BY HEATHER FOSTER AND KAREN BOSSICK
Get a workout with athletes that are gunning for the 2026 Winter Olympics. And indulge in some fun and story swapping at the same time.
The Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation XC Gold Team is offering free Gold Team Community Workouts open to the community on Monday evenings from June 16 through Aug. 4.
The free workouts, open to all ages and abilities, will be offered from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Mondays at the upper field of Sun Valley Community School’s Dumke Family Sagewillow Campus, 1 Arrowleaf Road in Sun Valley.
All you need is a pair of shoes to run or hike in. No registration is required.
“You might have seen us out on the bike path doing intervals or on the trails for long mountain runs,” said Jake Adicoff, a SVSEF XC Gold Team athlete, four-time Paralympic Medalist, and current Para-Cross Country World Champion.
“We’ve had the opportunity and privilege to hone our craft through thousands of sessions, and, with the Gold Team Community Workout, we’re excited to share our process with the community,” he added. “Whether you’re a seasoned skier or just looking to get moving, we invite you to join us for a simple afternoon workout of running, core strength, and games—always a favorite at SVSEF.”
The Gold Team was founded in 2005 by Rick Kapala and current U.S. Cross Country Ski Team Program Director Chris Grover to prepare athletes for the 2006 Turin Olympic Games. Considered one of the preeminent professional cross-country ski teams in the United States, it is now preparing athletes to compete at the 2026 Olympics.
“We’re celebrating a really exciting full circle moment here,” said SVSEF Cross Country Program Director Becky Flynn. “Twentieth anniversary, 20 years since the last Olympic Games in Italy where Gold Team member Chris Cook competed, and we’re here once again getting athletes ready to go for gold on behalf of Team USA—this time in Milano Cortina 2026.”
This year’s Gold Team includes three current members of Team USA—Jake Adicoff, John Steel Hagenbuch and Sammy Smith. Four other elite athletes—Peter Wolter, Will Koch, Elijah Weenig and Mia Case—round out the team.
Adicoff, Hagenbuch, Smith and Wolter grew up skiing with the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation. Weenig spent time with SVSEF as a post-grad athlete. This will be Mia Case’s second year with the Gold Team, while Will Koch is new to the squad.
Koch is the son of Bill Koch, who became the first American to win an Olympic medal in cross-country skiing at the 1976 Olympics. He went on to popularize skate skiing and even find a way to skate-ski on wet sand while living in Hawaii.
“I’m super excited to bring the community into our training this summer as we prepare for the Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Milano Cortina,” said Peter Holmes, SVSEF XC Gold Team Head Coach. “We can’t wait to get to know everyone, swap stories, and get some really fun afternoon training sessions in!”