‘It’s us versus them now’: Once rivals, American skiers band together with World Championship aspirations

Ben Ogden of the United States is seen in action during the qualification of the men's Sprint free competition at the Davos Nordic FIS Cross Country World Cup in Switzerland on Dec. 14, 2024.

Ben Ogden still clearly recalls his earliest rival on the ski trails — Anchorage’s Gus Schumacher. Although they once locked horns during numerous junior races, they are now teammates on the U.S. men’s cross-country team. Ogden, 25, and Schumacher, who also turns 25 this summer, have been central to a new era for American cross-country skiing, helping the team gain international relevance.

The real test for Team USA comes at the 2025 Nordic World Championships, set to begin Thursday in Trondheim, Norway. "We all grew up racing against each other," Ogden recalled. "I can remember back to the days when there was nothing in the world more motivating than beating Gus at junior nationals. The change over the last couple years, now we’re teammates and on any given day I could care less about beating Gus—it’s really about beating everybody else."

The U.S. men’s squad is notably loaded with Alaskan talent, including Schumacher, 24-year-old JC Schoonmaker, 25-year-old Luke Jager, and 23-year-old Zanden McMullen. Teammates John Steel Hagenbuch (23) and Jack Young (22) round out a youthful core that has grown stronger through shared competition and close-knit camaraderie. Schumacher emphasized the team's effort to welcome younger athletes and build a collective identity.

An impressive resume bolsters the team’s credentials: Ogden has earned a pair of World Cup podiums, and Schumacher recently celebrated his second podium with a runner-up finish in a 20K race in Falun, Sweden. Schumacher noted that the recent successes have raised expectations; even a top-20 finish is now seen as falling short of their potential.

Looking ahead, a major goal is the 4x7.5K relay scheduled for March 6. The men’s relay has historic significance, as Schumacher, Ogden, Jager, and Hagenbuch previously won gold at the Junior World Championships in 2019 in Lahti, Finland. Schumacher envisions a relay performance where the team maintains a fast pace throughout and secures a win.

On the women’s side, Jessie Diggins leads the charge as the reigning World Cup champion and Olympic medalist, with seven World Championships under her belt. Diggins stresses the importance of focusing on process rather than results, emphasizing her role as a steadying influence on the team.

The women’s team also features a strong contingent of Alaskan skiers. Rosie Brennan, after dealing with health challenges, has returned to competition and will join the team in Europe. UAF standout Kendall Kramer and Kate Oldham, who both train with the APU summer program, are also in the mix. APU Nordic Ski Center Head Coach and Director Erik Flora is set to represent Team USA in Norway.

The championship action kicks off with a skate sprint at 2:30 a.m. AKST on Thursday, followed by 20K skiathlons on Saturday and Sunday. A full week of races, including 10K classic events on Tuesday, starts next week. All events will be streamed live on skiandsnowboard.live with coverage from Anchorage’s Kikkan Randall and Chad Salmela.