present need for support, both financial and in-kind, at the post-graduate level of competition. Five programs currently exist in the country, in Sun Valley, Idaho; Bend, Oregon; Craftsbury, Vermont, Presque Isle, Maine; and Hayward, Wisconsin. While the possibility is there for the three athletes of MOD to instead have chosen one of these programs, both the athletes and Scott understood that the key to success is continuity – the familiarity, knowledge and positive rapport which Scott has with each athlete is essential to their success; to pick up and move to a new location, program and coach with less than eight months until Olympic Trials the athletes would set themselves up for a year of transition and thus poor, inconsistent training.
MOD Sponsors
