PARK CITY, UT (June 8, 2017) – Olympic skier John Bower, the first American to win the prestigious nordic combined King's Cup, as well as a formative coach and leader of the U.S. Nordic Ski Team, passed away June 6 in Park City. Bower, who was 76, played a pivotal role in the development of the Utah Olympic Park and establishment of its Olympic legacy facilities.

Bower grew up in Auburn, ME where he won an unprecedented four interscholastic state titles in 1959 at Edward Little High School. He went on to ski at Middlebury College, winning an NCAA nordic combined title in 1961, the first ever for a Middlebury Panther, as well as taking four U.S. titles in his career. He was a two-time Olympian finishing 15th in 1964 at Innsbruck and 13th at Grenoble in 1968 - among the top finishes ever by an American nordic combined skier at the time.

His milestone accomplishment came at Norway's Holmenkollen Ski Festival in 1968 where he became the first American to win the prestigious King's Cup. His win at Holmenkollen set the standard for other Americans who followed him including Kerry Lynch (1983), Todd Lodwick (1998), Bill Demong (2009) and Bryan Fletcher (2012). The victory earned him an audience with the king of Norway in Oslo, as well as an invitation to a White House dinner in the king's honor later that year.

After retirement, Bower went on to coach at his alma mater of Middlebury from 1968 to 1975. He then served as nordic director of the U.S. Ski Team from 1975 to 1980 - a highly successful period for the American team, before leaving to become athletic director at Principia College in western Illinois. He returned as the U.S. Ski Team's nordic director from 1988-90.

"John Bower is a great example of a highly accomplished skier who dedicated his entire life to helping other athletes," said U.S. Ski & Snowboard President and CEO Tiger Shaw. "In particular, his work in developing the Utah Olympic Park leading up to the 2002 Olympics was a key part of the legacy that is still positively impacting athletes today."

Bower played a key role in that lead-up to the 2002 Olympics, serving as the first director for the Utah Winter Sports Park (now the Utah Olympic Park), overseeing development of venues and implementation of programs from 1990 to 1999.

“John was uniquely qualified and extremely effective in being the first to lead the team running the Utah Winter Sports Park," said Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation President and CEO Colin Hilton. "He had a passion to see that athletes could train and develop at the newly created Sports Park. That passion and committed effort planted the seeds that helped shape the successful Olympic legacy we enjoy today.”  

Since his retirement in 1999, Bower and his wife Bonnie have enjoyed an active lifestyle in both Moab and Park City. Bonnie played a leadership role in the start of the Park City Winter School. His son, Rick, was the 1999 halfpipe snowboarding world champion and is a highly-renowned halfpipe coach for the U.S. Snowboard Team.

Bower was named to the U.S. Ski Hall of Fame in 1969. He is one of Maine's most recognized sport stars and a member of the Maine Ski Hall of Fame and Lewiston Auburn Sports Hall of Fame. He joined the Middlebury College Hall of Fame in 2014. Bower is also an honorary member of the Alf Engen Ski Museum Foundation board.

He received a BA degree in economics from Middlebury in 1963, earning a Masters Education specializing in recreation and resort management from Springfield College in 1967.

John was the son of Robert and Elizabeth Bower of Auburn, ME. He is survived by a sister, Sandra Colvard; his wife Bonnie; daughter Abbi and husband Shane Combs; as well as his son Rick and wife Gillian, and two grandchildren. John and Bonnie were devoted to their faith through the Christian Science Church.

No public memorial service is planned. Those who wish to acknowledge their friendship with John and his contribution to the community are asked to consider a donation in his name to the Alf Engen Ski Museum Foundation (https://www.engenmuseum.org/donate) in Park City, where he was a founding board member.

Most of all, his family has asked that friends celebrate life and remember him with a smile, a joke and a Starbucks in hand.

PARK CITY, UT (April 28, 2017) - Veteran U.S. Ski Team nordic combined coach Dave Jarrett, who led the team to heights of glory at World Championships and Olympics, is retiring after 15 years as a national team coach. Jarrett, a two-time Olympian who is now USA Nordic's head coach of nordic combined, is leaving the tour to open a sports training center in his hometown of Heber City, UT.

Jarrett was a U.S. Ski Team athlete from 1992 through 1998, competing in two Olympics and three World Championships. He retired in 1998 and spent several years coaching cross country skiing at the University of Colorado. He moved to Utah after graduation, starting the first team program at Soldier Hollow in 2000 and then began a long tenure as a national team coach. He worked on the Continental Cup tour in 2002 and was elevated to head coach in 2008.

During his tenure, the team has seen its best results ever produced, including the first-ever U.S. Olympic medals in the sport of nordic combined in Vancouver in 2010. The team won an unprecedented four medals in Vancouver, including one gold and a team event silver. A year earlier at the World Championships in Liberec, Czech Republic, the USA also won four medals including two golds from Todd Lodwick and another from Billy Demong as the Americans swept every individual title. All told, Jarrett played a role in 11 Olympic and World Championship medals won between 2003 and 2013.

Jarrett in the 2015-16 season. (L.L.Bean-Lincoln Benedict)

Being on the road as a coach for a decade and a half can be grueling. Jarrett was philosophical in talking about his time spent with the team and what kept him coaching for so many years.

“I really enjoyed it," he said. "I liked seeing progress. I liked seeing the athletes come to training motivated every day.”

When asked if there was a single moment or memory that stood out above the others, Jarrett said: “It’s easy to count the major wins. But I'm more proud of all the time in between—when athletes were rising through the ranks. All of the firsts are always good days.”

Jarrett was widely acknowledged for his role in U.S. nordic combined.

"DJ and I worked for nearly 20 years together in various capacities—from being Olympic teammates in 1998 to being coached by him at the 2010 Games," said Olympic champion Demong, who now heads up USA Nordic. "I have tremendous respect for his track record of pioneering new training methods and continually seeking new ideas from other sports and nations. It is without a doubt his innovative approach that led us to win America’s first medals nordic combined. We thank him for all the invaluable leadership he brought to our program and wish him the very best moving into new opportunities!"

Jarrett smiles with Johnny Spillane in Vancouver after he won his silver medal. (U.S. Ski Team)

“It’s always gratifying to see athletes, like Dave Jarrett, give back for so many years," said U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association Executive Vice President, Athletics Luke Bodensteiner. "DJ was able to build on the platform that was established over many years to lead U.S. nordic combined to its greatest success ever.”

Amidst all of his own achievements as a coach, Jarrett said that “seeing the return of former athletes, such as Bill Demong and Jed Hinkley, committed to keeping the sport of nordic combined going” was one of the things he was most proud of.

“After 15 years, there are too many people to name," said Jarrett. "But thank you to all of the athletes, all the coache, and all the supporters that have been a part of the program and enabled us to achieve what we’ve been able to achieve.”

Jarrett will be putting his extensive coaching knowledge to work moving forward, opening an Athletic Republic franchise in his hometown of Heber City. The focus will be on speed and agility for those looking to make gains and improvements in their specific sports. Jarrett was clear that the programs are designed for all athletes, all levels, all ages and all genders. The new center is expected to open in summer 2017. 

Jarrett lives in Heber City with his wife, Kelly, and two children, Jack and Lala. USA Nordic expects to make an announcement in the near future of its coaching alignment going into the Olympic season.

DAVE JARRETT - KEY COACHING MILESTONES

USSA Coaching Awards
2007 - USSA International Jumping/Nordic Combined Coach of the Year
2009 - USSA International Jumping/Nordic Combined Coach of the Year
2010 - USSA International Jumping/Nordic Combined Coach of the Year
2010 - USSA International Overall Coach of the Year
2015 - USSA International Jumping/Nordic Combined Coach of the Year

Athletic Results

2013 Nordic World Championships - Val di Fiemme, Italy
Bronze - Team Event (Taylor Fletcher, Bryan Fletcher, Todd Lodwick, Billy Demong)

2010 Olympic Winter Games - Vancouver
Gold - Billy Demong (large hill)
Silver - Johnny Spillane (normal hill)
Silver - Johnny Spillane (large hill)
Silver - Team Event (Brett Camerota, Johnny Spillane, Todd Lodwick, Billy Demong)

2009 Nordic World Championships - Liberec, Czech Republic
Gold - Todd Lodwick (mass start)
Gold - Todd Lodwick (normal hill)
Gold - Billy Demong (large hill)
Bronze - Billy Demong (normal hill)

2007 Nordic World Championships - Sapporo, Japan
Silver - Billy Demong (normal hill)

2003 Nordic World Championships - Val di Fiemme, Italy
Gold - Johnny Spillane (sprint)

World Cup (2002-03 through 2016-17 seasons)
11 World Cup wins
38 World Cup podiums

PLANICA, Slovenia (March 25, 2017) - Kevin Bickner (Wauconda, IL) led a strong day for the entire U.S. men's ski jumping squad in its season finale at Planica Saturday. The USA finished seventh in the team event - its best overall team finish since 1985. Three of the four U.S. jumpers eclipsed the 200 meter mark.

Bickner led the way, soaring 227.5 and 225.0 meters on his two jumps. Both broke the old U.S distance record of 221.5 meters that fell a week ago when Bickner flew 244.5 meters in Vikersund, Norway. He now holds the top three distance marks ever for a U.S. ski jumper. Will Rhoads (Park City, UT) went 204.0 meters, while Michael Glasder (Cary, IL) soared 203.5 meters. Junior Casey Larson (Barrington, IL), who was top 10 in the Junior World Championships last month, went 198.0 on his best ride. 

The USA finished seventh, qualifying for the second round and finishing just behind Japan and ahead of the Czech Republic in the field of a dozen teams.

"I'm happy with the way things ended," said Bickner, who had barely missed qualifying for Friday's individual event a day earlier. "I woke up sick on Thursday and almost didn't jump in the qualifier but I was able to get better for today and had some jumps closer to what I'm capable of and I had a lot of fun doing it. I'm really happy we were able to achieve such a result so I'm satisfied with the way we ended the season."

Bickner, just 20, has emerged as a leader on a team that is moving forward one step at a time. He recorded a 15th and 21st place World Cup finish this season - the best U.S. results in nearly 15 years. He was inside the top 30 for World Cup points six times.

Glasder, the veteran on the team at 26 (turning 27 on Monday), had his best season ever, scoring his first World Cup points with a pair of top 30 results.

"We are always expecting good results as a team so it was really nice to end the season on a positive note," he said. "Sometimes as athletes it's hard to recognize the progress that's being made. But as a team we all made significant steps forward this season. It was really long so we are looking forward to a little break before our summer season starts again and preparing for the upcoming Olympic Games."

Mike Glasder soars over the valley below in Planica. (Getty Images/AFP-Jure Makovec)

As a 17-year-old junior, Larson made his World Cup debut this season after finishing eighth in the Junior World Championships last month at the Utah Olympic Park. A week before Planica, he soared 216.5 meters in Vikersund - then one of the longest jumps ever by an American. Rhoads, 21, also set a personal best in Planica with a 207.0 meter jump in Thursday's qualifier.

"What's really amazing is the depth of the group," said Olympic champion and USA Nordic head Billy Demong. "in addition to the foursome on the World Cup, another Norge Ski Club skier, AJ Brown, flew over 200 meters in training this week as a forerunner! The athletes we have now have the potential to make history and are capable of just about anything. It will take more time for them to develop the confidence to be contenders but they are serious dark horses already."

The team will return to the USA after spending the winter at its training base in Slovenia for a break before resuming training at the Utah Olympic Park later this spring.  

HIGHLIGHTS

• The USA finished seventh in a World Cup ski flying team event in Planica, Slovenia Saturday - its best finish in over 30 years.
• Three U.S. jumpers cracked the 200 meter mark.
• Kevin BIckner led the USA with jumps of 227.5 and 225.0 meters. Bickner set a new U.S. distance mark last weekend in Vikersund, Norway at 244.5.

RESULTS
Men's Ski Flying Team Event 
 

LAHTI, Finland (Mar. 3, 2017) - Germany made it a clean sweep of all the gold, winning the nordic combined team sprint at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships Friday. The USA, with Bryan and Taylor Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, CO), was ninth.

The USA stood 12th after the jump with both Fletchers going 109.5 meters. France took the lead, taking a 16-second margin over Germany into cross country. The USA was two minutes, eight seconds back.

In the cross country, Norway came blazing from fourth to challenge Germany with the fastest cross country time, eventually with Norway’s Magnus Krog finishing just a second behind Johannes Rydzek from Germany who sealed his fourth gold.

The Fletchers also set a torrid pace, moving up from 12th to ninth with the second fastest cross country time.

The World Cup resumes next week with the Holmenkollen Ski Festival in Oslo, Norway.

QUOTES
Bryan Fletcher
Taylor did a good job stepping up in competition and it gave me motivation to step up as well. Unfortunately I wanted it a little too much and didn't have the jump I am capable of. 

The races went well but we were just too far back. We had the second fastest time as a team overall which is solid and continually shows our strength on that side of the sport.  

RESULTS
Nordic Combined Team Sprint HS130m Jump
Nordic Combined Team Sprint Final Results

LAHTI, Finland (Mar. 2, 2017) - Kevin Bickner (Wauconda, IL), 20, made another step forward in his jumping career, leading the USA on the HS130m large hill, finishing 30th at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Lahti. It was the best men’s finish on the large hill at worlds since Alan Alborn was 27th in 1999.

The event ended with high drama as Austria’s Stefan Kraft put down a stylish landing to take his second gold medal despite being out jumped in distance by both the silver medalist, Andy Wellinger of Germany, and the bronze medalist, Piotr Zyla of Poland.

On his first jump, Bickner soared 117.0 meters to finish 28th, making the top-30 cut for the second round. On his final jump, he managed only 104.0 meters and dropped to 30th.

All four Americans had qualified Wednesday night to compete in the medal round Thursday. Will Rhoads (Park City, UT) flew 107.0 meters on his first jump to finish 39th. Mike Glasder (Cary, IL) went 106.0 meters and was 40th. In his first World Championships, junior Casey Larson (Barrington, IL) was 46th with a jump of 102.5 meters.

The World Championships wrap up for ski jumping on Saturday with the four-person team event on the large hill.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Kevin Bickner (Wauconda, IL) finished 30th in the World Championships HS130m ski jump in Lahti.
• It was the best U.S. men’s finish on the large hill at World Championships since Alan Alborn was 27th in 1999.

RESULTS
Men’s HS130m Ski Jump

LAHTI, Finland (Mar. 1, 2017) - Johannes Rydzek of Germany put on a late move to charge to a third-straight nordic combined gold medal at the Nordic World Ski Championships in Lahti. Bryan Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, CO) was 31st to lead the USA.

Ben Berend (Steamboat Springs, CO) continued his strong jumping, soaring 116.5 meters and into an early lead on the HS130m hill in the morning to finish 21st. Bryan Fletcher went 111.5 meters for 31st, starting cross country two minutes, 39 seconds back. Austria’s Mario Seidl threw down a towering 132.0-meter jump to take a commanding lead.

“The jump was great but the cool part is it wasn't even one of my best jumps over the last couple weeks,” said Berend. “It's a pretty awesome feeling when one of my average jumps can still put me in the mix.”

Ben Berend finished 21^st during the HS130 jumping portion of Wednesday’s FIS Nordic World Ski Championships combined. (Getty Images-Matthias Hangst)

In the afternoon 10k, Seidl sent out alone and held his lead until late in the race when he was caught by the pack. Rydzek made his move out of the stadium and up the final hill, taking a solid win over Akito Watabe of Japan who took silver. 

Bryan Fletcher moved up through the ranks in cross country, catching Berend and finishing 31st. Brother Taylor Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, CO) was well back after the jump but moved up to 36th. Berend was 40th and Adam Loomis (Eau Claire, WI) 44th.

“Definitely a tough day on the course today,” Bryan Fletcher said. “Unfortunately we missed the skis a bit and I was unable to stay with the guys I wanted. But none the less, I am excited for the team sprint on Friday!”

“On the result sheet the cross country race was disappointing,” said Berend, who broke a pole on the first lap. “Mentally this was pretty frustrating. I lost a lot of time on the first two laps but I finally settled in and skied a strong last 5k. Obviously I came here looking for a lot more. However there are a ton of small takeaways. My jumping is at an incredibly high level. Every race I'm learning something new and gaining confidence. I hope to keep learning and show up to Seefeld World Champs as a much improved athlete."

Combined wraps up with the two-man team sprint on Friday.

RESULTS
HS130m ski jumping results
Overall results

LAHTI, Finland (Mar. 1, 2017) - All American ski jumpers qualified Wednesday night to go into Thursday night’s large hill World Championship medal round on the HS130m hill in Lahti. It’s the first time since 1991 in Val di Fiemme, Italy that the USA has put four men into a large hill final.

Michael Glasder (Cary, IL) went 116 meters to finish 14th and lead the USA. Will Rhoads (Park City, UT), also went 116 meters to come in 21st. Junior Casey Larson (Barrington, IL) was 33rd with Kevin Bickner (Wauconda, IL) 34th.

Thursday’s competition will begin at 11:30 a.m. EST and will be streamed live on NBC Sports.

RESULTS
Men’s HS130m Ski Jumping Qualification

LAHTI, Finland (Feb. 26, 2017) - The USA finished eighth Sunday in the nordic combined team event at the Nordic World Ski Championships in Lahti. Germany was an easy winner of the gold, followed by Norway and Austria.

The day kicked off strong for the USA as Ben Berend (Steamboat Springs, CO) soared to the top jump in the opening round, going 96.5 meters to put the USA into the lead. The USA ended up seventh after jumping, starting cross country one minute, 42 seconds back.

Bryan Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, CO) opened up in cross country, moving the USA up to sixth with the fifth fastest time in the leg. He handed off to brother Taylor who held the position. Berend went third, dropping back to eighth with Ben Loomis (Eau Claire, WI) holding the spot to the finish.

“Cross country was good,” said Bryan Fletcher. “My goal for today was to use it as a training race, build a strong performance and get some results. I wanted to finish the last half-k really strong and I think I accomplished it. It was a good test for this course since we’re on it the rest of the Championships.”

Berend took away some huge positives from his experience leading off on the jump. “It was awesome to put down that jump,” he said. “It was our plan to have me go first, have a strong jump and set the tempo for the rest of the rounds. It felt awesome to be in that leader box the whole first round - it was a great experience for me.”

Training begins on the HS134m hill on Monday with the individual competition.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The USA finished eight in the nordic combined team event Sunday at World Championships in Lahti.
• Ben Berend (Steamboat Springs, CO) led it off on the jump Sunday morning, winning the first round with a jump of 96.5 meters.
• The USA stood seventh after the jump, starting one minute, 42 seconds back in cross country.

QUOTES

Bryan Fletcher

It wasn’t a bad jump. I was really excited that Ben Berend had such an amazing jump and I was really going for it and tried a little bit too hard. 

It’s really good experience for Ben Berend and Ben Loomis. They just need time to build up cross country. In jumping they’re contenders. That’s a bit of a departure from years past, but we’ll take it. They can develop their skiing over time and we can have a strong four-man team.

Cross country was good. My goal for today was to use it as a training race, build a strong performance and get some results. I wanted to finish the last half-k really strong and I think I accomplished it. It was a good test for this course since we’re on it the rest of the Championships.

The big hill is one of my favorites on the tour. It’s a hard hill and not forgiving. Hopefully it will go well and we can be in the mix again.

Ben Berend

It was awesome to put down that jump. It was our plan to have me go first, have a strong jump and set the tempo for the rest of the rounds.

It felt awesome to be in that leader box the whole first round - it was a great experience for me.

Last time I was at worlds I wasn’t picked for the four-man team event, but this is my favorite. I learned a lot out there. We weren’t fighting for the podium at the end but we all took little steps today.

The big hill will suit me much better. The bigger the hill, the bigger the time gaps in cross country which doesn’t suit me as well.

RESULTS

Nordic Combined Team Event Jumping

Nordic Combined Team Event Final Results