Roundup: Whether Home In Bozeman Or Jet Setting To Sydney, Summer Is No Break For Team USA Skiers
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by Alex Abrams
Every other week we scour the web for the latest going on in the world of U.S. Para Nordic skiing. Here’s what you missed!
For Four Para Nordic Skiers, Bozeman Is Home — And Where They Train
U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing is based in Bozeman, Montana. It’s also where standing skier Dani Aravich and sit skiers Michael Kneeland, Ty Wiberg and Nicole Zaino call home.
Since all four athletes live in Bozeman, it has made sense for Aravich, a two-time Paralympian, to train this offseason with Kneeland, Wiberg and Zaino, who are each hoping to qualify for their first Winter Paralympics in Milano-Cortina in March. Read more about there training journey in Bozeman here.
The four athletes have regularly met up several times a week to get in some dryland training and target practice at the shooting range. Standing skier Jack Berry, who lives roughly three hours away in Missoula, Montana, has joined them at least once a month this offseason to train with the group.
“Having two other sit skiers as well as Dani as a standing skier (in Bozeman), it is tremendously helpful because we all can train together and we can all push each other in practices,” Wiberg told USParaNordic.org. “You’re not always having to do workouts by yourself because, as I think a lot of endurance athletes know and as a lot of athletes know, working out by yourself isn’t always the most fun.”
Aravich, however, hasn’t been in Bozeman too much lately. She shared on Instagram that she has been training in France over the past few weeks and running on trails through the mountains there.
No Rest for Aaron Pike This Summer
Aaron Pike hasn’t gotten much time to relax this offseason, and he still has more to do before the summer ends.
Pike, a seven-time Paralympian in Nordic skiing and track and field, has juggled a hectic schedule this summer. He has crisscrossed the country to compete in races for track and traveled to Sweden to get in some much-needed time on snow while training for the biathlon. Read more about it here.
“July was just like I went to bed and woke up, and it was August. I don’t know where that month went,” Pike told USParaNordic.org. “So I think with all the things going on, it’s just kind of like time is flying by.”
Pike competed in the first-ever combined USATF Outdoor & Para National Championships in July while still training for the Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 in March. He’ll need to wait a little longer to enjoy a break, though.
Pike is scheduled to travel to Australia to compete in the Sydney Marathon on Aug. 31. He recently shared a video on Instagram showing footage of him splitting his time between training for Nordic skiing and track and field.
“Keeping a balance when the @sydney_marathon is around the corner but @milanocortina2026 winter games are less than 200 days away!” Pike wrote on Instagram.
Oksana Masters Trains to Be a Flight Attendant
Oksana Masters is a multi-sport star and the most decorated U.S. Winter Paralympian of all time, but she admitted she’s not cut out to be a flight attendant.
A 19-time Paralympic medalist in Nordic skiing, cycling and rowing, Masters recently had the opportunity to go through training that is required of flight attendants. She was shown how to inflate a life vest, open the emergency exit on a plane and put on her oxygen mask during an emergency.
It, however, didn’t go well for Masters.
“That time I thought I could be a flight attendant. Turns out ‘remain calm’ isn’t my superpower,” Masters wrote on Instagram. “I’ll stick to sports and let the pros handle the beverage cart.”
Josh Sweeney Puts Himself Through ‘Ultimate Test’ With Biathlon
Josh Sweeney offered his Instagram followers an explanation for why he believes the biathlon is the “ultimate test” — both physically and mentally.
The two-time Paralympian posted several photos of himself competing in the biathlon, which combines cross-country skiing with rifle shooting.
“Most sports test your body. Biathlon tests your body and mind,” Sweeney wrote on Instagram. “Imagine pushing yourself to the limit in cross country skiing… heart pounding, lungs burning… and then in an instant, you have to calm everything down to hit a target with precision.
“That balance of speed, strength, and focus is why I fell in love with this sport — and why I’m training to represent Team USA at the 2026 Paralympic Games.”
Sweeney has been working to qualify for next year’s Winter Paralympics in the biathlon. He made his debut as a Nordic skier at the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympics after winning a Paralympic gold medal in sled hockey in 2014 in Sochi.
Alex Abrams has written about Olympic and Paralympic sports for more than 15 years, including as a reporter for major newspapers in Florida, Arkansas and Oklahoma. He is a freelance contributor to USParaNordic.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.
