Under new leadership, the APU Nordic Ski Club is adding skiers and assembling an elite team loaded with Olympians and national champions that may be as strong as any group of nordic skiers in the country.
Kikkan Randall, the highest-finishing women's Olympic skier in U.S. history, is a member. So are fellow Olympians James Southam and Lars Flora as well as such rising talents as Tazlina Mannix and Anders Haugen.
Erik Flora is the new director, replacing Jim Galanes, the former Olympic skier who founded the APU program in 1997 and stepped down two months ago for undisclosed reasons. His chief assistant John Quinn-Hurst also resigned.
Their departure opened the door for Flora, who was hired by the university as director of the program.
The 33-year-old Flora is no stranger to APU, having coached and skied there the last eight years. He retired from elite skiing last year, ending a career that included three Tour of Anchorage titles.
Being familiar with the APU program and knowing the skiers made Flora the right coach to take over, said Randall, the reigning U.S. sprint champion.
"He brings a lot of positive energy," Randall said. "He's seen what has worked, what hasn't worked. He's a great person to take over."
In addition to coaching at APU, Flora also served as director of Flora Racing Service, a development team.
But this will be the first time he has run a full-fledged program that features teams for elite, college, junior and masters skiers. He expects some 100 skiers will be in the program, including 13 on the senior and college teams.
Flora believes he will succeed because he already knows so many of the skiers in the program. Plus, he's hired assistant coaches Frode Lillefjell and Holly Brooks, each of whom have a championship background.
Lillefjell was the 1997 NCAA men's 10-K classic champion, skiing for UAA. Brooks has coached the last two girls state skimeisters -- Fiona Worcester in 2005 and Amy Glen, both competing for West High. Brooks will continue coaching West this winter.
At APU, the coaches will split time between teams, Flora said, allowing them to share different coaching styles. Each will have a specific focus -- with Flora concentrating on elite and college skiers, Lillefjell the juniors and Brooks the masters.
"Everyone brings something different and important to the program," Brooks said.
Under Galanes, the APU program emerged as one of the top developmental ski teams in the country, turning out Anchorage Olympians Nina Kemppel, Lars Flora, Randall and Southam.
"When APU first began, it was big news," said Cory Smith of www.fasterskier.com, a popular Web site for nordic skiing. "At the time, there weren't any other programs like it. APU instantly became a model for other ski programs around the country.
"Since then, a number of similar programs have taken root ... and these programs have collectively raised the level of support for skiers nationwide. When people talk about the opportunities available for elite skiers in the United States, APU is always one of the first programs mentioned."
In July, however, Galanes and Quinn-Hurst resigned "to seek other opportunities," according to Kelly Smith, dean of students at APU.
"My fondest hope is that it continues." Quinn-Hurst told the Daily News last summer.
A roster featuring a handful of Olympians and former national champions suggests it will.
Mainstays such as Randall and fellow U.S. Ski Team member Mannix of Talkeetna are back.
So are former APU skiers Lars Flora -- Erik's younger brother -- and Southam, both former Olympians and national champions who had trained independently.
They'll be joined by local standouts like Fairbanks' Kate Pearson (2006 U.S. Nationals medalist), Palmer's Eric Strabel (2006 national runner-up) and Soldotna's Brent Knight (former NCAA qualifier).
"It's inspiring to watch the training sessions," Erik Flora said. "They're only going to make each person better."
Having that much firepower at the same practice may rub off on some of the younger skiers. One of the perks of the mixed APU team, Erik Flora said, is that a wide-eyed teenager can train beside a U.S. champion.
Randall enjoys skiing with the juniors especially because they keep the mood so light.
"It's great to have the whole component," Randall said. "It's different than any other team in the country."
Daily News reporter Van Williams can be reached at vwilliams@adn.com or 257-4335.
Best local APU skiers
• Kikkan Randall: Anchorage. Two-time Olympian (2002, 2006), 2007 U.S. Ski Team World Cup and five-time national champion
• Tazlina Mannix: Talkeetna. 2007 U.S. Ski Team Continental Cup and World Junior Team member
• Lars Flora: Anchorage. Two-time Olympian (2002, 2006) and national champion
• James Southam: Anchorage. Olympian (2006) and two-time national champion
• Eric Strabel: Palmer. National runner-up
• Kate Pearson: Fairbanks. National third-place finish
• Anders Haugen: Anchorage. National sixth-place finish
