Noah Hoffman

I am hosting a brand new podcast from Global Athlete, and the first episode dropped today, June 15th! You can find it at the links below or by searching for ‘Global Athlete’ wherever you listen to podcasts. The new podcast features in-depth conversations about international sport governance, athlete rights, and the future of the Olympic and Paralympic games. New episodes will drop weekly on Tuesdays. The first episode, out today, gives an overview and history of international sport...

In an effort to share my experience as an older undergrad at Brown University, I am introducing some of the people that I spend time with here in Rhode Island. The first person that I'd like you to meet is Jacqulyn Blatteis. Jac is a traditionally aged senior from Los Angeles, California. She is graduating in two weeks with a degree in neuroscience. She is the co-director of a student group called HOPE (Housing Opportunities for People Everywhere), and she is a remarkable human being. I hope...

I am currently in Beitostølen, Norway for the first races of the season. I just finished up a 10-day camp in Sjusjøen, Norway with Andy Newell, Erika Newell and Annie Hart. Today’s conversation is with Erika and Annie, two of the best female skiers in the U.S. who are not currently on the U.S. Ski Team. They both ski for the Stratton Mountain School Elite Team and primarily compete on the U.S. Super Tour circuit. Both have started a few World Cup races but neither has scored World Cup...

A conversation with with Dexter Paine, the Chair of the Board of U.S. Ski and Snowboard (USSA). Dexter also serves as a vice president and council member of the International Ski Federation (FIS). For his day job, he is a Founding Partner and Chair at the private equity firm Paine Schwartz Partners, LLC which focuses on sustainable food chain investing and agriculture. He also serves as a Manager of ACS Media Income Fund. Previously, Dexter served as the Chair of the Board at Holderness...

A conversation with Nordic Combined Olympic Champion Billy Demong. Billy became the first and only American to win an Olympic Gold Medal in a Nordic sport when he won the 10 Kilometer Individual Large Hill competition in Vancouver 2010. He competed in five Olympics: Nagano, Salt Lake City, Torino, Vancouver and Sochi. Billy is now the head of USA Nordic Sport, a new organization that works to further Nordic Combined and Ski Jumping in the U.S. You can learn more about USA Nordic Sport at...

A conversation today with Tom Kelly, the vice president of communications at U.S. Ski and Snowboard (USSA). Tom is preparing to depart USSA in June after 32 years. He also serves as the chair of the International Ski Federation PR and Mass Media Committee, the chair of the board of the Alf Engen Ski Museum and the chair of the board of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame. Because of Tom’s long history in the sport, I started by asking him to tell me about the evolution of the sport in...

A couple of days ago I had a chance opportunity to talk to Max Cobb, the President and CEO of the U.S. Biathlon Association or USBA. Max also serves as the Vice-President for Sport of the International Biathlon Union or IBU. Because I did not know I would be talking to Max, I did not prepare for this conversation. However, USBA has been a leader among winter sports in urging swift and decisive action against the Russian Federation for the systematic doping outlined in the McLaren report....

with Luke Bodensteiner, the Executive Vice President of Athletics at U.S. Ski and Snowboard. I’ve known Luke for over a decade, since before I was on the U.S. Ski Team. Before joining U.S. Ski and Snowboard, he cross country skied himself for the University of Utah and at the 1992 and ’94 Olympics. At Utah he won two individual NCAA titles and one team title and he is a 3-time U.S. National Champion. He joined the administration at U.S. Ski and Snowboard in 1996 and became the cross country...

A conversation with Robert Lazzaroni, the Nordic Domestic Program Director at U.S. Ski and Snowboard (USSA). USSA is the National Federation for Olympic skiing and snowboarding, including Alpine Skiing, Nordic Sports, Freestyle Skiing, Freeskiing and Snowbaording. Before coming to U.S. Ski and Snowboard, Robert spent 17 years as the Nordic Product Manager at Rossignol. He also served as the Manager of Nordic Programs for the Utah Olympic Park which includes the Park City Nordic Ski Club.

A conversation with Tiger Shaw, the President and CEO of U.S. Ski and Snowboard (USSA). USSA is the National Federation for Olympic skiing and snowboarding, including Alpine Skiing, Nordic Sports, Freestyle Skiing, Freeskiing and Snowbaording. Tiger competed in Alpine skiing in the 1984 and ‘88 Olympics. He grew up in Stowe, Vermont and went to Dartmouth College. He came to U.S. Ski and Snowboard from Global Rescue in the spring of 2014.

A conversation with Brayton Osgood, the Men's Cross Country Skiing Head Coach at Dartmouth College. Brayton is is one of my best friends and this conversation begins a little more casually than some of the others. Brayton graduated from Dartmouth himself in 2003 with a degree in mathematics. He was the captain of the Dartmouth Ski Team and a 2-time NCAA All-American. After college, he skied professionally for many years. He represented the U.S. at the Under-23 World Championships and at the...

A conversation with Schone Malliet, the founder and current head of the National Winter Activity Center or NWAC in Vernon, New Jersey. The NWAC works to introduce under-resourced kids from the New York City metropolitan area to winter sports. They partner with organizations such as the YMCA and Boys and Girls Club of America to bus young people to the center on property formerly known as Hidden Valley, an alpine area with lights and snow making entirely owned and operated by NWAC exclusively...

A conversation with John Caldwell, the 'Father' of Nordic skiing in the U.S. John competed in the 1952 Olympics in Nordic Combined and coached the U.S. Ski Team and the U.S. Olympic Team at the 1960, '64, '68, '72 and '84 Games. He coached Nordic and taught math at The Putney School from the mid 1950s until his retirement in 1989. His athletes at The Putney School included Bob Gray ('68 and '72 Olympics), Martha Rockwell ('72 and '76), Mike Gallagher ('64, '68 and '72), his son Tim Caldwell...

A conversation with Peter Graves, Olympic Announcer and Television Sportscaster and Commentator. Peter is a former head coach of cross country skiing at Harvard University and skied for Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. He commentated at the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, he was on ESPN's SportsCenter during the 1984 and '88 Olympics. He did mountain bike commentary for ESPN, TSN (Canada) and EuroSport. He was a public address announcer at the Olympics in Sydney 2000...

A conversation with Andy Newell. Andy is a U.S. Cross Country Ski Team member and 3-time Olympian. He has represented the U.S. in 8 World Championships and has finished on the World Cup podium 3 times. We talked about his early career, his decision not to go to college, his struggle to translate success in qualifying to success in sprint heats, his recent trips to Norway, X Ski Films, Athletes for Action and Protect Our Winters, and what is coming next for him.

A conversation with Cami Thompson Graves, the Director of Skiing and the Women's Cross Country Skiing Head Coach at Dartmouth College. Cami has been at Dartmouth for almost 30 years. Prior to coaching she raced at St. Lawrence University and then for the U.S. Ski Team from 1985-87. She represented the U.S. at the 1985 World Championships in Seefeld, Austria. She is a member of the New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) Board of Directors, a former member of the NCAA Skiing Rules...

A conversation with Sarah True. Sarah is a two-time Olympian, winner of multiple triathlon World Series races and three-time World Championship medalist. She finished fourth at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, just 10 seconds off the podium. We talked about how she got into triathlon, how she balances training for three sports, overcoming injuries, the differences between open-water and pool swimming, what it's like to finish fourth at the Olympics, her transition to the 70.3 distance,...

A conversation with Matt Voisin, the owner, director of marketing and "bossman" at FasterSkier.com. Matt, with Topher Sabot, purchased FasterSkier in 2007 and has grown it into a news-media site that is almost bigger than the sport it covers. We discussed FasterSkier's role in the tremendous success of U.S. cross country skiing in the last decade, the inherent conflicts of interest in covering a sport that you rely upon for marketing dollars, and Matt's thoughts on the biggest challenges...

A conversation with Kris Freeman, my longtime friend and teammate. Kris is a 4-time Olympian and type-1 diabetic. We talked about his diabetes diagnosis and how that has shaped his career, how US skiing has changed during his time at the international level, and whether or not he'll be done racing after this coming season.

A conversation with Ben True, my friend and former teammate on the Sun Valley Elite Team. Ben is one of the best 5000 meter runners in the world. His personal best time of 13:02.74 is 9th all-time for Americans. We touched on his start in skiing and running, what it was like to do 3 varsity sports throughout his Dartmouth career, the difference between running and skiing professionally, his brief foray into professional cross country skiing, what his training looks like now, the Olympics,...