Early Influences and Journey to Coaching

Reflecting on his upbringing in western Massachusetts, Matt credits Ed and Mary Hamel for igniting his love for cross-country skiing through their local league. This early exposure to team dynamics and community support laid the foundation for Matt’s lifelong commitment to the sport.

“Ed and Mary gave us our first taste of what it felt like to be a part of a team. I was completely sold. It was all very simple: the right people built the right thing. And they were volunteers.”

With a notable skiing career through high school at Wahconah Regional followed by a post-grad year at Stratton Mountain School, lead Matt to Middlebury College. “At each of these places, my coaches were engaged and impactful in my upbringing in the sport.”

Matt then transitioned into coaching. His journey included volunteer coaching in Bend, Oregon, and stints at Glacier Nordic in Montana and Burke Mountain Academy in Vermont, where his coaching expertise caught the attention of the US Ski Team.

“A few of the athletes got fast in my fourth year at Burke so the U.S. Ski Team offered me a job in 2006. And here I am.”

Factors Contributing to Team Success

Matt highlights consistent funding and a decentralized coaching philosophy as critical factors behind the team’s sustained success. He emphasizes the importance of stable financial support from donors and sponsors, which has enabled the team to compete at the highest levels consistently.

“Without our individual donors and our sponsors, we’d still be fighting to break into the top-10 ranked nations in the world, and now we’re on the verge of upsetting Finland for third.” Matt continues, “Consistent funding, and especially through the economic dips and downturns, has made a difference.”

Regarding coaching philosophy, Matt highlights the US Ski Team’s approach of working closely with club teams, allowing athletes to train in environments they trust while maintaining a supportive partnership with national team coaches.

“We encourage all US Ski Team athletes to work closely with a club team and its coaches… We endeavour to build a team around each athlete.”

Additionally, investing in home-grown coaching talent has been crucial. Matt in his 19^th year as a coach for the US Ski Team, alongside longstanding colleagues like Chris Grover (23 + years), Bryan Fish (15 years), Jason Cork (12 years), Tschana Schiller (10 years), Greta Anderson (4 years) and Kristen Bourne (3 years), exemplifies the team’s commitment to nurturing and retaining coaching talent.

“We invest in our coaches with the intention of developing and keeping them.”

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Empowering Women in Skiing

Matt discusses the importance of gender equality in coaching and support roles within the team, highlighting recent initiatives aimed at promoting women into leadership positions.

“Having women leadership involved with our teams is the way to go,” Matt continues, “The number of women holding assistant roles versus head coaching roles in the U.S. has been way out of balance, and we’re trying to fix that. It’s the right thing to do, and it will make us a more competitive ski nation.”

“The U.S. proposed a rule change to FIS Cross Country, which was to include two women’s-only coaching bibs per team on the World Cup. It was accepted, and now any nation that chooses to bring women coaches and techs as a part of their staff has a 25% advantage with regards to course access.”

He elaborates on initiatives such as the introduction of women’s-only coaching roles on the World Cup, supported by the National Nordic Foundation’s efforts to fund women’s coaching and waxing experiences.

“National Nordic Foundation’s Trail to Gold Coaching Grant. For the past two seasons, the NNF has funded 13 different women to cover a total of 23 weeks of World Cup coaching and waxing experience. This has made our team better, and it has injected a lot of experience back into the club system, and into our expanding group of U.S. women coaches and techs. These programs work.”

Lastly, Matt pays tribute to two women who changed the entire sport, “Thanks to decades of work at attempting to disrupt the male-dominated system, Vermonters Molly Peters and Patty Ross paved the way for the world to adopt equal distance racing.”

FIS Will Introduce Equal Distances For Women And Men In Cross-Country Skiing

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Impact on Grassroots Skiing

“While his win from bib #34 was a brilliant, unforgettable nail-biter, there is another reason why it will have an impact.” Matt reflects on Gus Schumacher’s recent World Cup victory and its broader implications; he emphasizes the inspirational role of athletes like Gus in fostering grassroots enthusiasm for the sport. 

“Whether it’s a youth clinic, taking extra time to talk to a kid on the side of the trail, or helping the National Nordic Foundation raise money for the upcoming juniors, Gus is always one of the athletes who say, “Sure, I’m in.” He’s at the center of all of it, which is why his win will have a maximal impact.” 

Gus Schumacher: What’s behind his success?