QA with cross-country ace Kris Freeman

Q&A with cross-country ace Kris FreemanTop-ranked American cross-country skier Kris Freeman has blazed into the new season with a series of dominating performances in domestic competitions. This weekend, the U.S. Ski Team veteran won a pair of races in Anchorage, Alaska. The races came a week after his winning a cold SuperTour sprint in Fairbanks. Ski Racing magazine, which profiled Freeman in 2003, interviewed Freeman this fall about his goals going into the Olympic season.

Ski Racing: What are your plans, and what are you most excited for this year?
Kris Freeman: The World Cup comes to Canada in December. It’s a rare chance to compete with the Europeans in North America…I’m going to skip some of the World Cup to avoid flying to Europe in twice. I’ll race at Davos in late January, and possibly in Germany right after U.S. nationals.

SR: Have you had any blood-sugar episodes during competition since we profiled you a few years ago?
KF: Not really. I had one race where it got a little higher than I wanted, but I quickly made the correction by giving an extra bit of long-lasting insulin…When I have time to acclimate to the area I’m okay. That time I didn’t quite have time to react to my surroundings. That time I came down to sea level, but I stayed at the same level of insulin, and I actually needed more insulin to make up for it. That was in Kuusamo Finland.

SR: How was your training in the southern hemisphere this year?
KF: I’m had my best training year ever. I did a few races during our training camp, and I was dominating in them, and usually when I’m skiing well in August, I ski well in the winter.

SR: Last year you said you had some bad luck.
KF: I came into the season a little tired. Probably overtrained a little. Then I got very bad food poisoning in Ramsau. Carl Swenson had the same thing, and I was never quite the same. I actually skipped nationals and tried to recover. I was just starting to feel like myself again at the end. It was very frustrating…I kind of scratched last season off.

SR: The FIS has been talking up a new format on the World Cup that makes it more like the Tour de France, a tour with stages rather than single competitions. What do you think?
KF: I think it could be interesting, but I’m not focusing on it at all. The Olympics takes priority. I think it’s an okay idea, a way to get people interested in it.

SR: The Olympics are going to be a pretty big deal for you, right?
KF: If the U.S. Ski Team and I can get things just right, we could raise the profile of the sport …all it takes is one guy to start winning.

SR: How long is your career going to last?
KF: I’m going to race to Vancouver for sure.

SR: What did you do to prepare for the season?
KF: I actually did less weights. I got everything I needed from that…Last year I maxed out, and so now my training has involved things that are more specific stuff to the sport.

SR: What do you think about people saying that you’re the best American cross-country skier since Bill Koch?
KF: I hope to someday be the best American, not just the best one since Bill Koch. I think you see that Americans remember that name, and that’s the Olympics for you. It’s only once every four years that our sport gets that kind of attention here, and that’s at the show, so I’m putting everything I have into this year.